PODCAST · sports
Future Projection
by Baseball America
Baseball America’s Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo offer scout-level insight into all levels of baseball—everything from the amateur MLB Draft, international scouting, minor league prospects to the bigs. New episodes drop every week.
Episodes
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Episode 215: How MLB Draft Steals Led To Postseason Heroics
Ben and Carlos talk about a Guardians 2022 draft class that netted them both Chase DeLauter and Parker Messick. The two then talk about a number of prospects who are top of mind heading into the offseason including: Angels OF Jared Grindlinger, Marlins OF Cam Cannarella, Rockies 1B Charlie…
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Episode 214: Mailbag—Can Bad Makeup Tank Your Prospect Status?
Ben and Carlos talk about the League Championship Series and wonder which of the final four teams is most likely to miss next year’s postseason. The two then open this week’s listener mailbag to talk about international draft timing implications, whether or not makeup and bad attitudes impacts…
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Episode 213: Reacting To MLB’s Schedule & Postseason Proposal
Ben and Carlos do some podcast housekeeping and followup on their discussion about how an international draft picking order might work. The two then talk about the breakout season of Rays OF Victor Mesa Jr. and how he is already a player we never expected him to be. How is that the case and what...
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Episode 212: Mailbag—Why Alfredo Sena Is The Top Prospect In The 2027 International Class
Ben and Carlos talk about what makes Alfredo Sena the top prospect in this year’s international class, and then take questions about international draft signing strategies and who would pick first if an international draft took place. They also take questions about Mets lefthander Daviel Hurtado...
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Episode 211: Ethan Salas & The Next Generation Of Catching
Ben and Carlos talk about Ethan Salas catching in the postseason, and marvel at how he’s this good at just 20 years old. They talk about the next tier of top catching prospects, both current minor leaguers and some of the top names in the 2027 class, and think back to some of the standout…
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Episode 210: Mailbag—Are Righthanded Hitters Under Valued?
Ben and Carlos answer listener questions about: the most exciting measurables in the 2027 draft class, Rangers hitters Dylan Dreiling and Rafe Perich, Rays righthander Alexander Alberto and whether or not righthanded-hitting prospects are under valued. — Time Stamps: (3:30) Who are the players…
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Episode 209: Revisiting Our Preseason Predictions
At the close of the 2026 regular season, Ben and Carlos look back on their preseason predictions to evaluate how well—or how poorly—they prognosticated. — Time Stamps: (0:00) Intro (1:00) World Series picks (6:00) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (10:30) Surprise team picks (19:00) Breakout pitcher picks...
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Episode 208: Mailbag—An Idea For A New International Talent Acquisition System
In today’s mailbag, a listener proposes an overhauled international talent acquisition system. Ben and Carlos react to that, then answer questions about Dylan Crews, Walker Jenkins and Austin Overn. — Time Stamps: (0:30) A potential shakeup to the international system? (18:05) What did we get…
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Episode 207: September Stretch Run & Arizona Fall League Thoughts
Ben and Carlos talk about the storylines—or lack thereof—during the stretch run of the major league season, then turn their eyes to the Arizona Fall League, which recently had rosters announced. Who are we excited to see? All that and more. — Time Stamps: (0:00) Postseason talk (11:30) This time…
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Episode 206: Mailbag—Thoughts On Devin Taylor and Power-Over-Hit Offensive Players
Ben and Carlos open the listener mailbag to take questions about Athletics outfielder Devin Taylor, Cardinals shortstop Yairo Padilla, Tigers outfielder Cris Rodriguez and Rays first baseman Collin Bland. — Time Stamps: (0:55) Devin Taylor (5:15 ) Yairo Padilla (7:15) Cris Rodriguez (10:10)…
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Episode 205: Josue De Paula & 2026 Dominican Summer League Standouts
Ben and Carlos talk about the Dodgers promoting outfielder Josue De Paula and get into what makes him such a well-rounded offensive player. The two talk about a few of the notable standouts from this year’s Dominican Summer League, including Angeibel Gomez, Johenssy Colome, Yostin Peña and…
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Episode 204: Mailbag—How Do We Handle Draft Transitions & Information?
Ben and Carlos break open the listener mailbag to answer prospect questions about Rays shortstop Carson Williams and outfielder Slater De Brun; how we view teams’ track records in trading for players; how we handle the information handover from one draft class to another (and how teams do the...
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Episode 203: Angels Sale & Prospect Promotions
Ben lets Carlos vent about the position player pitching epidemic in the majors before the two turn to more serious discussions about the $4 billion sale of the Los Angeles Angels. The two discuss what could be changing for the organization and the ramifications, then pivot to prospect talk. They...
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Episode 202: High School Summer Standouts
After a few weeks off, Ben and Carlos reconvene to talk about the state of the 2027 high school draft class. How are we viewing the class with the bulk of the summer showcase circuit behind us, and who are the players who have stood out and improved their stock? Has No. 1 prospect Dylan Seward...
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Episode 201: Mailbag—Does The Data Back Up Caden Bodine?
Ben and Carlos open up the listener mailbag to take questions on Caden Bodine’s data, whether or not a Yankees outfielder will be an up-arrow name, general thoughts on Andrew Fischer and comparing and contrasting three up-the-middle college draftees. — Time Stamps: (0:45) How much does the data...
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Episode 200: Draft Signing Deadline Ramifications
Ben and Carlos talk about the 2026 draft signing deadline and spend a lot of time analyzing the Logan Schmidt situation. What went wrong and what comes next for one of the most talented southpaws available? The two talk about some of their favorite and least favorite deals of this year’s draft,...
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Episode 199: Mailbag—Where Does Vahn Lackey Stack Up With Elite Catching Prospects?
Ben and Carlos open the listener mailbag to tackle a handful of 2026 draft questions including: where does Vahn Lackey stack up with other top 100 catching prospects; what was our favorite player/org pairing from the draft; does Kevin Roberts Jr. have the same hitting questions as Quentin Young;...
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Episode 198: Breaking Down The MLBPA Draft Proposal
Ben and Carlos talk through the most recent draft proposal from the MLBPA. The two talk about the potential and the ramifications of college sophomore eligibility, thoughts on hard vs. soft slotting, moving the draft from July to June, whether or not draft pick trading is coming and how that…
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Episode 197: Which Late Picks Have Superstar Potential?
Ben and Carlos break open the listener mailbag to answer questions about a number of topics including: Are teams changing their priorities for pitching stats? How does the 75% bonus minimum work in practice? Why do some players get significant over-slot deals? And which players outside of the top...
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Episode 196: 2026 Draft Reactions
Episode 196: 2026 Draft Reactions Ben and Carlos react to the 2026 draft. Which picks surprised them, which draft classes did they like, which are they more skeptical of and what are the big takeaways from how teams worked down the board for this crop of players? — Time Stamps: (2:00) Macro...
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Episode 195: The Ultimate 2026 MLB Draft Preview
Ben and Carlos are joined by JJ Cooper for a hybrid Future Projection/draft podcast breaking down everything we know or are hearing about the top of the 2026 draft. We talk through possibilities and players for each team’s first pick, talk about org tendencies, system strengths and weaknesses and...
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Episode 194: In The Weeds On MLB’s Amateur Proposal
Ben and Carlos talk through MLB’s proposal to shake up the draft and the international talent acquisition system, working through ramifications for the game, player development, scouting and more. — Time Stamps (0:15) Where have we been? (2:30) MLB’s player acquisition proposal (7:00) MLB’s...
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Episode 193: BA's New HS Star Rating System
Ben and Carlos talk about Baseball America’s new top 500 high school player ranking, as well the new star rating system we are unveiling to help further contextualize high school recruits. The two talk about what separates a five-star, four-star and three-star high school player and then talk...
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Episode 192: Mailbag—Making The Case For Jacob Lombard Over Grady Emerson
In this week’s listener mailbag, Ben and Carlos take questions like: can you make the case for Jacob Lombard over Grady Emerson? Where would UC Santa Barbara righthander Jackson Flora stack up with other Giants pitching prospects? Who are the top DSL pitchers to watch? Why isn’t Georgia catcher...
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Episode 191: Digging Deeper On College Pitchers
Ben and Carlos talk about the upcoming NCAA tournament and the players, teams and matchups they are looking forward to seeing. The two talk about the state of the college pitching in the 2026 draft class, and wonder who the best candidates are to come off the board after UC Santa Barbara...
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Episode 190: Mailbag—Young Latin Hitters To Watch
Ben and Carlos answer mailbag questions surrounding Red Sox outfielder Justin Gonzales, Athletics shortstop Johenssy Colome, Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez and Mets shortstops Wandy Asigen and Elian Peña. — Time Stamps: (0:30) What are your thoughts on Red Sox outfielder Justin Gonzales? (6:00)...
