MLB Pipeline

Find out about the stars of tomorrow, from the guys who know today. Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) and Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) are your tour guides for this ride through the unfolding stories & breaking news in Minor League Baseball. From top prospects to scouting executives to farm directors, the MLB Pipeline is jam-packed with exclusive coverage of the minors you can't get anywhere else.

Sports
Baseball
26
Talking Rule 5 turkey with a side of Fall League
On this Thanksgiving episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff dish on all the 40-man roster/Rule 5 decisions made by teams, from the Top 100 prospects added to interesting decisions made by teams to protect or not to protect players. From there, the trio head back to the Arizona Fall League one last time, looking at players who faced Rule 5 decisions in the league to the ranking of the Top 25 prospects in the circuit. For dessert, the guys look at Jim's much-reviled long-term rookie rankings and answer a question from the mailbag.
58 min
27
That's a wrap on the Fall League
Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff put a bow on another Arizona Fall League season on this week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, but not before breaking down the 2023 Rookies of the Year, Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Carroll, and drafting potential 2024 ROY candidates. AFL Offensive Player of the Year James Triantos (Cubs) sat down with Jim in Arizona and then conversation turned to the championship game and all of the award winners, including MVP Jakob Marsee (Padres) and Pitcher of the Year Ricky Tiedemann (Blue Jays). They finished up, as always, with a question from the mailbag -- this one about Rockies flame-thrower Jaden Hill.
65 min
28
Fall Stars Shine
On the latest edition of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo focus on the Arizona Fall League and its Fall Stars Game festivities from the past weekend. They discuss several standouts from the AFL's all-star game, including Top 100 Prospects Colson Montgomery (White Sox) and Kyle Manzardo (Guardians) and 2022 first-round pick Eric Brown (Brewers)
51 min
29
Previewing Fall Stars Game, 2024 Draft
The latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast features Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff discussing the upcoming Fall Stars Game and looking ahead to the 2024 Draft. First, they talk some Arizona Fall League and players they hope to see in Sunday's all-star prospect showcase, including Top 100 Prospects Jace Jung (Tigers) and Kyle Manzardo (Guardians) as well as catcher Dominic Keegan (Rays) and outfielder Victor Scott (Cardinals). Then Jonathan sits down for an interview with shortstop Colson Montgomery (White Sox), another likely FSG participant. After that, it's on to the 2024 Draft as Jim and Jonathan discuss their top 20 college and high school prospects lists before participating in a 10-player draft and answering a related question from the listener mailbag.
72 min
30
Power Ranger
The World Series is upon us and we're halfway through the Arizona Fall League and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff dig into all of it in this week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast.
63 min
31
The Joys of Fall
If it's October, then the Pipeline Podcast must be discussing the postseason and the Arizona Fall League. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo do just that, starting off by riffing on the Championship Series before discussing some early AFL standouts. Sam Dykstra contributes an interview with Fall Leaguer Eric Brown, the Brewers' 2022 first-round pick. Then Jim and Jonathan discuss how the Rangers landed Evan Carter when not many teams were on him in the 2020 Draft, break down some organization hitters and pitchers of the year and dive into the mailbag for a two-part question about the Orioles' future.
68 min
32
Loving October baseball
The leaves may be changing and thoughts of pumpkins are in the air, but there's still plenty of great baseball to talk about on the MLB Pipeline Podcast
49 min
33
Awards & AFL
With the Minor League season ending and the MLB postseason and the Arizona Fall League beginning, there's a lot for Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff to unpack in the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast.
58 min
34
And the winners might be....
We're less than a week away from the first MiLB Awards Show, and Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff continue taking a look at the nominees on this week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast. After discussing the Pitching Prospect of the Year finalists last week, it's time to examine some bats and the Hitting Prospects of the Year finalists: Michael Busch, Junior Caminero and Jackson Holliday. The trio also breaks down the Breakout Prospect of the Year and MiLB Debut of the Year Award contenders. From there, the pod turns its sights to the Arizona Fall League, which begins on Monday, and the remaining matchups in the Minor League playoffs before answering a mailbag question about the best relief pitching prospects in the game.
41 min
35
Men of Steal
This week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast has plenty of speed. That's because Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff are joined by the Cardinals' Victor Scott II and the Rays' Chandler Simpson, who stole a combined 189 bags in 2023. The Pipeline trio also takes a look at the finalists for Pitching Prospect of the Year, discusses some intriguing promotions to Triple-A to close out the Minor League season, analyzes the most recent Rookie Power Rankings and answers a mailbag question about the top two on those rankings, Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson.
55 min
36
Never-Ending Callups
Big league teams keep promoting big-time prospects, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff discuss the trend in the latest Pipeline Podcast. Elite prospects Jordan Lawlar (Diamondbacks), Evan Carter (Rangers) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs) have been promoted in the last few days, and the guys tell you what to expect and surmise why this seems to be happening more than ever.
60 min
37
Where does Holliday's season rank?
On the heels of Jackson Holliday's third promotion of the season (this one to Triple-A), Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff consider just how special the No. 1 prospect's first full season has been, comparing it to the best full-season debuts and age-19 seasons in recent memory.
47 min
38
Welcome to the show... now and later?
On this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast, Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff dig into the slew of top prospects making their big league debuts lately, with some (Kyle Harrison, Noelvi Marte and Ceddanne Rafaela) potentially impacting playoff races. The trio then looks into their collective crystal ball to predict the likelihood of other Top 100 prospects getting the call to help their teams' postseason hunt. The guys then break down the newest additions to the Top 100 list before answering a pair of questions about Padres catching phenom Ethan Salas
55 min
39
Talking with the 2023 Draft Class
MLB Pipeline hosts Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, & guest-contributor Sam Dykstra drop-in for three in-depth interviews with college hitters from the 2023 Draft Class. Jim sits down with the Ranger’s 4th overall pick, Wyatt Langford. Jonathan chats with Nolan Schanuel, 11th overall pick for the Angels, and Sam talks with outfielder Chase Davis, first-rounder for the St. Louis Cardinals.
58 min
40
Top 100, farm system rankings and more!
Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff dig deep into the newly released rankings on this week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, starting with the top of the Top 100 list, looking at how the 2023 draftees fit in, just how unprecedented the top of the rankings is and where No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday fits in historically among all No. 1 prospects from rankings past. Jonathan sat down with Twins prospect Brooks Lee during a visit to St. Paul to talk about his climb from 2022 first-round pick to the top of the system. Speaking of farm systems, the trio then looks at the new ranking of all 30 of them, with the Orioles staying in the top spot for a fifth straight time, before wrapping up with a question from the Mailbag.
68 min
41
The Lists Are Coming!
MLB Pipeline's updated Top 100 Prospects list and organization Top 30s will be unveiled later this week.
59 min
42
It's all about the Trade Deadline
After a frenzied Trade Deadline, but Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff have you covered on all the moves from a prospect perspective on this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast. They discussed the four members of the Top 100 Prospects list who were traded (to the Mets, Guardians and White Sox), along with some other prospects who made big jumps up the rankings with their new organizations.
52 min
43
Meeting the Deadlines
The MLB Pipeline crew is on high alert with both the Draft signing and Trade Deadlines coming within a week of each other. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff have you covered on both fronts on this week's episode, first breaking down which teams in playoff contention have the prospects to make a big splash on the trade market, and how likely they are to do so. The trio turns to the Draft signing deadline after that, focusing on the bonus records set in this year's class. Shifting gears, the guys dig into how new Hall of Famers Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff were scouted and signed ... and traded before finishing up, as always, with a question from the listener mailbag.
61 min
44
Draft: '23 signings, '22 performers, '24 top pr...
A week after the Draft ended, it still dominates discussion on the Pipeline Podcast with Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jason Ratliff. They break down notable deals from the first week of signings, look at the best performers from the 2022 Draft and look forward to the top prospects in next year's crop. They also discuss the recent wave of Top 100 Prospects called to the Majors, led by Tyler Soderstrom (Athletics) and Endy Rodriguez (Pirates), and the two latest additions to the list, Roman Anthony (Red Sox) and Kevin Alcantara (Cubs), before fielding a fun question from the listener mailbag.
64 min
45
Draft & Futures Game Analysis
Straight from a Seattle Seahawks copy room at Lumen Field, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff wrap up the most chaotic week of the year by recapping the just concluded Draft and Futures Game. They break down what happened at the very top of the Draft, where LSU's Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews made history by going 1-2, and then delve into the rest of the first round before highlighting some of the teams they think did best as well as one pick in each of the top 10 rounds that they view as being the best value. Next, they recap the Futures Game, including the eye-popping performance by Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski, and the High School All-American Game and Home Run Derby, both of which saw 2024 Draft prospect PJ Morlando take top honors. And lastly, they answer a question about where the top pitchers in this year's Draft class will slot into the Top 100 Prospects list.
61 min
46
The Draft And Futures Game Are Almost Here!
Two of the biggest events on the MLB Pipeline calendar are fast approaching, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff have them covered on the latest Pipeline Podcast. First, the guys unveil the Number One Pick Odds Super Computer to calculate exact odds (and projected signing bonuses) for five players the Pirates could take with the top choice. One of those prospects, Indiana high school outfielder Max Clark, joins Jonathan for an interview before the crew breaks down the best individual tools in the Draft. Then it's time for our annual Futures Game home run derby draft as Jonathan and Jim pick the players they think will put on the best shows in batting practice before Jason tries to usurp them both with a squad of sluggers they passed over. As always, the podcast concludes with a listener mailbag question . . . which unsurprisingly relates to the Draft.
72 min
47
There's No Wrong Answer
In reviewing changes to the top of both the Draft Top 250 and the pro Top 100 on this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff agree that "there's no wrong answer" when debating whether Paul Skenes or Dylan Crews belongs atop the Draft list and when discussing Jackson Holliday or Elly De La Cruz at No. 1 of the Top 100.
69 min
48
It's Combine Time
Jim Callis & Jason Ratliff are in Phoenix for the Draft Combine, which occupies most of their thoughts in the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast. They discuss how the event has evolved in its three years of existence and spotlight some of the standouts from the past, including Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, who stops by for an interview. They focus on some players who could make an impression at this year's event, such as Vanderbilt left-hander Hunter Owen, Phoenix high school outfielder Duce Robinson and Minnesota righty George Klassen. After some College World Series talk and some musings about why Louisiana State righty Paul Skenes should be the No. 1 overall pick, they dip into the mailbag for a Draft question.
60 min
49
A Schoch-ingly Good Episode
On this week’s MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Jason Ratliff kick things off by looking at the upcoming College World Series and the elite-level draft talent still playing in it.
57 min
50
Booking a De La Cruz/Crews
Recording minutes before the Reds officially called up phenom Elly Da La Cruz, the MLB Pipeline Podcast gang -- Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff -- were prescient in spending a considerable amount of time in this week's episode talking about the No. 4 overall prospect in the game, including answering a mailbag question that asked the group to compare De La Cruz to the top position players in this year's Draft class. That helped the trio come full circle as they began the pod looking at the top Draft prospects still playing in the NCAA postseason, including No. 1 prospect outfielder Dylan Crews, his LSU teammate, right-hander Paul Skenes, and Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, the top three players on MLB Pipeline's Top 200 Draft prospects list.
61 min