It's a Hard Game, Barrels Keep Losing Value!

Baseball is hard — just ask Nationals top prospect Dylan Crews and Twins slugger Royce Lewis, two players trending in very different directions. Eno, Jed, and DVR discuss Crews’ promotion to the Nationals and Lewis’ surprising demotion to Triple-A. Then, the guys dive into the diminishing value of “barrels” and whether baseball’s obsession with advanced stats has gone too far in 2026.

Rundown:

0:42 Dylan Crews Back with Nats: Will Adjustment Click?

10:41 Royce Lewis to Triple-A: Can He Reset at Triple-A?

21:39 How Barrels Have Lost Value

25:02 Heliot Ramos: A ‘Solved’ Player?

32:42 Bat Speed is Next: Is Goodhart’s Law Ready to Strike Again?

36:26 Miguel Vargas: Swing Decision Foundation, Power Added?

43:02 Cam Smith: Growing Pains a Cost of Rushing Player Development?

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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

With: Jed Lowrie

Editor: Jason Potere

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