Baseball America

On the second of our Prospect Deep Dives, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take a look at the Chicago Cubs farm system. It's perfect timing, as we get a chance to analyze the Cubs-Marlins Edward Cabrera/Owen Caissie trade.

(01:00) Analyzing the Edward Cabrera trade. What did the Cubs give up?

(09:00) No. 1 prospect Moises Ballesteros. How tough was the choice and who were the other candidates?

(13:00) Comparing the Cubs system now to where it was a year ago.

(16:00) Who do we think will be the No. 1 prospect a year from now?

Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper are back to start our series of 30 MLB Farm System Deep Dives. We are beginning with the Cincinnati Reds, a team that has produced a lot of pitching, plus Elly De La Cruz, in recent years. What does the farm system have in store for 2026 and beyond?

(02:00) Who is No. 1 and how easy was that choice?

(10:25) How is this system better/worse than last year?

(17:00) Who do we project to be No. 1 next year?

(21:10) What are the Reds good at developing?

(25:30...

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty examine the resumes of the top contenders for preseason No. 1 with the college baseball season nearing. Rudner and Flaherty also break down the rise of the Big 12 and the ACC's race against the SEC.

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Ben Badler and Scott Braun discuss a number of topics, including the potential for an Edward Cabrera trade in Miami, Ben's latest international bonus board update and BA Hall of Fame ballots.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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In last week's Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper talked about some of the best developments in 2025. Now we look into 2026 to predict who will be the No. 1 prospect in the game and which farm system will be the best a year from now.

(02:30) Who Will Be The No. 1 Farm System Heading Into 2027

(06:30) Another No. 1 Farm System Candidate

(10:00) Two other long shot but interesting candidates

(13:00) The No. 1 prospect in baseball heading into 2027 will be ...

(21:00) Two bold predictions for 2026

On this week's Baseball America Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take a look at which farm systems and which prospects were the most improved in 2025, and we also look at a couple of predictions we'd like to have back.

(00:00) The Prospect Handbook Is Complete

(02:30) The Most Improved Farm System In 2025 Is ...

(08:00) The Most Improved Prospect In 2025 Is ...

(16:30) The Predictions We Would Like To Do Over ...

In the final College Podcast episode of 2025, Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty offer an inside look at Japanese righthander Genei Sato's recruitment and subsequent signing with Penn State. Rudner and Flaherty also assess what kind of player the Nittany Lions are getting and take a look back at their favorite college baseball moments from 2025.

(1:01) Greetings

(5:13) Sato signs with Penn State

(7:04) Who is Masanosuke Ono and why does he matter?

(12:17) Why is Sato in the 2027 class?

(13:13) Scouting Sato

(22:12) Could more Japanese...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes, Jacob Rudner and Scott Braun discuss a number of topics, including a pair of key AL East trades, new MLB homes for Munetaka Murakami and Song Sung-mun and Genei Sato's committment to Penn State.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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With the hot stove seemingly too cool at the moment, hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan White bring some holiday heat with our latest installment in the dynasty positional ranking series. This week we breakdown a loaded outfield group with some of the top talents in the game. We talk you through the top 25 and some names to targets as sleepers.

(2:30) Why Juan Soto over Corbin Carroll?

(5:00) Why Julio Rodriguez over Aaron Judge?

(7:30) Do you discount Jackson Chourio in OBP?

(10:30) Laying out Tatis, Acuna and Kyle Tucker?

(13:30...

On this week's Prospect Podcast Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper go in-depth into explaining tools grades, BA grades and risk, adjusted grades and everything else about the Prospect Handbook.

(00:00) Why We're A Day Late

(04:30) What Is The Prospect Handbook

(06:40) So What Is The 20-to-80 Scouting Scale And How Does It Work?

