Jeremy Nygaard

A Max Kepler comp? That is how Jeremy Nygaard describes the emergent Konnor Griffin from Jackson, Mississippi who is one of the highest ranked prep players early in the 2024 MLB Draft rankings View full video

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 28 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and JD take a closer look at the 2024 draft, the top potential picks and how the landscape could shift over the next four months. 0:00 Intro 2:30 Spring Breakout Rosters 20:00 How is the 2024 Draft class? 24:25 Are there clear-cut guys at the top? 28:37 Who are the movers? Up or down. 33:10 Who's moved up into the Top 3? 39:22 Anyone who can ascend to the top? 45:16 How about pitchers? 54:15 Who are you taking with the first pick? 1:01:48 Listener Question You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

All fair questions. I'm not going to pretend like I watch every Brewers game, but I watch enough baseball to feel like I have a decent handle on how players are valued throughout the league. Frelick is over a year younger than the other two, was the most highly regarded prospect, and is simply projected to be the best out of the trio. As of today, he would definitely get kept. But that's when the equation gets muddy. Yelich is going to have to stay. Chourio isn't going anywhere. Frelick is next. You only have 15 spots. You could argue to keep neither, knowing you can only lose one anyway (and that's maybe what a smart team would do). At the end of the day, though, taking Mitchell over Wiemer would have been a third left-handed hitting outfielder. Maybe that makes sense. I just don't see it ... but if the perception in the organization is that they are that close, it's probably best to keep neither. They would both be high on the list of players the team would expect to lose. Regardless, I think it's a fun exercise to work through and to continue to think about as we approach expansion in the who-knows-how-distant future.

This is absolutely just a hypothetical which is based only on the players on the current 40-man roster, so it's a snapshot of the current year (with outgoing free agents not considered). Certainly, this list will change when Black and Gasser are added in-season. I plan to keep this going periodically until expansion eventually happens, so we can see how potential lists evolve. Right now, MLB has to figure out what is happening with both the Oakland and the Tampa situation, so expansion will wait til after that. Oakland wants to move to Las Vegas, but that seems like there are still a lot of questions. Tampa thought that playing half their year in Tampa and half in Montreal made sense, but that never happened. The quicker those items get resolved, the quicker the league can move forward with awarding new franchises... Salt Lake, Nashville, Montreal and Charlotte seem to be some of the favorites.

