WAKE and RAKE Podcast

Small ball, small markets, small payrolls...BIG STAGE! Danny Vietti previews the 2026 World Series between the Brewers and Rays. Is small ball taking back the throne? Are home runs no longer the most entertaining play in baseball? The Brewers and Rays numbers can help answer all those questions. Plus, the best individual storylines to know for the series.

(0:20) Quick World Series preview ... (2:12) Why the Brewers are so captivating ... (10:01) How the Rays offense operates ... (13:58) Home runs are not longer the most entertaining play in baseball ... (17:49) Best player storylines to look out for ... (18:31) Most underrated pitcher of this era ... (27:55) Pat Murphy's journey to the World Series

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How is it that the Milwaukee Brewers, which until recently were one of the worst franchises in all of sports, found a secret formula that turned it into one of the best in baseball? Danny Vietti fell deep into a rabbit hole and found what the Brew Crew do differently than any other club in MLB. How the Brewers are a modern day MoneyBall 2.0.

(2:53) Brewers are one of smallest markets in MLB ... (8:36) Brewers were one of the worst franchises in sports ... (20:15) Brewers pitchers do not throw this offspeed pitch ... (22:38) How Brewers offense is Moneyball 2.0 ... (29:09) Why Brewers hate launch angle strategy ... (31:24) Brewers refuse to pull the baseball ... (33:59) How infield shift rules impacted Brewers tactics ... (36:25) The curious case of Christian Yelich ... (40:50) Brewers secret formula summary

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Where will Tarik Skubal be traded? Is Byron Buxton available? Sandy Alcantara? We list and detail the 25 best players who could be on the trade block before the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline. We also attach the one team that is the best fit for each player. Also, Rafael Devers did WHAT to Tony Vitello and the Giants? And so much more.

(4:37) Rafael Devers and Tony Vitello's comments on team drama ... (12:05) White Sox are the best story in baseball ... (15:30) Why MLB fans should no longer vote for All-Star team starters ... (25:02) Top 25 trade candidates ... (28:43) Jarren Duran looks like a Pittsburgh Pirate ... (35:30) What if the Yankees acquired Chapman AND Adames??? ... (39:57) Tarik Skubal's biggest suitors ... (49:30) Angels have two legit starters available ... (58:20) Is CJ Abrams available? ... (1:02:32) Could Adley Rutschman really be TRADED?!

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Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty joins the show to unveil details behind the city's bid for an MLB expansion team. Does the city have a lead investor? Do they have any team names? What happens to the River Cats and Sutter Health Park? Each of these questions and more are answered.

(2:45) Kevin McCarty's baseball background ... (4:53) Origins of the "Sacramento Pitch" ... (8:00) What happens to River Cats and Sutter Health Park? ... (12:04) Salt Lake City vs. Sacramento ... (13:30) MLB has had direct contact with Sacramento officials ... (16:00) Names of potential lead investors/owners? ... (19:50) Is there a world where the A's stay in Sacramento? ... (23:56) Explored team names for expansion team ... (25:00) Sacramento has been trying to lure the A's and Raiders since the 1980's ... (29:32) What Aaron Judge told Mayor McCarty

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Is Sacramento first in line to get an MLB expansion team? We detail the latest from West Sacramento, including Mayor Guerrero announcing the city's bid and one corporation that has already offered to build a brand new stadium. Plus, we discuss Charlotte, Nashville, and every city that has been listed as potential expansion team destinations.

(2:06) West Sacramento mayor announces bid for expansion ... (12:18) Sacramento vs. Salt Lake City ... (15:02) Home attendance in Sacramento ... (22:38) Sacramento pros and cons ... (25:11) California Central Valley is MASSIVE ... (29:12) Las Vegas ballpark update ... (35:17) Scoreboard issues at Sutter Health Park ... (41:15) A's experiment is not an accurate litmus test for Sacramento ... (43:12) Top 12 Most Desirable MLB Expansion Cities ... (52:12) Why Nashville is a shoe-in ... (59:10) What happened to Kyle Lewis?

