And how about Nick Kurtz? The Wake Forest slugger has gotten back to his power-hitting ways over the last two weeks and all of the sudden looks like the exact sort of hitter we expected to see. Can he rejoin the top-of-the-draft conversation as well and just how insane has his home run streak been?

The two move further down the board to discuss another big power name, but one without the same refined offensive approach as Kurtz: Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan. The two marvel at his bat speed, talk about his improvements this spring and dig into some of the details about his overall offensive approach and hit tool questions.

Next the two talk about Texas shortstop Jalin Flores as a potential salve for the 2024 class’ lack of impact shortstops and wonder about how real his loud spring performance is thus far.

Finally the two close by talking about ECU righthander Trey Yesavage, who continues to post weekly, rack up strikeouts, limit his walks and deploy a deep pitch mix with impressive feel to command the baseball.

Time Stamps

(3:45) JJ Wetherholt’s return to action
(11:00) Are Wetherholt and Nick Kurtz back in the 1-1 convo?
(14:30) Nick Kurtz’s home run streak
(23:30) Mississippi State OF Dakota Jordan
(31:30) Should we talk more about Texas SS Jalin Flores?
(40:45) Trey Yesavage’s SP3 case in the class

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The post JJ Wetherholt Is Back & Nick Kurtz Won’t Stop Hitting Home Runs appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

The much-talked about pitcher injury epidemic. Velocity and max effort throwing certainly seems like a factor, but what about others like the pitch clock? New pitching development and pitch design? Managing workloads too critically or not critically enough? Changes to youth baseball and the velocity you’re seeing at those levels? What about shoulder injuries?

After that the two move on to the top pitching prospect in baseball, Paul Skenes who made quick work of Triple-A hitters in his first two starts of the season. They talk about how he’s looked and get into another conversation about fastball shape and why it’s not the end all be all for pitchers and also wonder about when he should be promoted to the majors.

Next the two pivot to the 2024 draft class and talk about the barrage of home runs that Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz has hit in the last two weeks. Has he re-entered the 1-1 conversation and how does he stack up against fellow first baseman Jac Caglianone tool-for-tool? That leads into a conversation about the top of the draft class generally, and Ben asks about who the best pitcher in the class is after Chase Burns and Hagen Smith which leads to talk about ECU righthander Trey Yesavage. After that Ben brings up another righthander who might deserve a bit more attention in Vanderbilt righthander Bryce Cunningham.

The two close the podcast with thoughts on Boston’s contract extension of center fielder and shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela.

Time Stamps

(0:00) Jackson Holliday
(14:00) Retiring numbers
(18:00) The pitcher injury epidemic
(25:00) High school pitchers throwing harder
(33:00) Ben’s thoughts on shoulder injuries
(35:30) Is the pitch clock a factor?
(38:00) Paul Skenes and fastball shape
(49:00) When should Skenes be in the majors?
(55:00) Nick Kurtz’s home run binge
(1:05:00) Nick Kurtz vs. Jac Caglianone
(1:15:00) ECU RHP Trey Yesavage
(1:25:00) Vanderbilt RHP Bryce Cunningham
(1:30:00) The Ceddanne Rafaela contract extension

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The post Future Projection Episode 84: (Jackson) Holliday Season & Paul Skenes Domination appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

1:30: Florida
10: Kentucky
16: SEC week 9 preview
24: Vanderbilt at Texas A&M
31:11: Ad Break
32: Oklahoma State
37: UCF at West Virginia
44: Texas Tech at TCU
51:46: Ad Break
52: Wake Forest
58: ACC roundup
64: Big East
70: West Coast week 9 preview

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The post College Podcast: A Top-Five SEC Showdown, The Ever-Intriguing Big 12 And More appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

• Ceddanne Rafaela’s extension
• This week’s ranking of the 20 hottest prospects
• Cade Povich’s experience joining the O’s system
• Could the Tides beat a MLB team in a series?
• How Povich approaches arm care in 2024
• How BA factors injury risk into pitching rankings
• Peter Flaherty discusses our NCAA Top 25
• Are teams like Florida and LSU in trouble?

The show streams live on our YouTube channel each Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET. Check it out here.

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The post Orioles LHP Cade Povich Joins, Norfolk Tides Dominance, Arkansas Remains No. 1 & More | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 2 appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

• 0:00-5:30 – Introduction/Capriotti’s Review
• 5:30-8:30 – Reviewing The Norfolk Roster
• 8:30- 11:00 – Revisiting LSU vs Oakland debate
• 11:00-12:30 – Why Norfolk could win
• 12:30- 15:00 – Comparing signing bonuses numbers of each team.
• 15:00-17:00 – Norfolk’s ability to improve game to game.
• 17:00-19:00 – Is Oakland a third division MLB team?
• 19:00- 21:00- Oakland Rotation.
• 21:00- 22:00- Are the Athletics a historically bad sports team?
• 22:00- 24:00- Top of The Norfolk better than Oakland’s?
• 24:00 – 28:00- Comparing the two rotations and bullpens.
• 28:00 – 35:00- Comparing lineups
• 35:00 – 41:00 – Final thoughts, who wins?

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The post 90th Percentile: Norfolk Tides vs. Oakland Athletics, Who Wins? appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

• Intro: 0:00 – 3:00
• Imanaga: 3:00 – 6:30
• Crochet: 6:30 -12:00
• Jared Jones: 12:00 – 15:00
• Pirates future and Paul Skenes: 15:00 – 18:00
• Eury Perez Tommy John surgery reaction: 18:00 – 22:00
• Josh Jung injury reaction: 22:00 – 26:00
• BREAK: 26:00
• Logan Evans: 26:00 – 28:00
• Kyle Carr: 28:00 – 30:00
• Josue Briceno: 30:00 – 33:00
• Yophery Rodriguez: 33:00 – 35:00
• Brett Wichrowski: 35:00 -36:00
• Aiden Smith: 36:00 – 38:00
• Outro: 40:00

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The post Fantasy Podcast: Early Reactions To MLB and MiLB Breakouts appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

The two discuss the recently announced slot values and bonus pools for the draft. How does having more than $18 million dollars in pool money impact a team like the Guardians picking 1-1? Other teams like the D-backs have a relatively large amount of money to work with considering their first pick, while the Cardinals are on the other end of the spectrum with relatively little inside the top 10.

After that the two talk through a staff draft that they did with JJ Cooper, Geoff Pontes and Ben Badler. Which picks were surprises? What was our thought process for each of our individual picks? And how does the class seem to be shaping up now?

Finally Peter gives a preview of the 2026 college class after dropping his first ranking of that group on the site this week.

• 4:00: Bonus Pool overview
• 7:20: Why the D-backs are a team to watch at the back of the draft
• 11:15: How Cleveland and Cincinnati have operated differently with pool money
• 16:47: Staff draft conversation begins
• 18:00: Peter’s 1-1 rationale
• 19:24: Carlos’s 1-5 dilemma
• 24:40: The first high school player off the board at 10
• 33:10: Peter pops the first high school pitcher
• 46:20: Staff draft wrap and overall thoughts
• 48:20: Peter’s 2026 college class overview

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The post 2024 Bonus Pool Talk + Walking Through Our First Staff MLB Draft appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

Before getting into the show the two talk about the news that the A’s will be relocating to Sacramento’s Triple-A stadium after the 2024 season. It’s just the latest of a shocking number of relocation gaffes from the franchise. 

After that the two talk about how dynamic both Charlie Condon and Travis Bazzana have been halfway through the college season. Where do their numbers stack up with recent elite college hitters at the top of the class? And can we truly read directly into those numbers given the offensive environment of college baseball in 2024? How do the two compare and contrast to elite college prospects like Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford and what holds them back from belonging in the same tier—if they still don’t actually fit there? Where would each rank on the Top 100 Prospects list?

Following that conversation the two talk about minor league names—and assignments—to know. Carlos continues his love of Dylan Lesko and gets excited about his slider development, the two both praise the Mariners’ ability to find and develop impact college arms and the two talk through a number of players including: Reds catcher Alfredo Duno, Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula, Brewers outfielder Yophery Rodriguez, Angels outfielder Nelson Rada, Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott, Reds righthander Rhett Lowder, Braves righthander Hurston Waldrep, Guardians infielder Ralphy Velazquez and more. 

The show closes with a listener email asking about how things would change if MLB adopted an NBA draft system where players had to go to college but could leave for pro ball whenever they wanted after that.

0:20: A’s to Sacramento Talk
6:20: Charlie Condon’s insane numbers
10:00: College baseball’s offensive environment and how to contextualize for that
16:45: Condon and Travis Bazzana compared to Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford
35:15: Condon/Bazzana compared to recent elite college profiles
40:00: Where Condon/Bazzana would fit on a Top 100 list
54:13: Transition to minor league prospect talk
1:02:05: Jackson Jobe’s brilliance
1:06:00: The Mariners’ knack for finding and developing college arms
1:13:05: Josue De Paula
1:17:40: Alfredo Duno
1:24:15: Sebastian Walcott
1:29: Hurston Waldrep and Rhett Lowder
1:41:25: If MLB’s draft system was changed to the NBA format

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The post Are Charlie Condon And Travis Bazzana Still Somehow Underrated? | Future Projection Episode 83 appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

1:30: Big 12
5: Oklahoma
9:30 Oklahoma State
16: Texas
25: Assorted Big 12
31:07 ad break
31: UNC
38: Wake
44: Duke
48: Virginia
54:03 ad break
54: Arkansas
63: LSU
71: Kentucky
75: Assorted SEC
80: UC Irvine/UC Santa Barbara
85: Pac-12

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The post College Podcast: The Last Bedlam Series, Impressive Road Sweeps & More appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

• A preview of our Top 100 update coming later this week
• Justin Foscue’s arrival in Texas
• Jared Jones’ impressive start in Pittsburgh
• Charlie Condon’s emergence as the No. 1 draft prospect
• New draft bonus pools

Plus the guys answer reader questions as well.

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The post Top 100 Prospects Update, Charlie Condon MLB Draft Buzz & More | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 1 appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.