Episodes
This week's MLB Pipeline Podcast is all about the bats. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff kick things off with a ranking of the top 10 pure hitters in the Minors right now, a list still topped by No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday. He's followed closely by this week's guest, A's top prospect Jacob Wilson, who talks with Jonathan along with his dad, former MLB All-Star Jack Wilson. The guys turn their attention to the Draft after that, diving into Jim's latest mock and looking at some...
Published 05/21/24
MLB Pipeline has refreshed its Top 100 Prospects list for the first time this season, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo & Jason Ratliff break down the changes on the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast. Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday and Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes claim the top two spots, Nationals outfielder James Wood enters the top five, Mets righty Christian Scott makes a huge leap and Mariners outfielder Lazaro Montes is the highest-ranked newcomer. Jonathan interviews Bucs...
Published 05/14/24
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. From the peak of the Minors to the bottom, the guys switch gears and look at the top prospects in the complex leagues, which just got underway last weekend, highlighted by some of the top...
Published 05/07/24
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...
Published 04/30/24
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...
Published 04/23/24
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...
Published 04/16/24
The MLB Pipeline Podcast crew is back with another fantastic guest from the college hitter ranks. This week, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo welcome in Florida Gators two-way star Jac Caglianone. Jonathan and Jim also preview USA Baseball's National High School Invitational, with Jonathan at the National Training Complex to take in the big high school tournament. After all that Draft talk, the duo switch gears, discussing the top Minor League rosters across baseball this year, headlined by the...
Published 04/09/24
On the latest Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff look at the slew of top prospects in Triple-A (Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday, Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes & Co.) and predict exactly when they will make it to the Majors this season. Then they interview Georgia slugger Charlie Condon, the potential No. 1 overall pick in July's Draft. After that, they discuss Ronel Blanco and the no-hitter no one saw coming and take a Draft question from the listener...
Published 04/02/24
Sure, the MLB season officially got underway in Seoul last week, but things really get going this week and next in MLB Pipeline world, and Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff are here to tell you all about it. They kick things off by discussing some big prospects making Opening Day big league rosters, like Jackson Chourio and Wyatt Langford. There's a ton of talent starting in Triple-A, with that season beginning on Friday, and the trio look at the sheer volume of guys at the Minors'...
Published 03/26/24
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. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff talk about all that transpired, from the much-anticipated Jackson Holliday vs. Paul Skenes matchup to standouts such as Spencer Jones and Brock Selvidge of the Yankees and Xavier Isaac of the Rays. Reds 2023 first-round pick Rhett Lowder joins Jim in an interview recorded prior to Spring...
Published 03/19/24
This week's MLB Pipeline Podcast is brimming with buzz about the inaugural MLB Spring Breakout. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff can't contain their excitement about the debut of the prospect showcase this week and they break down everything from the top rosters to the best matchups. While in Arizona, Jonathan got to talk to top Mariners prospect Cole Young about Spring Training, the top hitters in the organization and, of course, his own excitement in playing in Seattle's Spring...
Published 03/12/24
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...
Published 03/05/24
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...
Published 02/27/24
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....
Published 02/20/24
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, especially important because so much of the top of the Draft class are college hitters. No. 1 Wake Forest's star-studded roster is discussed and they look ahead to the Desert Invitational, which Jim will be broadcasting. He also welcomed in one of Wake's best hitters, Seaver King, a potential top 10 pick, for a conversation about...
Published 02/13/24
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...
Published 02/06/24
On the latest Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff discuss the Top 100 Prospects list that MLB Pipeline unveiled last Friday. They discuss why Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday was a relatively easy choice for the No. 1 spot and the immediate impact of what could be a historic 2023 Draft class. Other topics included players who made huge jumps, picks to do the same this season and which teams had the most representation on the list. Then the guys...
Published 01/30/24
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...
Published 01/23/24
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. To...
Published 01/16/24
In the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff dive into MLB Pipeline's annual Executive Poll. They discuss industry insider opinions on a wide variety of subjects from 2024 Rookie of the Year predictions, the best hitting and pitching prospects in the game, top prospect tools, which organizations do the best job of developing prospects and much, much more. The guys also break down prospects with breakout potential in the upcoming season and answer...
Published 01/09/24
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,...
Published 01/02/24
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. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit:...
Published 12/26/23
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...
Published 12/19/23
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...
Published 12/12/23
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...
Published 12/06/23