Ben and Carlos open up the listener mailbag and take questions on a number of draft topics including: prep sleepers who could be first rounders; Ace Reese’s defensive profile; Konnor Griffin’s impact on scouting; who our favorite prospect in the class is after Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson; Derek Curiel’s lack of power; and whether or not teams care about the pick order when they are picking back-to-back.

—

Time Stamps:

• (0:50) Who are some sleeper prep names who could be first rounders?
• (8:20) What do you think about Ace Reese’s upside and defensive profile?
• (12:45) How did so many teams miss on Konnor Griffin and how does that change scouting for 2026?
• (20:30) Who is your current No. 3 prospect after Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson?
• (25:20) Where does Derek Curiel fit in the draft given his lack of power?
• (31:40) How do teams decide who to pick first when they have back-to-back picks?

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a  question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Ben and Carlos talk about a few pitchers who have them excited from early spring training outings, then get into one of the most exciting pitching prospects in the country, Oregon State righthander Dax Whitney. The two talk about whether or not he’s the best pitching prospect since Paul Skenes, and then kickstart a conversation about the top prospects from each of the next two draft classes, headlined by some players to know from our recently released 2028 high school rankings. 

—

Time Stamps:

• (0:00) Intro
• (4:00) Bishop Letson
• (12:30) Carlos Lagrange
• (19:10) Dax Whitney
• (31:00) Dax Whitney vs. Brendan Lawson
• (37:00) 2028 high school rankings
• (39:00) Why Striker Pence is No. 1
• (47:00) Other names to know at the top of the 2028 class

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Ben and Carlos take listener questions on whether pitchers with deep arsenals and good command are overrated, about players who aren’t ranked top 100 who could jump into top-10 territory with a good season, and about whether or not recent Duke commit James Clark has a chance to make it to campus.

—

Time Stamps:

• (1:25) Do you think pitchers with deeper arsenals get undervalued?
• (11:30) Who is someone outside the top 100 who could be a top 10 prospect by the end of the season?
• (18:20) Will James Clark make it to campus at Duke or go straight to the pros?

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a  question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Ben and Carlos talk about the challenges of scouting players in the early portions of a baseball season, and discuss the differences in evaluating hitters and pitchers in those time periods. The two talk about a number of standouts from Carlos’s week one Texas trip, including Grady Emerson, Lucas Franco, Cam Johnson and more. After that the two talk about Noah Franco’s two way status, why they disagree on two-way players and also use that to talk about the reclassification of Jared Grindlinger from 2027 to 2026. 

—

Time Stamps:

• (0:00) Intro
• (8:30) Grady Emerson 
• (20:00) Evaluating a high school hitter in the spring
• (28:00) Physical changes of young players
• (33:00) Watching a college hitter early in the season
• (37:00) Watching a college pitcher early in the year
• (49:30) Lucas Franco
• (55:00) Brendan Lawson
• (59:00) Noah Franco
• (1:11:15) Jared Grindlinger reclasses from 2027 to 2026

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a  question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Ben, Carlos and Jacob conduct the fourth annual amateur player draft. The name of the game is simple: select the most talented team you can among 2026 draft-eligible prospects. 

Each drafter has to fill out a roster as follows: one catcher, two corner infielders, two middle infielders, three outfielders, four pitchers and one utility spot. Each team needs to have at least six high school players and at least six college players. 

Who had the best draft? Let us know what you think. 

—

Time Stamps:

• (0:00) Intro
• (0:40) Draft explained
• (3:40) Draft begins
• (6:10) First pitcher selected
• (10:00) Jacob Lombard vs. Justin Lebron
• (11:50) First catcher off the board
• (18:00) Ben doubles down on outfielders
• (23:30) The first positional “debate”
• (29:35) Carlos continues to stack pitchers
• (32:40) Ben goes crazy for college players
• (42:05) Jacob gets an outfield bat he loves
• (58:00) Team-by-team draft summaries and takeaways

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos answer listener questions about how bat tracking technology and athletic testing metrics have changed high school scouting, how multi-sport athletes are valued and where some of the top 2027 draft prospects would slot into the 2026 class. 

—

Time Stamps:

• (0:30) How has technology like bat tracking and force plates changed high school scouting?
• (14:20) Do multi-sport athletes project better than baseball-only players?
• (23:05) Where would high-end 2027 draft prospects fit in the 2026 draft class?

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a  question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos talk through the new Baseball America farm system rankings. How close are the top teams and what separates them? Which farm systems are our picks to take big steps forward a year from now? After farm system talk, the two discuss the new Top 200 draft rankings for the 2026 class. 

—

Time Stamps:

• (0:00) WBC excitement
• (6:30) Updated farm system rankings
• (9:00) Are the Pirates a clear No. 1 system?
• (18:00) Cardinals vs. Brewers
• (24:30) The Brewers case as No. 1
• (29:00) Top-heavy Tigers
• (36:00) Bias towards the orgs you’re familiar with
• (44:20) Which teams are primed to step forward
• (51:30) Updated draft board talk

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos take some questions from last week’s draft chat and expand on them in the podcast. The two discuss their favorite college pitchers in the class, talk about the questions with Jacob Lombard’s contact ability and also talk about the changes they would make to the MLB draft. 

—

Time Stamps:

• (0:45) Our favorite college pitcher in the class
• (9:55) Concerns with Jacob Lombard’s contact ability
• (18:00) The changes we would make to the draft

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a  question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos talk briefly about the demographics and depth of the 2026 draft class, before getting into a conversation about high school recruiting and the power dynamics and changes in the space over the last few years. After that they break down some of the top PPI eligible prospects and discuss which players might be best-positioned to help their clubs add extra picks with strong 2026 performances. 

—

Time Stamps

• (0:00) Intro
• (3:00) The depth of the 2026 draft class
• (6:00) Strength of the Southeast
• (10:00) West coast colleges losing players
• (17:00) Power conference recruiting factors
• (21:00) The importance of high school recruiting
• (23:00) The number of high school players signing
• (31:00) PPI eligible player conversation

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a  question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben and Carlos open up the Future Projection listener mailbag and talk about some of their favorite prospects who didn’t make the top 100 but could be there shortly. They also hit on a handful of Braves prospects who could be in the same camp, plus talk about potential IFA signing day implications that could come (or not come) from a lockout after the 2026 season. 

—

Time Stamps

• (1:00) Favorite prospects who didn’t make the Top 100
• (17:50) Braves prospects who could join the Top 100
• (22:30) IFA signing day implications with a lockout

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: [email protected].

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Newsletter: Fringe Average

Baseball America Website

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy