All-Stars and All-Time Highs

Katie Randall

Hey everyone, welcome back to Crypto Dugout! I’m Katie Randall, and I’m here with my co-host, the one and only Crypto-Dan. Dan, you ready to talk some baseball and crypto?

Crypto-Dan

Always, Katie. I mean, this week’s been wild—on the diamond and in the markets. But let’s start with college baseball, because, wow, LSU just keeps stacking those trophies, huh?

Katie Randall

Yeah, LSU’s run in the 2025 College World Series was just—what’s the word—dominant. They took down Coastal Carolina in the finals, and it wasn’t just the win, it was how they did it. Anthony Eyanson, that freshman pitcher, was lights out. And Derek Curiel, another freshman, just raked all tournament. Both of them picked up national honors, which, I mean, that’s not easy as a freshman.

Crypto-Dan

And let’s not forget Jay Johnson, their coach. He got named National Coach of the Year by D1Baseball.com. That’s back-to-back years with major hardware for LSU. It’s like, every time we think the college scene’s gonna even out, they just reload.

Katie Randall

Exactly. And it’s not just LSU. The All-America Team this year had three LSU guys, but also standouts like Jake Knapp from UNC and Evan Dempsey from FGCU. Plus, the transfer portal’s still buzzing after the July 1 deadline. I always get a kick out of how much movement there is now. It’s like free agency for college kids.

Crypto-Dan

Yeah, and speaking of standouts, USA Baseball just dropped their 26-man collegiate roster for the Japan All-Star series. Roch Chowlowsky from UCLA is leading the squad—he won the Brooks Wallace Award, right?

Katie Randall

Yep, that’s the one. He’s a shortstop with serious range. And Chris Stanfield from LSU picked up the Tony Gwynn Trophy for community service. I love seeing that—guys making an impact off the field, too.

Crypto-Dan

So, Katie, with all these college stars, what do you think it means for the next MLB draft? I mean, we’ve seen some of these names before, but this year feels stacked.

Katie Randall

Oh, it’s huge. I mean, Eyanson and Curiel are probably a year away, but Chowlowsky’s draft stock is through the roof. And, you know, it reminds me—this is gonna sound like a humblebrag, but I once pitched against a future MLB All-Star back in my college days. I got her out once, and then she took me deep the next at-bat. That’s the thing with these top prospects—you see flashes, but you never know who’s gonna make that leap.

Crypto-Dan

That’s awesome. I always love those stories. And, hey, as we’ve talked about in past episodes, college baseball’s just getting deeper every year. The Japan series is gonna be a must-watch for anyone scouting the next wave of talent.

Crypto-Dan

Alright, let’s shift gears to the big leagues. The All-Star rosters are set for July 15 in Atlanta, and the Futures Game is coming up, too. Chipper Jones and Marquis Grissom—two Hall of Famers—are managing the Futures squads. That’s gotta be a thrill for those young guys.

Katie Randall

Yeah, I mean, imagine being a prospect and getting pointers from Chipper Jones. That’s like, I dunno, getting a masterclass in hitting from the guy who basically defined switch-hitting for a generation. And Grissom’s got that outfield wisdom. The Futures Game is always fun, but this year, it feels extra special.

Crypto-Dan

And then you’ve got the Nationals just blowing it up—firing Dave Martinez and Mike Rizzo. Miguel Cairo’s stepping in as interim manager, and Mike DeBartolo as interim GM. That’s a lot of change midseason. I mean, I get it, but it’s gotta be tough for the players.

Katie Randall

Yeah, and it’s not just the Nats. The trade deadline’s coming up, and the Diamondbacks are rumored to be after Eugenio Suárez. I always wonder if these moves actually pay off or just shake up the clubhouse. And, oh, did you see the fan outrage when ESPN delayed the All-Star Selection Show for cornhole? I mean, I love a good backyard game, but come on.

Crypto-Dan

Yeah, that was wild. But at least MLB and ESPN are working on a new coverage deal, so maybe we’ll get less of that next year. On the field, though, some guys are just on fire. George Springer’s got a .964 OPS and five homers this week. Michael Busch is hitting .565, and Zack Wheeler’s ERA is, like, 0.53. That’s video game stuff.