An MLB expansion is in the air and in the discourse among baseball people right now. What will it look like? Image courtesy of Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports The last time baseball expanded was in 1998, with the addition of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. This brought the total of Major League Baseball teams to 30. Similarly, the NBA expanded to 30 teams in 2004 after expanding to 29 in 1995. The NFL expanded to 32 teams in 2002. The NHL reached 32 teams with expansions in 2000, 2017, and 2021. Since shrinking to 10 teams for the 2002-2004 seasons, Major League Soccer has expanded almost annually and will include 30 teams by 2025. It’s inevitable. Leagues with 30 teams will add two more franchises (and collect enormous buy-in fees) sometime soon. The reasons for expanding, where the franchises will end up, and if it’s necessary can and will be debated into the foreseeable future, but that’s not what this article is about. This is about what expansion means to your favorite team and the role they play in providing players to the new franchises. THE EXPANSION DRAFT While the rules could change from what was in place in 1997, they would likely be very similar. In the last edition of the expansion draft, each team was allowed to protect 15 players, while recently drafted players were exempt. If the next iteration followed the same rules, teams would essentially be allowed to protect 15 players from their 40-man rosters, while all other players would be exempt from the draft. Players with 10-and-5 rights or no-trade clauses have to be included on the list of 15 players. It should also be noted that we’re looking at this when 40-man rosters are full, whereas an expansion draft would happen in the offseason, when some free agents and other fringe players wouldn’t be on the roster. (Players who project to be free agents after 2024 don’t need to be protected.) Expansion teams will take 15 players each in round one (one player from each team) and then each existing team will be allowed to protect three more players. The same process will occur for a second round. At that point, each expansion team will have 30 players and each existing team will have lost two players and protected 21 players. In the 1997 draft, each of the two new teams got to select seven more players, giving them a total of 35. If this draft follows suit, the third round would consist of five American League and five National League teams, each losing one more player. With that, and without further ado, let’s look at an early projection of whom the Brewers would protect and the best players they would leave unprotected. No-trade clauses: OF Christian Yelich (1) Yelich would be an interesting decision if it weren't for the no-trade clause. With over $120 million left on a contract that will pay him past the midpoint of his thirties, an expansion team probably wouldn't bite on that deal. But the point is moot, because Yelich will require one of the 15 spots. No-brainers: OF Jackson Chourio (2), RHP Devin Williams (3) (‘25 club option), RHP Freddy Peralta (4) (‘25 club option), 1B Rhys Hoskins (5) ('25 player option), C William Contreras (6), OF Sal Frelick (7), LHP Aaron Ashby (8) In no particular order, this makes up the rest of the current core of the Brewers team. But it's a wide variety of players--from the young phenom with the huge deal to the 30-something first baseman coming off major knee surgery and everything in between. Prospects: C Jeferson Quero (9), SS Joey Ortiz (10) Originally, I had this group under the "protected" group, but I think it makes more sense to include these two first and for a few reasons. Quero is considered one of the top catching prospects in baseball, if not the best. He's a slam-dunk choice, and would likely make the Brewers one of the only teams to protect two catchers. There's already a dearth of quality catchers in baseball, and when you add two more teams, it's going to be even worse. The Brewers could take advantage of this. Ortiz is a lock, because you can't get him for Burnes and then lose him for nothing. Protected: LHP D.L Hall (11), RHP Abner Uribe (12), SS Brice Turang (13), OF Joey Wiemer (14), RHP Trevor Megill (15) This is always going to be the group debated the most, regardless of team. I'd consider Hall a near-lock at this point, as well as Uribe. The other three, however, will probably create the most debate. While Adames is a free agent after the season, Ortiz may leapfrog Turang, who was underwhelming as a rookie but still provides value. Wiemer is also young, but fits in fourth in the outfield pecking order. Then there's Megill, who has four years of team control and is an overpowering bullpen arm, but is 30 years old and (after all) a bullpen arm. If everyone made their list of 15, I'd guess the last group of three would be the most interchangeable. Exposed: RHP Jakob Junis (‘25 mutual option), C Gary Sanchez (‘25 mutual option), LHP Wade Miley (‘25 mutual option), OF Garrett Mitchell, C Eric Haase, 2B Oliver Dunn, 2B Jahmai Jones, 2B Owen Miller, RHP Bryse Wilson, UTIL Vinny Capra, OF Blake Perkins, OF Chris Roller, RHP Janson Junk, RHP Bradley Blalock, RHP Elvis Peguero, RHP Thyago Vieira, LHP Bryan Hudson, RHP J.B. Buskauskas, 1B Jake Bauers, 3B Andruw Monasterio, RHP Joel Payamps, LHP Hoby Milner, RHP Taylor Clarke Free agents: SS Willy Adames, RHP Colin Rea (‘25 club option), RHP Joe Ross In this initial look, the Brewers would risk exposing some infield depth. Oliver Dunn, Owen Miller, or Andruw Monasterio could all see their value shoot up (and ultimately take Turang's spot on the list). There's also a handful of viable relief pitchers (whom you could argue should be protected instead of Megill) and outfielders (who may be better suited to be protected than Wiemer). Note: I didn't include Brandon Woodruff, who is a great unknown right now and whose contract terms haven't been released. If he returns to health, the Brewers would protect him. If not, he wouldn't be selected. Some of these choices also depend on rules that could be different this time around, given the way contract conventions have evolved since the last expansion draft. It's possible, for instance that Hoskins wouldn't need to be protected, because he has the ability to make himself a free agent after 2024, but players with such options (phrased and structured slightly differently) did have to be protected in the last two expansion drafts. Prediction: Almost a third of all rosters are the bullpen, and Joel Payamps seems like the best option. He's bounced around a ton, but seemed to find his footing in 2023, striking out 77 in 71 innings, and he still has two years of team control. If Payamps was lost, the Brewers would likely pull back another bullpen arm (Wilson?), some of their infield depth (Monasterio?), and maybe someone like Mitchell, who is a victim of the organization's outfield depth. In the second and/or third round, it would make a lot of sense for an expansion team to target Haase, a journeyman catcher who can provide depth, or Perkins, who would be a perfect fourth outfielder for the Brewers but could be in line for a bigger role for an expansion team. Who would you protect? And who do you think you'd be most likely to lose? View full article

The guys at DTS discuss the return for one year of Corbin Burnes. They don't agree on how it should be perceived. What do you think? View full video

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 24 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and JD recap the offseasons of the Brewers, Cubs, and Twins before answering listener questions. 0:00 Intro 1:40 Fanzine winners 3:10 Big Podcast Rankings News 7:09 Brewers Offseason Recap 8:58 Burnes Trade 19:36 Cubs Offseason Recap 20:18 Busch for Ferris Trade 23:30 or so - Are the Cubs going to make a move? 30:55 Twins Offseason Recap 31:55 Polanco Trade 35:00 Weaker rotation vs stronger bullpen 46:19 Listener Question You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft tandem JD Cameron and Jeremy Nygaard team up for a new podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues. In this week we break down the Brewers MiLB system with Brewer Fanatic contributor Spender Michaelis. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo After a week's hiatus for the Holidays, the guys are back to take a deep dive into the Brewers system. JD and Jeremy talk to Spencer Michaelis, about his baseball and content background before looking at the very strong system of the Brewers. You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, leaving us a positive review and five-star rating at iTunes or Spotify, retweeting show-related content on Twitter, and subscribing to the Twins Daily YouTube page. You can follow us @DTS_POD1, @J_D_Cameron, @Jeremynygaard, and @TheodoreTollef1 on Twitter. Send us your prospect and draft-related questions for our next episode. 0:00 Intro 1:16 Spencer Michaelis joins the show. 2:15 Spencer's background in baseball and content creation. 4:43 Overall state of the Brewers system? Would you rather have the Brewers or Cubs and why? 8:15 Take on Chourio long-term deal. 11:00 What's going on with Corbin Burnes? What's going to happen? 14:15 The combination of prospects and former prospects, how is the Brewers talent? How confident are you that these players will big league regulars? 18:45 What's the path of Jacob Misiorowski? 22:00 How do the Brewers handle Quero with Contreras already on the roster? 25:37 We haven't talked too much about Tyler Black. What does his future big league role look like? 31:30 Brewers Draft Class of 2023. Who sticks out from this intriguing group of players? Plenty to love about Cooper Pratt. 39:30 Brewers prospects most likely to be traded and who Spencer would be most willing to part with? 44:00 Which prospect is going to take the biggest jump this year? Which under-the-radar guys do you want to spotlight? 49:00 Listener Questions View full article

JD and Jeremy discuss where draft picks will fall in the 2024 draft and what that means for team's bonus pools. View full video

After taking a week off for Thanksgiving, JD and Jeremy are back to talk about updated Top 30s and other things that have been happening in the baseball world. A big-time prospect is considering signing a record-breaking extension, an All-Star pitcher is on the move in free agency and the Winter Meetings are quickly approaching. 0:00 Intro 2:40 Will Jackson Chourio sign an extension? Both JD and Jeremy make guesses as to what this contract could look like if it does get done. 9:50 Sonny Gray to the Cardinals and what that means for the Twins and their draft. 23:11 MLB Pipeline Top 30 updates 24:20 Brewers 31:16 Cubs 42:37 Twins 50:00 Listener Questions 57:22 What's Next? You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, leaving us a positive review and five star rating at iTunes or Spotify, retweeting show related content on Twitter, and subscribing to the Twins Daily YouTube page. You can follow us @DTS_POD1, @J_D_Cameron, @Jeremynygaard, and @TheodoreTollef1 on Twitter. Send us your prospect and draft related questions for our next episode. Find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform, in addition to YouTube. View full article

It's that time of the year again! Major League teams need to set their 40-man rosters in advance of the annual Rule 5 draft. Every team has decisions to make. Some are easy decisions. Some are hard decisions. And some teams will make mind-numbingly bad decisions. Or at least that's what their fans think. We cover the Rule 5 draft and more in the twelfth episode of Destination: The Show. 0:00 Intro 4:00 Craig Counsell to the Cubs 10:14 Kala'i Rosario wins the AFL Home Run Derby 14:32 Rule 5 - what is it? 18:35 What happens when a player is drafted? 21:00 How common is it to find a great player? 25:50 What teams are looking for? 27:30 Brewers Overview - main options 33:15 Other possible Milwaukee adds 36:37 Cubs Overview 48:50 Twins Overview You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, leaving us a positive review and five star rating at iTunes or Spotify, retweeting show related content on Twitter, and subscribing to the Twins Daily YouTube page. You can follow us @DTS_POD1, @J_D_Cameron, @Jeremynygaard, and @TheodoreTollef1 on Twitter. Send us your prospect and draft related questions for our next episode. Find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform, in addition to YouTube. View full article

The Brewers have a loaded system and had an impressive 2023 draft haul. It's time we spent more time on Tyler Black. View full video

After a one-week break, draft tandem JD Cameron and Jeremy Nygaard are back to talk all things baseball. Conversation includes the playoffs, rookie contributors, the 2024 draft and, of course, answering some listener questions. Image courtesy of Thiéres Rabelo 0:00 - Introduction and how we feel about the Twins and Brewers seasons coming to an end. The trio of teams that are covered are now all done playing... but the offseason! 5:00 - The draft order is not set yet, but it's starting to clear up. What does this mean for the Cubs, Brewers and Twins and how could the draft order - at least in the first round - change. 13:30 Rintaro Sasaki leaving Japan and going to an American university. What does this mean, not only for Sasaki, but the future of Japanese preps? 19:24 We spent some time on rookies. We have a range of disappointing outcomes from the Cubs capitulation and missing the playoffs, to the Brewers wildcard exit, to the Twins losing in the Divisional Round. 20:41 Focused on Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks, with a dishonorable mention for the team's handling of Pete Crow-Armstrong. 26:02 The talk centered around Brice Turang and Sal Frelick, both what they provided and what their futures could be. 33:14 The Twins boasted some stud rookies, led by Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien. While they both fit into the team's long-term plans, where do they fit defensively? 45:49 Answered listener questions wondering about which prospects we're both excited to see as well as a question about the Twins rotation in 2024 and potential free agent targets. You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, leaving us a positive review and five star rating at iTunes or Spotify, retweeting show related content on Twitter, and subscribing to the Twins Daily YouTube page. You can follow us @DTS_POD1, @J_D_Cameron, @Jeremynygaard, and @TheodoreTollef1 on Twitter. Send us your prospect and draft related questions for our next episode. Find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform, in addition to YouTube. View full article

The Arizona Fall League has started up, let's take a look at some players to watch. View full video