MLB Pipeline

This week's MLB Pipeline Podcast takes us to Iowa as much of Major League Baseball descends on the Field of Dreams this week. That includes the prospect world and Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick things off by previewing Tuesday night's Minor League game to be held in Dyersville between the St. Paul Saints (Twins) and Iowa Cubs, a contest featuring top prospects like the Twins' Walker Jenkins and the Cubs' Owen Ayers. Then, they look at Wednesday's High School All-American Game, with top prep players from the 2027 Draft class like Dylan Seward and Bryce Cunningham. After that long stop in the Hawkeye State, the guys turn their attention to creating an "All-Teen" prospect team in advance of the new Top 100 coming this week, headlined by Jesús Made of the Brewers and the A's Leo De Vries, then break down a trio of MLB debuts, all in the AL Central: the Twins' Kaelen Culpepper, the Guardians' Angel Genao and White Sox lefty Hagen Smith. They finish up with a question from the Mailbag asking to compare Minnesota top pick Vahn Lackey to its 2001 No. 1 overall selection, Joe Mauer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dust has barely settled on the 2026 Trade Deadline, but Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff mustered plenty of energy to talk about all of the wheeling and dealing from a prospect perspective on this week's Pipeline Podcast. They started out with the five Top 100 prospects who were dealt, headlined by new Tigers outfielder Zyhir Hope, which led to a spirited discussion about the overall return in the Tarik Skubal trade. After taking a look at some of the other top prospects who changed teams, the guys then examined teams that had the most impressive prospect hauls, topped by the Mets (11 total prospects acquired). They shifted gears for a minute to talk about the Yankees' callup of top prospect George Lombard Jr. as well as a sneak peak at the Field of Dreams Minor League and High School All-American games before returning to the Trade Deadline to answer a mailbag question comparing the returns for Kevin Gausman and Dustin May/JoJo Romero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Trade Deadline fast approaching, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff spend much of the latest Pipeline Podcast discussing which top prospects might be on the move, including Dodgers outfielder Zyhir Hope and Yankees right-hander Elmer Rodriguez. They also discuss the recent Draft Signing Deadline, risers from our refreshing of our organization Top 30 Prospects lists and the Rookie of the Year races before circling back to the Trade Deadline with a question from the listener mailbag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are a couple of big deadlines on the baseball calendar ahead and with so many people focused on the Trade Deadline in terms of big leaguers who could change hands, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff looked a lot at the other side of that coin on this week's Pipeline Podcast: the prospects. They looked back: at blockbuster prospect deals of Deadlines past, headlined by the huge Juan Soto to the Padres trade in 2022, determining who won the biggest trades of the past decade. They also looked ahead: by examining which teams are best positioned to deal prospects to bring in big league help at this Deadline, starting with the Dodgers. Then the guys switched gears to look at the Draft, with the signing deadline coming next week, by creating a list of 2026 picks who could be the quickest to the big leagues. They finished off with a fun question about where prospects Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas would have gone in this year's Draft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off of covering and broadcasting the Draft and the Futures Game last weekend, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff have plenty to discuss on the latest Pipeline Podcast. They break down the first round, from the White Sox taking Roch Cholowsky at No. 1 to the Brewers surprising with Trey Ebel at No. 25, highlighting surprise picks along the way. After that, they detail who hauled in the most talent and identify the best value picks in every round from 1 through 10. Then they welcome in Sam Dykstra, who was part of the Futures Game telecast, and he dishes on the standouts from the prospect showcase, including MVP Nathan Flewelling (Rays) and dominant pitcher Seth Hernandez (Pirates). The podcast wraps up with a listener mailbag question about which draftee will be the first to reach the Majors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the last Pipeline Podcast before this weekend's Draft, so Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff dedicate most of their time previewing what could happen in Philadelphia. They hash out the biggest story lines, including whom the White Sox will take with the No. 1 overall pick and the biggest wild cards, before taking a deep dive into the prep pitching class. One of the more intriguing members of that group, Brody Bumila, sits down with Jonathan for an interview. After all the Draft talk, the guys also preview Sunday's Futures Game before answering one of the best listener mailbag questions of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back from the MLB Draft Combine and heading full steam towards the Draft and Futures Game, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff come with tons of prospect info on this week's episode of the Pipeline Podcast. Before focusing on the Draft, the guys dig into the new "market corrections" for the Top 100 Prospects list, highlighting big jumpers like the Rays' Theo Gillen and the Dodgers' Mike Sirota. This week's installment of analyzing a Draft demographic looks at the college bats, starting of course with UCLA's Roch Cholowsky, and includes a conversation with one of those hitters, Alabama's Justin Lebron. After feting Golden Spikes Award winner Daniel Jackson, the trio finishes up with a Mailbag question about how many high school players will command big bonuses come Draft time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The MLB Draft Combine takes center stage and serves as a backdrop for a discussion of the top prep position players on the latest Pipeline Podcast. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff talk about which players stood out most on the first day of Combine workouts, including UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu and Rocco Maniscalco. That leads to talk of the high school bat class, including whether Grady Emerson is the top prospect in the entire Draft, and an interview with another talented prep shortstop in Jacob Lombard. If that's not enough, Jim and Jonathan do a joint mock draft where they project each club's top selection before fielding a listener mailbag question about Phillies right-hander Gage Wood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff begin a four-part series on each demographic of the 2026 Draft Class. After talking about the College World Series -- with Jim in Omaha for his favorite baseball event -- they kick the series off by analyzing the college pitching in the class. Santa Barbara's Jackson Flora tops the list of prospects in that  pool, and he joins the pod to talk about his outstanding season for the Gauchos, how much he learned from Santa Barbara's pitching factory and what he thinks about the next steps of his career. Then the guys preview Saturday's MLB Network Prospect Showcase between the Columbus Clippers and Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders, a game that features six Top 100 prospects, headlined by Yankees No. 1 George Lombard Jr.. They close things out with a Mailbag question about whether the Giants should consider Flora with their pick at No. 4. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the College World Series field set, the latest Pipeline Podcast focused on the upcoming action in Omaha. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff broke down all eight teams, identifying their best prospects for the 2026 Draft -- and upcoming Drafts as well. They also discussed which players might be under the brightest Draft spotlights at the CWS and some more Draft intel before highlighting the two most recent Top 100 Prospects (Nationals SS Seaver King, Marlins RHP Karson Milbrandt) and another who was just promoted to the Majors (White Sox OF Braden Montgomery). As always, the guys finish with a question from the listener mailbag, this time about what trades they could concoct if first-round picks were in play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The calendar has flipped to June and Draft fever rages on for the MLB Pipeline crew. This week, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick their Draft chat off by digging into the newly-published Top 200 rankings, looking at the fairly static top of the list and the biggest risers on it a bit further down. From there, the guys turn the Draft lens on the recently completed NCAA Regionals -- where the top four ranked prospects in action were all sent home, leading to the pod's final Roch Watch -- followed by a preview of the top Draft prospects still competing in this weekend's Super Regionals. There's always time for pro prospect talk, with some discussion of a shortstop just added to the Top 100 in Felnin Celesten Mariners), and one just called up to the big leagues in Edwin Arroyo (Reds), before the pod wraps up with a Mailbag question about which college guys could catapult into first round talk with strong College World Series performances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just ahead of expanding (to a Top 200!) and re-ranking the MLB Pipeline Draft prospects list, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff do a deep dive into NCAA postseason play through decidedly Draft-colored glasses on this week's Pipeline Podcast. They bring up storylines across all 16 Regionals, set to begin Friday, from top prospect Roch Cholowsky and UCLA to No. 3 Vahn Lackey and his powerful Georgia Tech lineup and on to top pitching prospect Jackson Flora and Santa Barbara on a bigger stage, this episode has you covered. There was still time to talk professional prospects, of course, with the guys breaking down the newest addition to the Top 100, Nationals infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald, and a pair of Top 