Episode 136: The August Top 100 Update & Area Codes Draft Standouts

Ben and Carlos talk through some of the notable movers on the August Top 100 prospects update and then get into a few standouts from Carlos’ trip out West for the 2025 Area Code Games. The two discuss Konnor Griffin vs. Kevin McGonigle for No. 1 status, talk about JJ Wetherholt’s pure hitting ability and wonder if Walker Jenkins is now a bit underrated. After that Ben makes a case for Thomas White as the best pitching prospect in the minors. The two talk through a few players in the 50-100 range for the Mets and Orioles, then Carlos highlights a few 2026 and 2027 draft standouts from one of the biggest showcase events on the calendar. We also take a listener question about shortstops sticking at the position.—Time Stamps(1:00) Top 100 update(4:30) JJ Wetherholt(11:00) Konnor Griffin vs. Kevin McGonigle(15:00) Walker Jenkins(25:00) Thomas White(31:30) Carson Benge (36:30) Elian Pena(40:10) Dylan Beavers(45:00) Nate George(50:00) Area Code Games(1:18:00) Listener Shortstop QuestionDo you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: [email protected]'s Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Newsletter: Fringe AverageBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos talk about the 2025 East Coast Pro showcase. The two break down some of the standout players who Carlos saw at this year’s event, featuring a full lineup’s worth of players to dig into. Ben also picks out a projection sleeper he’s excited about who could potentially take a big step forward.—Time Stamps(0:00) Intro(6:30) Conner Salerno(11:00) Coleman Borthwick(16:30) Gio Rojas (24:00) Phinn Waters(32:30) Mickey Gilligan(34:00) Aiden Ruiz(39:00) Keon Johnson(45:00) John Lindsey(47:30) Christian Serrano(51:00) EJ Booth(58:00) Trevor Condon(1:02:00) Malachi Washington(1:08:00) Drew Christine(1:17:00) The advancement of stuff for HS pitchersDo you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: [email protected]'s Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Newsletter: Fringe AverageBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos talk about the Leo De Vries trade and a few other notable transactions at the signing deadline, then move into a conversation about the summer showcase circuit which gets started in earnest this week with the East Coast Pro and next week with the Area Code Games. —Time Stamps:(3:00) The Leo De Vries Trade(17:00) Other trades we're intrigued by(20:00) A sneaky add for the Twins(26:00) East Coast Pro & Area Code Games(39:00) The value of summer performance(44:00) The players who miss the summer(48:30) Rocco Maniscalco and youth at the draft(1:00:00) outro banterDo you have a question or feedback for the show? Email us: [email protected]  Ben's Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Newsletter: Fringe AverageBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos hop on the show to review the entirety of the 2025 draft. The two briefly talk about their initial thoughts on how the draft went and discuss why they don’t care if players come to the draft in person or not. After that they get into the picks, go team by team and discuss each draft class in more detail.Time Stamps:(12:00) Nationals(21:00) Angels(29:00) Mariners(34:00) Rockies(39:25) Cardinals(42:55) Pirates(47:30) Marlins(49:50) Blue Jays (52:30) Reds(57:00) White Sox(1:02:00) Athletics(1:05:00) Rangers(1:10:50) Giants(1:14:25) Rays(1:22:20) Red Sox(1:26:40) Twins(1:32:00) Cubs(1:38:20) Diamondbacks(1:35:30) Orioles(1:49:20) Brewers(1:53:30) Astros(1:56:20) Braves(2:02:15) Royals(2:05:50) Tigers(2:14:00) Padres(2:16:15) Phillies(2:21:00) Guardians(2:27:00) Mets(2:30:30) Yankees(2:33:20) DodgersDo you have a question or feedback for the show? Email us: [email protected]  Ben's Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Newsletter: Fringe AverageBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos are joined by Peter Flaherty for our annual draft preview episode. The three work down the draft board and talk about all the latest rumors, profiles and players attached to each team. The group talks through most of the players we expect to see early on the first day of the draft, discuss different draft strategies and work through player debates. Whether you’re a full-fledged draftnik or just want some insight on what your team might do, this podcast should have you covered for draft day. Time Stamps:(2:10) Nationals(17:30) Angels(24:50) Mariners(32:30) Rockies(37:15) Cardinals(43:30) Pirates (50:00) Marlins(1:01:45) Reds(1:07:00) White Sox(1:13:30) A’s(1:15:00) Rangers(1:22:00) Giants(1:25:00) Rays(1:29:20) Red Sox(1:33:00) Twins(1:39:30) Cubs(1:44:00) D-backs(1:50:00) Orioles(1:57:30) Brewers(2:01:00) Braves (2:06:00) Royals(2:09:30) Tigers(2:12:00) Padres(2:16:30) Phillies(2:22:20) Guardians(2:30:25) Mets(2:35:00) Yankees(2:40:00) DodgersDo you have a question or feedback for the show? Email us: [email protected]  Ben's Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Newsletter: Fringe AverageBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos catch up on what they’ve been up to over the last few weeks. The two talk about the growing excitement for 2026 UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, then get into a conversation about the July Top 100 update. How good is Konnor Griffin going to be? Who are the players beyond him who have viable cases to be the No. 1 prospect in the game? Is Kayson Cunningham this year’s Kevin McGonigle? Up-arrow pitchers including Jonah Tong, Trey Yesavage and Orioles flamethrower Esteban Mejia. The two talk about potential draft sleepers, why NIL has created a new ballgame for signability talks with college players and then discuss whether or not drafting for need is a realistic strategy to employ.