Automated Ball-Strike challenge system making an impact, Tony Vitello gets a reality check and Blue Jays pick up where they left off

The biggest storyline heading into the 2026 Major League Baseball season was how teams would adapt to and utilize the newly implemented Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. After a weekend’s worth of games, it’s already making an impact on outcomes, and we couldn’t be happier about it. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the instant success that ABS has been, both in terms of its importance in games and for fan entertainment. They dive into early statistics surrounding the challenges, including which catchers are succeeding and why hitters appear to be getting the shorter end of the stick instead of pitchers. We also saw the first ejection associated with ABS—but could more be coming? Later, Jake and Jordan recap every matchup from the weekend, including why Tony Vitello needs to take a breath after his San Francisco Giants got swept by the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays picking up where they left off after their magical World Series run, and thoughts on Edwin Díaz’s entrance with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The guys then discuss the hottest start for the Miami Marlins since 2009, Chase DeLauter’s great series against the Seattle Mariners, and a few messy games between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels. 1:10 - The Opener: Impact of ABS 28:09 - How Sweep It Is: Yankees sweep Giants 36:31 - Dodgers start the season hot 47:03 - Around the League: DeLauter says hello 51:44 - Mets fail to sweep Pirates 55:33 - Turbo Mode: Every series recap Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

One of the best parts about Opening Day is getting to see players you’ve heard about in your favorite team’s minor league system play their first game in the big leagues. Normally, it can take a little while to adjust to major league talent; however, quite a few of them already made an impact for their teams. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman recap all the impressive debuts from the young stars, including Jake DeLauter, JJ Wetherholt, Carson Benge, and Munetaka Murakami, all hitting their first career home run and Kevin McGonigle who picked up four hits. Yes, it’s just one game, but there are strong reasons to believe in the early success from these players. Later, Jake and Jordan give their early thoughts on the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system after seeing it used in the first few games of the season. They then discuss the Chicago Cubs giving Nico Hoerner a contract extension, the Los Angeles Dodgers revealing a new name for Dodger Stadium and the most popular jerseys sold in the offseason. The guys close the show by making their picks for a double-packed edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla. 1:13 - The Opener: Rookies rake on Opening Day 20:41 - We Need to Talk About: ABS debuts 32:07 - Around the League: Dodgers’ new name 37:52 - Cubs extend Nico Hoerner 41:19 - Starter draft update 46:39 - The Good, The Bad & The Uggla Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

Baseball season has officially arrived! The 2026 season will kick off tonight in California when the New York Yankees take on the San Francisco Giants. As part of the start of the grind that is the regular season, we tell you about some of the most important names you need to know in baseball for this year. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the top 50 most notable names, including four important members of the Los Angeles Dodgers who aren’t named Shohei Ohtani and one very large presence in the Bronx looking to make history. They also discuss which umpire you should be aware of with ABS becoming a part of the league, and why we need to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have a more impactful season. Later, Jake and Jordan try to determine which starting pitchers will fare the best on the first game of the season with their annual starters draft. The guys then discuss the Chicago Cubs extending Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Detroit Tigers breaking camp with Kevin McGonigle, and why the Netflix broadcast for the first game of the season is going to be a wild experience. 1:49 - The Opener: 50 notable names 5:14 - Dodgers you need to know 17:09 - Vlad Guerrero Jr. needs an MVP season 25:14 - ABS joins the league 32:12 - Aaron Judge goes for three in a row 36:36 - Opening Day starters draft 58:58 - Around the League: Cubs-PCA extension 1:03:57 - McGonigle breaks camp 1:09:44 - Netflix hosts Yankees-Giants Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The start of the 2026 Major League Baseball season is just two days away, so now is the perfect time to take a look at the projected win totals for all thirty teams this season. There are a few interesting projections this year after a busy offseason that could influence changes in the standings from last season. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman make their predictions and explain why they would take the over or under on projected wins for each team. While the Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off an incredible season, being the only team projected to eclipse the 100-win mark might be a tall task. Can the Atlanta Braves surpass their projection after an incredibly disappointing season? Later, Jake and Jordan dive into the American League, where they ask whether the New York Yankees, largely running back their roster from 2025, will get over the 94-win mark. They then take a strong stance on whether the Houston Astros missing the postseason for the first time in a while last year properly reflects their projected win total for this season. 1:07 - The Opener: Explaining over/unders 4:43 - NL East 20:09 - NL Central 35:32 - NL West 46:31 - AL East 58:48 - AL Central 1:11:12 - AL West Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The start of the 2026 Major League Baseball season is less than a week away, which means it’s time to make one bold prediction for every team. While a lot of these picks may seem far-fetched—like Giancarlo Stanton stealing a base for the New York Yankees or Luis Robert Jr. leading the New York Mets in WAR—some of these might actually come to fruition. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about their picks for the American and National League teams, which include Edwin Díaz possibly reaching the 50-save mark in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Garrett Crochet reaching the 230-inning mark for the Boston Red Sox. Also, is there a chance the Pope will be at a Chicago White Sox game this season? And will Mike Trout win another MVP award? Later, Jake and Jordan take a look at which baseball players you should consider drafting for your upcoming fantasy season and why it might be best to consider fading Francisco Lindor, Corbin Carroll and Cal Raleigh. They then make their picks for The Good, The Bad & The Uggla, which includes the disappointing news that Trey Yesavage and the Toronto Blue Jays just received. 1:54 - The Opener: 2026 bold predictions 4:57 - AL East 13:38 - AL Central 23:11 - AL West 34:05 - NL East 42:31 - NL Central 48:51 - NL West 59:30 - Players you need for fantasy baseball 1:17:22 - The Good, The Bad & The Uggla Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

