Future Projection

Latest Episodes:

Episode 99: Scouting & Player Development Lessons To Learn From LCS Teams Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Carlos hop on the show to talk about the four teams standing this postseason and think through the scouting and player development lessons that can be learned from them.

The two talk about Cleveland’s ability to identify and develop domestic pitchers which helped lead to one of the best bullpens in the game, how the Dodgers’ investments on and off the field have led to sustained success, examine a strong up-the-middle position player core that the Yankees have developed and then use the Mets as an example of why you need to be patient with international prospects.

Other topics include postseason pitching strategy, Austin Wells’ going from catching question mark to defensive standout, the tremendous offense from Mark Vientos, and a listener question about international prospects who Ben expects big things from in 2025.

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Time Stamps

(2:30) Where are the starters?
(6:00) Financials of the final four teams
(10:30) The Guardians
(25:10) Cleveland’s still-strong farm
(27:00) The Dodgers
(33:00) LA’s reputation for player development
(39:00) The Yankees
(42:00) Austin Wells’ defensive transformation—or misevaluation?
(53:00) The Mets
(54:00) Being patient with international prospects
(1:02:20) David Stearns' impact
(1:07:30) An international listener question

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Do you have a question you want us to answer? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 98: New Directions For The Giants & Cardinals Oct 11, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Carlos hop on the show and talk about new leadership moves for both the Giants and the Cardinals organizations. Ben wonders if Giants fans should be wary about Buster Posey taking charge in San Francisco given lack of extensive front office experience and the two also discuss the changes that could be coming for the Cardinals in the future with Chaim Bloom set to become president of baseball operations in 2026.

Where do both orgs stand with their current farm systems? How has each team drafted and done on the international signing market in recent years?

After that the two talk about Quinn Mathews and his development as a pitcher, compare him with some of the best lefthanded pitching prospects in the game, including Marlins southpaw Thomas White, and move onto a conversation about Paul Skenes and the state of the Pirates.

Was anyone particularly close to Skenes in our Rookie of the Year race? And what about those Yoshinobu Yamamoto debates before the 2024 season got started? The two then talk about the draft lottery odds being set, praise the new system that no longer incentivizes tanking and get into a trio of listener questions including: the biggest adjustments from Triple-A to the majors, thoughts on Phillies prospect Eduardo Tait and the rarity of big leaguers who perform better in the majors than the minors.

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Time Stamps

(2:00) Buster Posey taking charge in San Francisco
(11:00) State of the Giants system
(21:00) Chaim Bloom as the Pobo in waiting in St. Louis
(27:00) State of the Cardinals system
(31:00) Cardinals draft history
(38:00) Quinn Mathews development
(44:00) Thomas White vs. Quinn Mathews
(49:00) Paul Skenes 2024 season
(58:00) The Pirates system
(1:08:00) Pittsburgh’s of international players
(1:12:00) Draft lottery talk
(1:22:00) Listener questions

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Do you have a question you want us to answer? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 97: The Next Kristian Campbell & Arizona Fall League Players To Watch Sep 27, 2024

Show notes

With Arizona Fall League rosters announced, Ben and Carlos talk through some of the prospects they are most looking forward to seeing. From obvious Top 100 names like Colt Emerson, Ethan Salas and Leo De Vries, to players coming off of injury riddled seasons like Chase DeLauter and Jett Williams, and other players with huge tools like Zyhir Hope and Jac Caglianone.

After that the two talk about Kristian Campbell being named the 2024 BA Minor League Player of the Year and trace his history as a prospect. What are the lessons we can learn from his player development path and who are other prospects with similar skill sets or untapped potential who might be able to follow that path?

At the end of the show the two take listener questions about Jackson Jobe, offensive prospects to know for fantasy purposes in the 2025 and 2026 draft classes and Top 100 prospects poised to leap forward on the list in the future.

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Time Stamps

(1:30) Arizona Fall League overview
(3:30) AFL players we’re most excited to see
(7:00) Chase DeLauter
(12:00) Zyhir Hope
(21:00) Colt Emerson & Cole Young
(28:00) Jett Williams
(33:00) Jac Caglianone
(45:00) Kristian Campbell
(59:30) Players who could follow his path
(1:00:00) Jacob Wilson & Nolan Schanuel
(1:03:00) Jaison Chourio
(1:05:00) Cooper Pratt
(1:07:00) Joshua Kuroda-Grauer
(1:09:00) Henry Mendez & Mike Boeve
(1:13:00) Nacho Alvarez & Chase Meidroth
(1:15:00) Deep Sleepers From The DSL
(1:19:00) Listener Questions

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Do you have a question you want us to answer? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 96: The Best International Teams & Changes Coming For College Recruiting Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Carlos talk about how their report writing process and then get into a conversation about standout 2024 international signees. Which players have been better than expected? Which teams seem to have particularly strong classes after a first look in the Dominican Summer League, and which teams in general scout international prospects particularly well? Ben breaks that all down.

After that the two talk about college scholarships and the potential for rosters shrinking and wonder how that will impact players, coaches, team construction, college baseball parity and the high school recruiting process.

The show closes with a great listener question about the easiest and most difficult tools to scout.

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Time Stamps

(1:00) The report writing process
(12:00) Being critical of an older prospect vs younger prospect
(15:00) Why no prospects have perfect reports
(19:00) Jurrickson Profar’s career
(24:00) International talk starts
(28:00) Brewers & Jesus Made
(30:00) Jose Anderson
(32:00) Guardians & Gabriel Rodriguez
(34:00) Robert Arias
(35:00) Juneiker Caceres
(37:00) Giants & Johnny Level
(39:00) Oliver Tejada & Argenis Cayama
(41:00) Cardinals & Branneli Franco
(42:00) Rainiel Rodriguez
(44:00) Which teams do the best on the international market?
(47:00) Are international scouts safe from job cuts?
(50:00) College scholarships and roster cutting
(556:00) How even is the college landscape
(1:01:00) How this impacts high school recruiting
(1:12:00) Smaller schools taking a player development route
(1:20:00) Listener question on scouting tools

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Do you have a question you want us to answer? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 95: Scouting Physicality & Body Type Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

The importance of scouting and projecting frames is the main portion of the show in today’s episode. Ben wonders whether or not we are too critical of superficial “bad body” players who actually have proven hitting chops, while Carlos talks about how projecting bodies might be more important for defensive profiles than anything that happens in the box. The two discuss early physical developers, hyper skinny frames, whether or not they weight physicality more or less for hitters vs. pitchers and more.

After that the two talk about how impressive Cardinals 2024 first rounder JJ Wetherholt has been in pro ball, then dig into a few other notable 24 debut performers. The two revisit their preseason 2024 drafted teams to see who has panned out better so far and then talk about the major league player of the year race.

Is Aaron Judge’s offensive dominance too much for any other player to challenge him or is Bobby Witt Jr.’s well-rounded game enough to make a defensible case for the honor. The two then talk about a few standout defensive rookies—Jacob Young and Masyn Winn—and Carlos offers up a 2025 draftee player comp to Winn to see what Ben thinks.

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Time Stamps

(1:00) Fall ball changes
(4:00) Scout jobs being cut
(14:30) How scouting bodies matters (Moises Ballesteros, Dasan Hill, Michael Mercado, Braden Shewmake, Alejandro Kirk, Kyle Schwarber)
(26:30) Early physical developers
(39:40) Deceptive body types
(42:00) Body types for hitters vs. pitchers
(48:00) JJ Wetherholt
(52:00) 2024 Debut hitters
(1:08:00) Major League Player of the Year race
(1:15:00) Giancarlo Stanton’s HOF case
(1:22:00) Jacob Young & Masyn Winn
(1:30:00) Nationals young core

Do you have a question you want us to answer? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 94: Red Sox Risers On Our New Top 100 Update Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Carlos hop on the show to talk through our most recent top 100 update that dropped this week, including notable up-arrow moves from a number of Red Sox prospects—most prominently Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell.

The two work through a number of risers on the list, including Chase Dollander, Kumar Rocker, Alejandro Rosario and Tyler Black, then also talk about a couple of players who have slid or fallen out of the list entirely.

Ben makes a point on potentially overvaluing athleticism in baseball, the two discuss whether or not Rhett Lowder’s pure stuff is underrated, wonder how much margin for error Thomas Harrington has and take a listener email about draft pick trading.

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Time Stamps

(1:00) Thoughts on the top 100
(4:30) Roman Anthony as a complete hitter
(7:30) Marcelo Mayer vs. Roman Anthony
(12:00) Kristian Campbell’s ascension
(19:00) Jackson Jobe and Chase Dollander as the top arms
(27:30) Kumar Rocker's return
(35:00) Is Rhett Lowder’s stuff underrated?
(37:00) Ben’s Rhett Lowder comp
(41:00) Alejandro Rosario
(45:00) Travis Sykora
(51:00) Tyler Black
(52:00) Spencer Jones
(54:00) Kevin McGonigle
(55:00) Athleticism vs. hitting ability
(1:00:00) Thomas Harrington
(1:06:00) Leodalis De Vries
(1:10:00) Bryce Eldridge
(1:13:00) Listener email on pick trades

Do you have a question you want us to answer? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 93: MLB Draft Standouts From The Summer Circuit Aug 29, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Carlos are back on the mic to talk about their travels and the prospects they’ve seen over the last few weeks and months of the summer showcase circuit.

Ben breaks down a few high-upside pitching prospects from the 2026 class who wowed him this summer and Carlos does the same for two prep righties in the upcoming 2025 high school class. The two wonder if spin rate monsters are becoming increasingly common, try and see where Seth Hernandez stacks up with recent elite pitching prospects, talk through a handful of talented two-way players and more.

The show closes with a listener email about the top international prospects from the most recent class, and how Ben would line those players up in a theoretical international draft.

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Time Stamps

(1:00) Curmudgeons in baseball
(5:00) Style of play vs. talent of players
(8:00) Randy Arozerena having friends
(10:00) What have we been up to?
(11:30) Area Code Games as Ben’s favorite event
(15:00) MLB Breakthrough Series at the Area Code Games
(18:30) Sean Mack
(20:00) Are spin rate monsters becoming more common?
(26:00) Standout summer players
(27:30) Savion Sims
(30:40) Trey Rangel
(33:00) Seth Hernandez
(36:00) Where does Seth Hernandez rank in terms of elite pitching prospects?
(41:00) Landon Harmon
(43:00) Kruz Schoolcraft, Billy Carlson and two-way players
(50:00) Dean Moss as one of the most disciplined hitters in the class
(56:00) Kayson Cunningham, Gavin Fien, Eli Willits as USA standouts
(1:03:00) Listener email about international prospects

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 92: MLB Draft Mega Preview For All 30 Teams Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

It’s almost draft day, and with that Ben and Carlos are joined by Peter Flaherty for a joint draft/Future Projection episode where the team does their best to break down round one for each team in the game.

We go through every team in the first round and talk through their potential options for this year’s draft, talk through draft strategy, debate players, talk through team philosophies and much more.

Buckle up, this is a long one and will hopefully get you ready for draft day.

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Time Stamps

(2:35) Guardians
(11:30) Who would we take at 1?
(17:30) Reds
(19:00) Why is Jac Caglianone so polarizing for us?
(25:00) Rockies
(27:20) Which pitcher would you take at 3 for the Rockies?
(31:00) A’s
(37:00) White Sox
(42:00) Royals
(46:00) Cardinals
(50:00) Angels
(52:30) Trey Yesavage as a polished and fast-moving arm
(56:00) Pirates
(59:00) What’s the knock on Nick Kurtz?
(1:04:00) Nationals
(1:06:00) Bryce Rainer vs. Konnor Griffin
(1:10:30) Tigers
(1:13:00) Red Sox
(1:18:00) What arms make sense for Boston if the top three are gone?
(1:20:00) Giants
(1:21:00) Cubs
(1:25:00) Mariners
(1:27:00) Jurrangelo Cijntje vs. Brody Brecht
(1:31:00) Marlins
(1:33:00) Brewers
(1:38:00) Rays & Mets
(1:40:00) Blue Jays &Twins
(1:44:00) Orioles
(1:45:00) Dodgers
(1:48:00) Braves
(1:53:00) Padres
(1:55:30) Yankees
(1:59:00) Phillies
(2:01:00) Astros
(2:03:00) D-backs
(2:05:00) Rangers
(2:07:00) Players we are higher and lower on

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Do you have a question you want us to answer? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 91: Up-Arrow Prospects To Know On Our Top 100 Update Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Carlos talk about what they’ve been up to over the last month. Ben’s been focused on the start of the summer showcase season and provides an early preview of the 2025 and 2026 high school classes, while Carlos breaks down his experience at this year’s MLB Draft combine and talks about some late-process 2024 draft class notes.

The two briefly then talk about some of the more prominent up-arrow prospects on our recently released midseason top 100 update including: Tigers pure hitter Kevin McGonigle, A’s shortstop and contact savant Jacob Wilson, Rays first baseman Xavier Isaac, Cardinals lefthander Quinn Mathews and Twins righthander Zebby Matthews.

Next Ben breaks down a few standouts from the early parts of the Dominican Summer League season and the two close the show by opening up the listener mailbag. Topics include this year’s Futures Game rosters, the Angels 2024 draft strategy, personal cheeseballs from the 2024 draft class and where the top tier of prospects is in this year’s class.

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Time Stamps

(6:00) 2026 preview
(9:00) Assessing the talent of a draft class
(12:00) How your ideas of players get crystallized
(20:00) The 2024 MLB draft combine
(25:00) Prep standouts at the combine
(30:00) How the combine works
(34:00) The combine’s utility for college players
(39:00) Top 100 updates
(40:00) Kevin McGonigle
(47:00) Jacob Wilson
(52:00) Xavier Isaac
(55:00) Quinn Mathews
(60:00) Zebby Matthews
(1:05:00) DSL standouts
(1:10:00) Futures Game Players To Know
(1:13:00) Angels draft strategy
(1:15:00) Personal cheeseballs
(1:24:00) The tiers of the 2024 draft class

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Do you have a question you want us to answer? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 90: The BA 500 & International Reviews May 30, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Carlos talk through two significant pillars of content that hit the site this week: the annual BA 500 for the 2024 class and our international reviews that give you all the information you need as the DSL season gets underway.

The two talk briefly about the Field of 64 and the NCAA Tournament that kicks off this weekend. Ben asks how much the tournament games can move the needle for scouting departments and the two also talk about whether or not high-pressure or clutch performances in these games bring additional value for reports or projecting a player.

After that, the two get into the BA 500 update and talk through the class, particularly the weaknesses of this year’s prep demographic. Who are the high school players we are actually confident in being selected in the first round? And what profiles are we confident in for that 10-30 range period? There are fewer options than a typical draft class.

The two also talk through a switch-pitcher on the rise and a handful of up-arrow high school arms before getting into Ben’s international reviews. He talks about the process of putting them together this year and then mentions a few lower bonus players who are trending in the right direction. Ben praises the Rockies for identifying and signing pitching talent from the international market and then dives into a few tooled up, exciting prospects to know about.

The show ends with a few notable prospect promotions and a Phillies-oriented Aidan Miller/Mick Abel debate.

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Time Stamps

(2:00) Ben’s international review process

(9:00) How much do the tournament games matter for draft stock

(12:30) Makeup and performance in high-pressure games

(15:00) Favorites for the NCAA tournament

(21:00) Draft talk/HS risks

(28:00) HS players we are confident in first round

(30:00) Where do teams pivot this year?

(35:00) Christian Moore

(39:00) Walker Janek