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Team tiers for all 30 MLB teams through the first quarter of the 2026 MLB season. What does the 2027 free agent class look like with Tarik Skubal? Whatever happened to James Karinchak and why did he seemingly get black listed? Plus...Robinson Cano, Ramiro Pena, Chris Carter, and Addison Russell among notable names playing in the Mexican Baseball League this season.

(4:02) Tarik Skubal injury details ... (8:51) Glenallen Hill's arachnophobic IL stint story ... (15:34) Only two teams in AL with winning records ... (20:18) Team Tiers ... (24:03) Teams capable of making a run ... (31:26) These teams are a piece or two away ... (41:14) Trade candidate players ... (44:13) Whatever happened to...James Karinchak? ... (51:27) Weird stats of the week ... (57:36) Notable names playing in Mexican League

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Two managers have been fired before the first month of the season has ended. What does this mean for the Red Sox and Phillies? Who is most to blame for their failures? Is it rebuild time? The crew details the Alex Cora firing and how the Red Sox front office handled it. Plus, the Phillies time for a rebuild might be coming sooner than later.

(1:50) Instant reactions to Red Sox cleaning house ... (8:45) Are these firings too soon? ... (15:27) Red Sox have been the worst defensive team since 2021 ... (20:11) Red Sox front office timeline during Alex Cora's tenure ... (23:20) Re-visiting Rafael Devers trade ... (31:58) Best move of Craig Breslow's tenure ... (34:30) Details of Rob Thomson's firing ... (39:10) Phillies best chance was in 2023 NLCS ... (45:02) Coolest things we saw this week ... (50:40) Should adults get to keep foul balls at a game? ... (53:30) Weird stats of the week

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Which closer in MLB has the best walkout song and production? We rank the best closer walkouts of 2026. Plus, what does this new ownership group mean for the Padres? Is it time to panic in New York? Why these prospect extensions are great for baseball and its fan bases.

(2:33) What is really wrong with the Mets? ... (13:20) Week review ... (19:59) Everything you need to know about the Padres' new owner ... (26:23) Coolest things we saw this week ... (29:08) Baseball has a new Iron Man in Atlanta ... (32:07) Weird stats of the week ... (33:57) All-time favorite closer walkouts ... (36:42) Closer walkouts for 2026 ... (47:15) Mason Miller's walkout is perfect ... (50:52) Closer Walkout Power Rankings

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Most dominant player is in Los Angeles but the most dominant pitcher of this generation may just be in San Diego. Are the Pittsburgh Pirates legit? Eloy Jimenez and Tommy Pham are back in the big leagues. Plus, we review the 8 new Nike City Connect Jerseys.

(3:20) Surprising but familiar big league call ups ... (8:21) Houston Astros dynasty officially over? ... (16:01) Contextualizing Mason Miller's dominance ... (25:51) Coolest things we saw this week ... (30:00) Weird ABS challenge system stats ... (35:30) Cory's keeps a baseball shit list ... (42:45) Was Jazz Chisholm Jr. trolling us? ... (45:55) Are the Pittsburgh Pirates the real deal? ... (51:44) New City Connect Jersey Ratings

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We know the good teams. We know the bad teams. But what about the mid teams? Are they legit or frauds? The crew takes a deeper look at some of the middle tier teams to determine whether we are believers or haters. Plus, there's a new layer to the ABS system that is creating some controversy. We discuss it all.

(4:48) New ABS system controversy ... (11:20) How accurate is ABS? ... (16:38) Minor leagues trying out new check swing system ... (17:30) Red Sox "Sell the team" chants ... (26:35) Brawls and violence in baseball ... (30:00) Why Sandy Alcantara should stay in Miami ... (33:08) Are the Marlins legit? ... (39:15) Should we believe in the Reds? ... (41:47) Why you should believe in the Rockies ... (48:15) Believers in Tony Vitello and Giants? ... (56:06) Rangers could be dangerous ... (1:00:07) Who does these veterans play for now?

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