Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball

A deep dive into why Nick Castellanos was released and how that affects his chances of landing elsewhere. A look at Reese Hoskins’ free agent status and which teams could take a flyer. Injury updates, hamate surgery timelines, and fantasy implications for hitters and pitchers. Discussion of Pitching+ vs Stuff+ and which FanGraphs modules the hosts use for drafting.

They break down spring training headlines from a likely season-ending UCL tear to notable signings and roster shuffles. They track a new changeup and other pitch innovations, including seam-shifted movement and cut-ride fastballs. They debate chasing ideal pitch shapes versus designing complementary pitch mixes and name pitchers to watch this spring.

They cover a string of hamate injuries to top prospects and what those recoveries mean for spring training. They break down a surprising Brewers-Red Sox trade and how the pieces fit. They debate managerial and coaching changes, including the trend of first-base coaches running the team’s base-stealing strategy.

A deep dive into late-round starting pitchers typically picked after pick 250. Short scouting rundowns on arm stuff, pitch mixes, injury histories, and role clarity. Comparisons of sleepers and innings-eaters, plus debate over bounceback candidates and roster logjams. Fantasy draft implications for stashable veterans and high-upside prospects.

A deep dive into the 2026 relief pitcher landscape with tiered ADP breakdowns and close looks at top closers. Short debates on Mason Miller vs Edwin Díaz and which Tier 1 arms are safest. Rundown of mid and late-tier targets, unsettled bullpens to avoid, and draft strategies for saves-plus-holds formats. Quick checks on young arms to watch and a draft checklist to finish.

Jeff Zimmerman, fantasy analyst and author focused on pitcher health and injury risk. Jordan Rosenblum, creator of the Oopsie projection system and projection-methods writer. They discuss Framber Valdez joining Detroit and rotation fits. Jordan explains projection methodology, Stuff+ influence, and defensive metric stickiness. Jeff covers health grades, injury inputs, and roster risk management.

A deep dive into mid-to-late draft starting pitchers taken around picks 175–250. They break down pitch mix changes, injury histories, and velocity trends for a long list of names. The conversation highlights stash candidates, rehab timelines, and where spring performance or contract signals could change draft value.

A deep dive into mid-range starting pitchers you might draft between picks 100–200. They debate injury histories, pitch mixes, and recovery timelines for arms like Strider, Glasnow, Wheeler and more. The conversation covers upside versus innings risk, new pitch additions, and which comeback or breakout arms are worth targeting.

They break down the top 25–30 starting pitchers by recent NFBC draft ADP in short ADP-based tiers. They debate early pitcher picks, injury risks, and durability for arms like Skubal and deGrom. The conversation highlights Stuff+ model shifts, young high-upside but fragile arms, and who might rise after role or team changes.

They debate taking Shohei Ohtani as the clear first pick and why his two-way value dominates early drafts. Kyle Schwarber versus Yordan Alvarez and UT-only pick strategy get a lively comparison. Deep dives highlight late outfield targets from Marcell Ozuna to Masataka Yoshida and sleepers like Cam Smith, Victor Scott II, Jesús Sánchez and Jordan Walker.