When the 2026 World Baseball Classic started, there were a few favorites to win the tournament, including the United States, Japan, and the Dominican Republic. However, in the end, the last team standing was Venezuela, as they took down Team USA 3–2 on Tuesday night. Behind clutch hitting and pitching, Team Venezuela captured its first-ever WBC title in Miami in what could be considered one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman recap all the action from the championship game that saw the Venezuelan side shut down the all-star-studded lineup that the United States assembled in hopes of winning its second WBC title. Despite some late heroics from Bryce Harper, it was Eugenio Suárez who delivered the game-winning knock in the 9th inning before Daniel Palencia shut the door in the 9th. Later, Jake and Jordan discuss why this was such a meaningful win for Team Venezuela, including highlighting a special moment for future Hall of Famers Salvador Perez and Miguel Cabrera, and the bond between tournament MVP Maikel García and Ronald Acuña Jr. They then get into where things went wrong for Team USA and why it might take a little while for the team to get this bad taste out of its mouth. 1:29 – WBC championship game recap 24:14 – Bryce Harper’s moment 27:36 – Venezuela’s comeback inning 34:18 – What this means for Venezuela 51:23 – How did things go wrong for USA? 1:00:23 – Defense for DeRosa Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The United States are returning to the championship game of the World Baseball Classic for a third consecutive tournament. However, in what was billed as one of the most star-studded baseball games ever played, the tightly contested matchup ended in a controversial strike three call that has left Dominican Republic players and fans shaking their heads. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about Team USA’s 2–1 victory that saw Paul Skenes and a dominant U.S. bullpen shut down the high-octane offense from the DR that we’ve seen all tournament. They then get into the strike three call to end the game and why ABS is something that needs to be implemented when the tournament returns in three years. Later, Jake and Jordan preview the semifinal game between Italy and Venezuela that will decide who books their ticket to the championship game against the United States. The guys also discuss Japan getting upset in the quarterfinals by Venezuela and why it wasn’t entirely shocking that it happened. 1:56 – The Opener: America vs. DR 11:41 – Aaron Judge’s game-changing play 33:02 – Controversial 9th inning 40:57 – Did the game live up to the hype? 1:01:33 – Japan eliminated 1:04:34 – Italy vs. Venezuela preview Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

Pool play for the 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic has wrapped up and we’re now down to the final eight teams. With the quarterfinals set to kick off on Friday night in Miami and Houston, it’s time to look at the matchups and who might move on to the semifinals. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz is joined by SNY MLB insider reporter Chelsea Janes as they break down each game in the quarterfinals, including the United States taking on Canada and whether the bad vibes that surrounded them against Italy are gone now that they’ve advanced. Then they discuss the highly entertaining Dominican Republic squad taking on Korea, where Hyun Jin Ryu will try to calm the explosive DR bats. Later, Jake and Chelsea preview Japan taking on Venezuela and why Ranger Suárez could be the key to the next major upset of the tournament. They close out the segment talking about whether the feel-good vibes coming from Vinnie Pasquantino and the Italian squad could carry them to the next round by defeating Puerto Rico. Jake and Chelsea then make their picks for a WBC edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla. 1:47 - The Opener: USA vs. Canada 24:13 - Dominican Republic vs. Korea 34:08 - Japan vs. Venezuela 42:38 - Italy vs. Puerto Rico 49:40 - The Good, The Bad & The Uggla Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic has already provided a few memorable moments for teams across the globe. However, on Monday night we might have seen the biggest upset of the tournament so far when Team Italy took down powerhouse Team USA, which has left us all wondering how it happened. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman recap the incredible win by the Italians and discuss how the United States could now find itself knocked out of the tournament based on the results of Italy’s game with Mexico tonight. They also get into whether some of the moves that manager Mark DeRosa made prior to the game were influenced by the possibility that the USA squad believed it had already clinched their ticket to the next round. Later, Jake and Jordan preview the epic showdown for seeding between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela tonight that will determine who will play Japan and Korea in the quarterfinals, as well as Canada taking on Cuba in their final pool matchup. Then the guys discuss the Philadelphia Phillies giving a five-year contract extension to starter Jesús Luzardo and the Cincinnati Reds losing Hunter Greene to injury until the summer. 1:15 - The Opener: Italy upsets USA 12:28 - Tiebreaker scenarios for USA 18:47 - We Need To Talk About: DeRosa messes up 40:17 - DR vs. Venezuela preview 47:37 - Cuba vs. Canada preview 52:03 - Phillies extend Luzardo 55:50 - Hunter Greene out until summer Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

So far in the 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic, the teams that we have come to expect positive results from are holding up their end of the bargain. With Team USA, Japan and the Dominican Republic all proving to be who we thought they were, pool play has seemed like just a tune-up for these powerhouses. On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down all the action from the WBC this past weekend, which saw the United States handle Great Britain and Brazil with the help of the superstar friendship duo of team captain Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper. While the USA squad might not look like they’re having as much fun as other teams on the field, their businesslike approach appears to keep them in the mindset of winning gold or bust for this tournament. Later, Jake and Jordan recap the other pool play from the tourney, which includes Masataka Yoshida returning to the form for Team Japan that made him such a coveted bat by the Boston Red Sox when he first came to the States. They then get into the incredible first-ever walk-off wins in the tournament that saw an emotional Puerto Rico crowd celebrate their home victory against Panama. 1:29 - The Opener: Team USA’s impressive weekend 17:57 - The importance of the WBC 27:14 - Judge & Harper friendship 35:25 - Korea advances in thriller 45:26 - Japan in cruise control 50:11 - Turbo Mode: All the action from the tourney Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify🖥️ YouTube📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tvAnd check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_