—Time Stamps:(0:00) What we’ve been up to(7:00) Roch Cholowsky(15:30) Konnor Griffin(28:30) Third base value & the defensive spectrum(32:30) Other No. 1 prospect candidates(40:30) Kevin McGonigle vs. Kayson Cunningham(45:00) Jonah Tong & Trey Yesavage(50:20) Esteban Mejia(55:00) Mike Sirota esque draft sleepers(1:00:00) Players having increased leverage in college(1:07:00) Is drafting for need now more realistic in the draft?Do you have a question or feedback for the show? Email us: [email protected]  Ben's Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Newsletter: Fringe AverageBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos break down the 2025 MLB Draft combine. The two talk about standout players, what the event was like, what value teams get from it and get into the specifics of names like Brandon Compton, Quentin Young, Kayson Cunningham, Marcos Paz and others. After that Ben highlights a few players who could be rising on our top 100 list, then gets further into the weeds on a handful of complex league standouts who are hot out of the gate.Time Stamps:(0:00) Carlos vs. Phoenix heat(6:00) Brandon Compton (9:30) Quentin Young (15:00) Kayson Cunningham(19:00) How much does the combine move the needle?(23:00) Marcos Paz(27:00) Pitch data importance(30:00) Joshua Flores(40:00) Quality of the combine in year five(50:00) Thoughts on athletic testing(57:00) Top 100 Risers(58:00) Travis Sykora(101:50) Zyhir Hope(1:05:00) Eduardo Quintero(1:10:00) Complex League StandoutsDo you have a question or feedback for the show? Email us: [email protected]  Ben's Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazoBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos talk about Ben’s most recent scouting trip, where he saw some of the top 2026, 2027 and 2028 class high school players in the country. The two talk about a handful of the biggest major league promotions of the last week, think about Jacob Wilson’s season and how that could impact how we view Marek Houston, talk through MacKenzie Gore’s season and the ETAs of high-end prep arms and also discuss the upcoming MLB Draft combine.–Time Stamps(0:00) Ben’s 2026 scouting experience(6:00) Gio Rojas as a standout prep lefty(10:25) MacKenzie Gore & HS pitching timelines(19:30) Denton Lord, Noah Wilson, Malachi Washington(23:05) Cole Prosek(27:30) Standout 2027 names(38:30) Kaiden McCarthy(42:30) Big league promotions(45:00) Jacob Misiorowski(48:00) Kyle Teel(51:00) Kayson Cunningham(56:00) Jacob Wilson vs. Marek Houston(1:05:00) Christian Moore(1:08:00) MLB Combine talkDo you have a question or feedback for the show? Email us: [email protected]  Ben's Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazoBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos hop on the podcast and talk about the insanity that has been college baseball through regional play (both on and off the field). The two briefly discuss the resurgence of Dodgers outfielder Mike Sirota and then discuss Royals first baseman (outfielder?) Jac Caglianone and what to expect with his big league promotion. After that it’s all things 2025 international prospects. With Ben’s international review series dropping on the site, Carlos picks his brain on the players to know and the teams with the most exciting groups of players.–Time Stamps(0:00) NCAA tournament drama(11:00) College pitcher workloads(21:00) Mike Sirota’s resurgence(31:30) Jac Caglianone's big league promotion(38:00) International Review talk(43:30) Arms with improved stuff(47:30) Royals prospects(51:00) Red Sox prospects(58:30) Is this year’s IFA pitching crop better than normal?(1:01:00) Who are the top names in the class? (1:05:00) Where do Elian Pena and Josuar Gonzalez stack up compared to top draft prospects?(1:10:00) Catchers to know(1:12:15) Top Venezuelan names(1:16:15) The most exciting defenders in the classDo you have a question or feedback for the show? Email us: [email protected]  Ben's Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazoBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos hop on the podcast to talk about the recently released BA 500 draft list. Ben peppers Carlos with questions about the class and where it stands. Both hosts talk about who they would personally take 1-1 if they were in the driver’s seat, then discuss a host of other draft topics including: should the Angels consider a high school arm like Seth Hernandez and put him on the fast track? Who are we taking among the top college arms? Which bats should Pirates hitters be excited about? How exactly are we supposed to handle Jace Laviolette? Hitters down the board we’re excited about, buzzy names beyond the first two rounds and a listener question about the best BP displays we’ve ever seen. –Time Stamps(0:00) Intro(2:50) Who would Carlos take No. 1(12:30) Who would Ben take No. 1(23:30) Separating the top college arms(39:00) Will the Angels buck their college trends for Seth Hernandez?(45:00) Which hitters should Pirates fans get excited about?(52:30) More questions about Jace LaViolette(1:03:00) Hitters beyond 20+ we like(1:17:00) Buzzy names further down the board(1:28:20) What is the loudest BP we’ve witnessed?Do you have a question or feedback for the show? Email us: [email protected]  Ben's Twitter: @BenBadlerCarlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazoBaseball America WebsiteSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/future-projection-a-baseball-america-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy