Which Hitters Should Be More Aggressive at the Plate?

Eno, Jed, and DVR discuss a bizarre mistake from C.B. Bucknor in Milwaukee on Tuesday night, and Jed's favorite umpire still in rotation before digging into Shohei Ohtani's first start of 2026 -- which featured significantly increased usage of his curveball -- before looking at early bat-speed risers, and breaking down a few hitters they believe could benefit from a more aggressive approach at the plate. Rundown0:48 Umpire Love: Jed’s Favorite Ump Still in Circulation2:00 The Opposite of Umpire Love: C.B. Buckner’s Laughably Bad Call3:50 Make a Mistake? Own It! Mark Wegner Owns Up to Missed Strikeout10:10 Sho and Tell: Shohei Ohtani Increases Curveball Usage in First Start of 202615:33 Other News & Notes: DeLauter’s Scare, Eflin’s Exit & deGrom’s Velo18:09 Early Bat Speed Risers: Why Does It Matter in Small Samples?25:57 Does High Bat Speed Lead to Injuries? 34:00 Swing Decisions: Who Should Be More Aggressive?50:58 Show and Tell: A Few of Our Random FavoritesFollow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.socialFollow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.sociale-mail: [email protected] our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFeSubscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrelsHosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno SarrisWith: Jed LowrieEditor: Jason Potere Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.