Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball

Eno, Britt & DVR discuss a tough exit for Albert Pujols in Anaheim, his dominant decade upon arriving in the league in 2001, John Means' ascent to the top of the Baltimore rotation, pitcher injuries as a result of sitting too close to max velocity, and DVR faces the music in the wake of V*ctor Robles' slow start.  Rundown 1:15 Albert Pujols Doesn't Really Fit on Another Team 5:37 On Deserving...

Eno and DVR discuss the start of the minor-league season, what they're looking for in prospects early in the year, the continued patience necessary with Wander Franco in redraft leagues, xStats outliers, and more.  Rundown 1:03 The Value in Starting Assignments 14:58 Is Raw Power an Overvalued Tool? 19:30 If You Think He's a Star.... 24:00 Trade for Floor, Draft Ceiling? 33:07 Prospect of the Week...

Eno and DVR discuss early fallers among hitters and pitchers, the Dodgers' replacement options for Dustin May, the new look Ryan McMahon, and the viability of banking more saves in the first half of the season with a reliever-heavy lineup before making up ground in the second half with more starting pitchers.  Rundown 2:25 Mookie Betts 8:44 Francisco Lindor 16:46 Marcell Ozuna 21:56 Kyle Tucker 25...

Eno, Britt & DVR discuss the potential drawbacks of moving pitching mounds further away from the plate, why 'Pace of Play' is no longer a concern for MLB, several April awards, and walk-up music selections. Rundown 1:30 Potential Drawbacks From Moving the Mound Back 8:39 The Pace of Play Concerns Are Going to Vanish 13:42 Early Parity = More Fun! 29:00 April Hardware 53:28 Mike Trout is Still...

Eno and DVR discuss April risers on among hitters and pitchers, and take a look at previously unsettled closer situations to see if the dust as settled as the first month of the season comes to a close.  Rundown 0:51 Jesse Winker is Mashing 3:11 Nick Solak's Power Surge 8:27 Carson Kelly's Excellent April 13:06 Nate Lowe Cashing In with Opportunity in Texas 18:13 Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s Massive Leap 2...

Eno and DVR discuss the second round of Padres-Dodgers, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s huge weekend, Ryan Weathers' bid to keep a spot in the San Diego rotation, changes in the Rockies' front office, pitchers with good stuff and command, but without a rotation spot, and several players of interest through the first month of the season.  Rundown 1:35 Padres-Dodgers Continues to Deliver 5:59 The Braves' Offen...

Eno, Britt and DVR discuss Britt's recent rankings of all 30 teams' rotations, Joey Votto's surprising late-career adjustment, Cedric Mullins' decision to give up switch-hitting, and the interactions between starters and relievers.  Rundown 1:05 Britt’s Rotation Rankings 8:34 Jon Gray: 2021 Trade Target for Contenders? 16:52 Biggest Potential Movers 18:38 Making Sense of Oakland 26:48 Joey Votto’s...

Eno and DVR discuss Corbin Burnes' excellent start to 2021, where he ranks among starting pitchers for the rest of the season, plus early starting pitcher rankings changes, ETAs for several top prospects weighing service time considerations.  Rundown 4:08 Corbin Burnes' Historically Great Start to 2021 13:10 What's Wrong with Zach Plesac? 23:06 Other Early SP Movers 34:24 When Are We Going to See...

Eno and DVR discuss Round 1 of Dodgers-Padres, the Jays' surprisingly effective pitching, and reach rate risers and fallers -- including Victor Robles, Cedric Mullins, Keston Hiura, and Javier Báez, among others.  Rundown 2:04 Round 1 of Dodgers-Padres Delivers 12:36 The Jays’ Surprising Early Pitching 22:37 An Excuse to Talk About Victor Robles? 27:19 Buying Into Amed Rosario’s Shifting Approach...

Eno, Britt & DVR discuss the early struggles of key rotation members for the Nationals and Yankees, Chris Paddack, Ramón Laureano's fast start on the basepaths, the Atlantic League rules labs, bringing new ideas to the broadcast booth, Jazz Chisholm's start to 2021, an injury-free career redo, and how they might celebrate doubles.  Rundown 2:19 Concerns about the Nats’ Rotation Beyond Strasbur...

Eno and DVR discuss pitchers working with new offerings this season -- including Lance McCullers and Eduardo Rodriguez -- concerns about Stephen Strasburg, league-wide shifts in velocity, the struggles of Ryan Yarbrough, and the pitch-recognition skills of Jake Cronenworth. Rundown 1:59 Lance McCullers’ New Toy 8:11 Eduardo Rodriguez’s Altered Pitch Mix 9:41 Jeff Hoffman in Cincinnati 13:37 Is The...

Eno and DVR discuss the early increase in injuries around the league, churning the bottom of rosters in the opening weeks of the season, balancing tough matchups against rapidly improving skills, and more. Rundown 2:40 Injuries Are Up; How Are We Coping? 5:36 Brandon Marsh vs. Jo Adell in Short Term 10:13 Churning the Bottom of the Roster 17:46 Tough Matchups vs. Improving Skills 23:46 Early K-BB%...

Britt and DVR discuss the Fernando Tatís Jr. injury, two small early-season trades, an extension for Ross Atkins in Toronto, James Paxton's early exit, a sluggish start for the A's, and a few first-week surprises including Akil Baddoo and Mark Melancon's emergence as the Padres' closer. Rundown 2:37 A Tatís Injury Update 9:58 Rougned Odor Goes to the Yankees 15:14 Benches Clear Again in the NL Cen...

Britt & DVR discuss an exciting Opening Weekend of baseball including the theatrics of Shohei Ohtani in his 2021 season debut, the emergence of Yermín Mercedes, flaring tempers between the Cardinals and Reds, and more.  Rundown 1:07 Shohei Ohtani is Amazing 5:17 Yermín Mercedes Goes 8-for-8 to Open 2021 10:07 Benches Clear in Cincinnati; Is It a Brawl Without Punches? 18:26 An Update on the Na...

Eno and DVR discuss a busy Opening Day and dig through the box scores while attempting to sift through the noise to find meaningful indicators as the 2021 season gets underway. How concerned should we be with batting orders, early velocity readings, and reliever usage from the jump? Rundown 6:15 Gregory Soto’s Bumpy Save 10:29 Does Lineup Position Matter? 17:22 Making Sense of the Twins’ Bullpen 2...

Eno, Britt and DVR make their predictions for the 2021 season including division winners, playoff matchups, World Series Champions -- plus, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP selections -- and the teams they're most excited to watch this season.  Rundown 1:22 NL West Predictions 8:02 AL West Predictions 17:32 NL Central Predictions 27:23 AL Central Predictions 36:34 NL East Predictions 46:33 AL...

Eno & DVR discuss the fallout from the final round of roster cuts -- including Jazz Chisholm, Taylor Trammell, Alejandro Kirk and Logan Allen earning roster spots -- plus the balancing immediate needs against long-term value, drawing a draft-day road map, co-closers, and more. Rundown 5:26 Jazz Chisholm Wins a Job! 12:43 Taylor Trammell’s Opportunity in Seattle 15:38 Alejandro Kirk in one-catc...

Eno, Britt & DVR discuss a difficult week of spring training injuries, including Eloy Jiménez, Zac Gallen, Kirby Yates, and Nick Anderson, the new deal for Lance McCullers Jr. in Houston, some of the biggest misses, and more.  Rundown 4:17 The White Sox Lose Eloy Jiménez For 5-6 Months 13:13 Zac Gallen’s Unusual Stress Fracture; Our Plea for Universal DH 18:27 The Jays Lose Kirby Yates 23:23 N...

Eno and DVR discuss MLB's latest plan to crack down on the use of foreign substances on the ball,  Rundown 2:11 MLB’s Attempt to Crack Down on Foreign Substances 11:21 Fantasy Adjustments; Great Straight Changeups 21:13 Spring Velocity Risers 30:24 Pitching Management 36:28 Interest in Rich Hill? 45:20 Garrett Crochet as a Future Starter? 48:47 Non-Closer Relievers of Interest 53:42 In-Season Proj...

Eno and DVR discuss the importance of bench construction in the late stages of drafts, messy closer situation as a result of injuries, potential changes to the Ohtani Rules, Zac Gallen's forearm injury, and some of the next players up as injuries thin out lineups between now and Opening Day.  Rundown 2:09 The Importance of Bench Construction 9:59 Messy Closer Situations: Toronto, Texas & Pitts...

Eno and DVR discuss the challenges of projecting MLB arrivals in the wake of a lost minor league season in 2020 before digging deep for some potential surprises additions to the 2021 player pool. Rundown 2:55 Impact Rookies: Retroactively Fitting 2020 Minor League Seasons 10:12 What If CJ Abrams Had a Clearer Path? 15:49 Prospects of the Month 22:41 Digging Deep for Surprise Players 32:05 When Can...

Eno and DVR looks at March ADP risers -- including Tejay Antone, Myles Straw and Bobby Witt Jr. -- and try to make sense of Cristian Pache's steals projection, the importance of lineup position in relation to stolen-base opportunities, 2021 bounce-back targets, and more. Rundown 3:14 March ADP Risers 8:46 A Promise DVR Can't Keep 11:47 Making Sense of Cristian Pache's Stolen Base Projections 19:34...

It's a Rates & Barrels -- Pitcher List mash-up! The heated battle in the Baseball Pods tournament Championship Game was ruined by bots, so we collaborated for a podcast episode! Eno and DVR are joined by Nick Pollack and Alex Fast of Pitcher List to discuss the pitchers we disagree about the most this draft season. Rundown 3:57 Finally, Dissent About Brandon Woodruff 9:20 Is the League-Wide In...

Eno, Britt and DVR look for breakouts and sleepers from each team in the AL & NL East, before discussing several tweaks that MLB is experimenting with at various minor-league levels in 2021. Rundown 6:10 Still Buying Austin Riley? 11:12 Excited About Trevor Rogers & Edward Cabrera 15:12 Is there a Great Marlins’ Hitter On the Way? 19:48 Do the Mets Have Any Undervalued Players? 25:22 Can t...

Eno and DVR discuss a round of intriguing spring news items before looking for breakouts and sleepers from each team in the AL & NL Central.  Rundown 3:59 Carlos Carrasco Injury 6:24 Frankie Montas Progressing Well 13:20 Kirby Yates Nearing Spring Debut 15:39 100-Inning Relievers, Starters Later? 25:47 Taking One More Chance on Nick Pivetta? 25:09 Xander Bogaerts "Pretty Close" to 100 Percent...