Future Projection

Latest Episodes:

Episode 199: Mailbag—Where Does Vahn Lackey Stack Up With Elite Catching Prospects? Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Carlos open the listener mailbag to tackle a handful of 2026 draft questions including: where does Vahn Lackey stack up with other top 100 catching prospects; what was our favorite player/org pairing from the draft; does Kevin Roberts Jr. have the same hitting questions as Quentin Young; and how would we compare the elite defensive shortstops from 2026 to the elite defensive shortstops from 2025.

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Time Stamps:

(0:45) How does Vahn Lackey compare to the best catching prospects in the game?
(5:00) What was your favorite player/org match from the draft?
(8:15) Does Kevin Roberts Jr. have a similar offensive profile to Quentin Young?
(13:50) How would you compare the top 2025 and top 2026 shortstop defenders?

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

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Episode 198: Breaking Down The MLBPA Draft Proposal Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Carlos talk through the most recent draft proposal from the MLBPA. The two talk about the potential and the ramifications of college sophomore eligibility, thoughts on hard vs. soft slotting, moving the draft from July to June, whether or not draft pick trading is coming and how that could be more exciting for the draft process overall.

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Time Stamps:

(0:00) Intro/Banter
(5:30) MLBPA draft proposal talk
(11:00) Why are only older college players eligible?
(17:00) Is universal eligibility a real compromise?
(21:00) Do teams need more years of college performance to make decisions?
(24:30) Thoughts on soft vs. hard slotting?
(31:00) Small revenue teams getting additional bonus pool to spend
(35:00) Moving the draft back to June?
(46:15) Everyone likes draft pick trading

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

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Episode 197: Which Late Picks Have Superstar Potential? Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Carlos break open the listener mailbag to answer questions about a number of topics including: Are teams changing their priorities for pitching stats? How does the 75% bonus minimum work in practice? Why do some players get significant over-slot deals? And which players outside of the top two rounds do we think have superstar potential?

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Time Stamps:

(0:00) Intro
(2:10) Are teams shifting pitcher draft evaluations from game stats to advanced stats?
(12:20) How were the Braves and Red Sox able to go below 75%?
(18:30) Why did the Nationals go so far over slot to sign Luke Williams?
(24:30) What player outside the top two rounds has superstar potential?

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

—

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Episode 196: 2026 Draft Reactions Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Episode 196: 2026 Draft Reactions

Ben and Carlos react to the 2026 draft. Which picks surprised them, which draft classes did they like, which are they more skeptical of and what are the big takeaways from how teams worked down the board for this crop of players?

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Time Stamps:

(2:00) Macro takeaways on the draft
(6:00) Our favorite drafts
(7:00) The Braves
(13:30) The Royals
(19:40) The Red Sox
(27:40) The Pirates
(33:00) The Marlins
(37:40) The Angels
(44:10) Roch Cholowsky first overall and the top three

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

—

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Episode 195: The Ultimate 2026 MLB Draft Preview Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Carlos are joined by JJ Cooper for a hybrid Future Projection/draft podcast breaking down everything we know or are hearing about the top of the 2026 draft. We talk through possibilities and players for each team’s first pick, talk about org tendencies, system strengths and weaknesses and try to get a better understanding of how the draft could unfold to get you ready for draft day.

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Time Stamps:

(2:30) White Sox
(10:00) Rays
(15:15) Twins
(22:30) Giants
(31:00) Pirates
(40:20) Royals
(44:30) Orioles
(50:20) Athletics
(54:20) Braves
(59:30) Rockies
(1:03:40) Nationals
(1:08:30) Angels
(1:12:00) Cardinals
(1:15:10) Marlins
(1:18:30) D-backs
(1:21:30) Rangers
(1:25:00) Astros
(1:27:10) Reds
(1:30:20) Guardians
(1:33:30) Red Sox
(1:38:40) Padres
(1:43:20) Tigers
(1:46:50) Cubs
(1:50:20) Mariners
(1:52:10) Brewers
(1:54:50) Mets
(1:57:10) Yankees
(1:59:30) Phillies
(2:01:00) Blue Jays
(2:02:50) Dodgers

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

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Episode 194: In The Weeds On MLB’s Amateur Proposal Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Carlos talk through MLB’s proposal to shake up the draft and the international talent acquisition system, working through ramifications for the game, player development, scouting and more.

