Projections Are a Liar Sometimes!

Eno, Jed, and DVR discuss a few spring news items including Gerrit Cole's return to game action with his first outing for the spring, plus updates on Seiya Suzuki, José Ramírez, and Zach Neto. Plus, they host their ever 'Plus-Minus Draft', selecting their favorite hitters primed to exceed their projections during the upcoming season. Rundown 2:31 Gerrit Cole Makes Spring Debut 5:41 Seiya Suzuki: PCL Strain; Opening Day Status TBD 9:50 Updates: José Ramírez & Zach Neto 10:33 The 2026 Hitter Projections Draft 13:02 DVR Takes Acuña at 1.1; Was That a Mistake? 28:04 Jed’s Case for Wyatt Langford Being Underprojected 31:52 Mike Trout?! In This Economy? 40:15 Banking Heavily on Youth 43:51 Andy Pages & Jed’s Emphasis on Defensive Value 46:02 Eno Targets Evan Carter & Matt McLain 48:11 Surprised that Jed Added Rafael Devers? 49:53 James Wood & Colton Cowser to DVR 53:37 Have We Underrated Colson Montgomery’s Debut? 56:13 Shopping in the Low WAR Projection Bin: Cam Smith 1:04:29 Notable Omissions From This Draft Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris With: Jed Lowrie Editor: Jason Potere Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.