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Episode 189: Prospects Making Big Jumps In 2026
Ben and Carlos focus on up-arrow prospects who are not quite on the top 100, but are tracking up the board on individual Top 30s. The group of names includes a pair of Brewers lefthanded hitter, a trio of Guardians contact bats, A Rangers shortstop to know, even more Dodgers outfield prospects to...
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Episode 188: Mailbag—Who Is The Best Defensive Shortstop Prospect?
Ben and Carlos open the mailbag to answer questions about the top defensive shortstop prospects in the minors; where 2027 California high school shortstop Dylan Seward would rank in the 2026 class; the center field likelihood of Derek Curiel, Drew Burress and AJ Gracia; and the odds that Justin...
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Episode 187: Breaking Down Our Latest Mock Draft
Ben and Carlos talk about the Mock Draft V 3.0, the most recent projection of the first 40 picks for the 2026 draft. The two talk about the latest rumors up top, whether or not Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson are in a tier of their own, and then talk through a number of different teams and picks...
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Episode 186: Mailbag—How Does The Top Of The 2026 Draft Compare To Recent Years?
In today’s mailbag episode Ben and Carlos take questions about Braves prospect rankings, how the top of the 2026 draft stacks up with recent classes and which players we are individually higher or lower on in regards to our updated Top 100 prospect list. — Time Stamps: (1:05) Why are you guys...
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Episode 185: Top 100 Prospects Climbing The Rankings
Ben and Carlos talk about the first significant in-season update to the 2026 Top 100 list. The two talk about a handful of 2025 draftees who are flipping the switch with strong starts to the season after questionable pro debuts in 2026. They talk about a few notable additions at the back of the...
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Episode 184: Mailbag—Hit Tools We Believe In
Ben and Carlos break open the FP mailbag and talk about hitters outside of the top 10 they have a lot of conviction in, complex league players they are anticipating, the logistics of academies in the Dominican Republic and what would have to happen for UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky to actually slide in...
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Episode 183: The Challenge Of Projecting Prospect Power
Ben and Carlos talk about the recent MLB draft rankings update and talk about the process this year. They then discuss a few potential first rounders they saw in person recently. Carlos talks about his two-inning look at Coastal Carolina RHP Cameron Flukey, while Ben breaks down New York high...
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Episode 182: Mailbag—Rising 2026 Prospects To Know
Ben and Carlos take listener questions on a variety of up-arrow pro prospects including Orioles righthander JT Quinn, White Sox outfielder Samuel Zavala, Braves outfielder Eric Hartman and Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula. — Time Stamps: (0:30) JT Quinn (6:00) Sammy Zavala (10:00) Eric Hartman &...
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Episode 181: Early 2025 Draft Standouts
Ben and Carlos lament Chipotle’s points policy before getting into the real stuff. The two talk about a number of strong performances from a handful of 2025 draftees, including Seth Hernandez, Kade Anderson, Jamie Arnold, Tyler Bremner, JoJo Parker, Kayson Cunningham and others. They then talk...
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Episode 180: Mailbag—How To Get Started In Scouting
Ben and Carlos talk about Ben’s recent trip to the Dominican Republic and then break open this week’s listener mailbag. Recommendations for college students who want to work in scouting, how we view the hit risk of Florida shortstop Jacob Lombard and whether we’d rather have the No. 3 or 4 pick...
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Episode 179: Mailbag—What Happens When Scouting Opinions Differ Radically From Our Own
Ben and Carlos talk about how they react when scouting opinions differ from their own, then take a few listener emails. How do pitchers add velocity so quickly? How do teams rank their own prospects and other prospects from other clubs? Why couldn’t the Pirates offer a ton of money to get Roch...
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Episode 178: Another 100 MPH High School Lefty & Early Pro Performers
Ben and Carlos talk about yet another ridiculously talented high school lefthander in this year’s class, Massachusetts southpaw Brody Bumila. After that the two talk about Konnor Griffin’s nine-year extension with the Pirates, then get into a number of impressive early-season minor league...
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Episode 177: Mailbag—What Do We Look For In Prospects Beyond Tools?
