Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball
The Athletic
In baseball, numbers are everywhere. But they’re not just numbers. For Derek VanRiper and Eno Sarris, they’re the keys to solving the most fun problem in sports.Every weekday, join DVR and Eno as they unpack baseball in ways you’ve never heard before, endeavoring to figure out all they can about a sport that’s constantly changing. Alongside contributors Britt Ghiroli, Trevor May and Jed Lowrie, the Rates & Barrels crew breaks down all the latest MLB news through an analytical lens, feeding your unhealthy addiction to numbers, while helping you master your fantasy baseball GM skills. But wait, there's more: come back for Saturday mornings in Starkville, where Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville talk to some of the most important players, coaches, and thought leaders in the league. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 2, 2020 • 44min
The Padres rally to force Game 3, the A's advance and the Reds can't score
Eno, Britt and DVR discuss the Padres' thrilling Game 2 win over the Cards, the A's triumph over the White Sox, and the Reds bowing out of the postseason without plating a run. Rundown1:20 Who Pitches for San Diego in Game 3?6:33 The A's Advance to the ALDS10:49 Does Rick Renteria Deserve This Much Criticism?15:50 Ian Anderson Delivers18:06 Will the Reds' Offense Be a Strength in 2021?24:27 Marcell Ozuna's Fake Selfie & Mic'ing Up Players in a Playoff Game?33:35 The Dodgers Cruise, But What Happens with Kenley Jansen Going Forward?37:04 What's Next for the Brewers?39:28 Marlins-Cubs & Cards-Padres PredictionsFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_GhiroliFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRipere-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.comSubscribe to The Athletic for $1/month: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 1, 2020 • 37min
Pitching shines in Atlanta and early exits for Minnesota and Cleveland
Eno, Britt, and DVR discuss Wednesday's loaded eight-game playoff slate, including an excellent pitching matchup in Atlanta, the A's effort to push their Wild Card Series to a decisive Game 3, and a collapse in Cleveland.Rundown2:51 Braves-Reds & Trevor Bauer, Villain8:03 The Twins' Early Exit11:00 Chris Bassitt's Strong Start, Liam Hendriks Usage13:02 Starling Marte's Injury & Sixto Sánchez's Chance to Advance the Marlins17:27 The Future is Bright in Toronto21:09 Cleveland’s Latest Collapse26:02 The Dodgers Hold Serve in Game 1Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_GhiroliFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRipere-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.comSubscribe to The Athletic for just $1/month: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 30, 2020 • 36min
Clevinger's Injury, Kirilloff's Surprising Promotion & Bieber Gets Hit
Eno, Britt & DVR discuss the impact of Mike Clevinger's absence for at least the Wild Card round, Alex Kirilloff's MLB debut coming in the postseason (rare!), the Yankees' approach against Shane Bieber, and more!Rundown0:35 Mike Clevinger’s Uncertain Status Beyond Wild Card Round3:39 Alex Kirilloff Debuting in the Postseason10:22 Framber Valdez Shines Behind Zack Greinke 13:57 How The Yankees Hit Shane Bieber?20:29 Did the Jays Deserve Better in Game 1?25:09 Lucas Giolito's Dominant StartFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_GhiroliFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRipere-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 29, 2020 • 33min
NL Wild Card series breakdowns and LCS, World Series predictions
Eno, Britt & DVR discuss their picks in the NL Wild Card Series matchups, and share their predictions for LCS and World Series winners as the 2020 Postseason gets underway.Series Breakdowns1:51 Dodgers vs. Brewers10:35 Padres vs. Cardinals15:03 Braves vs. Reds20:15 Cubs vs. MarlinsBig Predictions27:55 LCS & World SeriesFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_GhiroliFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiperSubscribe to The Athletic for just $1/month: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 28, 2020 • 35min
Preparing for a different, imperfect postseason with Ken Rosenthal
Ken Rosenthal joins Eno, Britt & DVR to discuss the different and imperfect 2020 postseason and consider the teams best suited for the unique twists of this October. Interview w/Ken Rosenthal4:05 Are the Rays Optimally Suited for This Postseason?5:02 Atlanta's Tough Wild Card Round Draw6:22 Does Home Field Advantage Even Matter?7:39 Is Previous Playoff Experience Less Important?9:09 Tactical Adjustments to a Packed Schedule11:04 Are the Cubs Getting Overlooked?12:23 The Impact of Neutral Parks After Round 114:17 Ken's American League Predictions17:08 The Brewers & Having a Puncher's Chance Against the DodgersSeries Breakdowns20:38 Rays vs. Jays24:08 A's vs. White Sox27:27 Twins vs. Astros30:09 Indians vs. YankeesFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_GhiroliFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiperFollow Ken on Twitter: @Ken_Rosenthale-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.comSubscribe to The Athletic for just $1/month: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 24, 2020 • 1h 8min
A few things we learned in 2020
Eno and DVR discuss some of their takeaways from the 60-game 2020 season -- including the need for making quicker decisions and their plans to increase the value placed on multi-position players in the future -- before answering a series of mailbag questions.Rundown4:57 Roster Churn & Quick Decisions9:56 Tony Gonsolin’s 2021 Outlook13:17 Increasing Weight on Multi-Position Players17:22 Projecting Jake Cronenworth in 202121:16 Revisiting 'Punting' Saves30:59 Adjusting to Universal DH36:03 Kyle Lewis as a Fringe Top-25 Hitter?46:40 Keston Hiura & Second-Base Depth Concerns54:08 Is Edwin Rios a 2021 Sleeper?59:20 Future Interest in Justin DunnFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiperSubscribe to The Athletic for just $1/month: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 22, 2020 • 1h 14min
Rising Hitters & Early Round Starting Pitchers
Eno and DVR discuss another wave of rising hitters with an eye toward 2021 before contemplating some of the projected early-round starting pitchers as forecasted by friend and brilliant fantasy baseball mind, Vlad Sedler.Rundown1:53 Buying Conforto's 2020 & Machado's Push Back Up the Board9:31 Thinking About Position Eligibility Again18:06 Luke Voit is Mashing Despite ‘Foot Stuff’21:54 Game Show! (wRC+ Leaders Since 2018)25:49 Nitro: A Large Bucket View of Hitters30:55 Makes Sense of Teoscar Hernandez, Ian Happ & Dominic Smith43:35 The Early Round SPs60:03 Trevor Bauer’s Workload DreamFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRipere-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.comSubscribe to The Athletic for $1/month at theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 21, 2020 • 1h 6min
The Playoff Push & Awards Predictions
Eno, Britt & DVR discuss their expectations for the final week of the season as several National League teams jockey for the four available playoff spots, before making their picks (and predictions) for Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP winners in each league.Rundown1:43 A Futile Attempt to Understand 2020 Playoff Tie-Breakers7:20 The National League Playoff Race18:24 A High Stakes Week in Philadelphia24:20 Is the Expanded Postseason Here to Stay?34:27 Rookie of the Year Selections43:00 Cy Young Selections51:43 MVP SelectionsFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_GhiroliFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRipere-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.comSubscribe to The Athletic for $1/month at theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 17, 2020 • 1h 10min
Early Bats for 2021 & Endgame Arms for 2020
Eno and DVR discuss the changes expected among the top-20 hitters for 2021 — including potential risers into that group — and widely-available pitchers that might help in the final 10 days of the season.Rundown2:41 What Drops a Hitter Coming Out of 2020?8:56 Cody Bellinger & Christian Yelich Similarities11:00 Top-Five for 2021 (and Next Five)17:58 Will Early Pitching Fall?23:48 A Graceful Decline for Starling Marte?26:04 Potential Newcomers in the First Two Rounds33:13 Luis Robert & Elevated Swing Rates38:50 Should Bo Bichette Go Even Higher than Luis Robert?43:37 Xander Bogaerts' Case for a Move Up57:03 Endgame Pitching Help to ConsiderFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRipere-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.comPurchase a subscription to The Athletic for just $1/month at theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 15, 2020 • 1h 11min
Setting the Table for 2021 Pitcher Rankings
Eno and DVR discuss how they're going to build 2021 pitcher rankings coming out of the shortened 2020 season, in an effort to balance risk with injuries, skills, stuff and command.Rundown5:25 Early 2021 Starting Pitcher Rankings Thoughts10:50 Age, Injuries & Decline18:10 The ‘Flawed’ Pop-Up Pitchers of 202023:46 Which Pitchers Don’t Have Any Flaws30:45 The Surprising Season From Dakota Hudson35:50 Avoiding Red Flags Early40:47 Are You More Comfortable Betting on Stuff or Command Improvement?49:25 How to Handle Prospect Pitchers with Poor Command53:14 Good Control without Good Command?58:33 Various Considerations in Defining Athleticism64:26 Matt Chapman’s Season-Ending InjuryFollow Eno on Twitter: @enosarrisFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRipere-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.comSubscribe to The Athletic for just $1/month: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