100 players getting called up to the bigs for the first time in Pedro Ramirez (Cubs) and Gage Jump (A's). As always, the trio wrapped things up with a fun Mailbag question about where Lackey would rank on the last three Draft lists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MLB Pipeline has just refreshed its Top 100 Prospects list, and Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick off the latest Pipeline Podcast by hashing out all the changes. Brewers shortstop Jesús Made succeeds Konnor Griffin as the No. 1 prospect, holding off Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries, and the guys also discuss players making huge jumps (such as Padres catcher Ethan Salas) and joining the list for the first time (including Orioles outfielder/first baseman Ike Irish). There's the usual Draft Talk as well, including Golden Spikes finalists who are intriguing prospects and the weekly Roch Watch. The podcast concludes with the usual question from the listener mailbag, this time about Reds infielder Edwin Arroyo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're fresh off the first "official" mock draft of the spring, and that's exactly where Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kicked things off on this week's Pipeline Podcast. They broke down what it looks like at the very top, discussing the probability that Roch Cholowsky, the No. 1 prospect in the class, goes No. 1 to the White Sox, before looking at how fluid the first round is after the first handful of picks. After examining Cholowsky's performance in the weekly Roch Watch segment, they turned their attention to pro prospects, starting with ones who have been promoted to the big leagues recently, like the Mets' AJ Ewing. There have been a slew of top prospects moving up levels in the Minors, and the guys give infielders George Lombard Jr. and Arjun Nimmala their flowers before finishing up with a look at MLB.com's first Rookie of the Year poll and how they voted in each league, capping things off with a Mailbag question about Pirates phenom Seth Hernandez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo & Jason Ratliff break down the just-expanded and updated Draft Top 150 Prospects list. They discuss the players separating themselves at the top, starting with UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson, before highlighting the biggest risers and top newcomers since the December rankings. Jonathan interviews Gio Rojas, the best high school pitching prospect in the Draft, before talk turns to callups (Joe Mack, Bryce Eldridge) and the latest Top 100 Prospect (Ethan Salas). The guys wrap it up with perhaps their longest answer to a listener mailbag question ever as they debate the merits of Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the brand new Draft Top 150 dropping at the end of this week, it's clear the Pipeline Podcast crew has a serious case of Draft fever. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick off this episode by looking at the four quadrants of the class -- college hitters and pitchers, high school bats and arms -- putting a grade on and talking about some intriguing guys in each sector. After the weekly Roch Watch, Grady Emerson, one of the top overall players in the class, joins the show. The guys still have energy for the Minor League guys, and plenty of time is devoted to prospects who just got called up to the big leagues (like last week's guest, Travis Bazzana) as well as new additions to the Top 100 (Logan Henderson and Kevin Defrank) before answering a Mailbag question about the future of the Brewers infield. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MLB Pipeline will release an expanded and updated Draft Top 150 Prospects list next week, so the latest Pipeline Podcast previews some of the biggest risers this spring. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff chat about Mississippi high school outfielder Eric Booth, UCLA right-hander Logan Reddemann and California prep two-way star Jared Grindlinger, among others, and also update the weekly Roch Watch. Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, joins the guys and cements his status as one of the best Pipeline Podcast guests ever during a wide-ranging interview. There's also discussion of new Top 100 Prospects additions River Ryan (Dodgers) and Roldy Brito (Rockies), the latest Prospect Team of the Week and a Draft question from the listener mailbag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're always on the lookout for the next big prospect callup, but never has one been this big! Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick off this week's Pipeline Podcast with a breakdown of the 6-foot-10 Noah Schultz, the lefty who was called up to make his big league debut on Tuesday, with his size and swing-and-miss stuff drawing comparisons to the Big Unit. Schultz serves as a jumping off point to talk about which Top 100 prospects could be next to get the call, from fellow White Sox lefty Hagen Smith to Tigers outfielder Max Clark. From there, the guys shift attention to the Draft, with Jason having seen Roch Cholowsky in person during UCLA's matchup at Rutgers last weekend. The talk of that Friday night game was RHP Logan Reddemann and his 18-strikeout performance, and he was among the college arms moving into first-round consideration discussed on the pod. Talk returned to the Minors, discussing two newcomers to the Top 100 and our first Prospect Team of the Week before answering a question from the Mailbag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all of the Minor Leagues underway, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff can finally take a minute to talk about the 2026 Draft. For the first time this spring, they go beyond their weekly Roch Watch, detailing how top Draft prospect Roch Cholowsky is faring, with Jim and Jonathan plotting out how they think the top 11 picks should go in the first round. The guys then return to the Minors by examining the affiliates with the most prospect-laded rosters and breaking down the seven new additions to the Top 100 list. They finish things off by discussing rookies off to rough starts before answering a Draft-related question in the Mailbag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rookies are taking MLB by storm and dominating discussion on the latest Pipeline Podcast. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick off the latest edition by breaking down the hot starts by Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals), Sal Stewart (Reds) and Chase DeLauter (Guardians), among others. After an interview with White Sox shortstop prospect Caleb Bonemer, talk turns to when exactly the next wave of top talents could arrive in the Majors, starting with Konnor Griffin (Pirates). Griffin also comes up under the subject of prospects signing long-term contracts before making their big league debuts, which Cooper Pratt (Brewers) and Colt Emerson (Mariners) did this week. After the weekly Roch Watch, the guys field a mailbag question about which Draft prospects have boosted their stock the most so far this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off of their Spring Training travels, capped off by seeing as many Spring Breakout games as possible, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff look back and ahead in this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast. They kick things off by reviewing some of the best moments and performances from the third Spring Breakout, including Pirates phenom Seth Hernandez hitting 102.4 mph, Mariners right-hander Ryan Sloan tossing three perfect innings and Padres catcher Ethan Salas serving notice he's ready to jump back on the prospect scene. Then Jim sits down with Angels top prospect Tyler Bremner to talk about his Draft experience and getting ready for his first full season before the guys look ahead to Opening Day and where the Top 100 prospects are starting, including 20 making big league rosters. After a quick RochWatch -- the weekly update on top Draft prospect Roch Cholowsky -- they close things out with a Mailbag question about high school talent in this year's Draft class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With 16 Spring Breakout games scheduled for the next four days, there's no doubt what Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo would talk about on the latest Pipeline Podcast. From sites around the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues, they discussed the best players and matchups in the various prospect showdowns, including baseball's top prospect Konnor Griffin and the Pirates clashing with Max Clark and the Tigers, and star shortstops Jesus Made and Leo De Vries squaring off when the Brewers face the Athletics. Jonathan interviewed Pirates right-hander Seth Hernandez, the sixth overall pick in the 2025 Draft and another Breakout participant. After all that Breakout talk, the guys also found time for another installment of Roch Watch and a question from the listener mailbag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spring is definitely in the air at MLB Pipeline and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff are here for all of it for this week's Pipeline Podcast. Spring Breakout is less than two weeks away and the guys are giddy with excitement, talking about some of the prospects they can't wait to see. Both Jim and Jonathan are in Spring Training, and Jim was able to talk to Mariners lefty Kade Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick in last year's Draft. Then talk turned to the recently-released farm system rankings, with a focus on the top three teams -- the Brewers, Dodgers and Pirates -- before shifting to looking at the World Baseball Classic through a prospect lens. The pod closed, as it always does, with a Mailbag question, this time about off-the-radar prospects who could be Top 100 guys a year from now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MLB Pipeline has just released updated Top 30 Prospects lists for every organization, giving Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff plenty to unpack on the latest Pipeline Podcast. They focus on some of the best and most interesting farm systems, including the Brewers, Dodgers, Mariners and Tigers. They also delve into Spring Breakout, explaining the schedule for this year's roster announcements and next year's expansion to a