{"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":"Where Have All the Closers Gone?","slug":"where-have-all-the-closers-gone","published_at":"2026-04-30T20:25:17+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/where-have-all-the-closers-gone","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/where-have-all-the-closers-gone","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/e/69f3b0a1f6208ffb23536828/media.mp3","summary":"Eno and DVR welcome former major leaguer Adam Ottavino to the show to discuss closers and why more relievers are racking up saves this season than in years past. The guys also dive into bullpen management and the ever-perplexing question of why closers tend to struggle in non-save situations. Later, Eno and DVR share their desert island favorite starting pitchers and reveal the biggest OOPSY droppers – with the correct chart this time. Rundown: 1:04 Where Have All the Closers Gone? 5:12 How Should Baseball Value & Reward Relievers? 8:48 New Bullpen Management 11:00 Is Better Balance Possible? 14:32 Why Do Closers Struggle in Non-Save Situations? 19:40 The Desert Island: Favorite Pitcher 26:33 Will Tigers Stick with Kenley Jansen? 29:40 Is the New Zone Causing K% and BB% Fluctuations? 32:48 Seattle’s Starters’ Early Strikeout Rate Slide? 39:08 The Biggest OOPSY Fallers  44:52 A Case for Lawrence Butler Despite Projections Drop Eno’s Article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7241759 Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social Follow Adam on Instagram: @adamottavino e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris With: Adam Ottavino Editor: Jason Potere Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Eno and DVR welcome former major leaguer Adam Ottavino to the show to discuss closers and why more relievers are racking up saves this season than in year…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3063,"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/where-have-all-the-closers-gone/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/where-have-all-the-closers-gone.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}