A Break for Edwin Díaz, Buying A Luis Gil Breakout & Leveraging Pitching Depth

Eno, DVR, and Trevor analyze the surprising step back for the Atlanta lineup through the first two months of 2024, and discuss players at pivotal points in their careers with a limited window to secure their future role. Plus, they'll take live questions from viewers throughout the show! Rundown 1:33 More Changes From the Mets; Christian Scott & Brett Baty Optioned to Triple-A 12:55 What's Happening in Atlanta's Lineup? 20:27 Teams Are Pitching the Braves Differently 25:17 Can Hitters Adjust Quickly to a Change Like This? 28:25 A Closer Look at Matt Olson 34:15 Practice Swings Revealing A Hitter's Plan? 37:40 Confidence Levels in Albies, Riley, Harris, Kelenic Getting to Power Again? 42:49 When Careers Reach Pivot Points 57:20 Who Is Your Favorite MLB One-Hit Wonder? Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss the news that MLB has integrated stats from the Negro Leagues into its official records, a bad day for the Mets, fallers from Eno's latest Starting Pitcher Rankings update, prospect news, and a few names to consider as waiver-wire targets this weekend. Rundown 1:18 Negro League Stats Added to MLB's Official Records 7:06 An Eventful Day for the Mets 11:52 'There is No Way They Are the Worst Team in Baseball' 16:42 Fallers From Eno's Starting Pitcher Rankings Update ($) https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5513570 30:45 The Z-Contact% Laggardboard 36:40 Ben Brown's Excellent Outing, Window to Continue Starting 39:40 Junior Caminero, Jasson Dominguez, James Wood, Jett Williams & Drew Gilbert Updates 47:05 Can Chase DeLauter Take Over a Spot in Cleveland By Season's End? 50:00 Jacob Wilson: Another Low Barreler with a Great Hit Tool? 52:22 Spencer Schwellenback Arrives 56:17 Matt Waldron & Other Weekend Waiver-Wire Considerations Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss a brutal diagnosis for Ronald Acuña Jr., who suffered another torn ACL over the weekend. Plus, they consider the ongoing struggles of Corbin Carroll, Ángel Hernández's abrupt retirement, and a few May risers from Eno's updated Starting Pitcher Rankings.  Rundown 2:06 Ronald Acuña Jr.'s 2024 Season Ends with Another Torn ACL 10:43 The Ongoing Struggles of Corbin Carroll 18:43 Victor Robles: DFA'd by Nationals 27:13 Is Passing on Low Barrel Rate Bats An Easy Call? 31:15: Ángel Hernández Retires 35:24 Injury Updates: Cristian Javier, Jorge Polanco & Kodai Senga 46:49 May Risers: Eno's Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings ($) https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5513570 59:38 Jake Meyers & Colt Keith As Popular Weekend Waiver-Wire Adds 1:09:35 David Fry is Unbelievable 1:12:09 Casey Mize's Rapidly Declining Stuff Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, DVR and Trevor go live at 1p ET/10a PT to discuss pitch tipping, the 'fighters' we did not choose last week and their long-term outlook -- Tanner Bibee, Kyle Harrison, Hunter Greene, Taj Bradley, and Christian Scott -- the best strikeouts they have seen so far this season, and a case for massive expansion that would completely change baseball as we know it. Rundown 1:18 Tipping Pitches 8:27 A Recent Example from Clarke Schmidt 10:45 Taj Bradley: Tipping Pitches or Too Predictable? 18:40 Tanner Bibee: A Fastball That Is Getting Hammered 26:41 Kyle Harrison: Will He Build Confidence in Secondaries? 31:58 The Case for Hunter Greene 38:33 Christian Scott: The Need For Improved Command 44:55 The Best Strikeouts We’ve Seen This Season 51:31 A Case for Massive Expansion in MLB Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! (We're back 5/31!) Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss aging stars whose long-term value might be on the cusp of falling, as well as a few players to target despite an overall body of work that leaves something to be desired.  Rundown 10:07 Freddie Freeman Is the Power & Speed Drop a Sign of Things to Come? 18:02 Marcus Semien & Nearly Impossible Durability 23:12 Jose Altuve & Extreme Pull Tendencies Over Time 28:59 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Should We Still Chase A 2021 Ceiling? 34:58 Adolis García: Fearing the Fast Peak From Late Bloomers with Aggressive Approaches 36:37 Oneil Cruz: Will He Improve Enough Against Lefties in the Long Run? 43:02 Zach Neto: Sacrificing Ceiling for a Safer Floor? 46:01 Jordan Walker: No Homers at Triple-A This Season?! 53:58 Alex Kirilloff: A Delayed Breakout Coming, or WYSIWYG? 1:02:14 Project Prospect: The Prospects to Target Via Trade As Top 100 Lists Have In-Season Updates Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us this Thursday 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episode! https://www.youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss Garrett Whitlock's injury and the prolonged opportunity for Cooper Criswell in the Red Sox's rotation, expectations for Edwin Díaz's break from the closer role, Luis Gil's impressive stretch to begin 2024, ways to consider leveraging pitching depth, where the money went this weekend, a few frequently dropped players from the weekend. Rundown 1:50 Cooper Criswell's Extended Window in Boston 7:47 Edwin Díaz's Break From the Closer Role 16:00 Luis Gil: Analyzing his Early 2024 Breakout 29:52 Any Reason to Worry About Framber Valdez? 33:24 Did Ryan Weathers Figure Something Out? 39:00 Leveraging Starting Pitching Depth 43:24 Disconnect Between Stuff+ & D-backs Starting Pitching 47:56 Still Optimistic About Daulton Varsho? 51:24 Big Weekend Adds 1:02:11 Buying Any Drops? MJ Melendez, Brett Baty & James Outman Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! https://www.youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno is joined by co-parent of Stuff+ and former member of the Houston Astros' analytics department Max Bay. The guys dive into the state of analytics in the sport... Rundown: 4:09 - The past, present and future of Stuff+ 29:45 - How should we be using the new bat tracking data 41:44 - How can people who want to get into baseball analytics for a team stand out Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, Trevor and DVR discuss Elly De La Cruz's bid for 100-steal season, how bat tracking info could be used to supplement scouting reports and game plans against hitters, and their choices from a group of a dozen starting pitchers in an effort to project the next few seasons. Rundown 1:06 Keeping a Good Receipt (Don't Worry, We Keep The Bad Ones Too) 2:10 Elly De La Cruz's Bid for a 100-Steal Season 8:25 How Many Stolen Bases Would Rickey Henderson Rack Up with Today's Rules 10:49 Building Scouting Reports From Bat Tracking Info 17:31 How Interested Would Players Be In Utilizing This Angle? 30:45 Choose Your Fighters: Two Starting Pitchers From This Dozen, Next Three-Plus Seasons 50:28 Does Trevor Buy Eno's Plan to Make Ben Brown a Closer in 2024? 55:10 How Much Information Does a Typical Player Consume? 1:01:07 Trevor's Wiffle Ball Update Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss Ronel Blanco's sticky-stuff suspension, Austin Riley's quiet start and recent injury, another opportunity for Luis Matos in San Francisco, and the bullpen woes of the Cubs before digging into the early struggles of many prospect pitchers, and a few waiver-wire targets to consider as the weekend approaches. Rundown 1:29 Ronel Blanco's Sticky-Stuff Suspension 7:38 Austin Riley's Side Injury; Slow Start 11:39 Jung Hoo Lee: Structural Damage in Shoulder 19:26 Adbert Alzolay to the IL; Searching for Answers in the Cubs' Bullpen 27:39 Still Waiting on Junior Caminero 33:16 Heston Kjerstad Usage & Demotion to Triple-A 44:37 A Look at the Early Struggles of Many Pitching Prospects 54:57 Weekend Waiver-Wire Considerations Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, DVR and Britt discuss baseball's aim to preserve starting pitchers. How much of a problem is the current use of starting pitchers compared to the past? With injury rates on the rise, what rule changes and tweaks make sense? Will small changes to move the game slightly in the direction of previous era's pitcher usage cause other problems? Plus, they discuss Britt's recent story about a partnership between Perfect Game and Fanatics, and former big leaguer Travis Snider's efforts to improve youth sports.  Rundown 1:13 The Starting Pitcher 'Problem' 6:55 Big Changes in the Last 10 Years 11:15 Incentivizing Pitching Deeper Into Starts 16:39 The Difficult of Getting Everyone on Board with New Rules 20:00 DVR Blames the Reliance on Short Relievers 26:40 Reducing the Fifth Inning Exits When a Starter is Dealing 31:37 Why Don't Starters Try to 'Save' Velocity for Later Innings? 42:46 Britt's Story About the Concerning Perfect Game-Fanatics Partnership 48:52 Travis Snider's Efforts to Improve Youth Sports Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Follow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_Ghroli e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices