90th Percentile: Could A College Promotion/Relegation System Work?

The Tampa Bay Rays Tropicana Field home saw its roof ripped off during landfall of Hurricane Milton. That leaves a lot of questions and very few clear answers about what's going to happen for the Rays for 2025 and beyond. To get a sense of what could happen, Baseball America's Matt Eddy and JJ Cooper talked with special guest Marc Topkin, BA's Rays correspondent and the beat writer for the Rays for the Tampa Bay Times.In this podcast, Topkin explains what happened, what are the remaining unknowns and the possible options for where the Rays could play. Topkin in his reporting has already spelled out that the Rays know they won't be back at the Trop for Opening Day 2025.To read more about this situation, here's Topkin's very detailed story.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on the 90th Percentile Geoff introduces a radical idea to remake the college sports system and create a new competitive landscape. Before we dive into this week's main topic we have a deep discussion about some of the standout meals from Geoff's recent AFL trip.(2:00) ALCS and NLCS.(13:00) Best Eats In The Arizona Fall League.(26:00) Should College Conferences go to a promotion/relegation system?Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We have a pair of really fun conversations today. Ethan Salas, MLB's No. 17 prospect, joins us live from the Arizona Fall League to talk hitting, the Padres' playoff run and how he's preparing to one day join them. We also talk to Georgia star Tre Phelps, one of the better prospects in the 2025 draft, about the Bulldogs' stadium renovations, the longest home run he ever hit and why he thinks former teammate Charlie Condon is on a hall of fame trajectory. Time Stamps(1:05) Geoff Pontes names his early Arizona Fall League standouts(8:15) Tre Phelps joins(18:50) Ethan Salas joinsNote: Our live show is moving to Monday! Subscribe to our YouTube channel and check in every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET throughout the offseason. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode of the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast, Geoff and Dylan discuss Geoff's recent trip to the Arizona Fall League. They cover a handful of players trending upward who are worth your attention in fantasy, before discussing some pitchers Roboscout views as underrated. (3:00) Zyhir Hope(6:00) Kemp Alderman(10:00) Peyton Williams(14:00) Connor Phillips(20:00) Thayron Liranzo(23:00) Josue Briceno(26:00) Tre' Morgan(30:00) K.C. Hunt(33:00) Ben ShieldsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Carlos and Peter talk through one of the most exciting draft demographics there is: high school shortstops! There are plenty to talk about in the 2025 draft class compared to 2024. In today's episode the two break down the offensive and defensive profiles of seven potential first rounders.—Time Stamps(0:00) Intro(4:00) Billy Carlson(12:30) Kayson Cunningham(20:30) Eli Willits(27:30) Brady Ebel(33:00) Sean Gamble(38:00) Coy James (45:00) Lucas FrancoSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week’s Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper and Ben Badler dished on the Guardians/Tigers series and how these AL Central teams built themselves for the postseason before welcoming a piece of the Guardians’ future as a guest in minor league catcher Cooper Ingle.After some really good, in-depth intel on catching and performance from Cooper, talk moves to the Arizona Fall League.Time Stamps(1:00) How Detroit built a playoff team(5:15) How Cleveland built a playoff team(6:45) Cooper Ingle joins the show(21:30) Arizona Fall League(27:00) Viewer question about the Angels’ AFL prospectsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Fantasy Podcast returns after a week off and we're diving into some fantasy season postmortem, some Arizona Fall League talk and a quick spotlight on Dylan's forthcoming Underrated Prospects Per Roboscout article. Lots of early offseason nuggets to digest heading into 2025 and more. (2:00) reviewing fantasy season(10:00) Mike Trout(12:30) ERA and WHIP strategy(15:00) Kerry Carpenter(18:00) Andrew Painter in AFL(20:00) Break(21:00) Jonathon Long(24:00) Max Acosta(27:00) Pablo GuerreroSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We've got some hardware to dish out, plus a great conversation with Tigers RHP Jaden Hamm. Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes took home coveted Baseball America awards this week. We explain why, chat with Hamm about his rise up Tigers farm system rankings, then close with a conversation on why more front offices than usual are cutting scouts, and why we feel that's a mistake. Time Stamps(1:30) Paul Skenes wins Rookie of the Year, graces October cover(6:15) Tigers RHP Jaden Hamm talks pitching development(17:20) Aaron Judge once again wins MLB Player of the Year(23:15) Why are MLB teams cutting scouts? If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The NCAA baseball landscape is changing. The transfer portal, NIL and expanding scholarships is creating a backlog of players at top programs all throughout the country. One potential way to fix this would be to open up draft eligibility to all classes. Hosts Geoff Pontes and Matt Pajak discuss a radical idea in depth that could change the dynamic of college baseball and the MLB draft. (3:00) NHL, NBA and NFL draft (6:00) Expanding scholarships(12:00) Dylan Crews and Kumar Rocker Examples(15:00) Does college baseball forcing an extra one to two years on players stunt development?(20:00) Impact of age on models(26:00) NBA draft is more interesting and the college game benefits from turnover.(33:00) Junior College Option(40:00) Expanded scholarship and potential talent hoarding(43:00) Getting to free agency earlier(46:00) Reducing the risk of pitching injuries and building the best draft classes.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Carlos and Peter hop on the draft podcast to give an overview of the current top five arms in the college class, each of whom is already or has a chance to be in consideration for the first round. How close is the argument for SP1 between Tyler Bremner and Jamie Arnold and what are the strengths and weaknesses of their profiles? How far behind that tier are pitchers like Matt Scott (Stanford), Kyson Witherspoon (Oklahoma) and Cam Leiter (FSU)? —Time Stamps(2:00) Overview of the top college arms(5:00) Tyler Bremner vs. Jamie Arnold(10:00) Bremner vs. Arnold fastballs(14:00) Jamie Arnold’s progression as a pitcher(19:00) Tyler Bremner’s calm mound presence(23:00) Matt Scott(30:00) Kyson Witherspoon(38:00) Cam LeiterSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/baseball-america/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy