Leadoff Talk: A Baseball Podcast With Katelin and Gabe · Leadoff Talk: A Baseball Podcast

Episode 46: NL West Preview, Along with NL Playoff Predictions and NL Award Winners

·34 min·2 clips

The Padres add Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Juan Soto, and Manny Machado in one lineup.

1. Leadoff Talk: A Baseball Podcast With Katelin and Gabe uses this episode to preview the NL West and discuss National League awards. 2. Katelin and Gabe host the show, and they frame the segment around their own division rankings and award picks. 3. The episode asks whether the Padres, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Giants, or Rockies belong at the top of the NL West. 4. Gabe opens with the Rockies at fifth, the Giants at fourth, the Dodgers at third, the Diamondbacks at second, and the Padres at first. 5. Katelin flips the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, which turns the standings debate into the core argument of the episode. 6. The Rockies section focuses on Nolan Arenado, Chris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon, CJ Cron, Nolan Jones, and Michael Toglia. 7. Both hosts say the Rockies' roster construction makes little sense and that the club still feels difficult to trust. 8. The Giants discussion names Logan Webb, Alex Wood, Sean Manaea, Alex Cobb, Ross Stripling, Jacob Junis, and Carlos Rodón-related expectations. 9. They describe San Francisco as a team with useful pitching and uncertain position-player production. 10. The Dodgers segment covers Freddie Freeman, Gavin Lux, Trey Turner, Max Muncy, Miguel Vargas, Trace Thompson, Noah Syndergaard, Dustin May, and Evan Phillips. 11. Katelin argues that Los Angeles lost enough talent that a down year is possible even if the club still projects well. 12. Gabe pushes back by pointing to the Dodgers' depth and the possibility that they still win 100 games. 13. The Diamondbacks conversation highlights Corbin Carroll, Zac Gallen, Gabriel Moreno, Christian Walker, Alek Thomas, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Kyle Lewis, and Jake McCarthy. 14. Katelin treats Arizona as a team with speed, youth, and upside, but also says the pitching depth may be the limiting factor. 15. The Padres discussion names Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, Ha-Seong Kim, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Josh Hader, and Drew Pomeranz. 16. Gabe and Katelin describe San Diego as a roster with elite talent at almost every level and very few obvious weaknesses. 17. The tone is conversational and argumentative, with both hosts interrupting, joking, and pushing back on each other's team rankings. 18. The format moves from standings talk to awards talk, then to a short closing aside about the World Baseball Classic. 19. Listeners who follow NL West roster construction and award races would like this episode. 20. Listeners who want a formal breakdown with little back-and-forth banter might skip it.

As heard by us

A brisk West preview that keeps the roster math honest.

Caitlin and Gabe move through an NL West ranking with playoff talk and National League award chatter folded in. The pace stays brisk, but it still leaves room for the baseball logic behind each pick, from the Rockies outlook to the talent on the Padres roster.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want an NL West order that actually argues with itself?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Leadoff Talk: A Baseball Podcast With Katelin and Gabe