Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball

Baseball is Back! (And Spencer Strider is Too)

Mar 18, 2025

01:13:32

Eno and DVR discuss the Dodgers' season-opening win over the Cubs in Tokyo, which featured five strong frames from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and an excellent showing from the bullpen. They also discuss a great piece from David Adler highlighting Shohei Ohtani's unique contact point as a possible explanation for his excellent all-fields power. Plus, they look at the return of Spencer Strider, who pitched in a game Monday for the first time this spring, Cam Smith's chances of making the Opening Day roster, and big movers from the NFBC Main Event drafts, which Eno recently took part in.

Rundown

3:22 Dodgers Win Series Opener in Tokyo

9:57 Freddie Freeman's Reduced Playing Time Ceiling

13:48 Shohei Ohtani's Unique Contact Point

(Story from David Adler, MLB.com: https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-contact-point-statcast-analysis)

21:42 Concerns About Mookie Betts' Health Beyond Tokyo?

26:44 Spencer Strider is Back! (Is the ADP Going to the Moon?)

34:34 Cam Smith's Path to the Opening Day Roster in Houston

43:45 David Bednar: Still Hasn't Been Named Pirates' Closer

48:46 Adjusting to Unique Rooms: The NFBC Main Event

55:33 Reframing a 'Necessary' Overpay

Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social