MLB Pipeline

Mock Roch Watch

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 [http://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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Dishing On The Draft Top 150 (Guest: Gio Rojas)

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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Draft fever.... catch it! (Guest: Grady Emerson)

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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Gearing Up For The Draft Top 150 (Guest: Travis Bazzana)

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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

"The Next Randy Johnson" arrives!

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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]