{"podcast":{"title":"Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball","slug":"rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652","podcast_index_feed_id":692652,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879","website_url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/podcasts/","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/1774225915041-25aacc15-e115-4d2e-b3fa-72decc9773cb.jpeg","author":"The Athletic","episode_count":1068,"summary":"In baseball, numbers are everywhere. But they’re not just numbers. For Derek VanRiper and Eno Sarris, they’re the keys to solving the most fun problem in sports. Every weekday, join DVR and Eno as they unpack baseball in ways you’ve never heard before, endeavoring to figure out all they can about a sport that’s constantly changing. Alongside contributors Britt Ghiroli, Trevor May and Jed Lowrie, the Rates & Barrels crew breaks down all the latest MLB news through an analytical lens, feeding your unhealthy addiction to numbers, while helping you master your fantasy baseball GM skills. But wait, there's more: come back for Saturday mornings in Starkville, where Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville talk to some of the most important players, coaches, and thought leaders in the league. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-26T10:19:52.816182+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652"},"episode":{"title":"Is There a Stat That Shows Us How Much Pitchers Fear Hitters?","slug":"is-there-a-stat-that-shows-us-how-much-pitchers-fear-hitters","published_at":"2026-06-17T20:22:38+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/is-there-a-stat-that-shows-us-how-much-pitchers-fear-hitters","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652","url":"https://shows.acast.com/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball/episodes/is-there-a-stat-that-shows-us-how-much-pitchers-fear-hitters","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/e/6a32ff41850e5a198df04054/media.mp3","summary":"Drew Rasmussen’s incredible run continues. Today, Eno, Jed, and DVR dig into the factors behind the Rays right-hander owning the best ERA in baseball since 2021 among qualified starters not named Shohei Ohtani. Then, they discuss whether Zone% can reveal which hitters pitchers fear the most. Later, the guys examine the recent regressions of Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman before wrapping up with a daunting round of Name! That! Dude! Rundown: 0:50 Drew Rasmussen’s Run 3:48 Eno at World Cup 6:33 Cooper Pratt’s Debut 8:47 Sal Stewart vs. Bryce Eldridge 12:20 Adjustment Phases: The League Will Find Flaws, Eventually 18:11 Leaning on Strengths: Use Them Until They Stop Working! 26:04 Zone Rates for Feared Hitters 32:30 Middle-Middle Fastballs: Another Potential Indicator? 38:04 Rafael Devers’ Slide 40:20 Alex Bregman: Declining Gracefully Still Messes with Us 42:18 Mookie Betts: Plate Discipline Holding Steady 45:36 Vision Driving Decline 50:08 Name! That! Dude! Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Host: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris With: Jed Lowrie Editor: Jason Potere Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Drew Rasmussen’s incredible run continues. Today, Eno, Jed, and DVR dig into the factors behind the Rays right-hander owning the best ERA in baseball sinc…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3617,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/episodes/is-there-a-stat-that-shows-us-how-much-pitchers-fear-hitters/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/is-there-a-stat-that-shows-us-how-much-pitchers-fear-hitters.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}