Katie Randall

And Tyler Glasnow’s back for the Dodgers, which is huge for them. The Mets are finally getting some arms back, too—Manaea, Senga, Montas, Winker. It’s like, just in time for the second half push.

Crypto-Dan

You know, I met George Springer at a charity event a couple years ago. Super down-to-earth guy. He spent, like, half an hour talking to kids about the grind of making it to the majors. It’s easy to forget how much work goes in behind the scenes, especially when you see these guys just raking week after week.

Katie Randall

Totally. And with the All-Star break and trade deadline coming up, it feels like the whole league’s about to hit reset. We’ve seen it before—one big move or a hot streak can change everything. It’s like, momentum is everything, whether you’re a player or a team.

Crypto-Dan

Yeah, and, I mean, as we’ve said in past episodes, these midseason shakeups always set the stage for some fireworks. I’m just hoping my knees hold up long enough to watch it all unfold from the couch.

Katie Randall

Alright, let’s get into the crypto side, because, honestly, it’s just as wild as the baseball world right now. But first, here's a little public service announcement. When we discuss cryptocurrency, we are not providing financial advice. We are not financial advisors; therefore, please conduct your own research before investing in anything. I hope that we made that clear. Bitcoin has been hovering around $108,000, down about 1% due to the U.S. tariff drama, but ETF inflows are still rolling in. I saw that spot BTC ETFs had net flows of over $200 million just yesterday, and ETH ETFs are also seeing strong inflows. That’s a lot of institutional money coming in, even with the volatility.

Crypto-Dan

Yeah, and Metaplanet’s making headlines again. They just added over 2,200 BTC to their reserves, and now they’re talking about using their Bitcoin as collateral to buy up revenue-generating businesses—maybe even a digital bank in Japan. It’s like they’re trying to be the MicroStrategy of Asia, just gobbling up as much Bitcoin as they can before, what did their CEO call it, “escape velocity.”

Katie Randall

That’s right. And it’s not just Metaplanet. Ego Death Capital closed a $100 million fund for Bitcoin startups, and ReserveOne is aiming to raise a billion on Nasdaq for a fund that’ll give exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. It feels like every week a new fund or SPAC is jumping in. But, you know, with all this bullishness, there’s also a lot of caution. The Mayer Multiple is still in the neutral zone, so Bitcoin hasn't overheated, but sentiment is becoming quite euphoric. That’s usually when you want to be a little careful, right?

Crypto-Dan

Yeah, I mean, the crowd’s super bullish, but history says when everyone’s greedy, you gotta watch for a pullback. Still, the analysts are all over the place. Some are calling for Bitcoin to hit $120K by the end of July if macro stuff lines up, others are saying the real top might not come until October. And then you’ve got people betting on $130K calls. It’s, uh, a lot of noise, but the ETF inflows are real. That’s not just retail FOMO, that’s big money moving in.

Katie Randall

And Ethereum’s got its own drama. Some analysts are super bullish—Tesseract’s CEO is calling for $6,500 by year-end, which is, like, a 160% jump. But others are more cautious, saying ETH’s user activity is still lagging and the case for treasury adoption isn’t as strong as Bitcoin. So, it’s kind of a split camp. But the Pectra upgrade and those ETF inflows are definitely helping the narrative.

Crypto-Dan

It’s funny, Katie, because it reminds me of those momentum swings in sports. Like, you can have all the stats and projections, but sometimes the crowd gets too hyped and the team stumbles. Or, you get that underdog run—like Murray State in the College World Series last year, remember?—and everything just clicks. Crypto’s the same way. Momentum can flip in a heartbeat.

Katie Randall

Exactly. And, you know, as we’ve talked about in previous episodes, institutional inflows are changing the game. It’s not just about the price anymore, it’s about who’s holding and what they’re doing with it. But, like in sports, you gotta keep your head on a swivel. Volatility’s part of the deal.

Crypto-Dan

Couldn’t have said it better. Alright, that’s gonna do it for this episode of Crypto Dugout. We’ll be back soon with more baseball drama and crypto chaos. Katie, always a pleasure.

Katie Randall

You too, Dan. Thanks for hanging out with us, everyone. Stay sharp out there, and we’ll catch you next time on Crypto Dugout. Bye!

Crypto-Dan

See ya, folks!