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
Holliday, Skenes And More
This week's episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast starts off at the very top of the Top 100. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff discuss the latest with No. 1 Jackson Holliday and his return to Triple-A and top pitching prospect (No. 3 overall) Paul Skenes and when the Pirates might call him up.
66 min
27
New Draft Top 150 and the list's highest risers
After releasing MLB Pipeline's updated and expanded Top 150 Draft Prospects list last week, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff break it all down on the latest Pipeline Podcast. They begin by talking about the players at the very top of the list, including new No. 1 Charlie Condon of Georgia, Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana and Florida first baseman/left-hander Jac Caglianone. After an interview with Arkansas left-hander Hagen Smith, the Draft's top pitching prospect, they identify the biggest risers and highest-ranked newcomers on the list and explain why they have helium. Then they wrap things up with a listener mailbag question about what the Guardians are thinking with the No. 1 overall pick.
54 min
28
Justins, Skenes & The Draft
On the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo discuss prospects past, present and future. Jonathan revisits a 2004 story he did on a college pitching duel between Justin Verlander and Justin Orenduff and relates how Verlander presented him with a Gold Pass last weekend to celebrate Jonathan's 25 years with MLB. Then Sam discusses his recent visit with Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, baseball's best pitching prospect, before we hear Sam interview Skenes about his overpowering repertoire. After that, the guys preview the imminent release of the Draft Top 150 by discussing how many legitimate No. 1 overall pick candidates there are, identifying the best prospect at each position and answering a related question from the listener mailbag.
63 min
29
Rookies, Prospects & The Draft
There's so much going on in every aspect baseball right now and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff tried to cram discussion of it all into the latest Pipeline Podcast. They started by talking about scorching-hot rookies (Michael Busch, Mason Miller) and Minor Leaguers off to fast starts (including Astros outfielder Joey Loperfido and Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander) as well as two big-name prospects just called up to the Majors (Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages, Rangers righty Jack Leiter). Then they switched gears to look at the Draft, interviewing Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery, to break down standouts at the recent National High School Invitational and to answer a listener mailbag question about which Draft prospects have boosted their stock the most this year.
49 min
30
Cagli-Oh My!
Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo welcome in Florida Gators two-way star Jac Caglianone.
54 min
31
Exact Time Of Arrival
Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff look at the slew of top prospects in Triple-A and predict exactly when they will make it to the Majors this season.
65 min
32
It's Opening Week(s)!
69 min
33
Celebrating Spring Breakout
MLB staged its inaugural Spring Breakout event with 13 all-prospects showdowns over the weekend, and the latest MLB Pipeline Podcast reviews all the action.
61 min
34
Spring Breakout Week!
This week's MLB Pipeline Podcast is brimming with buzz about the inaugural MLB Spring Breakout
61 min
35
It's Top 30 Time!
MLB Pipeline is releasing Top 30 Prospects lists for all 30 organizations this week, so Jim Callis and Jason Ratliff open the latest Pipeline Podcast by breaking down the rankings in a variety of ways. Jonathan Mayo checks in from his Cactus League adventure with an interview with Padres left-hander Robby Snelling before Jim talks about the highlights of his recent Grapefruit League travels. Jim and Jason then preview next week's Spring Breakout spectacular before answering a listener mailbag question about which Top 100 Prospect Jim and Jonathan disagree about most.
64 min
36
Spring Breakout Buzz
On this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff are abuzz with excitement over the start of Spring Training games and jump right in to early prospect performances in Grapefruit and Cactus League games while also taking a sneak peek at the upcoming Spring Breakout. One player they all hope will be playing in it is Tigers top prospect Max Clark, and he joined the pod to talk about his first Spring Training and who he wants to play with and against in a Spring Breakout game. From there, Jim and Jonathan draft power-hitting prospects to see which squad can hit the most long balls in 2024 and then answer a question from the Mailbag about a high schooler who could make a run at No. 1 overall pick.
54 min
37
Spring Has Sprung
Spring Training is officially underway, the college baseball season also has begun and Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo couldn't be more excited on the latest MLB Pipeline Podcast. They begin by discussing prospects fighting for jobs in big league camp, including Jackson Holliday (Orioles), Wyatt Langford (Rangers) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs). Then they're joined by another, as Diamondbacks shortstop Jordan Lawlar talks about a big league debut that took him all the way to the World Series. Afterward, the guys break down how top Draft prospects fared in the first weekend of the NCAA Division I season and answer a related question from the listener mailbag.
61 min
38
Back to School Day
On this episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff go back to campus to preview the start of the 2024 college baseball season.
62 min
39
Way to go, Joe!
Newly elected Hall of Famer Joe Mauer was the first-ever No. 1 prospect when MLB.com started rankings back in 2004. On this week's edition of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff take a look at Mauer and the other 'greatest hits' from 20 years of rankings, while also looking at guys who were top prospects who didn't quite live up to billing. The guys are then joined by former long-time Twins general manager Terry Ryan for a look back at how Minnesota decided to draft Mauer No. 1 overall in 2001. Then talk turns to the others in this year's Cooperstown class, Todd Helton and Adrian Beltre, before the trio discusses recent trades involving Top 100 prospects Joey Ortiz and Gabriel Gonzalez and finishes up with a question from the Mailbag.
74 min
40
What Gives With The New Top 100?
Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff discuss the Top 100 Prospects list that MLB Pipeline unveiled last Friday.
63 min
41
Gearing up for the Top 100
It's a special time of year as we near the release of a new Top 100 prospects list, and this week's episode helps get everyone ready. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff take a closer look at a quartet of Top 10 by Position lists (C, 1B, 2B, 3B), with Jim and Jonathan picking the player on each list who most intrigues them, as well as a sleeper pick from outside the top 10. Then Jim and Jonathan put their draft hats on to select a 10-man squad using only players on the Top 10 by Position lists before finishing up with a question from the Mailbag.
51 min
42
IHOP (International House of Prospects)
To celebrate the opening of the 2024 international signing period, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff welcome in international prospect guru Jesse Sanchez to this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast to break down the top players and all the signings. It's also the start of prospect ranking season, so the guys take a closer look at the first two Top 10 position lists, the right-handed and left-handed pitchers, before answering a Mailbag question about righty pitching prospects.
45 min
43
Survey Says...
In the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff dive into MLB Pipeline's annual Executive Poll
56 min
44
Looking Ahead, Looking Back
On the newest addition of the Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jason Ratliff divided their attention between the year to come and the year just completed. First, they try to project when some of the most anticipated 2024 big league debuts will occur, including those of Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday, Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio and Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes. Then they break down six farm systems that improved most in 2023, highlighted by the Brewers and Cubs, before fielding a listener mailbag question about the most impressive pro debuts from members of the 2023 international class.
50 min
45
Predictions: Looking back at 2023 and ahead to '24
In this special year-end episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff take a look back at the predictions that were made for 2023, highlighted by correctly picking both Rookies of the Year. Jim and Jonathan also looked ahead to '24 to make a new set of predictions, from top rookies to who will be the Pipeline Hitting and Pitching prospects of the Year in the new season.
48 min
46
Draft Top 100 + an interview with the No. 1 pro...
In the penultimate MLB Pipeline Podcast of 2023, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff bring a lot of 2024 Draft talk your way. The guys break down the newly minted Top 100 Draft Prospects list, which has an historic number of college hitters at the top, and are joined by the No. 1 player on the list, West Virginia infielder JJ Wetherholt. Then they turn their sights to MLB's exciting new Spring Breakout event, where the best prospects from each organization will square off against each other during Spring Training, before finishing up with a question from the mailbag.
57 min
47
Tools and the Trades
On this week's MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff give a sneak peek at the soon-to-be released 2024 Draft Top 100 list by breaking down each of the top tools from the list, from hit and power to fastball and control. The guys then take a look at the big Juan Soto trade as well as the deal the Dodgers made to clear 40-man space for Shohei Ohtani, with both deals involving the Yankees. From there, they turned their sights to last week's Rule 5 Draft, with Jim and Jonathan each making a "pick to stick" before finishing up with a question from the mailbag.
53 min
48
Lottery Pays Off For Ohio
The latest Pipeline Podcast comes on the heels of the second annual Draft Lottery, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff break down the results. In a stunning turn of events, the Guardians moved up from the No. 9 pick to No. 1 and the Reds jumped from No. 13 to No. 2. Jonathan sat down with Paul Gillispie, Cleveland's vice president of scouting, to discuss the ramifications of the first No. 1 overall choice in franchise history. There's also talk about the game's top two prospects (Orioles middle infielder Jackson Holliday, Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio) making news, a pair of trades that have happened at the Winter Meetings and a listener mailbag question about how the top three picks in the 2024 Draft could play out.
62 min
49
Prepping for the Winter Meetings
The baseball world will descend on Nashville next week for the Winter Meetings and the MLB Pipeline Podcast gets you ready. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick off this Winter Meetings-focused episode by talking about the second Draft Lottery and how it will impact the 2024 Draft order. From there, they start previewing the Rule 5 Draft before welcoming in Cubs national crosschecker Marti Wolever, one of this year's Scouts of the Year who will be honored in Nashville. After that conversation, the trio look at teams with the prospect depth to pull off a big trade next week before answering a question in the Mailbag.
64 min
50
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