Rates & Barrels The Athletic

Eno and DVR search for buy-low bats and discussing the struggles of Austin Riley, Julio Rodríguez, and Dansby Swanson -- plus a group of hitters that may look like buy-low targets on the surface, but could underwhelm the rest of the way. Plus, they answer a few mailbag questions, and look ahead at potential pickups on the waiver wire this weekend.

Rundown
1:58 Austin Riley is Going to Be OK...Right?
6:18 Julio Rodríguez & Dansby Swanson
10:53 The 'Don't Buy' Lows
17:32 Corbin Carroll v. CJ Abrams in the Past Calendar Year
23:26 Is MJ Melendez the Opposite of Isaac Paredes?
30:09 What's Going on with Pablo López?
34:25 FanGraphs Custom Leaderboards as Watchlists
37:15 Should the Dodgers Target a Shortstop Instead of an Outfielder
44:51 Weekend Waiver Preview
55:14 First Impressions of Drew Thorpe

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe
Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!
Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Keith Law joins DVR to discuss a few intriguing names near the top of 2024 draft boards including Charlie Condon v. Travis Bazzana and Chase Burns v. Hagen Smith. Plus, they discuss the sluggish starts for many position players at the big-league level, the early success of Jackson Merrill, the Pirates' next wave of pitching prospects behind Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, and the ascent of James Wood to a top-five position on Keith's updated in-season prospect list.

Rundown
2:07 Charlie Condon v. Travis Bazzana
9:06 Nick Kurtz and Risk/Reward of a First Base Prospect Early
11:59 Chase Burnes v. Hagen Smith
19:01 The Increasingly Difficult Adjustment Phase for Rookie Hitters
30:35 Paul Skenes Meteoric Rise To Ace Status & Pittsburgh's Pitching Development
42:59 Does Luis Robert Jr. Make Sense for the Pirates?
52:14 Noah Schultz & James Wood Move Up the Prospect Ranks

Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
Follow Keith on Twitter: @keithlaw
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe

Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!

Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Woo joins Eno and DVR to discuss several takeaways from The Athletic's 2024 MLB Player Poll including a few 'others receiving votes' for Baseball Player in Baseball behind Shohei Ohtani, the players' selections for 'most overrated' player, the organizations that have bad reputations among the players.  

Check out the full poll here ($): https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5529966/2024/06/10/mlb-player-poll-overrated-underrated-worst-organization/

Rundown
2:27 The Others Receiving Votes for 'Best Player in Baseball'
9:45 Who Do the Players Think Is the Most Overrated Player in Baseball?
14:53 Who Called Yordan Alvarez and Juan Soto Overrated?
19:58 'Anthony Rendon Was Right -- The Season Is Too Long'
25:53 Where Do Players Want to Play, Removing a Few Variables
31:45 Organizations with Bad Reputations Among Players
39:40 Taking a Pause for the 2028 Summer Olympics?
46:34 The Impact of Analytics on Your Career

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
Follow Katie on Twitter: @katiejwoo
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe

Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!
https://www.youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels

Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss a promotion-filled weekend including the debuts of Hurston Waldrep, Adael Amador and Tyler Locklear, and the expected arrival of Carlos F. Rodriguez to the Milwaukee rotation this week. Plus, they look back at where the free-agent bids were directed over the weekend. 

Rundown
2:41 Hurston Waldrep's Debut Against the Nationals
8:06 Adael Amador Joins the Rockies
16:37 Tyler Locklear's Short-Term Fit in Seattle
21:15 Carlos F. Rodriguez: On Track for Tuesday Debut
28:05 Is Player Development Too Narrowly Focused in Some Organizations?
37:02 Promotions by Necessity Rather Than Desire?
41:06 Freddy Peralta's Poor Outings & Connection to Velocity Drops
44:50 Heliot Ramos Joins the Shallow League Fray
49:13 Finding Value in Max Meyer, Jake Irvin, Simeon Woods Richardson, David Peterson and JP Sears
56:53 Chas McCormick: The Healthy Drop of the Week

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe

Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!
https://www.youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels

Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, DVR and Trevor discuss baseball's return to London for a two-game weekend series between the Phillies and Mets. An exciting matchup between Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani that took place in Pittsburgh earlier this week, how they would game plan trying to pitch to Ohtani, and two teams -- the Blue Jays and Cubs -- facing a critical stretch of schedule in the middle-third of the season.

Rundown
1:18 MLB Returns to London with Phillies-Mets
12:21 Paul Skenes v. Shohei Ohtani
18:41 The Game Plan: How We Would Pitch to Ohtani
28:11 At the Fork — The 2024 Blue Jays
32:44 It’s Not (All) Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Fault
41:37 At the Fork — The 2024 Cubs
50:31 Adding From the Inside: Cade Horton in the Second Half?

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe
Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!
Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss some of the biggest risers and fallers among starting pitchers from April to May, over and underperformers compared to initial 2024 projections, pitching prospects closing in on opportunities to help their big-league clubs, and a few weekend waiver-wire targets to consider.

Rundown
1:25 Stuff+ Risers From April to May
6:34 From Below Average to OK, From OK to Good, and From Good to Great
11:42 Cooper Criswell Remains Interesting, Brandon Pfaadt Changes The Mix
15:16 Gavin Stone's Quietly Strong Season for the Dodgers
17:54 Stuff+ Fallers From April to May
22:44 A Willingness to Trade Shōta Imanaga?
26:05 YTD Performance vs. Initial Projections (from The BAT)
34:44 Project Prospect: A.J. Blubaugh's Future Path to the Astros' Rotation
39:18 Cade Povich's Similarities to Robert Gasser
44:25 Will Joey Cantillo Earn a Second-Half Rotation Spot in Cleveland
47:23 The Early Days of Justyn-Henry Malloy & Connor Norby in the Big Leagues
52:37 José Miranda, Blaze Alexander & Enmanuel Valdez
1:00:47 Tylor Megill Underrostered in Shallow Leagues

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe
Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!
Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices