Eno and Al wrap up the Friday edition of the show for 2023 by recommending a handful of streamers for the final weekend and reviewing the trends that made this season an interesting one from a fantasy perspective. Specifically, they look at how the regulation of shifts and increase in stolen bases affected the fantasy landscape, and they looked back on a busy season for prospect debuts.

Rundown
1:06 The latest news
6:26 Streamers for the final weekend
11:04 The latest news, continued
20:06 Looking back at 2023: The rule changes
33:21 Looking back at 2023: The never-ending Prospect-Palooza
45:44 Some ERA risers and fallers
48:33 Final thoughts

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow Al on Twitter: @almelchiorBB

e-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.com

Subscribe to The Athletic at $1/month for the first year: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels

Subscribe to the Rates & Barrels YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RatesBarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Final Streamers and Looking Back at 2023

Eno Sarris and Derek VanRiper, along with Trevor May and Britt Ghiroli, discuss advanced stats, strategy, prospects and more. From the first move of the Hot Stove season to the final pitch of the World Series, join us for year-round baseball talk.

Sports

Baseball

Eno, Trevor and DVR discuss Elly De La Cruz's bid for 100-steal season, how bat tracking info could be used to supplement scouting reports and game plans against hitters, and their choices from a group of a dozen starting pitchers in an effort to project the next few seasons.

Rundown
1:06 Keeping a Good Receipt (Don't Worry, We Keep The Bad Ones Too)
2:10 Elly De La Cruz's Bid for a 100-Steal Season
8:25 How Many Stolen Bases Would Rickey Henderson Rack Up with Today's Rules
10:49 Building Scouting Reports From Bat Tracking Info
17:31 How Interested Would Players Be In Utilizing This Angle?
30:45 Choose Your Fighters: Two Starting Pitchers From This Dozen, Next Three-Plus Seasons
50:28 Does Trevor Buy Eno's Plan to Make Ben Brown a Closer in 2024?
55:10 How Much Information Does a Typical Player Consume?
1:01:07 Trevor's Wiffle Ball Update

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe
Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!
Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elly's Pursuit of 100 Steals, Bat Tracking in Scouting Reports & Choose Your Fighter, SP Edition

Eno and DVR discuss Ronel Blanco's sticky-stuff suspension, Austin Riley's quiet start and recent injury, another opportunity for Luis Matos in San Francisco, and the bullpen woes of the Cubs before digging into the early struggles of many prospect pitchers, and a few waiver-wire targets to consider as the weekend approaches.

Rundown
1:29 Ronel Blanco's Sticky-Stuff Suspension
7:38 Austin Riley's Side Injury; Slow Start
11:39 Jung Hoo Lee: Structural Damage in Shoulder
19:26 Adbert Alzolay to the IL; Searching for Answers in the Cubs' Bullpen
27:39 Still Waiting on Junior Caminero
33:16 Heston Kjerstad Usage & Demotion to Triple-A
44:37 A Look at the Early Struggles of Many Pitching Prospects
54:57 Weekend Waiver-Wire Considerations

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe
Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!
Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Opportunity in San Francisco, Struggling Pitching Prospects & Weekend Waiver Targets

Eno, DVR and Britt discuss baseball's aim to preserve starting pitchers. How much of a problem is the current use of starting pitchers compared to the past? With injury rates on the rise, what rule changes and tweaks make sense? Will small changes to move the game slightly in the direction of previous era's pitcher usage cause other problems? Plus, they discuss Britt's recent story about a partnership between Perfect Game and Fanatics, and former big leaguer Travis Snider's efforts to improve youth sports. 

Rundown
1:13 The Starting Pitcher 'Problem'
6:55 Big Changes in the Last 10 Years
11:15 Incentivizing Pitching Deeper Into Starts
16:39 The Difficult of Getting Everyone on Board with New Rules
20:00 DVR Blames the Reliance on Short Relievers
26:40 Reducing the Fifth Inning Exits When a Starter is Dealing
31:37 Why Don't Starters Try to 'Save' Velocity for Later Innings?
42:46 Britt's Story About the Concerning Perfect Game-Fanatics Partnership
48:52 Travis Snider's Efforts to Improve Youth Sports

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
Follow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_Ghroli
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe

Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!

Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Closer Look at the Ways to Preserve Starting Pitchers

Eno and DVR discuss Paul Skenes' MLB debut against the Cubs before digging into ways they are utilizing the new bat tracking and bat speed leaderboards from Statcast, including a few players to consider targeting via trade. 

Rundown
1:45 Takeaways From Paul Skenes' Debut & Unexpected Comp
13:39 New Bat Tracking & Bat Speed Leaderboards from Statcast!
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/bat-tracking
19:27 How Should We Apply Bat Speed Information?
25:47 'Squared Up' vs. 'Blasts'
27:59 Players to Target
40:14 A Tool to Use for 'Buy High' Players?
44:44 Learning From Good Players Without 'Ideal' Swing Speed & Length
52:11 Robert Gasser's Debut & Where the Money Went
1:04:13 Other Bids & Frequently Dropped Players

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How We're Using Statcast's New Bat Tracking & Bat Speed Leaderboards

Eno, Trevor and DVR discuss an all-time no-hitter jinx, Willson Contreras' injury and the sharp increase in catcher's interference around baseball, pitchers going through role changes in 2024 -- and who they would like to see make a switch in the future -- plus their game plan for hitters facing Pirates pitcher Jared Jones.

Rundown
1:30 An All-Time Great No-Hitter Jinx?
5:48 Willson Contreras' Injury & The Rise of Catcher's Interference
15:05 Maybe Just Stop Erasing the Batter's Box?
19:48 Is It Time to Regular the Sliding Mitt?
25:41 Switching Roles Between Starting & Relieving
31:41 Adrian Morejón & Needing to Fix Splits Before Becoming a Starter?
36:00 From Long Relief to the Rotation (Bryse Wilson)
40:53 Luke Weaver's Success in the Bullpen
52:06 Game Planning to Hit Jared Jones

Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe
Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes!
Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Final Streamers and Looking Back at 2023

Download our free app to listen on your phone