World Baseball Classic Finals Predictions, MLB Spring Breakout Preview & More | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 98

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner is joined by editor-in-chief JJ Cooper to discuss South Carolina's early season firing of coach Paul Mainieri and what's next for the Gamecocks. Rudner and Cooper also take a deep dive on BA's Week 7 college baseball Top 25, one of the most predictive in-season polls of the year. Fifteen of the last 16 NCAA champions have been ranked inside the top 16 in the BA poll at this time of year.(1:44) South Carolina fires Paul Mainieri(11:47) The importance of the Week 7 poll(20:20) Why we ranked Auburn sixth in Week 7(32:08) UCLA is a unique No. 1(42:44) The Top 25 demarcation lineMINT MOBILEIf you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Plans start at $15/month at https://MintMobile.com/TerritoryOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper have been all over the Florida backfields and Spring Breakout games, so this week they're sharing thoughts on prospects who impressed.(00:00) Eli Willits looks really polished for his age(05:45) Gavin Fien can hit, but we didn't see him field(09:45) Anthony Eyanson's velocity jump is notable(19:15) John Gil is a Braves hitter who could rise up our rankings(21:15) Fenwick Trimble caught our eyes(22:45) The Cardinals' Tanner Franklin can elevate and celebrate(25:15) The Blue Jays have a pair of young infielders who should provide powerSEAT GEEKUse our code TERRITORY10 for 10% off your next SeatGeek order* https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discountOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, Ben Badler, J.J. Cooper and Jacob Rudner welcome Nationals pitching prospect Miguel Sime Jr. joins to discuss his spring and lots more.We also talk about Spring Breakout, Kevin McGonigle making the Tigers and players rising in our upcoming 2026 draft rankings update.The Hot Sheet Show airs live on the BA YouTube channel every week on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Give us a sub, and we'll see you then!Time Stamps(0:00) Introduction (0:55) Things that stood out at Spring Breakout (2:55) Why Spring Breakout matters (5:40) Kevin McGonigle makes the Tigers' Opening Day roster (11:15) Miguel Sime Jr. joins the show (22:00) Vahn Lackey climbs the draft rankingsOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We're going deep on each of the top prospects in the NL West. We explain how each respective player climbed to No. 1 in their system, run through their scouting reports and lay out what you should expect in 2026.Time Stamps(0:00) — Bryce Eldridge, Giants(9:15) — Ryan Waldschmidt, Diamondbacks(18:00) — Ethan Holliday, Rockies(27:25) — Ethan Salas, Padres(35:30) — Eduardo Quintero, DodgersOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on the Baseball America Fantasy podcast host Geoff Pontes is joined by Ian Cundall to discuss NL Central prospects. The most prospect loaded division in the game has plenty of names to dive into making for some exciting discussions.Milwaukee Brewers(5:00) Jett Williams (8:00) Brandon Sproat(11:00) Jesus Made(13:00) Bishop Letson(14:00) Josh Adamczewski (15:00) Brock WilkenChicago Cubs(17:00) Moises Ballesteros (21:00) Jaxon Wiggins(23:00) Ethan Conrad(24:00) Kane Kepley (26:00) Cole MathisPittsburgh Pirates(27:00) Konnor Griffin(28:00) Bubba Chandler(29:00) Seth Hernandez(30:00) Edward Florentino(32:00) Reinold NavarroCincinnati Reds (34:00) Sal Stewart  (35:00) Rhett Lowder(36:00) Steele Hall (37:00) Tyson Lewis(39:00) Hector Rodriguez (40:00) Eli PittsSt. Louis Cardinals (42:00) JJ Wetherholt and Quinn Mathews(43:00) Rainel Rodriguez and Joshua Baez(45:00) Deniel OrtizOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

JJ Cooper and Geoff Pontes want to get you ready for the Spring Breakout games on the latest Baseball America Prospect Podcast. We take a look at less prominent prospects who are worth watching this week.(00:00) Why this week's podcast was delayed(01:00) Geoff's World Baseball Classic experience was amazing(07:40) Why these rosters are a bit disappointing(11:00) Games well worth watching(15:00) Geoff and JJ each pick a Non-Top 100 Top 10 Prospect to watch in the breakout games(20:00) Geoff and JJ each pick a Top 30 prospect outside the Top 10s to watch(24:00) Geoff and JJ each pick a non Top 30 prospect to watch in the breakout games(31:00) JJ found a deep, deep sleeper on the back fields at Astros campBLUE CHEWGet 10% off your first month of BlueChew Gold with code FOUL at https://bluechew.com/Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's Draft Podcast, Carlos Collazo and JJ Cooper take a look at several prospects who will move up in our next draft rankings update.(0:00) Draft rankings process(4:10) Jake Brown(7:45) Hunter Dietz(11:35) Bo Holloway(15:45) Taj Marchand(19:00) Vahn LackeyBLUE CHEWGet 10% off your first month of BlueChew Gold with code FOUL at https://bluechew.com/Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner is joined by BA national writer Carlos Collazo to discuss reigning national champion LSU's stunning fall out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2024. Rudner and Collazo also give insights into how the Baseball America Top 25 is decided, break down at teams on the rise and look ahead to the draft.(3:19) What's happening to LSU(8:55) Explaining BA Poll Mechanics(14:29) The challenge of ranking Big Ten teams(22:56) Southern California stock booming(29:47) Florida State enters the top 10(39:21) Things we're looking forward to this weekend(48:10) Lingering thoughtsOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, Jacob Rudner, Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo talk about prospects in the World Baseball Classic finals spotlight, Spring Breakout players to watch and the NCAA Top 25.The Hot Sheet Show airs live on the BA YouTube channel every week on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Give us a sub, and we'll see you then!Time Stamps(0:00) Introduction(0:45) U.S. vs. Venezuela in the WBC—Nolan McLean on the mound(6:25) More standout players in the WBC(9:45) Championship predictions(12:00) MLB Spring Breakout—who we're excited to see(16:30) First 2025 draft pick to make MLB(19:30) Breakout picks for 2026(23:05) LSU out of the Top 25Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We're going deep on each of the top prospects in the NL East. We explain how each respective player climbed to No. 1 in their system, run through their scouting reports and lay out what you should expect in 2026.Time Stamps(0:00) — Cam Caminiti, Braves(8:10) — Aidan Miller, Phillies(16:35) — Nolan McLean, Mets(27:05) — Thomas White, Marlins(35:25) — Eli Willits, NationalsOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Progressive: https://progressive.com* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/BA2022Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy