On this Fantasy Friday, Eno and DVR discuss the latest early-season injuries and what they mean for your roster decisions heading into the weekend. Then, the guys welcome Ottoneu’s Niv Shah for a conversation about the bullpen market, followed by the season's first installment of 'Taste of the Majors.'

Rundown

1:20 Corbin Carroll Slowed by Hip Injury

2:49 Brent Rooker Leaves Game with Core Injury

5:46 Parker Meadows Suffers Concussion & Fractured Arm

8:32 Hunter Goodman’s Early Exit After HBP

10:45 Jorge Polanco Slowed by Achilles Soreness

20:32 Weekend Waiver Preview

23:07 Bryce Elder Is Rolling but Eno Is Skeptical

26:14 Kyle Harrison Has Made Changes

32:47 Interest in Luis Gil & Jeffrey Springs?

35:39 Mick Abel’s Turnaround

37:33 Widely Available Starting Pitchers

43:09 Niv Shah Joins the Show to Discuss Messy Bullpens

55:55 Taste of the Majors Is Back! (L.A. & St. Louis Dog Reviews)

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Niv Shah

Editor: Jason Potere

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Eno, Trevor, and DVR discuss a new tool — the Pitching Pairing tool from FanGraphs Lab — as a great visualization for tunneling and a way to better understand how pitchers are attacking opposing hitters. Plus, they explore adjustments that can be made by position on the pitching rubber, which gives pitchers a way to manipulate their horizontal approach angle. Finally, they discuss a recent piece from Ben Lindbergh at The Ringer, wondering if increased on-field information for players and tactics like calling pitches from the dugout have gone too far.

0:42 Cole Ragans Avoids Major Injury

5:15 FanGraphs Labs’ New Pitching Pairing Tool

11:45 Establishing the Fastball

18:16 How Sandy Alcantara is So Effective

25:58 Horizontal Approach Angle

43:20 On-Field Information: How Much is Too Much?

Related Links

The Pitching Pairing Tool at FanGraphs Labs: https://www.fangraphs.com/lab/paired-pitches

“A Visual Primer on Horizontal Approach Angle (HAA” by Alex Chamberlain: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/a-visual-primer-on-horizontal-approach-angle-haa/

“Keep MLB Front Offices Away From the Field” by Ben Lindbergh: https://www.theringer.com/2026/03/23/mlb/keep-mlb-front-offices-off-the-field-pitch-calling-scouting-cards

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Trevor May

Editor: Jason Potere

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Eno, DVR, and Jed break down how the Cubs plan to fill Cade Horton’s spot in the rotation after news of his season-ending torn UCL. They also discuss Astros ace Hunter Brown’s status following a Grade 2 shoulder strain, and later welcome baseball card enthusiast Sean Campbell to explore the ins and outs of the card collecting world.

Rundown

2:43 Cade Horton Out For The Year

8:48 Hunter Brown’s Shoulder Strain

17:25 Other News & Notes From Around MLB

26:08 Sean Campbell’s Start In Card Collecting

28:55 Sean’s Favorite Cards

30:24 Card Grading

31:42 Goals As A Collector

35:22 Considerations For Grading

37:11 Finding Sellers You Trust

39:51 What To Expect In Cheaper Boxes

42:17 Understanding Value

48:16 Advice From An Expert

53:34 Older Cards

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Jed Lowrie & Sean Campbell

Editor: Jason Potere

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Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville joins Eno and DVR to explore a big question in the wake of Konnor Griffin's recent promotion -- who is the baseball teenage position player in baseball history?

Plus, they share huge show news -- Starkville returns and joins Rates & Barrels on Saturday, April 18th!

They also discuss early reactions to ABS, and potential improvements to the system that could be implemented in the future depending on how the early-season trends play out over the course of the entire season.

Rundown

0:49 Starkville Returns Saturday, April 18th! Right Here on Rates & Barrels

2:02 Baseball’s Best Teenage Position Players: How Do You Approach a ‘Greatest Of’ Question?

8:00 Entering with Massive Expectations: Is It ‘Easier’ on an Already Good Team?

10:45 Does Having a Recently Hyped Arrival Help? Paul Skenes’ Fast Track, High Expectations in Pittsburgh

14:25 Bright Spotlights From Day 1: How Ken Griffey Jr. and Bryce Harper Faced Added Pressure

17:05 The No. 1 Pick in Hypothetical Draft: Whose Big League Resumé as a Teenager is the Strongest?

19:54 Phil Cavaretta’s Impressive Early Arrival: Baseball’s Leader in Plate Appearances as a Teenager

22:39 Bryce Harper vs. Juan Soto: Did the Nats Actually Have the Top-2 Teenagers in MLB History?

27:05 Tony Conigliaro: A Promising Career Derailed by Tragedy

28:52 Learning From the Search: Jim Gilliam, John Montgomery Ward & Edgar Renteria?!

30:14 Stardom From Day 1: Al Kaline Was Destined to Become “Mr. Tiger”

32:10 An Old “Friend” of the Show is Back! Oyster Burns’ Unique Place in Baseball History

35:34 Late Game Challenges: Jayson’s Idea to Mimic the NFL’s Rule Under Two Minutes

38:38 Second Order Effects: Will Team Increase Aggressiveness with Challenges?

41:50 The Buffer Zone: Could Max Scherzer’s Idea to Have ‘Inconclusive’ Close Calls Stand?

46:04 How Many Strike Zones Are There?

49:49 Early Numbers: Walks *and* Strikeouts Are Up — Not Great, Bob!

54:25 Future Changes: Tweaks to the Strike Zone If Needed

1:00:21 The Margin for Error: Overturning Calls That Are Closer than Margin of Error?

1:03:20 Check Out Starkville Starting April 18th!

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Jayson Stark & Doug Glanville

Editor: Jason Potere

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Eno and DVR return from the weekend and wonder if Jo Adell's three home-run saving catches in the Angels' 1-0 win against the Mariners on Saturday night might be the best defensive game ever played. Plus, they discuss a cluster of starting pitchers on the fringes of rosters in many leagues, searching for early-season sources of stability, before taking a spin around the league after several impactful injuries piled up.

Rundown

0:29 Three Home-Run Robbies in One Game! Did Jo Adell Play the Best Defensive Game Ever?

9:26 The Starting Pitchers Were Good Too! Emerson Hancock and Jack Kochanowicz Deal

11:16 Choosing Your Favorite Two: Starting Pitchers on the Rise

21:39 Injuries Galore: Updates on Horton, Betts, Soto & Others

32:23 Feeling Better After Start No. 2? Tatsuya Imai Rolls Against the A’s

36:49 A Defensive Slump? Are the Giants’ Fielding Woes Fixable?

41:20 Context in Small Samples: Rain, Sleet, Snow & Other Variables That Matter

46:48 October is Behind Him: Andy Pages Is Hitting Well Again

49:28 Great Starts at Coors Field: Where Does Jesús Luzardo’s Weekend Start Rank?

58:32 What’s in Pat Murphy’s Pocket? How About a Tortoise Named ‘Bobby Jr.’?!

1:04:21 Keeping An Eye on Anthony Kay: Is It ‘Good’ Weird, or ‘Bad’ Weird?

1:08:38 Pirates Sweep the Orioles: Undefeated in Konnor Griffin Era

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Editor: Jason Potere

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DVR is joined by Jason Collette to discuss the evolution of pre-debut contracts and early takeaways -- including the highly-anticipated return Shane McClanahan -- and the surprising lack of stolen bases from the Rays in their first two series of the season. They also take an early look at waiver-wire targets, highlighting several starting pitchers of interest, a few relievers to consider from bullpens in turmoil, and the fast start for Jordan Walker.

Rundown

1:55 Commissioner’s Corner: Move Weekly Pickups to Thursday Night!

8:37 Context is Key: James Wood Reveals 2025 Injuries

11:34 Checking In on the Rays: Observations Through Two Series

18:59 He’s Back! The Return of Shane McClanahan

23:59 Efficiency FTW: Drew Rasmussen Has a New Changeup

28:15 Early-Season Matchups: What Matters When Considering Pitchers?

34:24 Another Bat Speed Riser: Interest Level in Luisangel Acuña

37:29 Weekend Waiver Preview: Starting Pitchers We’re Considering

41:55 The Roster Bubble Starting Pitchers (40-60% Rostered)

48:23 Digging Deeper (20-40% Rostered)

53:26 Looking for Saves: Assessing Relievers in Flux

56:45 Cautious with Hitting Surprises? Buying Jordan Walker’s Adjustments?

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Host: Derek VanRiper

With Guest Co-Host: Jason Collette

Editor: Jason Potere

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Eno, Trevor, and DVR discuss the Pirates' promotion of top prospect Konnor Griffin (whose agreement to a nine-year extension was revealed after the episode was recorded), the long-term outlook on Shane Baz, how pitchers impact a hitter's bat speed, and new pitches that have caught our eye through the first week of the season.

Rundown

0:26 Baseball's Top Prospect Gets the Call: Konnor Griffin to Debut on Friday

3:54 Buying the Pirates? Will They Snap Seven-Year Streak of Losing Seasons?

8:31 Breaking Down Shane Baz's Extension with the Orioles: Five-Year, $56 Million

19:40 How Pitchers Impact a Hitter's Bat Speed

29:56 Does Fast Swing Rate Against Pitchers Tell Us More than Average Bat Speeds?

35:03 New Pitches: Pitchers With Better Outlooks Thanks to New Offerings

57:18The Rangers' Nacho Sombrero is Real?!

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Trevor May

Editor: Jason Potere

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Eno, Jed, and DVR discuss a bizarre mistake from C.B. Bucknor in Milwaukee on Tuesday night, and Jed's favorite umpire still in rotation before digging into Shohei Ohtani's first start of 2026 -- which featured significantly increased usage of his curveball -- before looking at early bat-speed risers, and breaking down a few hitters they believe could benefit from a more aggressive approach at the plate.

Rundown

0:48 Umpire Love: Jed’s Favorite Ump Still in Circulation

2:00 The Opposite of Umpire Love: C.B. Buckner’s Laughably Bad Call

3:50 Make a Mistake? Own It! Mark Wegner Owns Up to Missed Strikeout

10:10 Sho and Tell: Shohei Ohtani Increases Curveball Usage in First Start of 2026

15:33 Other News & Notes: DeLauter’s Scare, Eflin’s Exit & deGrom’s Velo

18:09 Early Bat Speed Risers: Why Does It Matter in Small Samples?

25:57 Does High Bat Speed Lead to Injuries?

34:00 Swing Decisions: Who Should Be More Aggressive?

50:58 Show and Tell: A Few of Our Random Favorites

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Jed Lowrie

Editor: Jason Potere

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