(11:00) Looking At No. 1 Prospect Konnor Griffin's Tools Grades

(14:30) Comparing Konnor Griffin's Tools To Bobby Witt Jr.'s Tools

(17:15) Explaining BA Grades And Risk

(23:00) Why Kevin McGonigle Has An 80 Hit Tool

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Jacob Rudner and Scott Braun discuss a number of topics, including candidates for the 1-1 spot in the 2026 MLB Draft, new tech restrictions in MiLB and Genei Sato coming to the U.S. from Japan.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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There's no position as deep as shortstop in dynasty as the rankings are bubbling over with major league talent and top prosects. This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast we dive into this incredibly talented shortstop group. We open the show talking about some of the big name signings from the 2025 Winter Meetings before diving into Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz, Gunnar Henderson, Konnor Griffin and more.

Baseball America Managing Editor JJ Cooper, Prospect Writer Geoff Pontes and College Reporter Jacob Rudner recap the major league phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. They offer their favorite picks, players most likely to stick with their new organizations, biggest surprises and more.

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty take one final look back at a busy fall to review training-season breakouts. They also look ahead at the spring and predict the nation's best performers, rotations and lineups.

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, Carlos Collazo, Ben Badler and Jacob Rudner preview the MLB Draft lottery and debate which teams would benefit the most from having the ping pong balls fall their way to be able to draft UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky.

We also break down other top players in the 2026 draft class and react to the Mariners trading Harry Ford to the Nationals.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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Carlos and Peter talk about the top four college pitchers in the 2026 draft class. The two dive deep on righthanders Liam Peterson, Cameron Flukey, Jackson Flora and Joey Volchko. They talk through their strengths, weaknesses and their overall development arcs ahead of the spring season. 

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On this week's episode of the Baseball America Fantasy podcast hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan White once again open the show with yet another Blue Jays free agent signing. We then discuss a few more hot stove topics before diving into the third baseman rankings for dynasty.

Your...

On the final episode of our "Fix It" Series, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take on a big task, as we look at the Angels. What's gone wrong for the Angels, and how can it be turned around?

(00:00) Why The Angels Have Been The Worst Over The Past Decade

(04:00) What Are The Biggest Problems?

(14:30) Drafts Need To Go Deeper

(23:45) Slow Down Development

(30:00) Depth Has Been A Problem

(41:30) Farm System Update

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On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes and Josh Norris dissect the new Yankees Top 10 prospects list for 2026, including a name knocking on the door for the top spot and the status of Spencer Jones.

We also take a look at Arizona Fall League standouts and a big problem facing the winter league.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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Christmas came early for our resident Blue Jays fan Dylan White as the team signed Dylan Cease. Hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan open the show discussing the Cease signing and the impact on fantasy for 2026. We follow with a discussion of the Sonny Gray trade and al the players moved in that deal. The majority of the show dives into our recently released second baseman rankings for 2026 dynasty baseball.

This week on the next episode of our Fix It series, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take a look at the White Sox. The good news is the worst is now in the rear-view mirror. The bad news? There's still a lot of work to be done.

(00:00) Rock Bottom Is Behind Them

(05:00) The Last Rebuild Worked, But Not For Long Enough

(07:30) What MLB Players Are Core For Future Success?

(12:30) Comparing Colson Montgomery and a different young shortstop

(15:00) What The Sox Farm System Has, And Where It's...

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty look ahead to the 2026 preseason and break down their process for putting together the Preseason Top 25. Rudner and Flaherty also take a closer look at the teams vying for top-five rankings in 2026 and Omaha sleepers.

(4:55) Main considerations when putting together the Preseason Top 25

(11:06) The debate at No. 1

(21:23) Breaking down the top of the SEC

(37:52) Our way too early top fives

(40:10) Omaha sleepers

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes, Matt Eddy and Scott Braun discuss the Pirates' and Marlins' free agency plans.

We also dig into the Red Sox Top 10 Prospects list released on Monday and state of the Mets' system.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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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. 

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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.

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We've got the Rule 5 Fever. Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper are a day late this week, but it's for a good reason, as we were busy all day Tuesday 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.

(00:00) Jumping right in, 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<...

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.

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We're talking catcher talk today, the most exciting of fantasy position groups! Forgive our sarcasm font! This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan White talk catchers in the first installment of their positional rankings. Before we get into catchers we talk a trio of talented NPB imports and their potential FYPD rankings.

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 understandable 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...

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.

(2:26) A look at the top classes

(8:47) Are more top high school prospects making it to campus?

(12:25) Texas Longhorns

(17:37) Stanford looks to land another star

(22:45) Deep class heading to Wake Forest

(28:00) How will Tony Vitello's departure impact Tennessee?

(31:16) Will Florida's class hold up through signing day

(36:38) Our favorite classes

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.

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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. 

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This week's episode kicks off the official beginning of our offseason fantasy content. Hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan White discuss the release of the Dynasty Top 500 ranking for 2026 fantasy baseball. We open the show discussing our approach to ranking relievers, prospects and the concept of "three-year window" in dynasty leagues.

(1:00) Approach to building the Top 500 list.

(5:00) The approach to ranking relievers.

(10:00) Looking at a three year window.

(12:30) The biggest risers in the updated Top 500.

(13:00) Nolan McLean.

(15:00) Cade Smith

(18:00) Trey Yesavage.

(21:00...

In the second of our Fix It series, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take an in-depth look at the Rockies' struggles as an organization. What can be done and how long will it take to turn this team around?

(00:00) The Latest News Is Not Good

(04:30) The Biggest Problem Is An Ownership Issue

(13:30) The Rockies Need To Catch Up In Player Development

(22:00) Colorado Needs To Start Over In Acquiring And Developing Pitchers

(29:15) Stop Drafting So Many Power Corner Bats, Get Some Hit-First Middle Infielders

<...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes and Scott Braun welcome Tigers prospect Max Anderson to the show.

We also dive into Baseball America's new prospect grading system and the start of our rollout of Top 10 Prospect lists for 2026 beginning with the Mets.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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The Baseball America Fantasy Podcast returns this week with an exuberant Dylan White as he's fresh off the Blue Jays game five victory. We open the show talking a little bit about the Blue Jays vs Dodgers World Series matchup before diving into this week's focus topic, the Tool Shed mock draft put on by Eric Cross. We talk through Geoff's picks in the first ten rounds and his logic on each.

On this week's Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take a look at the Washington Nationals' rebuild. It's failed so far, as Mike Rizzo is out and Paul Toboni is the new GM. What can the new leadership do, and where are some areas for quick improvements? We take a look.

(00:00) We're Groggy, Blame The World Series

(04:45) What Are The Nationals' Strengths?

(12:20) Improving MLB Player Development

(14:50) They Need To Draft More College Pitchers

(19:45) Improve Contact Skills For MiLB Hitters

(25:30) Can The Nats Develop...

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty recap the San Francisco Giants' historic hiring of former Tennessee coach Tony Vitello. Rudner and Flaherty discuss the development's potential impact on college baseball, how Tennessee will move forward and the ripple effect of the Volunteers' national coaching search.

(1:48) What Tony Vitello joining the Giants means for college baseball

(16:53) Tennessee's decision to promote Josh Elander to head coach

(26:57) Florida State coach Link Jarrett earns new contract

(31:05) Kevin Schnall's link to the Volunteers

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Ben Badler, Jacob Rudner and Scott Braun welcome Guardians prospect Daniel Espino to discuss his career and Arizona Fall League experience so far.

We also dish on next year’s eligible rookies—a list that includes Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage—and unpack Tennessee promoting Josh Elander to replace Tony Vitello.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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Carlos and Peter talk through the most recent draft update for the 2026 class. Who’s moving up? Who’s moving down? What’s the state of the 2026 class after a key summer evaluation period and are there any real darkhorses who could challenge Roch Cholowsky for the 1-1 spot next summer?

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We have a special edition of the Baseball America podcast, as John Manuel, the long-time Editor-In-Chief of Baseball America, joins JJ Cooper. We've gotten the band back together for a special World Series Preview.

(00:00) What's We've Seen In The Playoffs So Far

(04:00) Is This Dodgers' Rotation Perfect For The Playoffs?

(09:00) Why Big Spending Teams Now Have Two Rotations?

(22:00) What Do The Blue Jays Do With Bo Bichette?

(30:00) How The Blue Jays Can Win

This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast we return to the topic of early NFBC Draft Champions drafts and prospect ADP. We talk through outfielders and pitchers on this episode after covering infielders and catchers last week.

For a special edition of the Baseball America Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper look back at some of the stars of this year's World Series and remember what they were like as prospects.

(00:00) How many players on World Series rosters were top 100 or team Top 30 prospects?

(07:00) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has lived up to every expectation about his bat

(18:40) Remembering Shohei Ohtani as a prospect, and how he's exceeded expectations

(36:30) The Dodgers have built a rotation to dominate the postseason

(45:30) How the Blue Jays have...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Ben Badler, Jesús Cano and Scott Braun welcome Orioles prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. to the show.

We also look into early standouts in the Arizona Fall League and offer up some reactions to reports that Tennessee coach Tony Vitello will be the next manager of the Giants.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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We have a special emergency podcast today. As The Athletic first reported, the San Francisco Giants are expected to hire Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello as the team's new manager. Jacob Rudner and JJ Cooper take a look at what this would mean for everyone involved.

(00:00) What we know from our reporting

(02:30) Why This May Make Sense

(09:30) How college head coach jobs and MLB manager jobs are very different

(14:00) Looking at Tony Vitello's strengths that could carry over to MLB managing

(19:00) Why this could be...

This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan White review where prospects are being drafted in early NFBC Draft Champions leagues. We go player by player and discuss the prospects getting drafted at catcher and the infield positions.

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This week on the Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper discuss which organizations stood out in our Hit+ and Stuff+ metrics. We have sourced the pitch and hit tracking data from all levels of the minors to put together the overall organization rankings from 1 to 30.

(00:00) Explaining Hit+ and Stuff+

(13:35) Why the Dodgers rank so well

(21:30) The Orioles rank very high in pitching stuff

(31:15) What the Red Sox and Blue Jays are doing

(32:00) The Mets MiLB pitching is becoming a juggernaut

(37:30) The Tigers hitting has kept improving<...

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty recap an impressive weekend at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida, including their takeaways from watching 16-year-old phenom Striker Pence. Rudner and Flaherty also breakdown the latest intel from college fall workouts across the country.

(4:30) Breaking down Striker Pence

(10:55) Vanderbilt commit RJ Cope

(13:22) Oregon State commit Blake Bowen

(16:27) Tennessee commit Trevor Condon

(20:35) Vanderbilt commit Sean Duncan

(23:50) 2027 uncommitted righty Soren Etheridge

(28:21) How much can you take away from these showcase events?

(34:50...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes and Scott Braun welcome Twins prospect Brandon Winokur to the show.

We also dive into BA's recent farm system Statcast rankings. Can you guess which organization sits atop both the hitting and pitching lists?

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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Carlos picks Peter’s brain on what it’s been like so far at the 2025 Perfect Game WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla. Peter breaks down Canadian lefthander Sean Duncan, and then gushes about the look he got from 2028 flamethrowing righthander Striker Pence. Peter then highlights a few other notable players he’s looking forward to seeing

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This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast JJ Cooper stands in for Dylan White, as our Canadian Co-Host recovers from the Jays victory party in Toronto. JJ and Geoff talk through a host of big name pitching prospects that impressed in their MLB debuts in 2025. We talk through Cam Schlittler, Trey Yesavage and others. In the second half of the show we discuss some 2025 breakout hitters in MLB and just how much we're buying into each heading into 2026.

On this week's Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper talk a whole lot about pitcher's velocity. We discuss why it's the key to MLB success, and we look at which MiLB pitchers throw the hardest and have the nastiest stuff.

(00:00) Why we love velocity

(05:00) A new study finds MLB SPs who throw harder not only have more success, they also have longer careers

(20:00) Looking at which MiLB pitchers threw 100 mph in 2025.

(31:10) MiLB Stuff Leaders

(44:00) Prospect Soapboxes

Links:

MiLB...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Carlos Collazo and Scott Braun take an early look at the 2026 MLB Draft.

We discuss Roch Cholowsky's 1-1 exciting profile, lottery odds and where Grady Emerson fits in. Plus, we answer a fan question about the Arizona Fall League.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast hosts Geoff Pontes and Dylan White dig into a host of underrated prospects. We talk about some hitters and pitchers with traits to target in fantasy baseball. We use their underlying data and our internal models to identify some sleepers for your offseason target lists.

