[SPEAKER_00]: Hello, and welcome to Baseball America's draft podcast Happy New Year.

[SPEAKER_00]: So first show of 2026.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Carlos Classo joined as usual, but sadly for not much longer.

[SPEAKER_00]: Peter Flaherty, welcome to the show.

[SPEAKER_00]: How are you doing, man?

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm doing great.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm out of you.

[SPEAKER_01]: I other than my voice.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like playing a little hurt.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_01]: Other than my voice and doing great.

[SPEAKER_00]: You had a college podcast earlier in the week.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think your voice is on the improvement from

[SPEAKER_00]: from that podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm glad that you're feeling okay, even if your voice is still catching up to how you're feeling, but Peter, I guess we can't really bury the lead here before we get into the show.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is going to be your last draft podcast, and it's very bittersweet for me, but excited for you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Peter has taken a job with the nationals as a northeast area scout.

[SPEAKER_00]: So congratulations and apologies to all of our listeners who have

[SPEAKER_00]: dial in on players and break them down for us on the show.

[SPEAKER_00]: So congratulations, my friend.

[SPEAKER_01]: Well, thank you so much.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I certainly would not be even remotely close to this position.

[SPEAKER_01]: If it wasn't for you and Jacob and JJ and Jeff Ben Mark, Matt Eddie, Josh Norris, Tim, everyone at baseball America.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm abundantly thankful.

[SPEAKER_01]: and endlessly grateful for all you guys.

[SPEAKER_01]: And as I said, yesterday, I love everyone at BA so so much and I think everyone can echo the sentiment of everyone feels so much closer to a friend than a colleague or just a work.

[SPEAKER_01]: I guess, compatriot, like, you know, even in our Slack channel, like, talking about football or just general random manusha.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's such a blast every single day and I've learned so, so, so much on the evaluating side from you, the reporting side from Jacob and JJ.

[SPEAKER_01]: The writing side from Mark and Dan from

[SPEAKER_01]: taking on the herculine task of editing my work.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it's like everyone has played such a huge part in getting to where I am today.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm just so beyond thankful for it and really, really lucky.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll never really know what I did to deserve it.

[SPEAKER_01]: But I am so, so grateful.

[SPEAKER_01]: And as far as the draft pod goes,

[SPEAKER_01]: maybe some people will miss me, but they're very well.

[SPEAKER_01]: They're more than great hands with you at the helm.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so I mean, I will, it's weird.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said yesterday, I will like soon be returning to subscriber and listen to our status now with BA.

[SPEAKER_01]: But only this time around, I get to bug you and Jacob and Jeff.

[SPEAKER_01]: everyone else via text messages instead of like just about it myself.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it'll be fun.

[SPEAKER_00]: You can join the allegiance of scouts who listen and then send me a text if I say something stupid about a player or something wrong, you can you can correct me from afar.

[SPEAKER_00]: And hopefully we can get you a comp subscription too.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think even more than more than earned that.

[SPEAKER_00]: But um...

[SPEAKER_00]: No, Peter, it's been a blast.

[SPEAKER_00]: I really have enjoyed doing this podcast with you over the years.

[SPEAKER_00]: 23 was your first year coming on where we kind of did this thing regularly.

[SPEAKER_00]: And prior to that, we didn't really have a consistent draft only podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I think the existence of the show and just the frequency of it, a lot of credit has to go to you for coming on here and just helping me do that all the time.

[SPEAKER_00]: Cause I know one of the,

[SPEAKER_00]: When I started to be at one of the things I wanted to do was a draft podcast, but I did a few where I kind of monologued by myself for a while, and I'm sure that was not exactly entertaining audio to people, and it's very hard to do.

[SPEAKER_00]: I still don't really understand how those folks who do single kind of talking to themselves to the camera for 30 plus minutes every week, or even with more frequency than that, how they do it.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's been a blast.

