Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball The Fall of Nick Castellanos in Philly & Mailbag Madness
Feb 13, 2026
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.
AI Snips
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Transcript
Episode notes
Hand Injuries Reshape Opening-Day Plans
- Several top defenders suffered hand/hamate injuries that cloud opening-day status and depth charts.
- Those injuries create short-term opportunities for prospects like Ronnie Mauricio.
Draft Healthier Hitters Early
- Prioritize safer, healthier hitters (like Carroll and Lindor) over high-ceiling but risky options.
- Expect only modest ADP shifts for injured stars in the weeks ahead.
How Pitching+ Differs From Stuff+
- Pitching+ combines Stuff+ and Location+ with machine learning, making it slightly more predictive but less sticky year-to-year.
- Stuff+ is useful in small samples; Pitching+ helps once pitchers reach more innings.