Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball

Eno and DVR discuss the 2022 second base pool. With a steady supply of mid-round value, does it make sense to wait at the position in the future? How much rebound potential will there be across the group of second basemen that missed considerable time with injuries? Rundown 1:46 Ozzie Albies' Lost 2022 Season 6:23 DVR Confessions 15:59 Andrés Giménez: What's Next? 23:49 Mid-Round Value 32:07 Brand...

Eno and DVR discuss the 2022 shortstop pool. Was the position as deep and productive as expected? How can the shape of shortstop be leveraged in future seasons? What should we make of Wander Franco's injury-shortened campaign? Will Adalberto Mondesi find a path to full-time plate appearances? Rundown 6:04 Dansby Swanson's Massive Walk Year, Big FA Class 15:02 Injury Impact on 2022 Early Shortstops...

Eno and DVR battle a sinus infection and microphone issues take a look back at the Outfielder pool from 2022. From a group that fared well overall, are there any early rebound candidates to target at potential discounts? Can we apply anything from the success of this year's rookie class to future prospects? Rundown 3:07 Reasonable Regression From a Historically Great Season 10:43 Yordan Alvarez &a...

Eno and DVR take a look back at the Starting Pitcher pool from 2022. Is the group getting better at assessing pitching in general? Does that make it more difficult to wait on pitching going forward? What adjustments (if any) should we make coming away from this season given the relative dead zone for pitching around the back of the Top 200 overall? Rundown 0:54 The Elite of the Elite 6:09 Older Pi...

Eno and DVR begin their 2022 Positional Reviews series with relievers. As the top closer shuffle places, does it make sense to target top-end sources of saves? Will the implementation of the Pitch Clock prove particularly costly for older relievers? Which young risers will catch the most helium on the heels of productive 2022 seasons?  Rundown 1:24 Final Roster Adjustments 7:26 Lessons Learned fro...

Eno and DVR looks at two of their teams with wildly different outcomes in 2022 in an attempt to mold future strategies and avoid repeating mistakes. Plus, Eno's best Halloween costumes, diminishing returns when too many teams execute the same strategy, choosing a direction in long-term leagues.  Rundown 1:36 Best Halloween Costumes 8:34 Learning from Eno's AL LABR Build 16:48 Preparing to Pivot 22...

Eno and DVR discuss a few more difficult aspects of endgame strategy with just 10 days left to play in the 2022 fantasy baseball season. Plus, they examine the long-term outlook for Triston McKenzie on the heels of his breakout, optimism about Brandon Marsh's first full campaign in Philadelphia, and the impact of rule changes on how catchers might be valued in the long run.  Rundown 5:12 Endgame S...

Eno and DVR consider the implications of new 2023 rules on stolen bases. Will players who currently run occasionally end up with bigger increases than top-end speedsters? Plus, they look at several potential late-season additions capable of making a positive impact in the final weeks of the season.  Rundown 1:21 How Stolen Base Opportunities Might Change 9:12 Unfortunately, You Can't Switch Defend...

Eno and DVR dig into potential winners from the restrictions on shifting that will go into effect in 2023. Can José Ramírez become even more productive in batting average in the new landscape? Will teams swap defensive positions to counteract shift rules? How does Shohei Ohtani break WAR, and is 'superstar fatigue' a real thing? Rundown 4:37 Searching Statcast for Potential Shift Rules Winners 10:...

Inspired by the 2022 struggles of Jo Adell and Jarred Kelenic, Eno and DVR discuss when they give up on young players, what they look for while trying to determine a player's future power potential. Plus, spin rates are ticking up as sticky stuff appears to be alive and well, an update to the tempo data for pitching pace, and an attempt to make sense of Christopher Morel's rookie season.  Rundown...

Eno and DVR discuss some of the biggest risers and fallers among pitchers in the second half of the season in search of late-season pitchers to trust, others to avoid, and potential bargains for those looking ahead to draft-and-hold season for 2023. Rundown -- New Role, Big Improvement -- Michael Wacha's Adjustments -- Blake Snell's Turnaround -- Bailey Falter's Run in the Philly Rotation -- Spens...

Eno and DVR discuss the pleasant surprise of having many sources of stolen-bases that are good all-around offensive players, plus Cody Bellinger's future, the risky speed profiles to avoid, underrating Jon Berti, and the potential impact of rule changes looming for the 2023 season. Rundown 7:30 Stolen-Base Leaderboard Packed with Good Players? 12:30 Cody Bellinger's Future; Brighter Leaving LA? 20...

Eno and DVR discuss the strong debut from D-backs pitcher Ryne Nelson before examining a few surprises on the xStats leaderboards including José Ramírez, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Paul Goldschmidt, José Abreu, and much more. Rundown 4:06 Ryne Nelson’s Debut 8:10 xStats Recalibrated for 2022 12:16 Making Sense of José Ramírez's xStats 15:59 Alex Bregman’s Second-Half Rebound 21:27 Bo Bichette's Hu...

Eno and DVR discuss several recently promoted players in the wake of September roster expansion including Gunnar Henderson, Spencer Steer, Garrett Mitchell, Hunter Brown, and Ken Waldichuk -- plus a few second-half pitchers competing for long-term opportunities with their respective clubs.  Rundown 2:02 Gunnar Henderson is Up! 8:33 Spencer Steer's Late-Season Opportunity 16:55 Nick Senzel's 2023 R...

Eno and DVR discuss the promotion of Corbin Carroll, his chances of being relevant in all league formats down the stretch, second-half risers in contact quality, how we missed on Paul Goldschmidt's MVP-worthy 2022 campaign, and a few late reliever pickups capable of making meaningful contributions.  Rundown -- Corbin Carroll Gets the Call -- Jesús Aguilar DFA'd by the Marlins -- Second-Half Barrel...

Eno and DVR discuss a few challenging late-season decisions, how to potentially avoid the issues in the future, a disappointing 2022 from Jared Walsh, the search for help at first base, their latest installment of Prospect of the Week, pitching in the zone 'too much' and more.  Rundown -- Tough Late-Season Decisions -- How to Avoid Chasing Pitching in the Future -- Making the Difficult Drop -- Jar...

Eno and DVR discuss the long-term outlook for Walker Buehler following his second career Tommy John surgery, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s decision to undergo shoulder surgery while serving his suspension, a few approach similarities between Bo Bichette and Michael Harris II, late-season promotions thanks to new CBA rules, Oneil Cruz's Statcast-breaking feat, and much more. Rundown -- Walker Buehler Underg...

Eno and DVR discuss several late-season pitchers to monitor in hopes of finding undervalued arms for stretch run, and potential big movers in 2023 -- including young starters, relievers w/the chance to move into larger roles, and the next group of elite closers.   Rundown -- Starters with Stuff+ Improvements From Last Season -- Jake Junis' Emergence in San Francisco -- Potential Movers from Curren...

Eno and DVR discuss Fernando Tatis Jr.'s positive PED test and subsequent 80-game suspension, CJ Abrams' long-term power outlook, the biggest risers and fallers in slugging percentage from 2021 to 2022, and much more.  Rundown 4:07 Fernando Tatis Jr.'s Suspension, Future Outlook 12:27 CJ Abrams' Long-Term Power Trajectory; Early-Career Comps 21:05 Stat Traps? 25:59 Slugging Percentage Year-over-Ye...

Eno and DVR discuss several second-half standouts that they are optimistic about beyond 2022, factors to consider when looking for deep pitching stashes late in the season, the possibility of two massive contracts for Juan Soto given his age, and whether it's time to shift more leagues to a combined 'Saves + Holds' stat to remedy closer inflation.  Rundown -- Bullish On Young KC Bats? -- Targeting...

Eno and DVR discuss the value provided (or lack thereof) from the top-end closers in the pool so far this season, and whether that might lead to a less aggressive draft market toward the saves category in 2023. Plus, they consider what would go into a calculation that better quantifies risk, expectations for a few pitchers making late-season returns from injury, and candidates to be the 'next Jess...

Eno and DVR discuss Trade Deadline takeaways, the frustration when teams try to 'thread the needle' in the wake of the Brewers' recent moves, the seemingly light activity of the Mets, a fascinating Brandon Marsh-Logan O'Hoppe trade, the absence of Ronald Acuña Jr.'s power (so far) this season coming off of a torn ACL, Walker Buehler's pre-injury struggles, and their favorite Vin Scully stories.  R...

Eno and DVR discuss the blockbuster trade that sent Luis Castillo to Seattle, big surprises in the latest update to Eno's Starting Pitcher Rankings, a breaking news(!) trade that sent Josh Hader to San Diego, and much more.  Rundown -- Getting Luis Castillo Out of Great American Ballpark -- Cincinnati's Future Focus -- David Peralta to the Rays -- Eno's Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings (Subscribe...

Eno and DVR comb through several rosters ahead of the Trade Deadline in search of current backups and upper level minor leaguers with paths to more playing time in the near future. Plus, they consider the implications of Mike Trout's injury on the Angels in the future, and the importance of the A's hitting on the likely trades of Frankie Montas, Sean Murphy and Ramón Laureano.  Rundown 0:00 It Sta...

Eno and DVR discuss the early applications of Statcast Bat Tracking data, as well as what they hope to learn as the dataset grows in the future before examining several struggling starting pitchers, and a few Pitching Model v. Results disagreements.  Rundown -- Statcast Bat Tracking -- Max Swing Speed & Max EV for Power, Barrel Precision for Hit Tool? -- A Closer Look at Astros & Dodgers -...