
Pitcher Risers & Fallers
From Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball by The Athletic
June 4, 2026 · 1h 12m
About this episode
The episode discusses MLB's luxury tax, player injuries, and trends in minor league offense.
Commissioner Rob Manfred says MLB's luxury tax is a failure, Aaron Judge's injury situation is getting more serious, and George Kirby's strikeouts are missing. Eno, Trevor, and DVR discuss those topics, and dig into a few risers and fallers in K-BB% between March/April and May, before taking a look at a surprising surge in homers and runs across all minor-league levels below Triple-A. Rundown: 0:38 Commissioner Manfred Calls Luxury-Tax System a Failure 3:42 A Shocker: Franchise Valuations Are Key for Owners 10:29 ‘Fairness’ Is the Message: Is That *Really* The Goal? 12:36 Aaron Judge’s Rib Injury 18:31 George Kirby’s K’s: Where Did They Go, Can We Find Them? 31:19 K-BB% Risers & Fallers: Biggest Movers Between April and May 52:15 The Ball Beat: How Do Teams Model Differences? 1:00:33 Offense Up in Minor Leagues Evan Drellich: 'Commissioner Rob Manfred, who once touted MLB’s parity, says luxury-tax system has failed' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7331800 Eno Sarris & Britt Ghiroli: 'Some MLB organizations are more injury-prone than others. Is that bad luck or a system issue?' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7330754 J.J. Cooper: 'Home Runs Are Exploding Across The Minor…
People in this episode
Hosts: Eno Sarris, Trevor May, DVR
Topics covered
- luxury tax
- injuries
- K-BB%
- minor leagues
- home runs
- franchise valuations
Keywords
- Rob Manfred
- Aaron Judge
- George Kirby
- K-BB%
- minor leagues
- home runs
- luxury tax
- injury-prone
- franchise valuations
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MLB, The Athletic
Books & works: Home Runs Are Exploding Across The Minor Leagues—And No One Knows Why, Some MLB organizations are more injury-prone than others. Is that bad luck or a system issue?, Commissioner Rob Manfred, who once touted MLB’s parity, says luxury-tax system has failed
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