Jamie Cameron

In episode 81 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie welcome Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo back to the show for their annual MLB Draft preview show. The guys dig into a ton of different draft topics and questions. They start by examining the case for 1:1, before talking college catching, college pitching, and unpacking a loaded prep shortstop demographic. Carlos pins down some developmental next steps for a thin crop of college bats, before picking preferences from similar players types and finishing the show with some listener questions 0:00 Intro - welcome Carlos Collazo 1:33 How many guys can go 1:1? 4:46 College catching 8:01 Prep shortstops 15:24 College arms 22:17 College bats 28:20 Injured crop of players 30:30 Who should be higher? 33:12 Either/Or 38:40 Listener Questions 45:11 Thanks Carlos 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. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo View full article

Image courtesy of © Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images This draft cycle, we’re going to try something new. Every few weeks, I’ll be posting an article listing out who the Cubs would select based on their position on the consensus draft board. As the consensus board is updated, the players in those spots will be adjusted and I’ll post another update. This is not a mock draft. Rather, I’m hoping it’ll give readers an idea of the caliber of talent in each of the team’s first few picks. Additionally, it should help readers who want to dig into draft coverage a bit more get familiar with the class. Here would be the Cubs first two picks by consensus draft ranking as of 05.23.25 First Round (17th Overall): Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas Aloy came to Arkansas by way of Sacramento State, where he bagged WAC freshman of the year in 2023. He put together a strong first season for the Razorbacks, smacking 14 home runs on his way to an .841 OPS. He followed that up with an incandescent stretch on the Cape, clubbing 8 home runs and posting a .994 OPS in 21 games for Yarmouth. Aloy has good bat speed and legit pop, especially to the pull side. He's typically been a hyper aggressive hitter with some swing and miss in his profile. He is susceptible to spin and off-speed pitches in general, with a few holes in his swing. He's tamped down some of the noise in his operation in 2025. He sets up quietly at the plate, with a neutral stance and a toe tap timing mechanism. The expansive chase rate is a concern, and he'll have to continue to sure up his defense to stick at shortstop as a pro. In 2025, he carried over his incredible Cape stretch into the college season, cutting into his strikeout rate and putting up massive slugging numbers (1.137 OPS, 141 wRC+), while showing much improved defense at shortstop. There’s some risk to mitigate with the hit tool, but Aloy is an electric talent and one of the higher upside options in this year's college class. Second Round (56th Overall): Briggs McKenzie, LHP, Corinth Holders HS, NC McKenzie is a 6’2, 185 pound lefty out of North Carolina currently committed to LSU. It’s a lean, projectable frame and a buttery smooth delivery that’s repeatable with good deception. His fastball has ticked up since last summer, sitting 90-92 mph and tickling 94 mph. He’s able to spot it consistently for strikes up in the zone with good carry. McKenzie shows an affinity for spin, he throws a curveball in the high 70s to low 80s with good depth, in addition to a mid-80s changeup. This is a classic projection lefty profile. A lean frame, solid but not yet overwhelming stuff, with pitchability and plenty of strikes. He’s an up arrow arm this spring and could make his way into the comp round, especially if he maintains his velocity gains, or even adds a tick more. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 77 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie start with a slew of injuries to notable Twins prospects, including Luke Keaschall, Walker Jenkins, and Charlee Soto. The guys then give an overview of the bonus pool system in MLB, detailing how the different rounds of the draft work. They go on to dig into the bonus pools of the Brewers, Twins, Red Sox, Cubs, and Padres. Finally, they spend some time reacting to the most recent BA staff draft, digging into whether the picks made might make sense for the Padres, Jays, Cubs, Brewers, and Twins. 0:00 Intro 5:55 Housekeeping 6:37 Twins Prospect Injuries 14:59 Draft Bonus Pools 17:55 Brewers Bonus Pool 20:40 Twins Bonus Pool 23:31 Red Sox Bonus Pool 27:10 Cubs Bonus Pool 30:02 Padres Bonus Pool 35:58 Bouncing around the first round 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. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

This week, MLB released bonus pool allocations and pick values for the 2025 MLB Draft. Additionally, the league released international signing bonus pools for the 2026 signing period. The Cubs finished the 2024 season with the 16th-worst record in MLB. As usual, they are in a challenging financial position ahead of the 2025 Draft, compared to teams who receive additional compensation picks for being revenue-sharing recipients. The Cubs have the 9th-smallest bonus pool overall, at $9,636,800. The Cubs' top-100 picks and slot values are as follows: Slot value for pick 17: $4,750,800 Slot value for pick 56: $1,680,000 Slot value for pick 90: $865,500 Their financial and pick inflexibility puts the Cubs in an unfavorable spot. This draft class is shaping up to be uncertain in terms of top-tier talent, but with plenty of depth through around 75 picks, with prep bats a demographic of strength. Reminders on Draft Financials Organizations are allowed to spend up to 5% more than their total pool without incurring a penalty, a choice most teams take advantage of. The Twins and the Rockies are the only MLB teams who have never spent any overage on their bonus pool. Any amount up to 5% over the pool is met with a 75% tax on the overage. If a team spends between 5-10% more than their pool, the penalty is 75% tax on the overage and loss of a future first-rounder. Any team who exceeds their bonus pool by more than 10% up to 15% pays 100% tax on the overage and will lose a first- and a second-round future pick. Any team who exceeds their bonus pool by more than 15% loses two future first-round picks, in addition to paying 100% tax on the overage. Rounds 11-20 work differently from the first half of the draft. These picks do not come with an assigned slot value. Teams can spend up to $150,000 per pick without that spending coming out of their bonus pool. If they spend over that amount, any overage will be deducted from their bonus pool. For example, an 11th-round pick signing for $250,000 will result in $100,000 being subtracted from that team's bonus pool. MLB Announces 2026 International Bonus Pools MLB announced bonus pools for the 2026 international signing period today. The 2026 signing window opens on Jan. 15th, 2026 and runs through Dec. 15th, 2026. The Cubs are in a group of eight teams who have middle-of-the-pack bonus pools. The Cubs can spend $6,679,200 in the 2026 international signing window. Image courtesy of © Tim Heitman-Imagn Images View full article

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 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. In episode 70 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy, Jamie, and Theo dig into a slew of MLB preseason predictions. After breaking down a first look at left-handed pitcher Dasan Hill, the guys spend time predicting the winners of each MLB division, before predicting wild card winners and ultimate World Series Champions. The guys then jump into individual awards. They walk through MVP candidates, rookie of the year candidates, and Cy Young options in each league before making their picks. 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. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

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 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. In episode 67 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie work through a busy week of news and notes from the offseason. They start with the Jays signing Max Scherzer, who will provide a boost to the back end of their rotation. How will he perform? Will he end the season in Toronto, or elsewhere? The guys then turn their attention to the Twins who made multiple moves this week after being frozen in carbonite for most of the offseason. Hear their thoughts on the Twins adding Danny Coulombe and Harrison Bader and asking what are the implications for other players on the fringes of the roster. The guys then jump into a round of FrankenProspect. The concept is simple; using the Brewers, Cubs, and Twins farm systems, draft tools to build the best hitter and pitcher possible. They take turns drafting hit, power, defense, arm, and run tools for hitters and fastball, changeup, slider, curveball and control tools for pitchers. Who came out on top? 0:00 Intro 4:00 Housekeeping 5:20 Moves in the MLB 11:00 Twins Sign Coloumbe 16:40 Twins Sign Bader 26:20 Build a Franken-Prospect 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. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

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 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. In episode 66 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie work through news and notes from the offseason. They start by digging into rumors that the Twins were interested in trading with the Padres for Dylan Cease, before discussing whether an addition to a strong rotation feels likely. Next they dig into Charlee Soto, fresh off being minted as a new Top 100 prospect by Kiley McDaniel. The guys then dig into the Cubs acquisition of Ryan Pressly, and whether they should pursue another starter, specifically Michael King. The guys then banter over dueling top ten Cubs prospect lists. Who do they have as number one on their list? Who rounds out the back half of the top ten after the top prospects are ranked? Finally, they end with a mailbag question on the kickoff of the college baseball season. 0:00 Intro 2:31 Twins Notes 17:10 Cubs Notes 22:45 Cubs Top 10 26:00 Cubs #2 Prospect 30:35 A Disagreement at #3 41:37 Sharing the rest of our top 10s 1:01:00 Listener Questions 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. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

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 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. In episode 65 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie work through news and notes from the offseason. They start by digging into the Jays signing Anthony Santander, asking if that is enough, or if more moves are on the way for Toronto. The guys dig into the Cubs missing out on Tanner Scott and whether that might be a blessing in disguise given the terms of his contract with the Dodgers. They provide updates on the Twins ownership situation with Justin Ishbia said to be a ‘very, very serious’ potential option. The guys then dig into dueling top ten Brewers prospect lists. Who do they have as number one on their list? Who rounds out the top ten after the four clear cut top prospects are ranked? Finally, they end with a mailbag question on Twins left-handed pitching prospect Michael Carpenter. 0:00 Intro 2:00 Baseball! 2:25 Roki Sasaki 5:25 Sasaki Fallout 8:04 Tanner Scott to the Dodgers 13:18 Twins Ownership Updates 16:15 Brewers Top 10 Prospects 1:03:15 Listener Question 1:07:30 Housekeeping 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. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

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 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. In episode 64 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie work through news and notes from the offseason. They start by digging into the Roki Sasaki finalists and ask if the Cubs were the team that needed to add Sasaki the most, before touching on their signing of Colin Rea. The guys dig into the Twins flipping a Dodgers international free agent prospect and their trade for former top catching prospect Diego Cartaya. They go in depth on the Twins ZiPS projections in which one of the best bullpens in baseball and a top ten starting rotation badly need to be supplemented by some more offense. The guys then dig into a listener mailbag, talking through which Twins prospects are most likely to feature at Cedar Rapids in 2025, asking how the Twins will reintroduce Luke Keaschall to baseball this spring, and naming some Twins pitching prospects most likely to leap multiple levels this summer. 0:00 Intro 2:58 Cubs sign Colin Rea 5:00 Roki Sasaki 16:00 Twins Flip Dodgers Int'l Prospect 22:15 Twins Add Diego Cartaya 29:52 Twins Notes 32:53 Twins ZiPS 46:28 Listener Questions 1:02:13 Outro 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. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

The N.L. Central looks to have a wider opening for a team to clinch the division title in 2025. Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projections on FanGraphs favor the Cubs to be atop of the NL Central this year, but will the prospects such as Matt Shaw and PCA live up to their hype? View full video

JD Cameron gives a breakdown of Juan Tomas, one of the headliners of the Cubs forthcoming international prospect class 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 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. In episode 63 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie work through news and notes from the mid-offseason freeze in activity. They break down the Micky Gaspar for Jovani Moran trade, talk through the Cubs incredibly aggressive ZiPS projections, dive into Brent Rooker’s extension to remain an A and speculate about the possibility of the Twins having a new ownership group by Opening Day. The guys then preview the forthcoming international window, which opens on January 15th. The guys talk through the bonus pool system, the complications of the Roki Sasaki signing, and why pitchers don’t typically sign for large bonuses. They walk through the headliners of the Brewers, Cubs, and Twins classes and reflect on the approach of each organization to acquiring and leveraging international talent. Finally, they finish with a mailbag question on potential breakout prospects for the Twins. 0:00 Intro 4:00 News Whip Around 27:00 International Signing Window 34:30 Brewers Preview 45:25 Cubs Preview 49:42 Twins Preview 1:02:00 Outro 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. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article