Stay ConnectedEno Sarris and Derek VanRiper, along with Britt Ghiroli, Trevor May, and Jed Lowrie discuss advanced stats, strategy, prospects and more. From the first move of the Hot Stove season to the final pitch of the World Series, join us for year-round baseball talk.
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Eno and DVR return from the weekend and wonder if Jo Adell's three home-run saving catches in the Angels' 1-0 win against the Mariners on Saturday night might be the best defensive game ever played. Plus, they discuss a cluster of starting pitchers on the fringes of rosters in many leagues, searching for early-season sources of stability, before taking a spin around the league after several impactful injuries piled up.
Rundown
0:29 Three Home-Run Robbies in One Game! Did Jo Adell Play the Best Defensive Game Ever?
9:26 The Starting Pitchers Were Good Too! Emerson Hancock and Jack Kochanowicz Deal
11:16 Choosing Your Favorite Two: Starting Pitchers on the Rise
21:39 Injuries Galore: Updates on Horton, Betts, Soto & Others
32:23 Feeling Better After Start No. 2? Tatsuya Imai Rolls Against the A’s
36:49 A Defensive Slump? Are the Giants’ Fielding Woes Fixable?
41:20 Context in Small Samples: Rain, Sleet, Snow & Other Variables That Matter
46:48 October is Behind Him: Andy Pages Is Hitting Well Again
49:28 Great Starts at Coors Field: Where Does Jesús Luzardo’s Weekend Start Rank?
58:32 What’s in Pat Murphy’s Pocket? How About a Tortoise Named ‘Bobby Jr.’?!
1:04:21 Keeping An Eye on Anthony Kay: Is It ‘Good’ Weird, or ‘Bad’ Weird?
1:08:38 Pirates Sweep the Orioles: Undefeated in Konnor Griffin Era
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
DVR is joined by Jason Collette to discuss the evolution of pre-debut contracts and early takeaways -- including the highly-anticipated return Shane McClanahan -- and the surprising lack of stolen bases from the Rays in their first two series of the season. They also take an early look at waiver-wire targets, highlighting several starting pitchers of interest, a few relievers to consider from bullpens in turmoil, and the fast start for Jordan Walker.
Rundown
1:55 Commissioner’s Corner: Move Weekly Pickups to Thursday Night!
8:37 Context is Key: James Wood Reveals 2025 Injuries
11:34 Checking In on the Rays: Observations Through Two Series
18:59 He’s Back! The Return of Shane McClanahan
23:59 Efficiency FTW: Drew Rasmussen Has a New Changeup
28:15 Early-Season Matchups: What Matters When Considering Pitchers?
34:24 Another Bat Speed Riser: Interest Level in Luisangel Acuña
37:29 Weekend Waiver Preview: Starting Pitchers We’re Considering
41:55 The Roster Bubble Starting Pitchers (40-60% Rostered)
48:23 Digging Deeper (20-40% Rostered)
53:26 Looking for Saves: Assessing Relievers in Flux
56:45 Cautious with Hitting Surprises? Buying Jordan Walker’s Adjustments?
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Host: Derek VanRiper
With Guest Co-Host: Jason Collette
Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Eno, Trevor, and DVR discuss the Pirates' promotion of top prospect Konnor Griffin (whose agreement to a nine-year extension was revealed after the episode was recorded), the long-term outlook on Shane Baz, how pitchers impact a hitter's bat speed, and new pitches that have caught our eye through the first week of the season.
Rundown
0:26 Baseball's Top Prospect Gets the Call: Konnor Griffin to Debut on Friday
3:54 Buying the Pirates? Will They Snap Seven-Year Streak of Losing Seasons?
8:31 Breaking Down Shane Baz's Extension with the Orioles: Five-Year, $56 Million
19:40 How Pitchers Impact a Hitter's Bat Speed
29:56 Does Fast Swing Rate Against Pitchers Tell Us More than Average Bat Speeds?
35:03 New Pitches: Pitchers With Better Outlooks Thanks to New Offerings
57:18The Rangers' Nacho Sombrero is Real?!
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
With: Trevor May
Editor: Jason Potere
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Eno, Jed, and DVR discuss a bizarre mistake from C.B. Bucknor in Milwaukee on Tuesday night, and Jed's favorite umpire still in rotation before digging into Shohei Ohtani's first start of 2026 -- which featured significantly increased usage of his curveball -- before looking at early bat-speed risers, and breaking down a few hitters they believe could benefit from a more aggressive approach at the plate.
Rundown
0:48 Umpire Love: Jed’s Favorite Ump Still in Circulation
2:00 The Opposite of Umpire Love: C.B. Buckner’s Laughably Bad Call
3:50 Make a Mistake? Own It! Mark Wegner Owns Up to Missed Strikeout
10:10 Sho and Tell: Shohei Ohtani Increases Curveball Usage in First Start of 2026
15:33 Other News & Notes: DeLauter’s Scare, Eflin’s Exit & deGrom’s Velo
18:09 Early Bat Speed Risers: Why Does It Matter in Small Samples?
25:57 Does High Bat Speed Lead to Injuries?
34:00 Swing Decisions: Who Should Be More Aggressive?
50:58 Show and Tell: A Few of Our Random Favorites
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
With: Jed Lowrie
Editor: Jason Potere
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Eno, DVR, and Britt discuss a pair of eight-year extensions for two yet-to-debut shortstops -- Seattle's Colt Emerson and Milwaukee's Cooper Pratt -- before looking back at Roki Sasaki's first start of 2026 and digging into why the lofty expectations around him are unlikely to fall anytime soon. Plus, Andrew Baggarly joins the show to for our (belated, blame DVR) Giants season preview.
Rundown
1:50 Colt Emerson Gets Eight-Year Extension from Mariners
9:33 Cooper Pratt Gets Eight-Year Extension from Brewers
19:19 Examining Roki Sasaki’s First Start of 2026
25:45 The Weight of Expectations on Roki
33:15 Justin Verlander’s Return to the Tigers
41:04 An Immaculate Inning From Michael Soroka
42:43 2026 Giants Preview with Andrew Baggarly
43:39 Overall Impressions of Tony Vitello Early in Year 1
46:03 Luis Arraez’s Long-Term Future at Second Base
50:13 The Buster Posey Era: Is This Team Better Now Than It Was A Year Ago?
55:32 Assessments of Landen Roupp, Tyler Mahle & Adrian Houser
59:21 The Bullpen Comes Into Focus
1:04:54 PECOTA’s 82-Win Projection: Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
With: Britt Ghiroli & Andrew Baggarly
Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Eno and DVR look back at the first weekend of the 2026 MLB season, which featured immediate ABS drama in several games and plenty of excitement at the ballpark, Plus, they discuss an extension for Nico Hoerner, as the Cubs secure another long-term part of their core, before answering mailbag questions about limiting challenges to critical counts, and what 'A' and 'B' bullpens are. Finally, they explain their process for making some of their toughest decisions for the week, and takeaways from a messy weekend in several bullpens.
Rundown
0:21 The Crowd Goes Wild, For ABS!: Loud Roars & the First Ejection!
7:41 Righting the Wrongs: Can Aaron Judge Become Even Better with ABS?
8:57 Coming Soon: Challenge Timers & Lights?
12:42 The Cubs Extend Nico Hoerner: Six-Year, $141 Million Deal Adds to Core
20:03 Jacob deGrom Scratched From Weekend Start (Neck Stiffness): Could Return This Week
21:02 Will Teams Limit Challenges Based on Count?
25:30 How Do Stuff+ Updates Drop on FanGraphs?
27:51 Jake Irvin, Emerson Hancock & Randy Vásquez Surprise
36:05 What Are ‘A’ and ‘B’ Bullpens?
