Baseball America

College Podcast: How College Baseball Recruiting Has Changed

Baseball America National College Reporter Jacob Rudner is joined by Editor-In-Chief JJ Cooper to discuss how college baseball recruiting has evolved in recent years. Rudner and Cooper take a look at the influence of NIL and the transfer portal and how college coaches are building their rosters in 2026. (3:19) How the value of Area Code Games has evolved (8:03) Why regionality no longer matters as much in recruiting (11:41) Life for the developmental three-star (29:36) Finding your level (32:34) Why the players win in this system Head to Factormeals.com/foul50off and use code foul50off to get 50% off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026 Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Breaking Down The Latest Top 30 Updates | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 118

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, Jacob Rudner, J.J. Cooper and Ian Cundall talk all about BA's final in-season Top 30 Prospect ranking update of the season. We break down which players and orgs are on the rise, plus lots more. The Hot Sheet Show airs live on the BA YouTube channel every Tuesday at 3 p.m. Give us a sub, and we'll see you then! Time Stamps (0:00) Introduction (0:58) Biggest changes in updated Top 30 rankings (2:33) New No. 1 prospects & Angels add Arjun Nimmala (4:09) Top prospect risers & Angeibel Gomez (6:32) Mets farm system adds talent (9:02) Cubs Top 30 changes after trade deadline (13:08) Which farm systems are on the rise? (13:33) Giants' farm system could become No. 1 (16:58) Orioles farm system surges after deadline (18:54) Evaluating Tigers’ Tarik Skubal trade return (21:35) Brady Smith’s upside with Tigers (24:29) Why did Roch Cholowsky fall in Top 100? (25:41) Twins prospect Khadim Diaw (27:16) Reds prospects Eric Becker & Justin Lebron (29:05) Astros on the rise Head to https://Factormeals.com/foul50off and use code foul50off to get 50% off 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026 Go to https://Quince.com/foul for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Draft Podcast: Looking At The 2027 and 2028 High School Classes

On this week's Draft Podcast, Ben Badler joins JJ Cooper to discuss the next two high school draft classes. How do these two classes stack up, and why are Dylan Seward and Flip Watters at the top of the rankings? (00:00) The challenges of evaluating underclassmen (10:00) Why ranking No. 1 right now really means something (11:00) This 2027 class has plenty of shortstops (13:00) Evaluating No. 1 2027 prospect Dylan Seward in-depth (21:10) Looking at the 2027 high school pitchers (24:15) Why the 2028 prep class is more muddled (25:15) Why Flip Watters is No. 1 in the 2028 high school class (27:00) The physicality of the 2028 class (30:15) How college recruiting has changed (37:15) Throwing 100 mph in high school is no longer incredibly rare SEAT GEEK Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Fantasy Podcast: Mid-Summer Top 500 Dynasty Update

The Fantasy podcast returns with a vengeance this week as Dylan White returns to the show with Geoff Pontes to discuss the mid-summer Dynasty Top 500 update. The boys dig into ten players with big green up arrows heading into your fantasy trade deadline. (2:00) Trade Deadline Thoughts (5:00) Which players saw the biggest fantasy value boost following the trade deadline? (11:00) Michael Harris' progression Break (16:00) Jordan Walker best breakout of 2026? (18:00) How high is Sebastian Walcott's upside? (22:00) Gavin Williams breakout (25:00) Otto Lopez's breakout (27:00) Braxton Ashcraft beating the projections. (30:00) Brandon Marsh's strange season. (33:00) Pick a Pair of Pirates (Jared Jones and Bryan Reynolds) See how K12 Powered Schools can help unlock your child’s full potential. Enroll online today at K12.com/foul Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Who Won The MLB Trade Deadline? | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 117

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, Jacob Rudner, J.J. Cooper, Ian Cundall and Geoff Pontes react to the MLB trade deadline, breaking down standout moves, questionable trades and more. Plus, we talk about George Lombard Jr. is heading to the Bronx. The Hot Sheet Show airs live on the BA YouTube channel every Tuesday at 3 p.m. Give us a sub, and we'll see you then! Time Stamps (0:00) Introduction (0:50) This was a busy trade deadline (2:00) Trade deadline moves that stood out (4:45) The Angels finally sell off (6:40) Giants add arm talent (8:00) Teams that didn't have a great deadline (13:40) Did the Red Sox give up too much for Adley Rutschman? (17:35) George Lombard Jr. called up to the Yankees (21:15) Answering viewer questions Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to MintMobile.com/Territory. That’s it there’s no catch. Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Prospect Podcast: Winners, Losers & Biggest Hauls From The Trade Deadline

Baseball America delivers a comprehensive recap of this year's trade deadline action, with major emphasis on prospect movement of all levels. BA's staff provides analysis on major MLB and MiLB storylines, while also fielding questions from viewers throughout. To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to MintMobile.com/Territory. That’s it there’s no catch. Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Draft Podcast: Recapping The Signing Deadline

