Fall League standouts (Guest: Charles Davalan)

It’s awards season and Arizona Fall League season, so that’s where the discussion centered on this week’s Pipeline Podcast. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo & Jason Ratliff kicked it off by discussing this year’s Rookie of the Year winners, Kevin McGonigle and Sal Stewart, before breaking down candidates for 2027 hardware. Then they turned their focus to the AFL, with an interview with Phillies third baseman Aidan Miller, recaps of the Home Run Derby and Fall Stars Game, plus a related question from the listener mailbag.

The Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game offers the opportunity to see a ton of prospect talent on the field at one time, and the Pipeline Podcast gang is all about it. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Jason Ratliff dig into the recently released rosters for Saturday night's game, looking at the Top 100 prospects who'll be playing, like the Rangers' Sebastian Walcott and the Phillies' Aidan Miller, before Jim and Jonathan highlighted some other participants they can't wait to see. The guys then welcome Tod Johnson, the VP of amateur acquisition for the world champion Milwaukee Brewers to the pod to discuss how the Brew Crew was built. Every year, Jim writes a "controversial" story about the long-term value of the year's rookie class, and the guys grill him about his decisions before taking another look at a Mailbag Question about who they like in Friday's AFL Home Run Derby.

We are just past the half-way point of the Arizona Fall League, a perfect time for Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff to check in on the top performers in the league to date on this week's Pipeline Podcast. They kick things off by looking at the leaderboard, examining performances by Rockies catcher Jack O'Dowd and Royals right-hander Justin Lamkin, among others. Sam Dykstra sits down with Dodgers prospect Charles Davalan before the guys look at the AFL statcast leaderboard, then using all that information to discuss the races for MVP, pitcher of the year and breakout player before answering a Mailbag question about the AFL Home Run Derby.

Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo made predictions for a prospect in each farm system at the outset of the season, and Jason Ratliff evaluates all of those prognostications in the latest Pipeline Podcast. Some scored -- such as Brewers shortstop Jesús Made ranking as baseball's best prospect -- while others fell well wide of the mark. The guys also discuss the World Series and the Arizona Fall League, Sam interviews Braves shortstop Tate Southisene and they wrap it up with an AFL question from the listener mailbag.

With the Arizona Fall League going full tilt, this week's Pipeline Podcast is all about the action in the desert. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick things off by talking about top performers thus far in the AFL, like Nats right-hander Jarlin Susana and Guardians infielder Welbyn Francisca. Jonathan sits down in Arizona with Yankees top prospect Dax Kilby before the guys look at a number of AFL players who need to be protected on 40-man rosters this offseason. The pod finishes up with a question about the top 17-year-old prospects in the game, including AFL participant Angeibel Gomez of the Royals.

With the MLB season just concluded and the playoffs in full swing, the latest Pipeline Podcast focuses on rookies. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo & Jason Ratliff break down the rookie standouts from the regular season, led by Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle, as well as from the postseason, including several members of the surprising White Sox. Then the guys are joined by Rays outfielder Theo Gillen, one of the most advanced hitting prospects in the game. Afterward, Jonathan shares his impressions from the first three days of Arizona Fall League play and they pay tribute to front-office legends Fred Claire and Bob Fontaine Jr., who passed away in the last week. The podcast concludes as it always does with the listener mailbag, this time with a question about Cardinals catchers.

The 2026 Minor League season is officially in the books following last weekend's Triple-A Championship Game, but there's still so much to discuss. Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick things off on this week's Pipeline Podcast by looking at the big MiLB Award Winners like Hitting Prospect of the Year Andrew Fischer and Mariners lefty Kade Anderson, who picked up two accolades. From there, the guys turn their attention to the big league playoffs, ranking the rookies on rosters based on their projected postseason impact, then digging in to how each playoff-bound team was built. They finish things off with a Mailbag question about where Walker Jenkins would rank among the top prospects had he stayed healthy throughout his Minor League career.

With the Minor League season coming to an end, Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jason Ratliff sum it up on the latest Pipeline Podcast. They begin by breaking down the candidates for top honors at the upcoming MiLB Awards Show -- on MLB Network at 8 p.m. ET on Monday -- including Mariners left-hander Kade Anderson, Rays outfielder Theo Gillen and Cardinals catcher Rainiel Rodriguez. Then they talk to Futures Game MVP Nathan Flewelling (Rays) about baseball in Alberta, his upcoming Arizona Fall League stint and raising cattle. After that, the guys discuss the Triple-A playoffs, Minor League stat leaders and the sudden explosion of 20-20 seasons before fielding a mailbag question about the AFL.

The Arizona Fall League revealed its rosters for the upcoming season while the latest Pipeline Podcast was being recorded, giving Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo & Jason Ratliff plenty to talk about. The guys discussed the top prospects headed to the developmental circuit, including Dodgers outfielder Eduardo Quintero and Tigers outfielder Zyhir Hope, and highlighted several story lines, such as a loaded Glendale Desert Dogs roster and a number of injured players getting back on the diamond. Beyond the AFL, there's Jonathan's interview with Rockies first baseman Charlie Condon, a breakdown of prospects in the Double-A playoffs, Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula's callup, Phillies shortstop Bryan Rincon's rise to the Top 100 Prospects list and a listener mailbag question about Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott.

Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo preview the playoffs at the High-A and Single-A levels in the latest Pipeline Podcast, spotlighting such top prospects as Grady Emerson (Rays), Josuar Gonzalez (Giants), Josiah Hartshorn (Cubs) and JoJo Parker (Blue Jays). Afterward, Jonathan interviews Diamondbacks second baseman Demetrio Crisantes, one of the best young hitters in the Minors. Then the guys project who will rank as baseball's best prospects on Opening Day 2028 -- they agree on No. 1 -- before answering a listener mailbag question about Pirates third-base prospect Murf Gray.