Future Projection

In today’s mailbag, a listener proposes an overhauled international talent acquisition system. Ben and Carlos react to that, then answer questions about Dylan Crews, Walker Jenkins and Austin Overn. 

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a  question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

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Ben and Carlos talk about the storylines—or lack thereof—during the stretch run of the major league season, then turn their eyes to the Arizona Fall League, which recently had rosters announced. Who are we excited to see? All that and more. 

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's...

Ben and Carlos open the listener mailbag to take questions about Athletics outfielder Devin Taylor, Cardinals shortstop Yairo Padilla, Tigers outfielder Cris Rodriguez and Rays first baseman Collin Bland.

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

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ASPCA

To explore coverage, visit aspcapetinsurance.com/FOUL...

Ben and Carlos talk about the Dodgers promoting outfielder Josue De Paula and get into what makes him such a well-rounded offensive player. The two talk about a few of the notable standouts from this year’s Dominican Summer League, including Angeibel Gomez, Johenssy Colome, Yostin Peña and others. The two then talk about Andrew Fischer’s bid for a 50-homer season, then get into a ton of fascinating shortstop prospects including Leo De Vries, Sebastian Walcott, Eli Willits and Josuar Gonzalez. 

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Ben and Carlos break open the listener mailbag to answer prospect questions about Rays shortstop Carson Williams and outfielder Slater De Brun; how we view teams’ track records in trading for players; how we handle the information handover from one draft class to another (and how teams do the same); and what the CBA ramifications could be for the 2027 Dominican Summer League. 

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Ben lets Carlos vent about the position player pitching epidemic in the majors before the two turn to more serious discussions about the $4 billion sale of the Los Angeles Angels. The two discuss what could be changing for the organization and the ramifications, then pivot to prospect talk. They talk about the promotions of notable prospects like Walker Jenkins, Ethan Salas, Lazaro Montes and Kade Anderson, then check in on some of the top 2026 draftees who have made official debuts. 

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After a few weeks off, Ben and Carlos reconvene to talk about the state of the 2027 high school draft class. How are we viewing the class with the bulk of the summer showcase circuit behind us, and who are the players who have stood out and improved their stock? Has No. 1 prospect Dylan Seward lived up to expectations? What’s the value of All-America games in 2026? And did we see anything close to this kind of performance coming with Pete Crow-Armstrong?

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Ben and Carlos open up the listener mailbag to take questions on Caden Bodine’s data, whether or not a Yankees outfielder will be an up-arrow name, general thoughts on Andrew Fischer and comparing and contrasting three up-the-middle college draftees.

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureproj...

Ben and Carlos talk about the 2026 draft signing deadline and spend a lot of time analyzing the Logan Schmidt situation. What went wrong and what comes next for one of the most talented southpaws available? The two talk about some of their favorite and least favorite deals of this year’s draft, then turn their eyes towards 2027, 2028 and the ongoing summer showcase circuit.

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Ben and Carlos open the listener mailbag to tackle a handful of 2026 draft questions including: where does Vahn Lackey stack up with other top 100 catching prospects; what was our favorite player/org pairing from the draft; does Kevin Roberts Jr. have the same hitting questions as Quentin Young; and how would we compare the elite defensive shortstops from 2026 to the elite defensive shortstops from 2025. 

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Ben and Carlos talk through the most recent draft proposal from the MLBPA. The two talk about the potential and the ramifications of college sophomore eligibility, thoughts on hard vs. soft slotting, moving the draft from July to June, whether or not draft pick trading is coming and how that could be more exciting for the draft process overall.

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Ben and Carlos break open the listener mailbag to answer questions about a number of topics including: Are teams changing their priorities for pitching stats? How does the 75% bonus minimum work in practice? Why do some players get significant over-slot deals? And which players outside of the top two rounds do we think have superstar potential?

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Episode 196: 2026 Draft Reactions

Ben and Carlos react to the 2026 draft. Which picks surprised them, which draft classes did they like, which are they more skeptical of and what are the big takeaways from how teams worked down the board for this crop of players? 

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Ben and Carlos are joined by JJ Cooper for a hybrid Future Projection/draft podcast breaking down everything we know or are hearing about the top of the 2026 draft. We talk through possibilities and players for each team’s first pick, talk about org tendencies, system strengths and weaknesses and try to get a better understanding of how the draft could unfold to get you ready for draft day. 

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Ben and Carlos talk through MLB’s proposal to shake up the draft and the international talent acquisition system, working through ramifications for the game, player development, scouting and more. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about Baseball America’s new top 500 high school player ranking, as well the new star rating system we are unveiling to help further contextualize high school recruits. The two talk about what separates a five-star, four-star and three-star high school player and then talk through some of the top recruiting classes in the country. After that the two hit on a few notable Top 100 risers and the different ways that UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey ended their 2026 seasons. 

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In this week’s listener mailbag, Ben and Carlos take questions like: can you make the case for Jacob Lombard over Grady Emerson? Where would UC Santa Barbara righthander Jackson Flora stack up with other Giants pitching prospects? Who are the top DSL pitchers to watch? Why isn’t Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson ranked even higher? 

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Ben and Carlos talk about the upcoming NCAA tournament and the players, teams and matchups they are looking forward to seeing. The two talk about the state of the college pitching in the 2026 draft class, and wonder who the best candidates are to come off the board after UC Santa Barbara righthander Jackson Flora. 

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Ben and Carlos answer mailbag questions surrounding Red Sox outfielder Justin Gonzales, Athletics shortstop Johenssy Colome, Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez and Mets shortstops Wandy Asigen and Elian Peña.

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a  question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Pr...

Ben and Carlos focus on up-arrow prospects who are not quite on the top 100, but are tracking up the board on individual Top 30s. The group of names includes a pair of Brewers lefthanded hitter, a trio of Guardians contact bats, A Rangers shortstop to know, even more Dodgers outfield prospects to be aware of and a few young arms with big stuff. They close with a chat about what scouting departments are doing this time of year as the college season winds down and the draft approaches. 

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Ben and Carlos open the mailbag to answer questions about the top defensive shortstop prospects in the minors; where 2027 California high school shortstop Dylan Seward would rank in the 2026 class; the center field likelihood of Derek Curiel, Drew Burress and AJ Gracia; and the odds that Justin Lebron slides out of the first round. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about the Mock Draft V 3.0, the most recent projection of the first 40 picks for the 2026 draft. The two talk about the latest rumors up top, whether or not Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson are in a tier of their own, and then talk through a number of different teams and picks throughout the first round and beyond. 

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In today’s mailbag episode Ben and Carlos take questions about Braves prospect rankings, how the top of the 2026 draft stacks up with recent classes and which players we are individually higher or lower on in regards to our updated Top 100 prospect list. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about the first significant in-season update to the 2026 Top 100 list. The two talk about a handful of 2025 draftees who are flipping the switch with strong starts to the season after questionable pro debuts in 2026. They talk about a few notable additions at the back of the list, including a handful of Rays prospects and Royals infielder Josh Hammond. They also talk about how electric Padres catcher Ethan Salas has been, and the consistent offensive production that Mets outfield AJ Ewing provides. 

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Ben and Carlos break open the FP mailbag and talk about hitters outside of the top 10 they have a lot of conviction in, complex league players they are anticipating, the logistics of academies in the Dominican Republic and what would have to happen for UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky to actually slide in the draft. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about the recent MLB draft rankings update and talk about the process this year. They then discuss a few potential first rounders they saw in person recently. Carlos talks about his two-inning look at Coastal Carolina RHP Cameron Flukey, while Ben breaks down New York high school shortstop Aiden Ruiz. That leads to a conversation about the challenge of projecting power, especially for high school hitters who might have big differences in game and raw power.

After that the two talk about the struggles of Alabama SS Justin Lebron and Mississippi State 3B...

Ben and Carlos take listener questions on a variety of up-arrow pro prospects including Orioles righthander JT Quinn, White Sox outfielder Samuel Zavala, Braves outfielder Eric Hartman and Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula. 

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Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

Ben and Carlos lament Chipotle’s points policy before getting into the real stuff. The two talk about a number of strong performances from a handful of 2025 draftees, including Seth Hernandez, Kade Anderson, Jamie Arnold, Tyler Bremner, JoJo Parker, Kayson Cunningham and others.