[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like

[SPEAKER_00]: just the back and forth that we have talking through players in real time here on the show has given me a better perspective on a lot of players.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think the product of our draft list and our draft rankings and obviously the the underclass stuff that you're doing basically on your own.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not nearly as much help to you on those as you have been to me on our just main draft list.

[SPEAKER_00]: So

[SPEAKER_00]: you will definitely be missed but I also am super excited to put on a national's cap and and roof for you and whoever the players that you're going to be able to to scout and hopefully you'll get some some players that you get signed in year one that would be great I think it's

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, from the outside looking even before this news, I think that the moves and all the changes and Washington were really interesting to see from afar.

[SPEAKER_00]: And now it feels like I've got a more vested interest in the operation there.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I'll also say, too, you are continuing a

[SPEAKER_00]: A legacy of B.A.

[SPEAKER_00]: members moving to the pro side that I really have messed up over the last few years.

[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like the draft role for a number of years was kind of a turn style of people who did this job for a year, for a few years, and then moved into the scouting ranks.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you're kind of ending the B.A.

[SPEAKER_00]: slump that I really started the last eight years, so it could host to you for keeping that going Peter.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's while we hate to lose talent to the big leagues,

[SPEAKER_00]: kind of cool to think, hey, teams want to hire people who work for us.

[SPEAKER_00]: So it's, uh, it's all to your credit.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, it'll be a fun and exciting new chapter into your point.

[SPEAKER_01]: I could not be more fire up about the direction in which the nationals are headed and the, uh,

[SPEAKER_01]: conglomerate of elite baseball minds that have been established over the course of last few months starting at the top in the front office and circling down in the scouting department it's an unbelievable group of people and I'm so excited to just essentially be a sponge and learn from everyone and contribute however I can so very exciting and look forward to look for to get going.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, all right.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, for this episode of the draft podcast, I kind of just want to look ahead generally to the 2026 class.

[SPEAKER_00]: And just kind of feel out of where you're at with the class at this point, talk about like my thoughts on the class at this point just kind of get us primed and ready for the start of the season.

[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of preseason and draft meetings are happening this month.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're doing a lot of our preview preseason content as well.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to get rolling here.

[SPEAKER_00]: before we know it in terms of games on the ground.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like I've reached this point weeks and weeks ago, but I'm really itching to get out on the field and see some players.

[SPEAKER_00]: So kind of wanted to take stock of where we think this class is going to be looking ahead and then also maybe towards the end of the show.

[SPEAKER_00]: We can,

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you think through and talk through like kind of how our process has changed or evolved or some of the lessons we've learned from previous draft classes.

[SPEAKER_00]: This would have been your what third fourth draft for D.A.

[SPEAKER_00]: Fourth, okay.

[SPEAKER_00]: And for me, I think 2017, 18, what in the first few years?

[SPEAKER_00]: So I don't really know how many that is, I'll tell my head.

[SPEAKER_00]: But near 10, but just how excited are you about the 26 class?

[SPEAKER_00]: Because I feel that the more I dig into players,

[SPEAKER_00]: the more conversations I've had with scouts and evaluators over this off season.

[SPEAKER_00]: And the more I'm just kind of like lining guys up and trying to contextualize them with previous drafts does a really good class.

[SPEAKER_00]: Myself and Ben, we talked about specifically the high school pitchers on the most recent future projection podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: That should be out right now if you want to listen to that specifically, but like this high school pitching class is great.

[SPEAKER_00]: One of the best years we've had in a long time

[SPEAKER_00]: that maybe goes under the radar a little bit because the highest ranked high school pitch we have in the class doesn't come on the board until 18 and I think that's just because the hitters in this class are so good as well like the depth of college hitters at the top of the class.

[SPEAKER_00]: I know I've been a little bit of a stickler and maybe a little bit too critical of some of the flaws that we have with some of the hitters at the top.

[SPEAKER_00]: But like the depth of of the middle premium position college hitters is really impressive.

[SPEAKER_00]: The depth of high school hitters at premium positions, as well, is really impressive.

[SPEAKER_00]: The tools that we have, the performance, like the track record or performance we have with players at the top, like, Brady Emerson.

[SPEAKER_00]: feels like he would have been a really solid, maybe even the favorite to be one, one if he was in last year's class.

[SPEAKER_00]: Rock Chalowski is the best, one, one we've had in this position, since I think at least Adley Ruchman, I feel pretty confident in saying that at this stage, Rock feels more locked into one, one status.

[SPEAKER_00]: As any player since 2019, when it was like Adley Ruchman's,

[SPEAKER_00]: spot to lose.

[SPEAKER_00]: So when you add it all up, and then also all three of the top college arms, Liam Peterson, Cameron Fluke, Cameron Fluke, excuse me, and Jackson Flora.

[SPEAKER_00]: They all seem like there at least in the same tier as like Hagen Smith, Chase Burns, Chase Savage at this time, prior to their draft years.

[SPEAKER_00]: So really it just, it feels like just a well-rounded, deep, impactful class across the board.

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe one of the best we've seen in a few years.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think every year post draft, I get a feeling of excitement because you get a new group of players to bear down on.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_01]: So you get that initial excitement and, you know, throughout my time at B.A., it's, you know, sometimes it will wear off a little bit, sometimes it won't, sometimes it only get more excited.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think with the group of 2026 is,

[SPEAKER_01]: I've only grown to like the class more and share in your sentiment.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think that there's really impressive depth throughout, but there's a lot of talent at the top.

[SPEAKER_01]: And you with the nail in the head, the premium position depth and guys that fit the bill of...

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, an up the middle profile with loud tools.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's a there are a number of players that that fit that mold and then you flip over to the pitching side and you kind of have this No pun intended of this arms race up at the top or who's going to be the top college arm off the board and then the high school pitching depth behind it.

[SPEAKER_01]: which on our rankings at BA start in the mid teens, but then it's this run of really, really impressive high school arms where it's like, you know, pick your poison.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think that there's, there's something for everyone and they're kind of a dealer's choice type of deal.

[SPEAKER_01]: But um,

[SPEAKER_01]: No, I think just in looking up and down the board and even stretching beyond the top 30 or the first round or so numbers wise, just on the ranking, like, there are a lot of guys that I really like in the second, third, fourth, even potential fifth round guys, according to the rankings, I think that there's a lot of talent throughout the draft and I think that there gonna be a lot of organizations who get a lot better.

[SPEAKER_00]: But one thing that stands out to me in contrast to last year's draft is just the volume of college hitters that I'd expect to go at the top.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, looking back to last year's class, I mentioned this again on the future prediction podcast so apologies if you're listening to both and you're hearing it twice.

[SPEAKER_00]: But last year, we didn't have a college hitter come off the board until I've our kit at number seven with the Marlins and just, I don't know if you remember immediately off hand, but how many college hitters would you guess right now Peter went top 30 last year?

[SPEAKER_01]: Pop 30 in last year's class.

[SPEAKER_01]: You posing it makes it seem like it's a medium question a little bit.

[SPEAKER_01]: So the air on the side of being conservative.

[SPEAKER_01]: I've went to the Marlins.

[SPEAKER_01]: Gavin Keel and went to the Giants.

[SPEAKER_01]: I like Irish went to the Orioles.

[SPEAKER_01]: four.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think I'm a little more, but I definitely did lead you.

[SPEAKER_00]: So there's there's seven.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was I've our cat Gavin Keelen who you mentioned.

[SPEAKER_00]: Mayor Cusen 16 to the twins Ethan Conrad to the Cubs 17.

[SPEAKER_00]: I gyros 19.

[SPEAKER_00]: Andrew Fisher 20 and then Jay Slavio let 27 seven of the top 30

[SPEAKER_00]: feels extremely low to me.