JJ and Carlos analyze the 2026 signing deadline for the draft and break down all the numbers you need to know. Why was this year a historic one for the Rockies, what do we think of the Logan Schmidt non-signing, what bonuses surprised or shocked us and what did we get right and wrong in this year’s draft? What are the trends we need to be aware of? All that and more. — Time Stamps: (0:00) Intro and top-level takeaways (6:00) The Logan Schmidt non-signing (12:15) What bonus amounts surprised us? (17:40) What trends did this draft have? (31:20) What did we get right? (36:00) What did we get wrong? — Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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The Most Pressing Trade Deadline Questions for Every MLB Team

Baseball America's Jacob Rudner, J.J. Cooper and Ian Cundall join forces to prepare you for every scenario, strategy and surprise MLB trade deadline season will bring as August 3 approaches! The BA trio fields questions about trade packages, prospects, buyers & sellers and more! Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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How Does The Current Top 100 Compare To Previous Lists

On this week's Prospect Podcast, JJ Cooper, Ian Cundall and Geoff Pontes discuss how the current Top 100 Prospects list compares to other recent ones, and some of the challenges and improvements we've made to our rankings. (00:00) Comparing the current Top 100 to recent Top 100s (02:30) Why last offseason's Top 100 was better (05:15) The strengths and weaknesses of the current class (07:00) What's disappointing about how this year's class has developed (17:00) Balancing over-reacting and not being reactive enough (26:00) How prospects change--comparing Ethan Holliday and Josiah Hartshorn (30:30) Balancing conflicting reporting (35:00) What fastball characteristics to look for (40:00) Evaluating pitching injuries (47:00) How sometimes it requires a fusion of prospect and organization for everything to click (55:00) Even hitters with MLB success can be hard to evaluate--see Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami SEAT GEEK Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Our Sponsors: * Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BA2022 for a great deal: https://www.quince.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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College Podcast: ABS Is Coming, Breaking Down Top Transfer Classes

Baseball America National College Reporter Jacob Rudner is joined by Editor In Chief JJ Cooper to discuss the College Baseball Rules Committee's vote to bring ABS to college ball starting in 2027. Rudner and Cooper also take a closer look at the top three transfer classes in the country: Tennessee, LSU and Texas. (2:30) Final takeaways from the 2026 MLB Draft (6:00) ABS is coming to college (11:56) The tech behind ABS (14:28) How ABS could impact college umpires (23:07) The importance of a good transfer class (25:45) The SEC dominates the portal (31:37) Why Tennessee has the No. 1 transfer class (33:09) LSU reloads with stars (35:24) Texas layers transfer haul onto sturdy core (37:47) One non-SEC team with an intriguing transfer class Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Answering Your MLB Trade Deadline Questions | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 116

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J. Cooper, Ian Cundall and Geoff Pontes answer your burning questions in advance of the 2026 MLB trade deadline. BA's Trade Deadline Home Page The Hot Sheet Show airs live on the BA YouTube channel every Tuesday at 3 p.m. Give us a sub, and we'll see you then! Time Stamps (0:00) Introduction (1:35) Have teams gotten too cautious around the trade deadline? (6:30) Will the Padres give us more deadline fireworks? (8:45) What are the Dodgers going to do with all those OFs? (11:55) What would be smart for the Mariners to do? (15:10) Some Tarik Skubal trade proposals (18:45) Will Anthony Volpe be on the move? (22:20) Draft capital mismanagements (23:45) Fielding more trade proposals & questions Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Fantasy Podcast: 2026 FYPD Rankings Review

This week the Baseball America Fantasy podcast returns as host Geoff Pontes is joined by Jacob Rudner to discuss the 2026 draft class. We released out first FYPD ranking of the season on Thursday and Geoff and Jacob dive into some of the top players and decisions facing managers. (2:00) Grady Emerson vs. Roch Cholowsky (5:30) Eric Booth Jr. (8:00) Zion Rose. (13:00) Ranking a trio of college stars in Vahn Lackey, Jackson Flora and Drew Burress. (21:00) Lack Of High End College Pitching. (24:00) Digging into Liam Peterson. See how K12 Powered Schools can help unlock your child’s full potential. Enroll online today at K12.com/foul Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Prospect Podcast: Who's Buying & Selling At The Trade Deadline?

Ian Cundall and JJ Cooper take a look at what could be a wild trade deadline. What teams are buyers? Are there too few sellers? (00:00) Why This Could Be A Wild Trade Deadline (02:00) Trying To Figure Out Who's Buying, Who's Selling (06:00) Why We Suggest Making Plenty Of Trades (17:30) The Cubs Have Redundant Talent (21:30) What Should The Dodgers Do (31:00) Why The Rays Could Surprise (37:00) Brewers/Braves Talk (39:15) The Yankees Trade Offers Could Be A Bit Different (44:00) One-Time Prospects Who Could Be Worth Moving MINT MOBILE To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to MintMobile.com/Territory. That’s it there’s no catch. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Previewing The 2026 MLB Trade Deadline | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 115

On this week's Hot Sheet Show, J.J Cooper, Ian Cundall and Geoff Pontes get ready for the MLB trade deadline, which is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 3, with looks at both leagues and potential trades. Bookmark BA's Trade Deadline Tracker The Hot Sheet Show airs live on the BA YouTube channel every Tuesday at 3 p.m. Give us a sub, and we'll see you then! Time Stamps (0:00) Introduction (1:20) Big-picture trade deadline thoughts (3:45) The AL picture ahead of the deadline (8:35) Potential Tarik Skubal trades (11:00 Joe Ryan trade proposal (13:55) The NL picture ahead of the deadline (17:00) Cubs trade proposal (19:25) Logan Webb trade proposal (23:00) Hunter Goodman trade proposal (25:00) Another Joe Ryan trade proposal (27:00) Freddy Peralta trade proposal (28:00) Another Logan Webb trade proposal (29:30) Michael Wacha trade proposal To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to https://MintMobile.com/Territory. That’s it there’s no catch. Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERR... Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Draft Podcast: Previewing The 2027 Draft Class

The 2026 draft is in the rearview mirror, so JJ and Carlos preview what to expect with the 2027 class, which scouts are starting to bear down on this summer. — Time Stamps: (0:00) Intro/Banter (4:15) The 2027 draft is what? (7:30) Some of the top names in the class (10:00) What’s the biggest question with Dylan Seward? (14:30) Questions with the top college players (20:00) High school pitching questions (27:00) The Dax Whitney dilemma — Use code foul50off to get 50% off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last at Factormeals.com/foul50off Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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College Podcast: Post-Draft Recruiting Class Breakdowns

Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner is joined by BA prospect writer and high school baseball expert Ben Badler to assess some of the nation's top recruiting classes in the aftermath of the 2026 MLB Draft. (1:33) Explaining BA’s new star-system (6:04) How high schoolers fared in the draft (7:55) The influence of NIL (12:35) Vanderbilt’s class looks excellent despite losses (18:50) Tennessee’s elite transfer class (25:06) LSU reloads with elite high schoolers (28:28) Texas loses four five-star prospects (39:03) Oklahoma’s high school class takes a hit (43:03) Florida State likely to lose top recruits (45:48) Assessing Mississippi State’s class (50:21) Final thoughts Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Prospect Podcast: Which Futures Gamers Stood Out

Ian Cundall and JJ Cooper were at the Futures Game from the first moment of BP to the final out. They take an in-depth look at which prospects jumped out at the mid-season prospect showcase. (00:00) Why The Futures Game Is Awesome (07:45) Which Pitchers Stood Out (16:30) Which Hitters Stood Out Use code foul50off to get 50% off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last at Factormeals.com/foul50off Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Breaking Down The 2026 MLB Draft | Hot Sheet Show Ep. 114

On a special Monday edition of the Hot Sheet Show, Carlos Collazo, Ben Badler and J.J. Cooper recap all the draft action from this past weekend, including top 10 takeaways, classes we loved, how to fix the broadcast and lots more. The Hot Sheet Show airs live on the BA YouTube channel every Tuesday at 3 p.m. Give us a sub, and we'll see you then! Time Stamps (0:00) Introduction (1:15) Carlos' draft takeaways (3:35) Ben's draft takeaways (4:35) Surprise picks (6:35) Taking college players early to pay preps later (10:20) Trying to explain the Red Sox draft (13:30) Did the Pirates nail the draft? (16:00) Is Cal Randall a SP? (17:15) Could any top picks not sign? (19:20) The Angels' draft strategy (21:00) Zion Rose to the Royals (25:00) Troubled draft day production (27:15) Jacob Lombard & the Marlins' draft (30:05) First 2026 pick to MLB? (32:15) Thoughts on the Orioles' draft Use code foul50off to get 50% off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last at Factormeals.com/foul50off Use our code for 10% off your next order of MLB tickets on SeatGeek*: seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TERRITORY10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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2026 MLB Draft Day 2 Live Reaction, Analysis & More

BA staffers J.J. Cooper and Jacob Rudner react to the second and final day of the 2026 MLB Draft, covering rounds five through 20. The BA duo fields questions pertaining to the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins and more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

2026 MLB Draft Day 1 Live Reactions, Favorite Hauls & More

Baseball America staffers J.J. Cooper, Jacob Rudner and Carlos Collazo react to the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft with analysis on multiple teams' draft hauls, strategies and missteps. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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