

Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America delivers baseball news you can't get anywhere else. Covering the game from a player-development point of view, the staff of BA will deliver its take on what's going on in the world of baseball every week on its podcast, analyzing the game from the majors and minors--with an emphasis on prospects--through our unparalleled college and high school coverage.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 24, 2025 • 26min
Will The Pirates & Marlins Spend In MLB Free Agency? Plus Red Sox Top 10 Prospects & More | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 83
On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes, Matt Eddy and Scott Braun discuss a variety of topics, including the Pirates' and Marlins' free agency plans, our Red Sox Top 10 Prospects list on and the state of the Mets' system.We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.Time Stamps(0:00) Baseball America's Black Friday sale—Get 40% off any annual digital subscription(2:00) Reacting to The Athletic's story about the Pirates' potential FA spending(10:00) How the Marlins can improve, too(13:15) Red Sox Top 10 Prospects(19:00) View follow-up question on Pirates/Marlins(23:30) What's next for the Mets' system?Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 21, 2025 • 43min
Revisiting Misses From The 2021 & 2022 Draft Classes
This year teams left more first-round players unprotected from the Rule 5 draft than we’ve seen in a decade. Carlos and Peter revisit some of the high-profile misses from the 2021 and 2022 drafts and what lessons we might be able to draw from them. —Time Stamps(0:00) Intro(3:00) Unprotected player talk begins(7:00) Frank Mozzicato (11:00) Gavin Cross(14:30) Benny Montgomery & toolsy players(20:00) 2022 college bats we missed on(28:00) A calibration for amateur tool grades(32:00) Did the covid ripple effect impact the hit rate?(36:30) Reggie Crawford(40:00) 2022 HS players who might be at riskOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 20, 2025 • 31min
Fantasy Podcast: Top 40 Dynasty First Basemen
Dynasty rankings season is in full swing at Baseball America, as hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan White jump into their second positional ranking breakdown of the offseason. The open the show discussing the Grayson Rodriguez for Taylor Ward trade before diving into the Top 10 first basemen.Time Stamps(1:00) Grayson Rodriguez/Taylor Ward trade reaction(9:30) Nick Kurtz reigns supreme across the first base landscape(12:30) Why Bryce Harper at No. 3?(15:00) Questions about Pete Alonso, Rafael Devers, Matt Olson & Freddie Freeman entering 2026(20:00) The Josh Naylor problem(22:00) Why is Vinnie Pasquantino still underrated?(24:00) Is Michael Busch a top 10 first baseman?(27:00) Kyle Manzardo's sneaky 2025Go to https://MeUndies.com/foul and enter promo code foul for up to 50% off! Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 20, 2025 • 48min
40-Man Protections And Rule 5 Draft Talk
We've got the Rule 5 fever. Geoff Pontes and J.J. Cooper are a day late with the Prospect Podcast this week, but it's for a good reason, as we've been busy working on the 40-man roster protection deadline and doing our early Rule 5 draft preview work. We talk about that and discuss the Orioles-Angels trade that saw Grayson Rodriguez and Taylor Ward swap coasts.Time Stamps(00:00) A Rule 5 name to watch(10:00) Explaining Rule 5 rules, as well as what the 40-man roster deadline is about(16:00) Trends we noticed in 40-man roster additions(19:00) Why the fireballing Class A pitcher doesn't get picked anymore(23:00) Traits to look for when trawling for Rule 5 picks(28:30) It was a bad year for first-round picks being protected, especially for one team(32:00) Two teams with perfect first-round protection records recently(34:00) A few sneaky things to look for in the Rule 5 draft(38:00) Analyzing the Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward tradeRule 5 Draft Preview: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-rule-5-draft-preview-top-players-to-know/Get 15% off The Perfect Jean with the code FOUL15 at https://theperfectjean.nyc/FOUL15 #theperfectjeanpodOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 17, 2025 • 26min
Dodgers Top 10 Prospects, 40-Man Roster Decisions & Brewers' Unique Draft Strategy | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 82
On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Ben Badler and Geoff Pontes discuss a number of topics, including the Dodgers' new top 10, Tuesday's 40-man roster deadline and the Brewers' unique strategy for finding value later in the MLB Draft.We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.Time Stamps(0:00) Introduction (1:00) Digging into Ben's story on the Brewers' unorthodox draft strategy (12:00) 40-man roster deadline—what should we expect Tuesday? (15:45) Which traits will teams want to target in the Rule 5 draft? (20:00) Dodgers Top 10 Prospects—how does LA keep doing it?Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 13, 2025 • 51min
Fantasy Podcast: Top 40 Dynasty Catchers
This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan White discuss catchers in the first installment of their positional rankings. We also talk about a trio of talented NPB imports and their potential FYPD rankings.(2:00) Munetaka Murakami(11:00) Tatsuya Imai(21:00) Kazuma Okamoto(27:00) Cal Raleigh No.1(29:00) Samuel Basallo and his aggressive ranking(31:00) Ben Rice full time at bats and the upside potential(34:00) Agustin Ramirez and the tale of two halves(36:00) Reasons behind the aggressive Rainiel Rodriguez ranking(37:00) Dylan's target of Francisco Alvarez(39:00) Geoff's target of Adley Rutschman(42:00) Why we're fading Hunter GoodmanCheck out square.com/go/FOUL and go support your favorite neighborhood spot to see what Square has been up to in your neck of the woods.Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 12, 2025 • 48min
Prospect Podcast: How Soon Can The Pirates Become A Playoff Team?
This week in another edition of our Fix It series, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates. We are much more bullish about the Pirates turnaround, although we also get into why Pirates fans understandably are skeptical.(0:00) Have Any Fans Suffered More Than Pirates Fans?(5:00) Ownership Has To Do Better(7:00) Paul Skenes Is A Great Start For Any Team(9:00) Strengths And Weaknesses Of The MLB Team(13:00) With Bubba Chandler Arriving, This Rotation Is Stacked(18:00) Hitting Development Has To Take A Step Forward(21:30) What's Termarr Johnson's Potential?(27:00) Why We Are Optimistic(28:30) Konnor Griffin Can Be A Star(30:00) It's Hard To Not Win If You Have Two Stars(37:00) Trying To Figure Out The Rest Of The Lineup(39:00) Spend Some Money(45:00) Bold PredictionsCheck out square.com/go/FOUL and go support your favorite neighborhood spot to see what Square has been up to in your neck of the woods.Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 11, 2025 • 42min
College Podcast: National Signing Day Preview
Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty break down National Signing Day, examining top classes and discussing potential last-second movement.(2:44) A look at the top classes(9:59) Are more top high school prospects making it to campus?(14:45) Examining Texas' class(19:24) Stanford looks to land another star(24:33) Deep class heading to Wake Forest(32:29) How will Tony Vitello's departure impact Tennessee?(34:49) Will Florida's class hold up through signing day(39:45) Our favorite classesOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 10, 2025 • 28min
Japanese Stars Posted To MLB, Pirates Top 10 & More | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 81
On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes, Jesús Cano and Scott Braun discuss scouting reports for star Japanese players being posted to MLB, including Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto and Tatsuya Imai.Later, we talk about the Pirates Top 10 Prospects that debuted Monday and some Arizona Fall League players who have stood out this season in the desert.We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.Time Stamps(0:00) Introduction (1:05) How will Munetaka Murakami translate to MLB? (4:10) Murakami's potential swing issues (6:00) Scouting Kazuma Okamoto (8:50) How much money will Tatsuya Imai will get? (14:30) Pirates Top 10 prospects for 2026: Depth behind Konnor Griffin & Termarr Johnson (22:45) Max Anderson's great AFL season (24:30) The return of Daniel Espino (26:00) More AFL pitchers who have stood outOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nov 7, 2025 • 42min
Notable Players & Teams From Our Draft Report Cards
Carlos and Peter talk about our annual draft report cards series and pick out a handful of players to know and teams who stood out through the process. —Time Stamps(0:00) World Series reactions(4:30) Intro to Draft Report Cards talk(9:00) Ethan Conrad(12:30) The Astros(16:00) Landyn Vidourek(21:15) Sam Horn(25:00) The Guardians(34:00) Lucas Kelly(35:00) Padres 10+ roundersHead to Superpower.com and use code TAKE20 at checkout for $20 off your membership. Live up to your 100-Year potential. #superpowerpod Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy


