What Makes a Pitcher Role Change Work & Who Might Be Next to Move?

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

Eno and DVR discuss Paul Skenes' MLB debut against the Cubs before digging into ways they are utilizing the new bat tracking and bat speed leaderboards from Statcast, including a few players to consider targeting via trade.  Rundown 1:45 Takeaways From Paul Skenes' Debut & Unexpected Comp 13:39 New Bat Tracking & Bat Speed Leaderboards from Statcast! https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/bat-tracking 19:27 How Should We Apply Bat Speed Information? 25:47 'Squared Up' vs. 'Blasts' 27:59 Players to Target 40:14 A Tool to Use for 'Buy High' Players? 44:44 Learning From Good Players Without 'Ideal' Swing Speed & Length 52:11 Robert Gasser's Debut & Where the Money Went 1:04:13 Other Bids & Frequently Dropped Players Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, Trevor and DVR discuss an all-time no-hitter jinx, Willson Contreras' injury and the sharp increase in catcher's interference around baseball, pitchers going through role changes in 2024 -- and who they would like to see make a switch in the future -- plus their game plan for hitters facing Pirates pitcher Jared Jones. Rundown 1:30 An All-Time Great No-Hitter Jinx? 5:48 Willson Contreras' Injury & The Rise of Catcher's Interference 15:05 Maybe Just Stop Erasing the Batter's Box? 19:48 Is It Time to Regular the Sliding Mitt? 25:41 Switching Roles Between Starting & Relieving 31:41 Adrian Morejón & Needing to Fix Splits Before Becoming a Starter? 36:00 From Long Relief to the Rotation (Bryse Wilson) 40:53 Luke Weaver's Success in the Bullpen 52:06 Game Planning to Hit Jared Jones 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 the highly-anticipated debut of Paul Skenes, set for Saturday against the Cubs, before digging into a deep list of news items including an injury for Christian Encarnacion-Strand, a quick return to Nashville for Tyler Black following Christian Yelich's activation from the IL, Taj Bradley's return to health, and the triumphant return of Prospect of the Week.  Rundown 0:57 Paul Skenes is Joining the Pirates! Rest of Season Expectations? 9:14 Christian Encarnacion-Strand: On IL with Fractured Wrist 20:06 Christian Yelich's Return Bumps Tyler Black Back to Triple-A 26:50 Finding Replacements for Willson Contreras (Fractured Forearm) 30:22 A Setback for Max Scherzer 33:31 The Rays' Rotation Shuffle: Taj Bradley is Back, Ryan Pepiot to the IL, Shane Baz at Triple-A on Rehab Assignment 46:13 Braxton Garrett: Tread Carefully Upon Activation? 49:42 Project Prospect: Bryan Ramos, Rhett Lowder, Mason Black & Parker Meadows 60:11 Other Waiver Targets to Consider: Jonny DeLuca, Again! 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! youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, DVR and Britt discuss Walker Buehler's return to the Dodgers' rotation before digging into the four contenders in the AL Central to assess each team's current strengths and weaknesses. Plus, they share a few players they underestimated in the past.  Rundown 0:51 Walker Buehler Returns to the Dodgers' Rotation 4:04 Forays Into Free Agency After Two Tommy John Surgeries 10:57 Buying the Guardians' Early Uptick in Offensive Output? 21:32 Weathering Early Injuries In Minnesota 26:15 If Nothing Else, The Royals Are Interesting Again 33:11 Can the Tigers Fix Their Struggling Hitters? 45:02 Players We Were Wrong About (Exceeded Expectations) 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