In today’s mailbag episode Ben and Carlos talk through Guardians 2B Travis Bazzana’s big league ETA, explain what they look for in prospect beyond physical tools and think through how added weight could impact Brewers SS Jesús Made’s defensive profile. The two answer questions about whether they...
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Episode 176: Konnor Griffin’s Big League Promotion & Young Shortstop Extensions
Ben and Carlos talk about the extensions for Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson and Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt. The two then talk about a few early performing Triple-A hitters, talk through a few of the standouts that Carlos saw in Cary at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational and…
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Episode 175: Mailbag—Low Level Prospects Making Noise
Ben and Carlos talk about their impressions of the ABS system in the majors and then crack open the mailbag. The two take a questions about comparing recent top tier college prospects, Elian Pena skipping the FCL, DSL names we’re excited about, bonus pool logistics in the draft and why the first...
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Episode 174: Rising Pitching Prospects & New Draft Rankings
Ben and Carlos talk about the new trend of teams calling pitches from the dugout in the major leagues and then get into some of the notable action items from spring training. The two gush over what they’ve been seeing from Pirates righty Seth Hernandez and Mariners righty Ryan Sloan, and also…
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Episode 173: Mailbag—What College Coaches Look For In Recruiting
On today’s mailbag episode, Ben and Carlos take questions on projection vs. present skill for college recruits, Josuar Gonzalez vs. Luis Hernandez for the Giants, fielding percentage as a tool for evaluating college shortstops, Will Gasparino and Mason Edwards and the stats that matter for high...
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Episode 172: Spring Training Prospect Buzz
Ben and Carlos give their final thoughts on an epic World Baseball Classic, then turn their eyes towards prospects and spring training. The two talk about some of the top hitters who have played well this spring, plus a couple of notable pitching prospects who might have made key additions to…
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Episode 171: Mailbag—Young Shortstops & Draft Broadcast Changes
Ben and Carlos break open the listener mailbag and answer questions on a trio of young Cardinals shortstops, why Brady Harris might be slipping in the draft and how his risk and upside compares to Kevin Roberts Jr., whether or not Elian Pena has a chance to be a top 25 prospect and what changes…
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Episode 170: Debating The Top College Outfield Prospects
Ben and Carlos talk about the World Baseball Classic and the drama surrounding team USA. After that, they compare and contrast some of the top college outfielders in the 2026 draft class. Why is Ben so high on Virginia’s AJ Gracia? And why can Carlos not quit on LSU’s Derek Curiel? Those two…
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Episode 169: Mailbag—How To Know When A Prospect Change Is Real
Ben and Carlos answer listener questions about how we know when to re-adjust expectations for prospects and the difference in value between center fielders and shortstops. — Time Stamps: (3:00) How do you know if a player is hitting a high percentile outcome vs. adjusting possible expectations?...
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Episode 168: Should Kevin McGonigle & JJ Wetherholt Start 2026 In The Majors?
Ben and Carlos talk about a double first base bag dilemma that surfaced in college baseball, then get into some spring training prospect talk. Should Kevin McGonigle and JJ Wetherholt make opening day rosters? Is Orioles outfielder Vance Honeycutt starting to figure something out? They talk about...
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Episode 167: Mailbag—How Did Teams Miss On Konnor Griffin And How Does That Change Scouting?
Ben and Carlos open up the listener mailbag and take questions on a number of draft topics including: prep sleepers who could be first rounders; Ace Reese’s defensive profile; Konnor Griffin’s impact on scouting; who our favorite prospect in the class is after Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson;...
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Episode 166: Spring Standouts & The Best Pitcher Since Paul Skenes?
Ben and Carlos talk about a few pitchers who have them excited from early spring training outings, then get into one of the most exciting pitching prospects in the country, Oregon State righthander Dax Whitney. The two talk about whether or not he’s the best pitching prospect since Paul Skenes…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Baseball America’s Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo offer scout-level insight into all levels of baseball—everything from the amateur MLB Draft, international scouting, minor league prospects to the bigs. New episodes drop every week.
HOSTED BY
Baseball America
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Future Projection have?
Future Projection currently has 175 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Future Projection about?
Baseball America’s Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo offer scout-level insight into all levels of baseball—everything from the amateur MLB Draft, international scouting, minor league prospects to the bigs. New episodes drop every week.
How often does Future Projection release new episodes?
Future Projection publishes regularly with 175 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Future Projection?
You can listen to Future Projection on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Future Projection?
Future Projection is created and hosted by Baseball America.
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