[SPEAKER_00]: And currently, just on our rankings, we have 15 of the top 30 our college hitters, and then half of our top 10, five players inside the top 10, our college hitters.

[SPEAKER_00]: Rocholowski, obviously, then we also have Derek Curiel, Justin LeBron, saw your

[SPEAKER_00]: whatever whatever your expectations are for next year's draft if you'll very confident and saying that we will have more than seven college hitters taken side the top 30 next year.

[SPEAKER_00]: I feel confident that we're going to have multiple college hitters taken side the top 10.

[SPEAKER_00]: One is is very very low inside the top 10 for any draft class and that is like the demographic that everyone wants at the top you want.

[SPEAKER_00]: Or for the most part, teams want to get hitters.

[SPEAKER_00]: They feel confident with at the very top of the draft.

[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of the times, if you can feel confident about a qualitative, all the better, you just have less projection, less risk, more.

[SPEAKER_00]: more data and just ways to feel confident in the performance better competition during the spring.

[SPEAKER_00]: So it's just a very good draft class all around with a headliner at the top.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, maybe we'll look back at this draft in five, six, seven years and say, man, do you remember how well we were talking about that class?

[SPEAKER_00]: No one really paned out.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like the 2018 class, I can pair this one on future projections well because it was such a good high school pitching class,

[SPEAKER_00]: It is just funny sometimes how you can talk really positively about a draft class before the draft and then things change, players get hurt, players don't pan out.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I guess we'll see, but the point you mentioned at the start of this about how you're excited that we get like a fresh group of players each year to dive through.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like the talent of this group this year has me excited.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can't wait to see who's going to go out and perform.

[SPEAKER_00]: how these position pedals are going to be settled and resolved.

[SPEAKER_00]: And also after doing prospect handbook section, not having to write the same player year after year.

[SPEAKER_00]: That always is just refreshing about the draft side.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it is nice going from handbook mode, where it's like at times, it can feel a little redundant and writing about or reading about the same player for right.

[SPEAKER_00]: This guy hasn't graduated yet.

[SPEAKER_01]: To going back to the amateur side, but no, I'm with you, I think.

[SPEAKER_01]: you know, that's what makes it so fun.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think baseball especially so fun is you never really know, um, you know, it like, baseball at least compared to the NFL or the NBA or even the NHL, like,

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you can feel as confident as you can in a player or a pitcher and you know, you don't really know at the end of the day.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it'll be interesting to see everyone pans out.

[SPEAKER_01]: It'll be interesting to see how the class takes shape over the next six months.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm with you though that at least right now it feels.

[SPEAKER_01]: There will be more than seven college haters that go inside the first three weeks like I feel like more hitters right now on the college side are closer to potentially playing their way into the top 10 and then they are playing their way outside of the first round like there are guys and that's doing right in the mid teens right now like.

[SPEAKER_01]: Chris Acopian and Drew Burris, who at the end of the day could end up going inside the top 10.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't think a whole lot of people would be super surprised by that.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it'll be very interesting to see how it all comes together and how it all takes shape.

[SPEAKER_01]: And just how far up teams will consider snagging a high-end high school arm or the college pitching class takes shape.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think compared to last year's class,

[SPEAKER_01]: I guess subplots to follow within the past.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it makes it all the more fun to follow.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well, while we still have you on Team BA, and I can ask you this question, who was your Kate Anderson this year, who we have ranked outside the top 30

[SPEAKER_00]: Who do you think has a chance to push into the first round?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, do you have one sleeper?

[SPEAKER_00]: Do you have one last personal cheeseball player or fan of?

[SPEAKER_00]: And Ben's guy seems to be at this point, Teagan Cunes, right, hand a picture out of Tennessee.

[SPEAKER_00]: This stuff he has and just the body that he has and his ability to spin the ball, it wouldn't shock me at all.

