Tough Starting Pitcher Rankings for the Rest of 2025Eno and DVR wish FanGraphs a Happy 20th Birthday and discuss several tough rankings from Eno's final list for the 2025 season including Logan Webb, Dylan Cease, Shohei Ohtani, and Chase Burns, along with the surprising lefties -- Andrew Abbott, Jacob Lopez, and Trevor Rogers -- as the stretch run approaches. They also look at a few intriguing names on the waiver this weekend including the recently-promoted Owen Caissie, and Nolan McLean ahead of his MLB debut against the Mariners on Saturday.Plus, Niv Shah joins the show to discuss late-season ottoneu strategy with players unlikely to be kept and how to approach trading with loans versus dropping a player in hopes of a cascading effect that puts other interesting players onto waivers, and our Senior Hot Correspondent ranks the eight Taste of the Majors hot dogs from the season so far

($) Eno's Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6549810

Rundown

4:12 Updates on Ronald Acuña Jr., Pablo López & Michael King

10:30 Padres-Dodgers & Great Weekend Series On Tap

21:09 Logan Webb: A Tough Rank Up Top?

25:22 Dylan Cease's Rebound & Cade Horton's Surge

31:50 Shohei Ohtani's Workload Increasing to Win Eligibility Levels

35:55 Chase Burns' Late-Season Limitations

40:40 Owen Caissie's Promotion & Playing Time Outlook

43:49 Nolan McLean Headed to the Mets' Rotation

48:18 Forrest Whitley is Pitching Well at Triple-A

53:07 LODEM Kings as Tough Rankings Too

55:02 Talking Keeper Trade/Drop Strategy w/Niv Shah

1:09:27 Taste of the Majors: Power Rankings in Mid-August

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Producer: Brian Smith

Guest: Niv Shah

Executive Producer: Derek VanRiper

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Eno, Trevor, and DVR discuss the battle atop the AL West before examining the Phillies' case for the 'Best Team in Baseball' crown thanks to excellent starting pitching at the continued improvement of Cristopher Sánchez and Kyle Schwarber putting up career-best numbers in his age-32 season. Plus, they look at four intriguing starting pitchers getting a late-season opportunity.

Rundown

1:12 A Look at the AL West as Josh Hader Gets a Second Opinion & Yordan Alvarez Inches Toward a Return

7:01 Dylan Crews is Back; Nathaniel Lowe DFA'd by the Nationals

11:38 The Phillies' Case for 'Best Team in Baseball'

16:43 Cristopher Sánchez's Rise to Ace-Level Performance

29:59 Kyle Schwarber's Career-Year at Age-32 (How I'd Pitch This Guy)

40:18 Injuries Keeping the Gap Between Teams Around the League Smaller?

50:14 Nerding Out: Four Starting Pitchers We're Intrigued By

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Trevor May

Producer: Brian Smith

Executive Producer: Derek VanRiper

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Eno, Jed, and DVR discuss the Red Sox's 'quiet' ascent to the second-place spot in the AL East on the strength of a lineup that is tied for fifth in wOBA and wonder if the pitching is deep enough to make the team dangerous if they reach the playoffs. Plus, they discuss how players change over the course of the season, and a round of injury news items including a follow-up on Astros closer Josh Hader.

Rundown

1:05 Assessing the Red Sox in mid-August

9:15 Is the Current Success of the Pitching Staff Successful?

12:53 An Improving Bullpen, Not Without Questions

15:55 Dustin May & The Importance of Fastball Mix

23:09 How Do They Stack Up Against the Blue Jays?

30:13 How Players Change Over the Course of the Season?

40:05 How Does Velocity Hold Up When Fatigue Sets In?

45:18 'First-Half' and 'Second-Half' Players

53:18 Other News & Notes: Adolis García, Félix Bautista, Zach Eflin & Miguel Vargas

1:00:43 The A's Young Pitching is Intriguing, Will It Work in Sacramento?

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Jed Lowrie

Producer: Brian Smith

Executive Producer: Derek VanRiper

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Eno and DVR discuss the Astros' bullpen as Josh Hader is slowed by a shoulder injury, the return of Cristian Javier to the rotation, plus on the first installment of 'The Checklist', they discuss the seasons of Ben Rice, Bo Bichette and Geraldo Perdomo.

Cody Stavenhagen joins the program to discuss the Tigers, whose underwhelming additions at the Trade Deadline may come into question without a deep run in October.

Rundown

1:05 Josh Hader: Sent for Imaging Due to Shoulder Soreness

4:54 Cristian Javier: Shows New Sinker in Return to Rotation

10:08 Shane McClanahan: Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

13:57 Ben Rice: Increasing Time Behind the Plate

23:31 Bo Bichette: Buying the 2025 Rebound?

27:08 Geraldo Perdomo: A Top-25 Hitter in 2025

30:42 Cody Stavenhagen Joins the Show to Talk Tigers!

35:16 Understanding Riley Greene's Mid-Summer Slump

40:42 A Deeper Lineup for This Year's Tigers?