They then talk about the loud offensive season and power surge from Red Sox shortstop Franklin Arias, wonder about the strikeout tendencies of Tigers shortstop Bryce Rainer and talk about the approach overhaul of Nationals shortstop Seaver King. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about Ben’s recent trip to the Dominican Republic and then break open this week’s listener mailbag. Recommendations for college students who want to work in scouting, how we view the hit risk of Florida shortstop Jacob Lombard and whether we’d rather have the No. 3 or 4 pick with a smaller bonus pool, or the No. 5 pick with a bigger bonus pool. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about how they react when scouting opinions differ from their own, then take a few listener emails. How do pitchers add velocity so quickly? How do teams rank their own prospects and other prospects from other clubs? Why couldn’t the Pirates offer a ton of money to get Roch Cholowsky to them at pick No. 5?  

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Ben and Carlos talk about yet another ridiculously talented high school lefthander in this year’s class, Massachusetts southpaw Brody Bumila. After that the two talk about Konnor Griffin’s nine-year extension with the Pirates, then get into a number of impressive early-season minor league performers so far this season. 

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In today’s mailbag episode Ben and Carlos talk through Guardians 2B Travis Bazzana’s big league ETA, explain what they look for in prospect beyond physical tools and think through how added weight could impact Brewers SS Jesús Made’s defensive profile. The two answer questions about whether they are buying White Sox INF/OF Sam Antonacci’s breakout, whether there is still hope for Red Sox 2B Kristian Campbell and then answer more detailed questions about draft bonuses and leverage. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about the extensions for Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson and Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt. The two then talk about a few early performing Triple-A hitters, talk through a few of the standouts that Carlos saw in Cary at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational and then react to the news that Konnor Griffin is being promoted to the majors as the news breaks on the show. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about their impressions of the ABS system in the majors and then crack open the mailbag. The two take a questions about comparing recent top tier college prospects, Elian Pena skipping the FCL, DSL names we’re excited about, bonus pool logistics in the draft and why the first overall pick and other players take underslot deals as well as questions about A’s outfielder Breyson Guedez and Blue Jays prospects JoJo Parker and Juan Sanchez.

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Ben and Carlos talk about the new trend of teams calling pitches from the dugout in the major leagues and then get into some of the notable action items from spring training. The two gush over what they’ve been seeing from Pirates righty Seth Hernandez and Mariners righty Ryan Sloan, and also talk about what we’ve seen early on from a few other arms and a couple of Brewers bats. After that the two talk about Dylan Crews being optioned to Triple-A and then discuss the most recent draft board update and what best-case scenarios could look like...

On today’s mailbag episode, Ben and Carlos take questions on projection vs. present skill for college recruits, Josuar Gonzalez vs. Luis Hernandez for the Giants, fielding percentage as a tool for evaluating college shortstops, Will Gasparino and Mason Edwards and the stats that matter for high school players. 

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Ben and Carlos give their final thoughts on an epic World Baseball Classic, then turn their eyes towards prospects and spring training. The two talk about some of the top hitters who have played well this spring, plus a couple of notable pitching prospects who might have made key additions to their arsenals for 2026.

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Ben and Carlos break open the listener mailbag and answer questions on a trio of young Cardinals shortstops, why Brady Harris might be slipping in the draft and how his risk and upside compares to Kevin Roberts Jr., whether or not Elian Pena has a chance to be a top 25 prospect and what changes we would make to the draft broadcast. 

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Ben and Carlos talk about the World Baseball Classic and the drama surrounding team USA. After that, they compare and contrast some of the top college outfielders in the 2026 draft class. Why is Ben so high on Virginia’s AJ Gracia? And why can Carlos not quit on LSU’s Derek Curiel? Those two, plus thoughts on Sawyer Strosnider and Drew Burress—plus a few comments on his Georgia Tech teammate Vahn Lackey skyrocketing with more power this spring. 

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Ben and Carlos answer listener questions about how we know when to re-adjust expectations for prospects and the difference in value between center fielders and shortstops.

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