DVR, Eno and Jed Lowrie make their final American League playoff predictions, picking all three AL division winners and three Wild Card teams as the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, Guardians, Mariners, Rangers and Astros battle for October.
DVR still can't quit the Seattle Mariners. Seattle enters the stretch run within striking distance of the AL West and owns an extremely favorable remaining schedule, but defensive shortcomings and an inconsistent offense leave plenty of reasons to question whether the Mariners can actually get back to October.
Jed also offers a player's perspective on what happens inside a clubhouse when a team with postseason expectations starts to fall apart late in the season, drawing on his experience with the 2011 Boston Red Sox. The conversation turns to the Blue Jays and whether Toronto can find another gear before time runs out.
Then, Eno digs into one of his favorite kinds of rabbit holes: batting stance changes. Carson Benge's impressive rookie season sparks a deeper look at why hitters open or close their stance, how those adjustments can affect vision and swing mechanics, and what Fernando Tatis Jr.'s changes reveal about the tradeoffs hitters make at the plate.
Finally, Name That Dude returns! DVR puts Eno and Jed to the test with clues about a mystery former MLB player before the conversation inevitably turns into baseball cards, heat maps and Statcast ideas.
Rates & Barrels is your home for smart baseball analysis, MLB trends, advanced stats, fantasy baseball and everything happening around the league with Derek VanRiper, Eno Sarris and Jed Lowrie.
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Contributor: Jed Lowrie
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Editor: McEnroe Francis
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00:00 — Final AL Playoff Predictions
03:12 — The AL Playoff Race Is Chaos
08:38 — Can the White Sox Win the AL Central?
13:19 — Why Cleveland Can Make a September Run
16:49 — DVR Still Believes in the Mariners
19:35 — Mariners vs. Astros in the AL West
23:17 — When a Contender Starts Falling Apart
24:59 — Can the Blue Jays Save Their Season?
29:19 — Final AL Playoff Picks
31:41 — Carson Benge's Breakout Rookie Season
34:40 — Why Hitters Change Their Stance
46:30 — What Fernando Tatis Jr. Changed
52:14 — Name That Dude Returns
56:21 — The Mystery Player Revealed
56:56 — What Should Be on the Back of a Baseball Card?
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