Derek VanRiper
@DerekVanRiper
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Executive Producer, Podcasts @TheAthletic | Rates & Barrels | (he/him)
Wisconsin, USA
Joined March 2009
In response to the weekend share of only my team. “Where is the rest of this draft board? Who ate the rest of this? We’ve never had so many complaints!”. (Not expecting Paul Skenes at 25 again this draft season. Inspired lizard brain move to combine him with deGrom and Hader.).
The first 23 rounds of DVR's draft-and-hold at First Pitch Arizona. With it being early and the first draft for most folks in the room, there are usually a few things that happen that won't happen again between now and Opening Day. (DVR is Team 6 -- J-Ram start.)
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I’m still genuinely curious how you extract $4.5M from an account before anybody knows it’s happening.
Shohei Ohtani: “Ippei has been stealing money from my account, and has told lies.”.
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It's going to be the Dodgers again, isn't it?. Something like. Miguel Vargas.Michael Busch.Andy Pages.Bobby Miller.Landon Knack. for . Juan Soto.Some Nats reliever with a 8+ ERA who will end up pitching high-leverage innings in October.
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Steph and I welcomed Brayden Noah VanRiper into the world on Feb. 15th — baby and mom are doing great — and we are all adjusting to the new normal for our growing family! Hazel has quickly figured out her new best friend and is very protective of him.
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Unreal. Strike Three call to Yelich with two on in the 10th.
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I’m very excited to announce that I have joined @TheAthletic!. We have a lot of great things brewing for the upcoming season. Need a draft kit? We’ve got you covered @TheAthleticFS. Get 40% off your subscription:.
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The length of the All-Star break should be the same for all 30 teams.
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It’s incredibly sad that such a small man, whose fortune will far outlast his time on this planet, can destroy something beloved by so many people just so he can have a little bit more.
When you stop to think about how stupid, how utterly and bafflingly stupid, it is for the A’s to leave Oakland to play in a minor league park in Sacramento for at least three years in the increasingly less likely hope of someday being in Las Vegas, it really staggers the mind.
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@robertmays If it makes you feel any better, the pain you feel from admitting that is equal to my joy in watching it happen.
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Including Smoak, my back of the napkin math with 2019 fWAR vs. 2020 projected fWAR (through Steamer) has the Brewers at 0.0 change from last season. In terms of payroll, they are ~$25M *below* their 2019 commitments (using MLBTR arb estimates). They're probably not done.
The Brewers have had an interesting offseason.
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Wildly inaccurate.
This is the least compelling World Series matchup in a long time, maybe ever. MLB made a lot of great and overdue changes this season but it's time to contract the playoffs and give the regular season more meaning.
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Don't worry Reds fans, I'm sure tickets and concessions will cost less this season. oh wait.
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As you may have heard, tomorrow is my last day at RotoWire. There's no perfect way to sum up 13+ years in a one-minute video or a 500-word blog post, but here's my attempt at the latter: .
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These are Dashboard Confessional lyrics.
It is now midnight and no one is moving as the two sides moving ever so closer.
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Quarterback, writer, PhD candidate, teacher, pastry chef, librarian, clown, lawyer. it doesn’t matter what you do, you don’t owe it to anybody to keep on doing it.
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Has anybody attempted to calculate the number of steals Rickey would have had with the pizza boxes and the current disengagement rules?.
Elly De La Cruz is up to 30 SB. only others with 30+ SB in their team’s 1st 44 games, since 1901:. 1996 Kenny Lofton.1988 Rickey Henderson.1987 Vince Coleman.1986 Henderson.1982 Henderson.1981 Tim Raines.1974 Lou Brock.
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White Sox fans don't deserve this, but it's truly amazing from afar.
"When was the last time you saw somebody intentionally walked on 1-2?". "Doesn't happen often.". *Boom*
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Put Soto and Wander on the same team. That might be cool.
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Why not press pause for the next 14-21 days? Week 4 resumes in Week 6 or Week 7, have quarantine and isolation periods to stop the spread.
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The Jeopardy clue I have been waiting most of my life for.
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Turns out, I was Toby Flenderson in this one.
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Mike Moustakas gets a massive home park boost. The three-year LHH HR index in KC was 85 from 2015-17. MIL = 131.
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I'm supposed to start dinner, but I've resorted to doom-scrolling my baseball Twitter list while eating a bowl of chocolate chips.
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I won't draft a closer early. I won't draft a closer early. I won't draft a closer early. I won't draft a closer early. I won't draft a closer early. I won't draft a closer early. (Sees Edwin Diaz on the board at 83 overall. Smashes Draft button.).
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It’s happening, isn’t it?.
It's a 2-walk, 2-steal season debut for Victor Robles.
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Can we make 2022 the last year of two-catcher leagues?.
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We are still doing this?.
Ozzie had a STRONG reaction to Pedro Grifol's comments about "data and analytics". "Those data/analytic guys, they're a bunch of nerds with computers telling people what to do and say. Those guys never played the game. "Put the computer down, go downstairs and be a coach."
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Max Meyer fires six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts and no walks with 23 swinging strikes against one of the best lineups in recent history on Saturday and gets optioned to Triple-A on Monday? Cool cool.
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BREAKING: First baseman Rhys Hoskins and the Milwaukee Brewers are finalizing a two-year, $34 million contract with an opt-out after the first season, sources tell ESPN.
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I would love to know how a seemingly ordinary person steals $4.5 million from a friend.
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Imagine paying Nolan Arenado $51M to play for another club, and then calling out a team that is currently boat racing you for its spending habits. Sell the team, Dick.
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Feeling very fortunate tonight after a deer ran into the driver-side door of my car when Steph, Hazel and I were on the freeway coming home from Milwaukee. Things could have been so much worse, especially at ~75 mph.
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In a very surprising start to the #BeatDVR League, I've got. 1.1. Trout.2.12 Altuve.3.1 Machado. Didn't even really think about the possibility of getting those three guys on the same roster.
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Taylor Swift made it from Japan to Vegas for the Super Bowl straight from the stage, but Acuña’s injury update can’t make it from LA to Orlando in one afternoon?.
#Braves will not have an update on Acuña until Tuesday, given the three-hour difference and timing of his his checkup today with surgeon in L.A.
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It’s probably time to go ahead and expand the baseball pod schedule a bit. Why wait until March?.
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Also, I've brought on a new co-manager for the 2022 season.
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I’m still on the side wondering if the addition of the pitch clock has also made the injury problem worse.
Honest thought. At some point does high velocity get devalued for pitchers or will be deal with constant injures forever?. Is there an adjustment coming in scouting or PD or is high velo too effective to shy away from. Maybe we’re just moving towards 50 pitch starts at max effort.
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“Grandma always used to say the two happiest days of your life are the day you sign with the Mets, and the day you waive your no-trade clause to get away from the Mets.”.
Industry sources suggest to @AnthonyDiComo that Max Scherzer could be willing to waive his no-trade clause if #Mets continue to struggle.
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Let's try it in a sentence. Brewers first baseman Kyle Schwarber homered twice in his first game against his former club.
Is it unreasonable to wonder if Kyle Schwarber might be a passable first baseman?.
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Here's a fun stat as you enjoy your brunch beverages. Salvador Perez had 255 batted balls at 95+ MPH last year. The next closest catcher had 156. (J.T. Realmuto). Among all hitters, only Vlad Jr. had more (274).
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Incredible. I never thought I'd see the Bucks win a title. What a freaking series from Giannis! . Going with a celebratory Maple Barrel Bourbon Stout from @CWBrewing in a coffee mug.
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I'm already prepared for Noah Syndergaard to be a ~4 fWAR guy for the Dodgers while Tyler Anderson goes back to being a ~2 fWAR guy for the Angels.
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A huge honor for us -- it's always a great field of finalists for this award. Psyched to continue growing this show in the years ahead with Eno & @Britt_Ghiroli!. Also, a shoutout to the judges for all of these awards putting in a ton of hours reading, watching, and listening.
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2B Tony Kemp.3B Kevin Smith.DH Eric Thames/Chad Pinder.C Sean Murphy.LF Billy McKinney/Sheldon Neuse.RF Stephen Piscotty.1B Seth Brown.SS Elvis Andrus.CF Cristian Pache.
Just spitballin' . SS Trea Turner.RF Mookie Betts.1B Freddie Freeman.3B Justin Turner.DH Max Muncy.C Will Smith.LF AJ Pollock.2B Chris Taylor.CF Cody Bellinger.Pick the order out of a hat and you couldn't go wrong. #Dodgers.
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RIP, Lawr Michaels. If you were lucky enough to meet Lawr, it didn’t take long to realize that he was one of the kindest, most genuine people around. He could talk about anything with anybody, and Lawr was great at making everybody feel welcome. I still can’t believe he’s gone.
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I’ve seen a lot of Bourdain’s shows over the years, but starting up Parts Unknown to watch the entire series from start to finish is one of the best viewing choices I’ve made in a long time.
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If the #Brewers were to add Didi Gregorius, it's likely another Grandal situation where he's around for a year, plays well, and leaves for a multi-year deal next winter. Given his pull tendencies as a left-handed hitter, Miller Park is obviously a very good spot for him.
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RT with your three favorite covers of all time. Mine. “Hurt” - Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails). “All Along the Watchtower” - Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan). “Friend is the Devil” - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Grateful Dead).
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A five-year fWAR leaderboard with percentage of max games played between 2018-2022 (708 is the max). Freddie Freeman and Marcus Semien > 98%!. Trout (68.1%) and Judge (77.3%) ranking second and third in fWAR, respectively, despite injury absences.
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I don't know why I want to see Trea Turner sign with the D-backs, but that's my preferred surprising big-splash signing player-team combo.
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We’re Not Going Back to the Time Before Roe. We’re Going Somewhere Worse. A harrowing look at the present and the future from Jia Tolentino of The @NewYorker:.
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Three picks before your turn comes up, three players in the queue. You know how this movie ends.
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I’m punching air over here.
If you had no idea of Nationals Victor Robles, and only knew of Mariners Victor Robles, you'd think he was, like, a top-5 player in the sport.
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Don’t worry, I’m working hard on a 12-minute Robles monologue for tomorrow’s Rates & Barrels.
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A lot has changed throughout the five seasons I have been podcasting at The Athletic, but this week has been brutal. If you have read their work over the years, you already know that Corey, Dan, James, Zach, Nick and Rob are great at their craft.
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Pencils Down.
Anyone who tweets “pencils down” as the Trade Deadline hits will have their account deleted.
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Did anybody tell him that they've also never heard of 'Chris Russo'?.
Chris Russo 'shocked' Wisconsin students never heard of 'Shawshank Redemption'
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UTR Lost Episode. (intro music starts). Nando: Jo Adell is going to fill the Ohtani void, and the Angels are going to the playoffs! . Ian & DVR in unison: Uhhhhh. Nando: C'mon Divver!. (music resumes). Nando: Hello everyone and welcome, to the best 65 minutes of your life!.
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How much do I have to pay for Baseball Zen for the duration of all commercial breaks?.
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I’m only $2.05B short White Sox fans, but I am interested in buying and revamping this club if the podcasting business goes through a completely unexpected phase of hyperprofitability.
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I wonder what happened to the original copy of Kevin’s Battle Plan from Home Alone….
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I hope everybody out there is having a great Father’s Day. Days like today are tough for a lot of people, and I am very lucky to have my dad and my father-in-law as a huge part of my life. Wear a mask. For the people you care about. For the people I care about. For everyone.
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This logo reminds me of the Troy Glaus Era in Anaheim.
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The Brewers should hire Adam Wainwright as Counsell’s replacement and turn the NL Central into a battle royale for the entire winter.
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Commercial / Touchback / Commercial is the worst part of the NFL’s pace of play problem.
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Is it the fresh ideas that annoy people, or the self-righteous tone that sometimes accompanies them?.
People who think for themselves are always regarded as arrogant by those don't. Fresh ideas are always annoying to conventional thinkers.
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I moved back to Wisconsin to spend Saturday mornings in the winter chucking icy plow boulders over snow piles taller than me at the end of my driveway like Magnús Ver Magnússon.
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It’s not a conspiracy to suggest that it is *one* of the contributing factors. It’s more problematic to dismiss it entirely.
So, respectfully, spare me your conspiracy theories about the pitch clock. The problem is way bigger and more embedded into the fabric of the sport than that.
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You can love sports and your favorite teams and be firmly opposed to giving these people a penny for their new stadiums.
Jerry Reinsdorf, leaving the Capitol after his final meeting, says “this is not the appropriate time to talk.” . “We're not going give out any bulletins. At an appropriate time, everybody involved in the process will have something to say. And it will be said.” #twill
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Sell the team, Dick.
then sell the team for an enormous profit, this isn't that complicated
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Watching Freddy Peralta pitch is like watching the beginning of Happy Gilmore before Happy learns how to putt.
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Nobody attacks the $4 DVD bin like the Mets.
Sources: Mets have reached out on free agent Adrian Gonzalez, who was released earlier today by the Braves.
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Very cool to be nominated for @ratesandbarrels — this a great group of shows hosted and produced by a lot of awesome people. Congrats to the nominees in all of the other categories!.
Best Baseball Podcast finalists.The Sleeper and the Bust.Pitcher List Fantasy Baseball.RotoWire Fantasy Baseball.The Toolshed.Bubba and the Bloom.Rates and Barrels.Rotoworld Baseball Show.
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Captain Raymond Holt is one of my all-time favorite characters. Comedic gold in so many scenes, flawless delivery. RIP, Andre Braugher.
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Do you toast your peanut butter and jelly?. No? . Well, you should. My column:.
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Well, you are just going to have to shell out an extra $49.99 for like the rest of us.
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Proof that I'm 38 going on 78: I get way too excited about having one of these maple cookies with my 14th coffee of the day.
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If you follow all of the Rays trade trees back to the roots, you get back to one red paper clip found on the floor at The Trop in 1997.
BREAKING: The Padres have an agreement in place to acquire Blake Snell from the Rays, sources tell @JCTSports, @Ken_Rosenthal and me. Luis Patiño, Francisco Mejía, Blake Hunt and Cole Wilcox would head to Tampa. Deal pending review of medical records.
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Sharing this again because it's awesome. The Eno you read and hear on the podcast -- he's every bit that dude. The interaction with the usher at Oracle? You almost expect things like that to happen once you know him. I'm grateful for his friendship, and to share the mic. 🍻.
@TheAthletic One of the wonderful things about profiling @enosarris was the speed and enthusiasm people wanted to share their stories about him. It’s clear that no matter how long someone has known Eno, his work, personality, and outlook leave meaningful impressions.
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There are five teams -- Rockies, Reds, Tigers, A's and Nationals -- without a top-100 player by ADP this draft season. From those five clubs, which players do you think are most likely to have a top-100 ADP this time next year?.
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Ross Stripling with the Angels would have been really cool.
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Got up an hour before the rest of the house today. This is how I will live the rest of my life now.
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Choosing a direction is important. I think most people can understand that, but tearing apart a team that had a legitimate chance to win the NL Central (checks calendar) four days ago is terrible.
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