full-fledged tournament. They finish up with a listener mailbag question about which prospects could make a name for themselves in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From rankings to Spring Training to the college game, prospects are all over the radar, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff are discussing all of them on this week's Pipeline Podcast. They kick things off with a look at 10 prospects who will be debuting on team Top 30 lists, out early next week, from Pirates RHP Antwone Kelly to Rangers 3B Jack Wheeler. From there, the guys take a look at hitting and pitching standouts over the first two weeks in the college game, including the weekly "Roch Watch" about top Draft prospect Roch Cholowsky. Then talk bounces back to the pro game and some early Spring Training standouts before one last ping pong to a Mailbag question about how Cholowsky stacks up against other college shortstops taken atop other Drafts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo celebrate the beginning of the college season and the opening of Spring Training on the latest Pipeline Podcast. They begin by checking in on how top college prospects performed during the first weekend, including UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky (the projected No. 1 overall pick), Texas A&M outfielder Caden Sorrell and UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora. They also stack up all-prospect teams of the best college and high school players in the 2026 Draft and see how they compare. Then they shift gears and discuss some of the biggest prospect news in Spring Training, such as Yankees righty Carlos Lagrange throwing 103-mph heat past Aaron Judge and Mariners infielder Colt Emerson's efforts to squeeze into the lineup of the defending American League West champions. As always, the guys conclude with a question from the listener mailbag, this time trying to determine which phenom they'll talk about the most on the podcast this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There may have been frigid temperatures across the country over the last couple of weeks, but baseball is about to start heating up. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff are excited to warm their hands by that fire on this week's Pipeline Podcast. They kick things off by previewing the start of the college baseball season this weekend, where a ton of top Draft prospects will get things going. None are ranked higher than UCLA's Roch Cholowsky, the No. 1 prospect in the Draft class, and he joined the pod to talk about the Bruins and the Draft. Then the guys shifted focus to the start of Spring Training by looking at the top prospects in baseball in big league camps and their chances of making their respective Opening Day rosters before finishing the episode off with a Mailbag question about who from last year's Draft class could be this year's Konnor Griffin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clubs are making a slew of deals including prospects as they get ready for Spring Training, and we analyze them on the latest Pipeline Podcast. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff start with the MacKenzie Gore blockbuster that sent five prospects (including 2025 first-round pick Gavin Fien) from the Rangers to the Nationals. They also examine T.J. Rumfield moving from the Yankees to the Rockies, a pair of righties changing Sox as part of a Jordan Hicks salary dump and the three-team Brendan Donovan trade that included a Top 100 Prospect (Jurrangelo Cijntje) plus two other prospects and two Draft picks. Jim & Jonathan also draft teams based on our Top 10 By Position lists and answer a listener mailbag question about under-slot overachievers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MLB Pipeline just published its new Top 100 prospects list, so that's what Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff focused on for this week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast. They broke down the top of the list, starting with No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin, who also joined the show, then looked at biggest risers from last year and prospects who could make big jumps in 2026. They finished with a pair of Mailbag questions about New York prospects, Spencer Jones (Yankees) and A.J. Ewing (Mets). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are plenty of rankings to discuss on the Pipeline Podcast as MLB Pipeline prepares to release its annual Top 100 Prospects list Friday at 8 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.com. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff start by breaking down the top 10 position lists for catcher, first base, second base and third base, identifying intriguing players and sleepers to watch for each spot. Then they're joined by international prospects maven Jesse Borek to discuss all the recent major signings on that market, highlighted by the Giants landing Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernandez. The guys wrap things up with a listener mailbag question about another Giants international shortstop, Josuar Gonzalez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prospect-ranking season has begun at MLB Pipeline, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff are all over it on this week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast. Things have kicked off with the top 10 right-handed and left-handed pitchers lists, with Jim and Jonathan talking about which arms intrigue them most (RHP: Jonah Tong and Seth Hernandez; LHP: Liam Doyle and Cam Caminiti) as well as who might be next up to jump onto those lists in the future. The guys then jumped into the time machine to talk about Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman as prospects now that they are about to pull off the rare feat of the top two players in a Draft playing for the same team. From there, they dug into the last two parts of the Executives Survey looking at top tools and farm systems, broke down the Edward Cabrera for Owen Caissie (and other prospects) trade and finished off with a question from the Mailbag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo & Jason Ratliff ring in the new year and the latest Pipeline Podcast with a slew of predictions for 2026. They try to guess who will be the Rookies of the Year, the best prospects in the Minors and the No. 1 overall Draft pick, among other topics. Jonathan has conducted his fourth annual executive poll and shares the results of several prospect-related queries, with Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin getting mentioned in a wide variety of categories. Jim and Jonathan also discuss their first-ever Hall of Fame ballots and answer a listener mailbag question about Pipeline-related resolutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the final Pipeline Podcast of the year, Jim Callis & Jason Ratliff break down the sudden flurry of pre-Christmas trades, highlighted by the Rays acquiring six prospects and a supplemental first-round Draft pick in exchange for four big leaguers in a deal with the Orioles and a three-way swap with the Astros and Pirates. Then they look back on 2025 by discussing which farm system improved the most (including the Brewers and Giants) and which prospects did the same (none more than Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle), before wrapping things up with a listener mailbag question about White Sox southpaw Hagen Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following the launch of the 2026 Draft Top 100, Jim Callis and Jason Ratliff take a close look at the players top of the list, highlighting the best hitters and pitchers in the class, starting with UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowski. They then break down the intriguing challenge trade between the Red Sox and Nationals, in which Boston sent 22-year-old right-hander Luis Perales to Washington (and former Red Sox assistant GM turned Nats GM Paul Toboni) for 25-year-old lefty Jake Bennett. The episode concludes with a question from @bammbamcam about Yankees 2025 top Draft pick Dax Kilby. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Winter Meetings in Orlando are a hub of baseball activity, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff break it all down on the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast. They begin by discussing the ramifications of the Draft Lottery and Jonathan talks to White Sox scouting director Mike Shirley about his team claiming the No. 1 overall pick. Then they shift their focus to another draft -- the Rule 5 Draft -- and analyze the 13 prospects taken, starting with No. 1 choice R.J. Petit (Tigers to Rockies). After celebrating the annual Scout of the Year winners, they circle back to the Rule 5 Draft with a listener mailbag question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the impending release of MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 100 just before the Winter Meetings set to start this weekend, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff have plenty to unpack on the latest Pipeline Podcast. They begin by previewing the Meetings, taking a look at the Draft Lottery and the Rule 5 Draft before discussing which teams have the prospects and motivation to make significant trades. Next, the guys give a sneak peek at the Draft Top 100 by talking about two of the crop's deepest demographics, shortstops (led by clear No.  1 overall prospect Roch Cholowsky of UCLA) and high school left-handers. They wrap things up with one of the more thought-provoking listener-mailbag questions ever, debating the merits of Paul Skenes vs Roki Sasaki . . . in March 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's so much to be grateful for in the prospect world and in this Thanksgiving week episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo dig into those things like it's a pumpkin pie. The duo list things they're grateful for in Pipeline-land, from the Arizona Fall League to the College World Series to the tireless efforts of (in no particular order): scouts, player development staff, the MLB Pipeline department and their spouses. In addition to discussing gratitude, Jim and Jonathan break down the prospect impact of the Brandon Nimmo-for-Marcus Semien swap and unpack the breaking news of Sonny Gray being dealt to the Red Sox. They also took one last look at