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Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball
The Athletic
4.7 • 875 Ratings
🗓️ 12 November 2020
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Eno and DVR discuss several starting pitcher rankings issues -- including reduced expectations for Max Scherzer, Z-Contact% surprises, Aaron Nola's move back into fantasy ace status -- and the impact of groupthink on rankings.
Rundown
1:36 Max Scherzer & Aging Aces
7:36 2020 Trevor Bauer is Baseline Trevor Bauer Now
10:44 The Influence of Groupthink On Rankings
14:35 Kenta Maeda: Top-15 Starting Pitcher
17:59 Aaron Nola: An Ace Again?
22:24 Other Top-End Starting Pitcher Risers
27:23 Z-Contact% Surprises
31:43 What Can Kevin Gausman Bring?
38:53 When Can Two-Pitch Starters Be Successful?
42:47 Command First Innings-Eaters
48:27 Ian Anderson & Effective Changeups
54:14 The Prospects Who Didn't Pitch in 2020
Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris
Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper
e-mail: ratesandbarrels@theathletic.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Rates and barrels. |
| 0:17.6 | It is Wednesday, November 11th. |
| 0:19.8 | Derek Van Riper here with Enosaris on this |
| 0:22.4 | episode. We talk about early pitcher rankings and related thoughts, things that we have to consider |
| 0:28.9 | when it comes to the previously shortened 2020 season, how that fits into the long run, |
| 0:34.2 | what matters, what doesn't, and some specifics, of course, along the way, some tough |
| 0:38.5 | ranks that I had putting my list together. Don't worry, it's coming out. It's coming out Monday. |
| 0:44.0 | It's a big deal in the sense of promotion, not in the sense that the list in the eternal sense |
| 0:48.5 | matters. But how's it going for you on this Wednesday, you know? |
| 0:52.1 | It's good. The kids are on vacation, which means I'm just trying to get work done while I watch them and tell |
| 1:01.1 | them not to do that or that or that. |
| 1:06.2 | Very interested to find out what happens over the course of this podcast. |
| 1:10.3 | I'm sure it will be a very |
| 1:11.9 | eventful hour or so in the Sarah's household. But I want to talk about pitching. And I sent |
| 1:18.1 | you the preliminary ranks that I had put together last week. So you've kind of seen the things |
| 1:22.8 | I'm looking at. And we talked a little bit about the stickiness of command scores for relievers on our Monday |
| 1:29.2 | episode when we were talking about Devin Williams and the Rookie of the Year award, it kind of |
| 1:34.4 | came up as part of that conversation. But as I started to put together all the things that I think |
| 1:40.6 | are important to start putting these rankings together, I had a really difficult |
| 1:46.5 | time at the very top of the pitching list with Max Scherzer. |
| 1:51.7 | And I started talking to Nando and Ian and under the radar about this. |
| 1:55.6 | And I just want to get your thoughts on Scherzer. |
... |
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