40:40 How We Make Our Most Difficult Lineup Decisions
50:14 Pickups & Panics: Messy Bullpens & Eno’s FOMO Drop
Related Reading ($)
"Inside MLB’s new ABS challenge system: Which umpires, teams and players thrived and struggled" by Johnny Flores Jr.:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7156691
"Payback time for Yankees’ Aaron Judge? ABS could mean revenge after years of bad calls" by Brendan Kuty:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7153125
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e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Eno and DVR look back at a great Opening Day packed with impressive rookie performances, and several aces showing up in the first start of the year. Plus, they walk through their process of keeping up with a season that regularly features 15 games per day, while trying to manage a combined 30 fantasy baseball teams.
Rundown
2:45 Tips & Tricks: How Do You Manage So Much In-Season Information?
5:41 Box Score Junkies: Digging in Every Corner for Details
12:57 Where Does Eno Go for His Box Scores?
18:07 Will the Pirates Remain Patient with Oneil Cruz’s Defense?
22:32 Big Days for Carson Benge & Brandon Lowe
26:15 Joe Ryan & Trevor Rogers Shine
29:59 Andrew Abbott, LODEM King
31:55 Kevin McGonigle’s Four-Hit Debut; Skubal Rolls
33:16 Cristopher Sánchez’s Gem
35:09 A Wild Sixth Inning in St. Louis
42:46 A Geraldo Perdomo Homer From the Ump Cam!
49:39 Chase DeLauter & Dominic Canzone Have Two-HR Games
55:27 Cam Schlittler’s Evolution: Adding Fastballs, Throwing More Breakers to Improve Stuff
1:00:08 Our Guys 2026: The Players We Drafted the Most
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Editor: Jason Potere
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Eno, Trevor, and DVR celebrate Opening Day with a draft -- focusing on pitchers they believe are primed to exceed expectations this season. Plus, they discuss a rough first night for Logan Webb against the Yankees, Netflix's baseball debut, and what they're looking for as the first series of the season unfolds over the course of the weekend.
Rundown
0:28 Happy Opening Day!
2:00 Jackson Chourio to the IL with Fractured Hand
3:50 Logan Webb’s Tough Outing & Overall 2026 Expectations
9:45 The San Francisco Opener: Netflix’s MLB Debut, Throwing a Big Party
17:06 Mic’d Up Players in Games That Count
21:40 Silver Linings for Giants
24:12 Plus-Minus Draft: Which Pitchers Will Exceed Projections in 2026?
53:53 What Are We Watching For in First Series?
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
With: Trevor May
Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Eno, DVR, and Britt discuss an extension for Pete Crow-Armstrong with the Cubs, more red flags at Ilitch Sports & Entertainment, and Kevin McGonigle's arrival on the Tigers' Opening Day roster, before taking a spin through the American League to predict division winners, Wild Card teams, and award winners for the 2026 MLB season.
Rundown
0:34 Pete Crow-Armstrong: Gets Extension with Cubs
6:14 More Red Flags at Ilitch Sports & Entertainment
12:00 Kevin McGonigle Makes the Tigers' Opening Day Roster
16:57 AL East Breakdown
36:41 AL Central Breakdown
53:14 AL West Breakdown
1:13:14 AL Rookie of the Year Predictions
1:15:15 AL Cy Young Award Predictions
1:17:11 AL MVP Predictions
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
With: Britt Ghiroli
Editor: Jason Potere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Eno and DVR discuss another injury to the Atlanta rotation with Spencer Strider going on the IL with an oblique injury before taking a spin through the National League to predict division winners, Wild Card teams, and award winners for the 2026 MLB season.
Rundown
0:39 Spencer Strider: Placed on IL with Oblique Injury
5:12 NL East Breakdown
18:34 NL Central Breakdown
40:04 NL West Breakdown
59:00 NL Rookie of the Year Predictions
1:01:25 NL Cy Young Award Predictions
1:04:52 NL MVP Predictions
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e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Editor: Jason Potere
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