DVR, Eno and Jed Lowrie make their final American League playoff predictions, picking all three AL division winners and three Wild Card teams as the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, Guardians, Mariners, Rangers and Astros battle for October.

DVR still can't quit the Seattle Mariners. Seattle enters the stretch run within striking distance of the AL West and owns an extremely favorable remaining schedule, but defensive shortcomings and an inconsistent offense leave plenty of reasons to question whether the Mariners can actually get back to October.

Jed also offers a player's perspective on what happens inside a clubhouse when a team with postseason expectations starts to fall apart late in the season, drawing on his experience with the 2011 Boston Red Sox. The conversation turns to the Blue Jays and whether Toronto can find another gear before time runs out.

Then, Eno digs into one of his favorite kinds of rabbit holes: batting stance changes. Carson Benge's impressive rookie season sparks a deeper look at why hitters open or close their stance, how those adjustments can affect vision and swing mechanics, and what Fernando Tatis Jr.'s changes reveal about the tradeoffs hitters make at the plate.

Finally, Name That Dude returns! DVR puts Eno and Jed to the test with clues about a mystery former MLB player before the conversation inevitably turns into baseball cards, heat maps and Statcast ideas.

Rates & Barrels is your home for smart baseball analysis, MLB trends, advanced stats, fantasy baseball and everything happening around the league with Derek VanRiper, Eno Sarris and Jed Lowrie.

Like, Subscribe and drop us a comment!

First Pitch Arizona: https://www.baseballhq.com/pricing/first-pitch-arizona-2026

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

Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Contributor: Jed Lowrie

Executive Producer: McEnroe Francis

Editor: McEnroe Francis

#MLB #MLBPlayoffs #Baseball #Yankees #Mariners #RatesAndBarrels

00:00 — Final AL Playoff Predictions

03:12 — The AL Playoff Race Is Chaos

08:38 — Can the White Sox Win the AL Central?

13:19 — Why Cleveland Can Make a September Run

16:49 — DVR Still Believes in the Mariners

19:35 — Mariners vs. Astros in the AL West

23:17 — When a Contender Starts Falling Apart

24:59 — Can the Blue Jays Save Their Season?

29:19 — Final AL Playoff Picks

31:41 — Carson Benge's Breakout Rookie Season

34:40 — Why Hitters Change Their Stance

46:30 — What Fernando Tatis Jr. Changed

52:14 — Name That Dude Returns

56:21 — The Mystery Player Revealed

56:56 — What Should Be on the Back of a Baseball Card?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.