the AFL via Jim's Top 30 Prospects list, discussed 40-man roster decisions and the new All-Star Week schedule that flips the Draft and the Futures Game before taking two Mailbag questions about intriguing pitching prospects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo & Jason Ratliff put a bow on the just-concluded Arizona Fall League season. They recap the playoffs and the award winners before Jim interviews AFL batting champion Max Anderson (Tigers). Then they shift their focus to difficult roster decisions teams faced as they finalized their 40-man roster to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings. They also look forward to the most intriguing matchups on the 2026 Spring Breakout schedule before circling back to the Fall League for a listener mailbag question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the final week of the Arizona Fall League and that was the focus for much of this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff broke down all the action from last weekend's Fall Stars Game and discussed contenders for the league's awards, from MVP to breakout player. Then Jonathan sat down with A's infield prospect Tommy White to talk about his AFL experience and his hopes to join an exciting young big league roster. From there, the guys discussed the 2025 Rookies of the Year (and the fact both Nick Kurtz and Drake Baldwin played in the AFL last year) and then made pick for frontrunners for the 2026 award before answering a Mailbag question about one of those contenders, Blue Jays right-hander Trey Yesavage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff put a bow on the recently completed World Series by recapping the drama and the many heroes on both sides. Next up are discussions of the Rookie of the Year finalists, the always perilous long-term rookie rankings (Roman Anthony vs. Nick Kurtz!) and the Gold Glove winners. Then the guys shift their focus to the Minors (which current prospects could win big league Gold Gloves in 2026) and the Arizona Fall League (Jonathan interviews Phillies outfielder Dante Nori, plus players to look forward to in the Fall Stars Game). As always, the podcast concludes with a listener mailbag question, this time about which Top 100 Prospects are the best bets to win future Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Pipeline Podcast hosts still have a little gas left in the tank after an epic 18-inning World Series contest, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff begin by discussing the Game 3 thriller featuring typical heroes (Freedie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani) and one we never saw coming (Will Klein). After that, they shift their focus to the Arizona Fall League. They talk about the most recent Hitter and Pitcher of the Week (Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle, Astros right-hander James Hicks) and spotlight Statcast standouts such as Pirates outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez and Tigers infielder Max Anderson. Jonathan interviews Guardians right-hander Daniel Espino, who's showcasing some of the best stuff in the Fall League after missing more than three years following a pair of shoulder surgeries, and then the guys wrap it up with a mailbag question about which farm systems have stood out the most in the AFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the baseball world understandably has much of its focus on the impeding World Series, the MLB Pipeline crew has been keeping tabs on the other exciting action in the Arizona Fall League. Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff spent the bulk of this week's episode digging into the AFL, from top performances from Pirates sluggers Esmerlyn Valdez and Tony Blanco Jr. to pitching performances from the Orioles left-hander Luis De Leon. Sam also sat down with Astros No. 4 prospect Walker Janek, who is off to a hot start in Arizona. The gang did spend some time on the World Series, looking at how the Dodgers and Blue Jays were built and how members of both rosters stack up as former prospects before answering a Mailbag question about one of them, Trey Yesavage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite uncharacteristic rainouts wreaking some havoc on Week 1 of the Arizona Fall League, there was plenty of action to discuss for Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff on this week's episode. They talked about the Hitter and Pitcher of the Week as well as some other standout performers from the first set of games before Jim chatted with A's rookie Max Muncy, who is back in the AFL for the second time. Then Jason quizzed Jim and Jonathan on preseason prospect predictions they made last winter before answering a question from the Mailbag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest edition of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo focus on the rookie pitchers who have delivered huge performances in the playoffs: Cam Schlittler (Yankees), Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays), Roki Sasaki (Dodgers) and Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers). Also regarding the postseason, they discuss the prospect pedigrees of the participants, including seven players who ranked No. 1 on the Top 100 Prospects list. The Arizona Fall League has started, so there's plenty of AFL talk, including an interview with the highest-rated prospect in the desert, Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle, as well as a related listener mailbag question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo dive into the about-to-begin MLB postseason as only the Pipeline crew can, by looking at how each of the 12 postseason teams constructed their rosters, highlighting the Guardians' homegrown-heavy squad and how teams like the Mariners and Brewers have relied on trades to build a winner. Jim then sits down with Mariners scout Rob Mummau, who scouted and signed MVP candidate Cal Raleigh in college. Then Jim and Jonathan do a 10-pick draft of 2026 Draft prospects from their Top 20 college and high school lists before finishing off with a Mailbag question about this year's MiLB Awards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Minor League season coming to an end, Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jason Ratliff focus on the top performances of 2025 in the latest Pipeline Podcast. They begin by breaking down the candidates for Hitting Prospect of the Year (Konnor Griffin/Pirates, Kevin McGonigle/Tigers, J.J. Wetherholt/Cardinals) and Pitching Prospect of the Year (Griffin Herring/Rockies, Jonah Tong/Mets, Trey Yesavage/Blue Jays). The guys also highlight some of the best power/speed seasons, including a 20-60 performance by Griffin and the third straight 20-20 year from the Rays' Carson Williams. Also on the agenda: the new International Top 50 Prospects list for 2026, and a mailbag question about how likely it is that we'll see the best prospects in the Minors right now playing in the Majors next year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff dish on a wide variety of subjects in the latest MLB Pipeline Podcast, starting with breaking down the newly released Arizona Fall League rosters that include two of the game's four best prospects in shortstops Kevin McGonigle (Tigers) and Sebastian Walcott (Rangers). Jonathan interviews another top shortstop in Colt Emerson (Mariners) before the guys discuss the Double-A playoffs, which are loaded with star talent. Then there's more: recent callups Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays) and Bryce Eldridge (Giants), Jonathan introduces a new game ("Who Am I?") for Jason and Jim to play and a listener mailbag question about AFL award predictions. (edited) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Minor League playoffs have begun at the Single-A and High-A levels, and this week's Pipeline Podcast begins by breaking down the top prospects to watch in postseason action. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff highlight that contingent, which includes the No. 1 pick (Eli Willits) and No. 1 prospect (Ethan Holliday) in the 2025 Draft as well as seven other Top 100 Prospects. The guys also discuss the two most recent prospects to join the Top 100 list, Pirates outfielder Edward Florentino and Giants shortstop Josuar Gonzalez, and preview the next addition (You'll have to listen to find out!). After that, they talk about players who made the Prospect Team of the Week most often this season, led by Reds third baseman Sal Stewart, and field not one but two listener mailbag questions from members of the band Subway Ghosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff are back together for the first time in a long time for this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast, and that affords them the opportunity to take a look at the deluge of big league callups and debuts of Top 100 prospects from the past couple of weeks. On the pitching side, they break down the Pirates' Bubba Chandler, Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle and Mets right-hander Jonah Tong. There have been five hitters to get the call of late and the guys talk about all of them: Carson Williams (Rays), Jhostynxon Garcia (Red Sox, Sal Stewart (Reds), Harry Ford (Mariners) and Carter Jensen (Royals). After that, talk turns to the Arizona Fall League and a "wish list" of prospects Jim and Jonathan hope to see in the league this year. Before finishing up with a question from the Mailbag, Jim and Jonathan take a few minutes to pay tribute to legendary scout Roy Clark, who recently passed away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jonathan Mayo made a stop in Altoona, Pa., to check in on two of the best infield prospects in the game. He started with the Phillies’ Aidan Miller, who has made some serious adjustments to his approach to finish his season with Double-A Reading red-hot. Then he moved over to the home clubhouse to chat with No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin of the Pirates, who just got promoted to that level. Before those conversations, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan break down the top farm systems based on three groupings: infielders, outfielders and pitchers. And the duo comes back after the interviews to answer a Mailbag question about Royals pitching prospects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices