Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball

Eno and DVR discuss the injury to Drew Rasmussen and another test for the Rays' pitching depth, the return of James Paxton , the growth of Mitch Keller, and the tension between rest-of-season projections and growing samples of over- and underperforming players.  Rundown 6:41 Drew Rasmussen's Injury 11:01 Taj Bradley & The Rays' Pitching Depth 20:31 James Paxton is Back! Is James Paxton Back? 2...

DVR and Al discuss how much FAB they think should be dedicated towards adding just-promoted Marlins pitching prospect Eury Pérez and consider the fallout from Max Fried’s forearm injury. They also look at several infield options, including Orlando Arcia, Nick Pratto, Casey Schmitt and Andy Ibáñez. DVR and Al walk through the pitching options on waivers (other than Pérez) and assess the Phillies’ c...

Eno and DVR discuss the Twins' decision to send Jose Miranda to Triple-A, Casey Schmitt's place in the Giants' infield mix, the rapidly rising number of injured pitchers, a Phillies bullpen bracing for the absence of Jose Alvarado, budgeting in-season FAB resources, the struggles of Corbin Burnes and the likelihood of a rebound back toward previous levels, and much more. Rundown 0:55 Jose Miranda:...

DVR, Eno and Welsh talk about Bryce Miller's pitch mix, Eno's conversation with him and why he struggled at Double-A. Are the Rays messing with Taj Bradley? Plus we've got some listener questions and tons more. Rundown 0:34 - Bryce Miller 2:23 - What is a Gyro slider 3:53 - What Savant says about Millers pitch mix vs what it really is 6:55 - Why Bryce Miller struggled at AA according to Bryce 13:1...

Eno and DVR discuss the Cardinals' unusual decision to move Willson Contreras out of the catcher rotation (at least temporarily), the struggles of Jack Flaherty, a return to the big leagues for Christopher Morel and Luis Ortiz, and several mailbag questions.  Rundown 1:14 Willson Conteras: Moving Off Catcher, For Now? 7:59 Failures in Logic 12:44 Jack Flaherty's Ongoing Struggles 20:31 Luis Ortiz...

DVR, Eno and Al discuss the latest round of prospect callups, including Matt Mervis, Bryce Miller, Brandon Pfaadt and Gavin Stone, and share their approaches for determining FAB bids. They also talk about the two latest additions to the Twins’ rotation and assess the coming week’s cohort of streamable pitchers. Rundown 1:04 This week’s big callup news 16:59 Deeper-league hitter callups 22:33 Shoul...

Eno and DVR discuss an excellent battle between rookie starters Bryce Miller and Mason Miller in Oakland on Tuesday night before a rookie pitcher installment of 'Would You Rather'. Plus, they examine some of the biggest risers among starting pitchers from the first month of the season.  Rundown 0:35 Mason Miller v. Bryce Miller 6:11 Would You Rather? Rookie Pitchers Edition 14:21 Per-Pitch Stuff+...

DVR, Eno and Welsh review some of the biggest rookie performances from April. Who to buy and sell, plus some Dynasty rank overall changes. Rundown 1:27 - Outman production vs K rate 12:45 - Corbin Carroll 18:28 - Esteury Ruiz 22:31 - Josh Jung's adjustment for more power 26:39 - The "who got demoted" game 29:25 - Oscar Colas 34:04 - Outman vs Colas 42:34 - Could Evan Carter get called up? 50:45 -...

Eno and DVR discuss some of the biggest risers -- and a few fallers -- among starting pitchers from the first month of the season.  Rundown 0:45 Jacob deGrom Returns to the IL 6:23 Nathan Eovaldi's First Month in Texas 13:51 Dustin May's Rise Up Eno's Rankings 18:50 Freddy Peralta's Velo Returns; Pitch Mix is Strong 23:08 Jesús Luzardo's Step Forward in Miami 26:26 Joe Ryan New Arsenal 28:54 Zac G...

DVR and Al consider how aggressively they want to pursue Guardians pitching prospects Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen, now that they have made their major league debuts. They also discuss the shallow-league appeal of Jack Suwinski and Jason Heyward and identify the streamable pitchers with the best upcoming matchups. Rundown 0:54 Prospect promotions and demotions 22:13 Injury fallout 28:35 Hitter dev...

Eno and DVR discuss the excellent start to 2023 for Jarred Kelenic, other young players who may be on the brink of breaking through after initial struggles at the big league-level, Jake McCarthy's demotion, the Rays' approach with Taj Bradley, monitoring command in-game, Pete Alonso's power binge, and the 2023 version of Charlie Morton.  Rundown 0:56 Jarred Kelenic's Year 3 Step Forward 6:27 Looki...

DVR, Eno and Welsh breakdown some Stuff+ factors to consider for Triple-A pitchers, the latest call-ups and prospects to stash. Rundown 1:07 - Welsh was on Logan T. Allen before Bibee 3:15 - Tanner Bibee 8:14 - Stuff+ numbers for pitchers who go 50 pitches vs 80 pitches 12:31 - Altitude and it's affect on Stuff+ in the minors 18:16 - Tanner Bibee vs Brandon Pfaadt 31:05 - Michael Busch to the Majo...

Eno and DVR discuss several players with significantly changed swing rates to begin 2023 before considering the possibility of some toolsy players getting overlooked due to a flaw. They also answer a few mailbag questions, including one in pursuit of cheap sources of power via trade or waivers.  Rundown 1:08 Swing Rate Changes; Juan Soto Concern Level? 6:15 Jorge Mateo's Big Adjustments 9:23 ROS W...

DVR and Al discuss how much to bid on Mason Miller and when to start anticipating the major league debuts of Brandon Pfaadt and Tanner Bibee. They also look at several hitters benefitting from expanded roles and assess the pool of streamable pitchers for the coming week. Rundown 0:31 It’s Mason Miller Week 6:05 Other pitching prospects to consider 14:20 News items: Bryce Harper/Max Scherzer/Mookie...

Eno and DVR discuss the promotion of Mason Miller to Oakland, Brayan Rocchio and a potentially brief look in Cleveland, an extension for Hunter Greene, another impressive outing from Taj Bradley, Mike Soroka's comeback bid, A.J. Puk's early results in Miami, and a few mailbag questions. Rundown 1:17 Mason Miller Promoted! 9:20 Brayan Rocchio Gets the Call to Cleveland 11:30 Hunter Greene Extension...

DVR, Eno and Welsh are taking a look at Prospects on the fast track. Is Brett Baty here to stay? Zach Neto or Edouard Julien? Plus a now hilarious conversation about Mason Miller vs Brandon Pfaadt minutes before Mason Miller is called up. Rundown 0:46 - Brett Baty 6:20 - Minor league hard hit hard leaderboard 11:46 - Yeison Morrobel hard hit numbers 14:39 - Lenyn Sosa a thing? 17:39 - Zach Neto 20...

DVR and Eno discuss a few sluggish early bats that have been on the radar to be dropped before examining some unlucky hitters. Plus, they break down the great start to 2023 for Nolan Gorman, the ongoing struggles of José Berrios, and the step forward for Louie Varland and several other Twins starters.  Rundown 3:14 Terrestrial v. Aerial Movers 6:57 Early-Season Drop Decisions 8:49 Jean Segura Fall...

DVR and Al assess the short- and long-term fantasy value of Taj Bradley and Edouard Julien, both of whom debuted this week, and they look at at the pool of free agent shortstops who could replace Corey Seager or other injured shortstops. They also look at other free agent hitters and pitchers to target in FAB. Rundown 1:22 Shortstop injury replacements 9:05 Edouard Julien and Taj Bradley debut 17:...

DVR and Eno discuss some of the biggest movers in Stuff+ according to Eno's pitching model, early K-BB% laggards to target (and a few to worry about), and Taj Bradley's impressive arrival and potential for more starts due to another injury in the Rays' rotation.  Rundown 0:44 2023 Changes to the Run Environment 4:20 Stuff+ Improvers, No. 1 Graham Ashcraft 9:30 Looking for Differences Between Low-E...

DVR, Eno and Welsh dig into some Triple-A stuff+ numbers. The guys look at what these numbers mean and how much more we need, as well as the latest prospect news, call-ups and graduations. Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow Welsh on Twitter: @isitthewelsh Subscribe to The Athletic at $1/month for the first year: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Subscribe...

DVR and Eno discuss the lengthy absence on tap for Oneil Cruz, another frantic weekend of free-agent pickups in fantasy baseball, the value of two-start weeks in weekly leagues, and several players of interest as the second week of action winds down.  Rundown 1:47 Oneil Cruz's Injury & Lengthy Absence 6:40 A Woefully Thin Waiver Wire Position 13:26 Pitchers of Interesting From Weekend Pickups...

DVR and Al explore this weekend’s waiver wire options, starting with top prospects Grayson Rodriguez and Francisco Álvarez. They also discuss several hot-hitting Brewers, Seth Lugo’s impressive return to starting, a thin cohort of streamable starters and some bullpen developments. Rundown 0:41 Breaking news, including Grayson Rodriguez and Francisco Álvarez promotions 16:07 Notable lineup developm...

DVR and Al are joined by Mike Kurland of The Athletic and Gaining The Edge Fantasy to talk about playing time analysis. Mike reveals his process for analyzing lineups and batting orders, and the group sorts through some rest-of-season player toss-up dilemmas. Rundown 0:39 Mike talks about his process for analyzing playing time 4:47 How important is it to track pinch-hitting trends? 6:49 How does M...

DVR and Welsh discuss some prospect impact in the majors with Brice Turang and others. The Triple-A season is underway with some interesting performances, plus a look at a few minor league assignments. Rundown 1:03 - Brice Turang 8:47 - Esteury Ruiz vs Brice Turang 15:47 - Jhony Brito 24:24 - Jared Shuster 26:59 - Are we back in on MacKenzie Gore? 36:48 - Brandon Pfaadt's less than great Triple-A...

DVR and Welsh discuss takeaways from the Opening Series, including a closer look at the arsenal of Kodai Senga, the 'new' Noah Syndergaard, the significant increase in steals right out of the gate, plus a few massive free-agent bidding pickups from the first in-season waiver run in many leagues.  Rundown 4:30 Kodai Senga's Mets Debut 7:23 New Pitches & Velo Spikes Drive Quick Decisions 14:27 J...