[SPEAKER_00]: If he pushed himself up into the first round, I feel like I apply that I've really come to like quite a bit who I could see pushing higher.

[SPEAKER_00]: This spring is Eric Booth, junior out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, just tool shed, fast, power, center field profile.

[SPEAKER_00]: He could be a guy who moves up.

[SPEAKER_00]: Is there anyone that you're particularly excited about that maybe is not at the front of draft fans minds at the top of the board right now that you think has a chance to rise?

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so I mean, he isn't a super deep sleeper and right now he ranks like right at the back of the top three, but excuse me, I don't know if he's necessarily on the front of draft next minds because, you know, the the star power at the top is getting a lot of love.

[SPEAKER_01]: But I really like Lucas more from Louisville.

[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.

[SPEAKER_01]: I gave some some love to him yesterday on the the college pod or two days ago rather on the college pod.

[SPEAKER_01]: And he's a hit hit first, really excellent defender and center field type of guy like Prototypical.

[SPEAKER_01]: Straw that stirs the drink atop the order really polished it to all good barrel skills.

[SPEAKER_01]: sprays, line drives all over the field, and can really go and get it in center.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's got double plus speed.

[SPEAKER_01]: And he also knows how to use it.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's kind of this raw free runner.

[SPEAKER_01]: The instincts are really good with Lucas.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's range to either gap, comfortable coming in on the baseball, uses it really well on the base pads.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think that

[SPEAKER_01]: one guy who he's a little bit similar in archetype two is in Rieke Bradfield.

[SPEAKER_01]: Rieke was in is a faster runner and a better defender.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's not an knock on Lucas.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's just.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's got with two 80s.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I was going to say those are not not too bad if you're outsped and out defended by the guy with two 80s on his card.

[SPEAKER_01]: those those aren't a knock on Lucas, but he's a he's a little bit in the mold of Enrique in that regard, so I don't know how high up the board he'll be able to play himself, like how high a profile like that will go.

[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like there's kind of a ceiling as to where you know you'll select someone like that, but you know if he goes in the first round, it wouldn't it wouldn't really surprise me at all.

[SPEAKER_01]: Another guy that is kind of an easy player

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I was wondering how often he was going to get that calm throughout the process.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I feel like he's he's very similar to Steven Quandee's probably more similar to Steven Quandee's in Rieke Bradshaw, actually.

[SPEAKER_01]: He might have a little bit more thump than in Rieke, but nonetheless, he's a he's a bad first centerfielder who can impact the game on both sides of the ball.

[SPEAKER_01]: So he's a lot of fun tools.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's some loudness there.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's just a very fun player.

[SPEAKER_01]: I've always

[SPEAKER_00]: a few other guys done the board that I'm pretty enamored with at this stage and could see rising this year.

[SPEAKER_00]: Landon Tome, we have him currently at 61 short stop out of Illinois, obviously the son of Hall of Fame for Spaceman Jim Tome, but

[SPEAKER_00]: I think he just has the hitting chops that I wouldn't surprise me if he moved at the board with a strong spring.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's bad speed.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's a lot of impressive power.

[SPEAKER_00]: Even if he's not like a long-term shortstop, I think he can do enough for you at the position now that with some improvement, maybe he could stick there.

[SPEAKER_00]: Different body type and look than his father, obviously, but

[SPEAKER_00]: Man, his hands are really, really impressive.

[SPEAKER_00]: And just the best beat impact and impact he's able to generate.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think is impressive.

[SPEAKER_00]: James Clark kind of right beside him, a short stop at a California, excuse me, is another one that I could see some teams being extremely high on, maybe higher than we have him on the board right now.

[SPEAKER_00]: Two, maybe more like polarizing offensive profiles that I wouldn't necessarily

[SPEAKER_00]: be confident in these but it wouldn't shock me if they moved up um they're just really interesting profiles uh and i think similar shades at at both the college and high school levels but Miles Bailey at Florida State if he can make i don't know like 10% 20% more contact this year

[SPEAKER_00]: compared to what he did just previously.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like his power is monstrous.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some of the very best raw power that you'll see, some of the best power in the class.

[SPEAKER_00]: We have him in like the Nolan Schubert range right now.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that makes sense given some of the contact questions and swing in a mince, but if he is able to add a little bit more contact, this spring, I could see people like buying that bat in the first round, like if he's able to make substantial improvements on the high school side,

[SPEAKER_00]: Dominic Santa Rally out of Wisconsin, LSU commit six foot one, 220 pounds, pilot a bit bigger than that, like he has a case for the best raw power in the high school class.

[SPEAKER_00]: He had a few really impressive showings last summer and some big events.

[SPEAKER_00]: I know people are very enamored with his power upside as well.

[SPEAKER_00]: I've already heard top of the scale, raw power for Santa Rally, and like some of the the most impressive that scouts have seen in several years.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if I would say they're both boombus because Dominic sincerely I do think has some pre-empressive feel for hitting but in terms of like raw power impact if you really are looking for a potential middle of the lineup bad, you can carry an offense like those are two hitters with massive power to dream on so if they have good springs like I could easily see them moving up from the 80 to 100 bucket we have them in now

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, big time miles Bailey, it's long been the question with him with his hit tool and how much contact he'll make.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's not the end all beyond, but over the summer across a nine game sample on the Cape, then he ran almost a 50% K rate, homework wants, 50% K rate is crazy.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, granted, it was in a 30 to a bad sample.

[SPEAKER_01]: He went seven for 30 to strike out 15 times.

[SPEAKER_01]: The power thing is probably the best of anyone in the class or like, you know, you could very reasonably are very easily argue it.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm currently doing the annual contact chase power plot for all the college hitters and like he unsurprisingly is is off in a section of his own on the list and like it really is like the Nolan shoe bar Dakota Jordan sort of range of Rob power it's not quite

[SPEAKER_00]: Jack Haggley owns power at the same stage his draft year like Jack had like a ridiculous 113 plus 90th percentile EV and I think maybe that is boosted because of the way Florida tracks data like the sample for Jack was always quite a bit smaller than a number of other players so maybe that was inflated a bit just due to some small sample noise but either way like since we've been doing that exercise his power stacks up with the absolute top end

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you don't really need a spreadsheet to tell you that when you see the home run he hits at the ballpark.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it'll be, I mean, when he squares one up and he gets one good and gets his ace swing off, it's, it's, it's as impressive as you'll see at the amateur level, just in terms of power.

[SPEAKER_01]: I just, it'll be very interesting to see and follow how,

[SPEAKER_01]: slash if his hit tool evolves over the spring and, you know, if it's kind of par for the course where that'll end up slotting him on the board at the end of the day and how much that'll potentially compensate his power, how much his power will potentially compensate for his lack of hit tool.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it's, you know, you're on the money I think with him being a pretty polarizing guy throughout the cycle.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_01]: Any other names?

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm trying to think and just go through and scroll through the board.

[SPEAKER_01]: L.A.K.

[SPEAKER_01]: Lewis at Wake Forest really smooth, low effort swaying from the left side, good feel to hit all the Georgia Tech hitters really for the most part.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's a really exciting group, Aden Robbins at Texas.

[SPEAKER_01]: I love

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I know just kind of rattling off names and not going super in depth, but um, those are some guys that are sort of towards the back half of the B.A.

[SPEAKER_01]: top 100 right now that that I like a good bit.

[SPEAKER_01]: Aiden Robbins especially, I think he's really interesting.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, he definitely feels like a guy that maybe could be a little bit higher than where you have him at the moment.

[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, this better ball data is pretty impressive as well.

[SPEAKER_00]: Um, okay.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, Peter, we're getting towards the end of this show here.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like if you've been here for a few years now, I'm curious like how your process has evolved, like if there are any like big lessons learned from doing this for a few years, I feel like for me, especially since we started putting grades on players, the biggest improvement that at least I hope that I've learned to make is just a better, being able to better contextualize,

[SPEAKER_00]: amateur players within the broader prospect universe.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think being able to do the prospect handbook each year and also just have a hand in our prospect rankings at the pro level in a smaller capacity but still helping out the the pro side a little bit just kind of gives you the the context I think you do need.

[SPEAKER_00]: The first few years

[SPEAKER_00]: I would often find myself really falling in love with the players who stood out against their peer group and I think going a little bit overboard in terms of my specific personal opinions on like upside potential and even if I think if you look back at the first few seasons where we put out tool grades on players, there was definitely an adjustment period that I needed to make in terms of

[SPEAKER_00]: The amount of sixes we had on hit tools in the 2021 draft class, I think was far more aggressive than I would have like to be with the benefit of hindsight and just I think having to put some some big offensive grades and players and say like okay like yeah maybe within the context of this class those great to make sense, but when you're also thinking about the elite hitting prospects that are months away from being at the major league level.

[SPEAKER_00]: probably want to back down those.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I think I've gotten more conservative as a grader personally.

[SPEAKER_00]: And hopefully that is for the better.

[SPEAKER_00]: I know there are some people who have different opinions on like you should use the whole scale.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like you want to have big grades to indicate separation at this level.

[SPEAKER_00]: So like you can have different opinions on it.

[SPEAKER_00]: But I think those are the adjustments I've made in the last few years.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I do think that like,

[SPEAKER_00]: because we've gotten more aggressive on actually putting those numbers on players, deep down the list, and then having multiple years where you can look back and say, hey, how far off on this were you, were you correct on this?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like having the number down in the first place, I think does help the feedback process in the future, so I'm glad we're doing that.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm hoping to expand.

[SPEAKER_00]: the grades.

[SPEAKER_00]: We put on players this year.

[SPEAKER_00]: Unfortunately, I guess I told you about that and you were like jumping ship.

[SPEAKER_00]: You want to know part and doing that with me, so.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm curious what your takeaways or biggest realizations or errors of growth might be that you'll use for the future and for the straff class.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I came in to be a bright eye and Bushy tail.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, how could you not?

[SPEAKER_00]: So I will say you on day one had a far greater feel for the evaluation side of things than I did on day one.

[SPEAKER_00]: So don't say yourself too short, Mr. Humble.

[SPEAKER_01]: No, no.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, but I think year over year, there hasn't like, there have been like little aha in light bulb moments to sprinkle throughout, but I think just as a general theme, year of year does try to refine and polish my process as much as possible and really just

[SPEAKER_01]: echoing what you said, just trying to get better and better and more thorough with my valuation, understanding and using all of the data, it might be disposal and how that can supplement in person looks and looks on synergy and just using everything that I can to paint as clear a picture on a player as possible, because I think with how the game is evolving,

[SPEAKER_01]: It would be kind of crazy to be, you know, I guess basing your evaluation solely on data or solely on in person looks in discounting data and you kind of have to meet in the middle and find this happy medium of, you know, how to balance both getting a look at a guy at the yard or on synergy wherever.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then also what the data might be telling you.

[SPEAKER_01]: So continuing to try and learn and grow as much as I can, you know, and kind of having the mentality as I said earlier of just being a sponge and learning from him has been a huge help.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then also this one sounds simple, but you know, looking at big leaders and you know, looking back and remembering maybe how they were in college

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, even just watching big league games myself, keeping in mind, like how good big leaders are.

[SPEAKER_01]: Right.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, like I know that sounds really simple and, you know,

[SPEAKER_01]: and whatever, but you know, and trying to ground myself when looking at a player, you know, trying not to get like too crazy high, you know, potentially falls on a guy like they're only so many big leaders in every draft.

[SPEAKER_01]: So just keeping that in mind and the biggest thing is just,

[SPEAKER_01]: You know, becoming as fluent as I can in evaluating these guys.

[SPEAKER_01]: So that's a that's a daily lesson.

[SPEAKER_01]: Something I've tried to get better at every single day.

[SPEAKER_01]: And that'll continue until I'm not in baseball anymore.

[SPEAKER_01]: Which hopefully won't be for a long time.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, as a good friend of the program once said, excellence is a continuous pursuit.

[SPEAKER_00]: So we'll continue trying to, to be as good as we can at this and learn from our mistakes and just keep improving.

[SPEAKER_00]: So excited to take some of those lessons and move them forward into 226.

[SPEAKER_00]: And hopefully for you listeners present, the best draft product that you guys have had.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's always a goal each year.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then for Peter, I guess it's to sign a couple big leaders.

[SPEAKER_00]: Really cool to say that, Peter.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, it's wild, wild to say, and wild to think about who knows if it'll uh, if slash one it'll happen, all I care about is is winning at the end of the day.

[SPEAKER_01]: So whenever it is getting a getting a world series would be uh, that's the end goal.

[SPEAKER_00]: So very much more to it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, congratulations to Nats fans who now have Peter on their team.

[SPEAKER_00]: It is an excellent addition.

[SPEAKER_00]: You will be missed very much my friend.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'll miss doing these podcasts with you.

[SPEAKER_00]: But I do take some sauce in the fact that I'm sure I'm going to run into you at a ballpark.

[SPEAKER_00]: Every now and then maybe we can get you south.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what exactly the summer coverage is going to look like for you If we can get you off the cape, but I'm sure I'll run into you at the park and Well, obviously keep in touch because Now you've been a tremendous asset to be a and can't wait to see what you do with the nats and I can't think of a better way to Kind of sign you off your APA than with another draft podcast

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, exactly.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's a very fitting, a fitting send off.

[SPEAKER_01]: And again, I can't thank you enough because I remember when we came up with the idea for the draft thought it was after my first college season of BA and you know, you nicely took me under your wing right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, we didn't even do it your first year, man.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's so missed out.

[SPEAKER_01]: You were like, hey, is there anything that, you know, you'd want to adjust going forward?

[SPEAKER_01]: And I was like, maybe we could do like a draft pot at a more regular basis.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think that would be fun.

[SPEAKER_01]: Then I guess the rest is history, but I've seriously earned so much for me, both on the evaluating side and looking at players and

[SPEAKER_01]: you know how to grade out tools like 0.0% chance I'm in this position without you.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I am endlessly thankful for that.

[SPEAKER_01]: And this has been such a blast, but we'll absolutely run into each other at at the ballpark on a on a frequent basis.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think I'll be stationed on the Cape during the summer because it's been used, which is nice.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think that's what that means.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll be keeping in touch with everyone just as frequent, if not more often than I was at BA because everyone is seriously the best and I've been so, so, so lucky to be a part of the team.

[SPEAKER_01]: Awesome.

[SPEAKER_01]: We'll be playing that by the handbook by the handbook.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll be back three.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's a great late Christmas gift, whatever you want, a to me from me for the baseball fan in your life.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's 900 plus in-depth reports.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that was one of the best times of year to subscribe, because there's a top 100 update on the horizon, all the top 30s are out, college contents come in, draft contents coming, it's a, it's kind of ramp up season.

[SPEAKER_01]: So, encourage everyone to subscribe.

[SPEAKER_00]: a true baseball American and a professional to the very end with the with the plugs and closes out.

[SPEAKER_00]: Peter Flaherty, ladies and gentlemen, Peter's been a blast.

[SPEAKER_00]: I wish you the very best to everyone listening to the podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for for hanging out with us talking baseball for supporting BA really appreciate it.

[SPEAKER_00]: And for the final time here, I guess for for me and Peter specifically, I'm Carlos, he's Peter.

[SPEAKER_00]: So long, everybody.