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Time Stamps

(0:15) Where have we been?
(2:30) MLB’s player acquisition proposal
(7:00) MLB’s dishonest messaging
(9:00) Why high school players are more expensive to scout
(13:00) Development in pro ball vs. college
(16:40) This is always how MLB negotiates
(22:30) Why MLB teams don’t want to compete with each other
(25:00) The value of creating histories with players
(29:00) Hypocrisy in the international market
(33:30) Raising the signing age of international players
(38:00) The shadow development system in Latin America
(42:00) This felt like a misstep PR wise
(45:00) Everyone loves the pick trading idea
(50:50) Steroids and age issues in the international market
(55:00) The pulse of international agents on the idea of a draft

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

—

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Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount

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Episode 193: BA's New HS Star Rating System Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Carlos talk about Baseball America’s new top 500 high school player ranking, as well the new star rating system we are unveiling to help further contextualize high school recruits. The two talk about what separates a five-star, four-star and three-star high school player and then talk through some of the top recruiting classes in the country. After that the two hit on a few notable Top 100 risers and the different ways that UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey ended their 2026 seasons.

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Time Stamps

(2:30) Top 500 High School list and new star system ratings
(7:30) Why the star system ranking is different from BA grades
(11:40) What is a BA five-star recruit?
(18:30) Four-star players are the backbone of premier recruiting classes
(23:40) What does a three-star prospect entail?
(29:00) How the star scale applies to underclassmen
(32:55) The schools with the most exciting recruiting classes
(40:40) Top 100 talk
(41:00) Travis Bazzana
(44:00) Ryan Sloan
(46:30) Ethan Salas
(49:30) Theo Gillen
(51:30) Mike Sirota
(55:10) Luis Hernandez
(56:50) Alfredo Duno
(59:00) Roch Cholowsky vs. Vahn Lackey

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

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 192: Mailbag—Making The Case For Jacob Lombard Over Grady Emerson Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

In this week’s listener mailbag, Ben and Carlos take questions like: can you make the case for Jacob Lombard over Grady Emerson? Where would UC Santa Barbara righthander Jackson Flora stack up with other Giants pitching prospects? Who are the top DSL pitchers to watch? Why isn’t Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson ranked even higher?

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Time Stamps:

(0:50) Give me an argument for taking Jacob Lombard over Grady Emerson
(7:00) Where would Jackson Flora rank among top Giants pitching prospects?
(12:00) Who are the best arms in the DSL this season?
(18:00) Why isn’t Daniel Jackson ranked higher?

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

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 191: Digging Deeper On College Pitchers May 29, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Carlos talk about the upcoming NCAA tournament and the players, teams and matchups they are looking forward to seeing. The two talk about the state of the college pitching in the 2026 draft class, and wonder who the best candidates are to come off the board after UC Santa Barbara righthander Jackson Flora.

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Time Stamps

(0:00) Opening banter
(3:50) NCAA regional talk
(8:30) College pitching talk
(12:00) Cameron Flukey
(25:00) Mason Edwards
(27:00) Cole Carlon
(29:00) Tegan Kuhns
(37:00) Cade Townsend
(46:30) Jack Radel
(51:30) College pitching depth and draft strategy
(54:00) Closing Derek Curiel propaganda

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

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 190: Mailbag—Young Latin Hitters To Watch May 26, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Carlos answer mailbag questions surrounding Red Sox outfielder Justin Gonzales, Athletics shortstop Johenssy Colome, Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez and Mets shortstops Wandy Asigen and Elian Peña.

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Time Stamps:

(0:30) What are your thoughts on Red Sox outfielder Justin Gonzales?
(6:00) Where would A’s shortstop Johenssy Colome and Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez stack up with 2026 high school draft prospects?
(14:00) Is Wandy Asigen a better prospect than Elian Peña?

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

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.