This week on the Prospect Podcast, Jesús Cano and JJ Cooper talk about the Bridge League and the Instructional League, where MLB draft picks and top international prospects get intense instruction in a more relaxed environment. Jesús has been working the back fields for several months, and he highlights some of the prospects who have stood out.

(00:00) Explaining Instructs and Bridge League

(11:00) Rockies SS Ethan Holliday

(16:00) White Sox SS Billy Carlson

(18:30) Reds SS Steele Hall

(20:45) Rangers Two-Way Player Josh Owens

(24:45) Padres LHP Kr...

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty went back and forth to draft 2026 college baseball fantasy teams with four hitters, two starting pitchers and a reliever. Rudner and Flaherty also offered their analysis and insight on recent reporting that Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello could be a wild-card candidate to fill the San Francisco Giants' manager vacancy.

Tony Vitello's San Francisco candidacy (2:48)

Explaining our fantasy draft rules (10:56)

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky (12:32)

Oregon State righty Dax Whitney (15:00)

TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider (17:52)

Coastal Carolina...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Jesús Cano and Scott Braun are joined by Diamondbacks prospect Ryan Waldschmidt, who ranks fourth in the team's Top 30 prospects list and was Arizona's MiLB Player of the Year.

We also discuss the D-back's farm system grade and rookie pitchers getting ready for the bright lights of the MLB postseason.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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Carlos and Peter spend the entire podcast getting into the weeds on UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. He’s the No. 1 player in the class and both Peter and college writer Jacob Rudner picked Cholowsky as the “way too early” favorite to be the player of the year next season. How does he stack up with recent college prospects? Is he in a tier of his own for college shortstops? And are there any real holes in his game? 

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This week on the Baseball America podcast Geoff Pontes is joined by Jacob Rudner to chat about Arizona Fall League rosters. We open the show covering the big names before diving into 10 prospects we think could breakout in AFL play.

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Pirates SS Konnor Griffin is Baseball America's 2025 MiLB Player of the Year, as we announced on the Hot Sheet show. But in today's Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes, Josh Norris and JJ Cooper try to explain what stands out about Konnor Griffin, and why he's the best prospect in baseball.

(00:00) How fortunate we were to see Konnor Griffin play

(02:45) How tough a decision was it?

(08:45) What made Konnor Griffin's season special?

(16:45) Our impressions of Konnor Griffin from watching him play

(26:45) Does Griffin compare to past MiLB POYs...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes and and Scott Braun are joined by a very special guest: 2025 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Konnor Griffin.

We talk to the Pirates shortstop about his breakout 2025 campaign, swing changes, the potential for future success in Pittsburgh and a lot more.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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2025 Bowman Chrome drops next Tuesday. To celebrate, J.J. Cooper and Seth Mates joined WeTheHobby's latest podcast to break down this year's card set ranging from our favorite prospects to target, potential future DSL stars and our favorite teams in the checklist. You can check out the full show here.

This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast Geoff Pontes, Dylan White and Jacob Rudner dive into the 2025 Rookie class with an eye toward next year and beyond. We go through some of the top names and discuss their potential value in 2026 leagues.

Carlos Collazo and JJ Cooper are just back from the 2025 Under Armour Next All-American Game at Camden Yards. They take a look at some of the 2026 draft prospects who stood out at the event.(00:00) The capper on the summer showcase circuit

(06:00) Genson Veras

(10:00) Landon Thome

(12:00) Jaxon Matthews

(15:15) Ty Burnham

(16:15) Coleton Brady

(19:30) Mickey Gilligan

(20:15) Sean Dunlap

(23:45 Dominic Santarelli

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Thankfully the vast majority of top players in the majors these days were Top 100 Prospects when they were minor leaguers, but not everyone was. Today on the Prospect Podcast, Jacob Rudner and JJ Cooper are taking a look at four prospects who didn't rank in the Top 100, but we wish had. We try to see what we missed and what lessons can be learned from each one.

(00:00) Where BA staffers are on the road for the playoffs.

(02:30) What we missed and what we can learn from C Cal Raleigh

(14:55) What...

Baseball America college writer Jacob Rudner and national reporter Peter Flaherty break down underrated transfer portal classes, particularly at the mid-major level, and take a look ahead at the 2026 season with notable players to keep an eye on.

(2:45) Underrated portal classes

(11:45) How a portal class can change a mid-major's outlook

(18:28) Incoming freshmen to watch

(27:01) Sophomores to watch

(39:25) Four juniors who excite us

(49:10) Two seniors to keep tabs on

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On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes and Jesús Cano discuss some exciting recent callups in the Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage and the Giants' Bryce Eldridge.

We also discuss rookies that have stood out this season. Who are the rookie of the year candidates? Which rookies will succeed long term?

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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Carlos, Jacob and Peter review our preseason draft teams for the 2025 class. Who did well, who did poorly, which picks do we love and which do we regret with the benefit of hindsight? Perhaps more importantly, what are the lessons we can learn from this exercise and put towards the 2026 class?

You can see each of the three teams drafted below, as well as the “best of the rest” of the highest draft bonus players who went unpicked.

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Josh Norris and JJ Cooper analyze the just announced Arizona Fall League rosters. Who are the names to know and who is a surprise addition? We break it down.

(00:00) Why we are excited

(01:30) Who we are most excited to see

(06:15) Which team has the best/most interesting roster

(10:00) Why Kevin McGonigle's inclusion is unusual

(17:30) Non-Top 100 Prospects in the AFL to watch

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The Baseball America Fantasy Podcast returns this week with an in-depth discussion centered around how to target pitching prospects in fantasy. We dig into some of the recent promotions of pitching prospects and how late season promotions can propel you in deeper leagues down the stretch. In the second half of the show we dig into a handful of pitchers who added stuff and a few who saw diminished velocity and results in 2025.

This week on the Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take a look at some pitching myths that have been busted, and what teams know nowadays.

(00:00) Geoff is working on a pitching project

(06:00) Velocity can be taught and developed

(16:00) JJ goes on a rant about how pitchers are throwing harder. It's not just the radar guns.

(27:30) With changeups movement matters as much as velocity separation

(34:00) Don't focus on individual pitch quality, focus on the quality of the entire arsenal.

(41:00) Extension is a thing...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes, Jacob Rudner and Scott Braun discuss a number of pitching prospects, including the Phillies' Andrew Painter and his struggles and the rise of arms in the Marlins' system.

We also break down the transfer portal conundrum faced by today’s college baseball coaches.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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On this week's Prospect Podcast, Josh Norris and JJ Cooper discuss Josh's travels to the Arizona, Florida and Dominican Summer Leagues. We try to explain what to look for in the lowest levels of the minors, but more importantly we talk about prospects who stood out at those levels.

(00:00) Explaining the differences between the Complex Leagues and the upper levels

(03:30) Why fans should care about the Complex Leagues

(14:35) How the Florida And Arizona Complex Leagues compared this year

(19:45) What you should pay attention to and what you shouldn't...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Jacob Rudner and Scott Braun kick things off by chatting about some recent impact callups, including the Reds' Sal Stewart and the Mariners' Harry Ford.

We also discuss young pitchers being thrown into the playoff push, such as Payton Tolle of the Red Sox and and Cam Schlittler of the Yankees.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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On this episode of the Baseball America College Baseball Podcast, national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty take a look ahead at fall ball, breaking down teams to follow, possible breakout players and more. Rudner and Flaherty also revisit the topic of tampering, examine what to look for when finding fall breakout players and touch on the college baseball calendar.

The different types of tampering (4:30)

Fall ball format and changes we'd make to it (11:25)

Peter's team to watch in the fall (17:40)

Jacob's team to watch in the fall (22:31)<...

Carlos and Peter hop on the draft podcast to talk about some standout Area Code Games performances—but before that the two break down Peter and Jacob’s top 25 college baseball jersey rankings. What makes a good jersey in the first place? Which were the hard calls? After that the two get a bit more serious and talk about a number of standout hitters and pitchers from the summer, think through separating the top shortstops in the class, wonder about the Stanford element with California SS Tyler Spangler and plenty more. 

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This week on the Baseball America fantasy podcast we're talking prospects who have surged in the second half of the season. Host Geoff Pontes and Dylan White talk through a handful of standouts that Roboscout has identified as top names to know.

September callup season is almost upon us, so on this week’s prospect podcast, Geoff Pontes and Mark Chiarelli dive into their wish list of potential callups that could impact the 2025 postseason. The guys start with Tuesday’s news that the Mets are adding Jonah Tong into their rotation, then springboard into other coveted prospects they’d love to see, however unlikely it may be. The guys close out the show by looking at a pair of players, Kristian Campbell and Roki Sasaki, who ranked among the top five prospects in baseball entering the season, but are far from locks...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes and Jacob Rudner welcome Rays No. 5 prospect Brody Hopkins.

We also discuss which pitching prospects excite us ahead of possible September callups ad why Orioles prospect Samuel Basallo’s extension is a possible loophole MLB teams are exploiting.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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Carlos and Peter take an early—perhaps too early—look at who’s making noise in their pro debuts from the 2025 draft class. 

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This week on the Fantasy Podcast we welcome Jacob Rudner as our cohost with Dylan White on vacation. Don't worry, we put Jacob's college knowledge to good use looking forward to 2026 rookies from the last two college draft classes.

On this week's Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes, JJ Cooper and Mark Chiarelli take a look at some Top 100 hitting prospects who are extremely low risk, and some who have a flaw that could trip them up. And Mark takes a look at what's going on with Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler. Plus Prospect Soapboxes.

(00:00) When we talk about risk with hitting prospects, what are we looking at? How Has It Changed?

(04:00) Why Tigers SS Kevin McGonigle checks so many boxes as a prospect

(16:25) Cardinals SS JJ Wetherholt has very few risk...

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty review the best of summer ball action with players returning to campus from their summer assignments. Rudner and Flaherty also look ahead at some big fall storylines to follow.

(2:42) The challenges of summer ball

(9:50) Incoming freshmen summer standouts

(15:02) Is summer performance a good predictor for spring?

(17:01) Returning college players who stood out

(35:48) Big fall story lines to follow

Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts w...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Mark Chiarelli, Jacob Rudner and Scott Braun discuss Samuel Basallo’s big league debut. Just how good can the Orioles' top prospect be?

We also break down the dominant start from Nolan McLean with the Mets this past weekend, explore BA's midseason farm system talent rankings and Konnor Griffin's promotion to Double-A.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

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Carlos and Peter hop on the draft podcast to talk about the Cape Cod League and how it has evolved over the years. The two then talk about some of the up arrow college names to know from the summer and Carlos hits on a handful of high school names who impressed at the Area Code Games. 

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We are a day late this week, but it's for a good reason. We waited to see could talk about the newly updated Top 100 Prospects rankings, Team Top 30 Prospect rankings and most importantly for this podcast/video, the farm system rankings based on those updated rankings.

(00:00) Why JJ Wetherholt moved up?

(07:30) What makes Jesus Made special

(13:15) Why the Brewers are the No. 1 farm system

(22:45) The Pirates are No. 2. We explain why.

(28:20) The Dodgers have plenty of strengths, but there are some weaknesses

(33:45) The Mets...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, Ben Badler, Geoff Pontes and Scott Braun discuss the latest updates to the Top 100 prospects list, including which big names rose and fell in the last major update during the 2025 season.

We also dive into seeing 16-year-olds pitching with upper-90s velos and question the direction of pitching health in the sport before talking about the Mets' recent promotions.

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With the dust of the trade deadline long since past we return with a new episode of the Baseball America fantasy podcast. Host Geoff Pontes and Dylan White breakdown how all of the recent moves have impacted the upcoming Top 500 dynasty ranking. We dive into some players moving way up the list as well.

On this week's Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper look at three teams that sold at the deadline. We peer into the crystal ball to look at their hopes for 2026 and beyond.

(00:00) Analysing The Baltimore Orioles

(15:50) Analysing The Minnesota Twins

(31:30) Analyzing The Pittsburgh Pirates

(46:00) Geoff's Prospect Soapbox (Victor Arias)

(49:45) JJ's Prospect Soapbox (Bo Davidson)

Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to https://joinbilt.com/FOUL.

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner and national writer Peter Flaherty tackle one of the biggest issues in college baseball: tampering. Rudner and Flaherty break down what exactly tampering involves, possible solutions and how it's impacting the mid-major level. They also explore what it takes to be successful in roster building and the evolution of the offseason coaching carousel.

(1:49) What is tampering?

(16:00) Successful roster building in the transfer portal era

(28:30) The changing landscape of the coaching carousel

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes and Scott Braun discuss our favorite and most puzzling trade deadline hauls now that the dust has settled. That includes why the Padres, A's and Twins all did well, and two big-market contenders who didn't do enough. The guys then close by specifically dive deep on the A's and Giants' performances at the deadline, and the trajectory of both organizations.

Carlos and Peter talk about the completion of the 2025 draft with the passing of this year’s signing deadline. The two talk about the picks that surprised us, the bonuses that stood out to us and the draft classes that made us think. After putting a bow on the 2025 class, the two give their general thoughts on the 2026 class as we look ahead to next year’s draft.

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Baseball America managing editor JJ Cooper, prospect writer Geoff Pontes and national college reporter Jacob Rudner recap a thrilling 2025 MLB trade deadline. They talk winners and losers, react to the Padres-A's blockbuster that saw A's closer Mason Miller and San Diego top prospect Leodalis De Vries, among others, change uniforms, and much more.

AJ Preller has done it again. The Padres landed A's closer Mason Miller and LHP JP Sears for a package of prospects headlined by Leo De Vries, the No. 5 prospect in baseball. J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes, Josh Norris and Jesús Cano jumped on YouTube to discuss the ramifications of the deal, including whether this was the best possible package De Vries could've netted, plus answered some fan questions.

Using the Baseball America Top 500 Draft Rankings, Carlos Collazo and JJ Cooper take a look at what teams got great draft values with their picks, and which teams went in very different directions.

Full story: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/the-best-worst-values-of-the-2025-mlb-draft/

On this week's Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take a look at prospects who got off to awful starts, but have turned it around in the past two months. And we also look at prospects who were off to fast starts, but have seen their seasons start to get derailed in June and July.

Prospects Who Are Turning It Around

(01:00) Colson Montgomery, White Sox

(07:40) George Wolkow, White Sox

(14:30) Tyler Locklear, Mariners

(21:30) Dante Nori, Phillies

Prospects Who Have Started To...

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Geoff Pontes, Jesús Cano and Scott Braun talk all things MLB trade deadline.

We discuss Spencer Jones' hot streak and wonder if he could be moved before Thursday's trade deadline. We also break down the latest Top 100 Prospects list update, which features Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin taking over the No. 1 spot.

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We stream t...

This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast Dylan and Geoff welcome on Jacob Rudner to discuss the 2025 draft class. We debut our first FYPD ranking of the season, talking through a muddled top ten and much more.

On this week's Prospect Podcast, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper take a look at some of the prospects, buyers and sellers that could make news over the next week and a half until the MLB Trade Deadline.

(00:00) JJ feels back for what he did last week

(09:00) Will a Top 100 Prospect be traded?

(11:30) Will A Top 25(ish) Prospect be traded?

(16:00) Analyzing a viewer's Reds-Red Sox trade proposal

(18:45) Why the Cubs should be aggressive

(21:45) Do the Dodgers or Cubs have better trade ammo to land pitching?<...

Baseball America college writers Jacob Rudner and Peter Flaherty review the 2025 college baseball offseason from MLB draft winners and losers to best and must underrated transfer portal classes, and more. Rudner and Flaherty also look way ahead at the 2026 season and talk early contenders.

(2:10) Draft winners

(11:27) Draft losers

(19:07) Top portal players

(26:00) Best portal classes

(34:34) Most underrated portal classes

(42:24) Adjusting the college baseball calendar

(52:00) Summer ball snippets

(56:41) Final thoughts