45:21 An Underwhelming Trade Deadline

55:45 The Lack of Consistency with the Bats Despite a Higher Floor

1:02:06 A Very Strong System Capable of Bringing Long-Term Success

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Guest: Cody Stavenhagen

Producer: Brian Smith

Executive Producer: Derek VanRiper

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Eno and DVR discuss the upcoming return of Hunter Greene for a critical juncture in the schedule, and if the Reds might have found an undervalued group of pitchers despite the tendencies of Great American Ball Park. Plus, they look at James Wood's recent slump and the potential impact on his 2026 value, Jo Adell's career-year, and the bloated ratios of Griffin Jax despite great underlying numbers before recapping where the money went in fantasy baseball leagues this weekend.

Rundown

1:31 Hunter Greene: Expected to Return on Wednesday

11:05 Michael King: A Two-Inning Outing in Weekend Return

13:07 Chris Sale: Rehab Start Coming Tuesday; Hurston Waldrep Changes

17:27 James Wood’s Recent Slump, 2026 Outlook

26:01 A Decision to Pinch-Hit for PCA Against JoJo Romero

31:53 Expecting Regression from Jeremy Peña After Career-Year?

34:18 Time to Believe in Jo Adell, Now and Forever?

37:56 Making Sense of Griffin Jax’s 2025 Struggles

43:24 Where the Money Went: Luis Gil, Cade Cavalli, and Jakob Marsee’s Speed Ceiling

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

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Eno and DVR discuss the surprising speed contributions from Josh Naylor that have helped make him a top-20 hitter in fantasy baseball leagues this season, Cade Cavalli's improved arsenal in his return to the Nationals' rotation, and several players to consider on the waiver wire this weekend.Plus, Senior Hot Dog Correspondent Niv Shah joins the show to discuss the 'Oakland Dog', Jakob Marsee's surging roster rates, Carson Benge picking up a lot of steam thanks to an excellent start to his time at Double-A, and thinking about what can go right for Warming Bernabel as a 23-year-old getting an opportunity to play regularly at Coors Field.

Rundown

2:40 Josh Naylor's Early Exit, Surprising Speed Surge

9:05 Cade Cavalli's Stuff Improves Post Tommy John Surgery

14:45 Is Luke Keaschall the Next Jose Altuve?

23:19 Other Hitters of Interest: Dylan Beavers, C.J. Kayfus, Jesús Sánchez (Shallow League Appeal)

35:34 Senior Hot Dog Correspondent Niv Shah Returns!

45:40 Jakob Marsee Roster Rates Continue to Rise

55:05 Warming Up to Warming Bernabel

59:55 Pitchers of Interest: Nestor Cortes, Joey Wentz, Riley O'Brien and Cristian Javier

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Producer: Brian Smith

Guest: Niv Shah

Executive Producer: Derek VanRiper

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Eno, Trevor, and DVR discuss history on tap this weekend when Jen Pawol will become the first woman to umpire a regular season MLB game, the return of Michael King (and potential adjustments for JP Sears in the Padres' organization), the ways in which hitters can make life difficult on opposing pitchers, the struggles of relievers in new roles and on new clubs since the Trade Deadline, and Eno's attempt to sort out which team has the best bullpen in baseball.

Rundown

0:51 Jen Pawol: First Woman to Umpire in MLB Regular Season

2:30 Michael King: Returning Saturday; Potential Adjustments for JP Sears

7:57 Gavin Williams: Takes No-Hit Bid Into the Ninth Inning on Wednesday

10:32 Which Division Is the Toughest on Pitchers in 2025?

17:10 What Makes a Pitcher's Job More Difficult?

26:08 WAR Surfing in Evaluating Pitchers (and Cy Young Award candidates)

31:06 Making Sense of Reliever Struggles Since the Trade Deadline

38:17 Chase Rates Jump in the Ninth Inning?!

43:28 Eno's Look at the Best Bullpens in Baseball

53:34 Devin Williams' Chase Contact Rate Spike (Q from Bitcloud)

1:01:48 George Kirby v. Joe Ryan in Long-Term Situations (Q from Sierra Six)

1:08:47 Shane Baz's Slider Changes (Q from Thiago Splitchange)

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Trevor May

Producer: Brian Smith

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Eno returns to discuss a contract extension for Roman Anthony and to help determine if the Yankees' defensive shortcomings are as bad as the internet might lead you to believe. Plus, DVR talks Brewers with Vinny Rottino of FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin. What has helped propel the Brewers to the best record in baseball during the first week of August?

Rundown

2:03 Roman Anthony: Agrees to Eight-Year, $130M Extension

12:20 Aaron Judge is Back; the Yankees Are Still Spiraling

18:32 The Sloppy Mistakes That We Notice

29:00 Vinny Rottino Joins the Show to Talk Brewers

32:15 Jacob Misiorowski's Adjustments Since Spring Training

35:53 Brandon Woodruff's Impressive Return From Shoulder Surgery

41:46 Quinn Priester's Ascent in the Brewers' Rotation

46:34 Andrew Vaughn's Turnaround in Milwaukee

50:03 Brice Turang's Long-Term Power Potential

54:45 Jackson Chourio in Year 2

57:45 Sal Frelick Flying Under the Radar Outside of Milwaukee

1:00:37 The Glue Guys & An Organization In Sync?

1:08:53 Grayson Rodriguez: Elbow Debridement Surgery

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Guest: Vinny Rottino

Producer: Brian Smith

Executive Producer: Derek VanRiper

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