Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn have been standouts of the Cardinals' spring training, and there have been other young players who have impressed. But if spring training has been a showcase for the future of the Cardinals, what about the present and the pressure to compete for a World Series championship now? Tom Ackerman, sports director at KMOX/1120 AM, joins the Best Podcast in Baseball to discuss what he's seen so far in spring training from the young players and what that means for the window ...
Mar 15, 2023•33 min•Season 11Ep. 5
Entering spring training, the Cardinals promised competition. No really this time. Seriously. And maybe top prospect Jordan Walker is an example why. Manager Oliver Marmol and John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations, acknowledged that in past springs they've said there is competition but they start February with an idea of the roster. Actions are going to have to say otherwise this spring. St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports Ben Frederickson makes the case that there is competition this sprin...
Mar 03, 2023•59 min•Season 11Ep. 4
In his new book 'Winning Fixes Everything,' author Evan Drellich details the corporate culture that led to the Houston Astros sign-stealing quagmire and probes how many of the leading executives got their start in baseball with the Cardinals. Drellich joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss new insight into the hacking scandal that will forever bind the Astros and Cardinals, the baseball operations approach that former Cardinals exec Jeff Luhnow created in Houston,...
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 11Ep. 3
One of the game's greatest bards and gentleman, Tim McCarver made his big-league debut at 17, played for the Cardinals, won with the Cardinals, and in his final tour as a Hall of Fame broadcaster returned to the Cardinals to call games. McCarver died Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. He was 81. Back in May 2016, while on a road trip to Washington, McCarver sat in the stands with St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to talk about his return, the role John Mozeliak played in it, and why th...
Feb 16, 2023•49 min•Season 11Ep. 2
Recorded in Jupiter, Fla., on the eve of the Cardinals' opening their 2023 spring training with the first official workouts, the 11th season of the Best Podcast in Baseball begins as it traditionally does: with 10 (or so) questions facing the Cardinals as spring blooms. St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold and sports columnist Benjamin Hochman go question by question in a preview of the decisions and dilemmas welcoming the Cardinals to Florida, from who plays center field to who...
Feb 12, 2023•59 min•Season 11Ep. 1
In this bonus episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball, we bring you PlayBacks, an audio series that brings to life the archives of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. When Lou Brock first came to the Cardinals in 1964, a lot of St. Louis fans were unsure about the trade. But he made a splash in his first game with the Cardinals. Today we go to June 16, 1964, when Brock made a great first impression, and Ken Boyer hit for the cycle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 07, 2023•7 min•Season 10Ep. 39
After a discussion of Scott Rolen's election to the Hall of Fame and the coming parade of third basemen to Cooperstown, the Best Podcast in Baseball dives into a topic looming (huge) on the horizon. As spring training nears, one of the biggest storylines in Major League Baseball is how the game will be played. The bigger story may be how the game is watched. There are rising issues with the current broadcast model. Streaming has to modernize. And the gambling industry is becoming a major presenc...
Jan 27, 2023•56 min•Season 10Ep. 38
Another year, another Hall of Fame debate. Each winter, the Hot Stove gives way to the Hall of Fame, and while there is a limited number of voters, there are numerous opinions for how they should vote. Continuing an annual episode here at Best Podcast in Baseball, host and baseball writer Derrick Goold discusses his ballot for the 2023 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductions -- the votes, the close calls, the concerns, and hopefully the consistently. Kevin Wheeler, host of drive time at KMOX/1...
Jan 21, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 10Ep. 37
In this bonus episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball, we bring you PlayBacks, an audio series that brings to life the archives of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. On June 10, 1944, 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall became the youngest person ever to play Major League Baseball when he pitched in a game for the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals pounded out 21 hits and walked 14 times in the 18-0 victory, including five runs off Nuxhall. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 17, 2023•6 min•Season 10Ep. 36
The New Year begins on the baseball beat at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch with a major acquisition -- Lynn Worthy, the former Royals beat writer for the Kansas City Star and a veteran baseball writer with years of experience covering minor-league ball, joins the Post-Dispatch and StlToday.com constant Cardinals coverage at the beginning of the 2023 season. In St. Louis to meet with other baseball writers (and scout out a place to live), Worthy joins baseball writer Derrick Goold on the Best Podcas...
Jan 06, 2023•43 min•Season 10Ep. 35
Looking ahead to 2023 with Kevin Wheeler, of KMOX/1120 AM, and how what must happen for the Cardinals to challenge for a championship in the next year has its roots in one of the most remarkable things to happen in the past year. The biggest story of 2022 for the St. Louis Cardinals was an obvious one: Albert Pujols' homecoming and successful quest for 700 home runs. So captivating was Pujols' second half production that it surpassed an MVP season from Paul Goldschmidt and a division title as th...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 10Ep. 34
Keith Costas, a senior researcher at MLB Network and part of the network's weekday morning 'Hot Stove' show, visits the South Grand neighborhood in St. Louis for a slice of pizza, a cup of coffee, and a conversation about the Cardinals' pitching and their place in the National League. Costas, a St. Louis native, joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to also talk about their first visits to ballparks, their fascination with robust spending by National League pennant favorite...
Dec 17, 2022•51 min•Season 10Ep. 33
Willson Contreras, a three-time All-Star and long-time Chicago Cub, joins the Cardinals, ready, he says, the takeover for Yadier Molina at catcher and possibly hit fifth, where Albert Pujols last did. No pressure, right? How the Cardinals went from exploring trades to committing nearly $100 million to Contreras at catcher is the subject of a brand new Best Podcast in Baseball, featuring St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson and baseball writer Derrick Goold. The two discuss t...
Dec 09, 2022•58 min•Season 10Ep. 32
In this bonus episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball, we bring you PlayBacks, an audio series that brings to life the archives of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. On May 2, 1954, baseball's "Perfect Knight" sent three baseballs over the wall at Busch Stadium in the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Giants. Stan Musial munched on a sandwich between games, washed it down with a glass of milk, then went out and hit two more in the nightcap. Never considered a prototypical slugger, Musi...
Dec 08, 2022•7 min•Season 1Ep. 31
In this bonus episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball, we bring you PlayBacks, an audio series that brings to life the archives of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Don Denkinger didn’t have the cushion of an instant-replay review on that October night when the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning at Royals Stadium, just three outs away from the championship. Pinch-hitter Jorge Orta led off with a slow bouncer to the right side. First baseman Jack Clark ranged wide to field t...
Nov 29, 2022•7 min•Season 10Ep. 30
The Best Podcast in the Minors, the weekly show produced for StlPinchHits.com, invited Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to talk about the minors, review the season, and discuss development within the Cardinals system. In other words: Crossover podcast! BPIB is proud to give its listeners a peek at its cousin podcast, available at StlToday.com's StlPinchHits, and the conversations co-hosts Daniel Guerrero and Carter Chapley have weekly. In 30 episodes this past summer, they've had on c...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 10Ep. 29
What does it take to turn a World Series or a World Series champion into a Fall Classic? Well, Lance Berkman sure helps. New York Times national baseball columnist and New York Times bestselling author Tyler Kepner joins the Best Podcast in Baseball to discuss his new book, "The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series." In it, Kepner plunges into the stories generated by World Series, revealing the history of Major League Baseball's championship through themes and personalities, not a line...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 10Ep. 28
Should the Cardinals roll the dice on Willson Contreras? Should they hold to their defensive wishes at catcher? NBC Sports Chicago baseball writer Gordon Wittenmyer joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the direction the Cardinals could go at catcher, including the former Cubs backstop. Plus, a discussion on NL Central competition and rising payrolls, and how the Cardinals can aim higher than a division chocked with rebuilding teams. They can play at the $25 tabl...
Nov 11, 2022•34 min•Season 10Ep. 27
In this bonus episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball, we bring you PlayBacks, an audio series that brings to life the archives of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It was at Ebbets Field and with begrudging respect that Brooklyn Dodgers fans began referring to Musial as "The Man." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 07, 2022•10 min•Season 10Ep. 26
When asked at the end-of-season preview/review press conference whether he had any frustration with the Cardinals lack of wins and appearances in the National League Championship Series since 2014, John Mozeliak pushed back: "That's your narrative," the president of the baseball operations told St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Benjamin Hochman. So, let's discuss narrative. In a brand new edition of the Best Podcast in Baseball, Hochman joins baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the f...
Oct 27, 2022•52 min•Season 10Ep. 25
What begins as an analogy for how a new rule punishes a team and players who use data, savvy, and athleticism to find an edge jumps into a much larger discussion on how a game guided by huge sample sizes tries to entertain on the small scale. Kevin Wheeler, co-host of The Show midday on KMOX/1120 AM, joins the Best Podcast in Baseball and baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the new rules that Major League Baseball will have for 2023. Which one is substantive? Which one is creative? Which on...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 10Ep. 24
A season that contained such wonder (Albert Pujols' 700th home run) and such unexpected storylines (Albert Pujols' 700th home run) finished where so many seasons have recently for the Cardinals -- flat. Swept out of the postseason by the lower-seeded Philadelphia Phillies, at home, the Cardinals have an early start on the postseason. But will it be any different? Must it be? The retirement of Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols leave the Cardinals with significant holes to fill -- on the field, in t...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 10Ep. 23
"And there isn't a Chris Carpenter walking through the door." A playoff preview with KMOX/1120 AM host Kevin Wheeler and St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold. After 11 years, the Philadelphia Phillies are back in the playoffs and awaiting them -- why it's the same team that eliminated them in 2011 and changed the course of that franchise. The Cardinals welcome the Phillies for a best-of-three wild-card series all played at Busch Stadium in the first weekend of Major League Baseb...
Oct 05, 2022•57 min•Season 10Ep. 21
As a companion to the Post-Dispatch's Oct. 2 special commemorative edition celebrating the careers of Cardinals greats Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, the Best Podcast in Baseball gathers several of the writers who contributed to that keepsake publication to discuss the Hall of Fame careers. St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold hosts the two conversations. First, from the seats at Busch Stadium outside the press box named for him, Hall of Fame writer Rick Hummel talks about Mol...
Oct 01, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 10Ep. 20
In this bonus episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball, we bring you PlayBacks, an audio series that brings to life the archives of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This episode looks at the Cardinals' Game 7 victory over the New York Yankees for their first World Series title. You can read more about about the game through with these related articles: No. 1: Oct. 10, 1926 — World Series Game 7 Oct. 10, 1926 • Hero with a hangover gives Cardinals their first World Series title 'How in the world did h...
Sep 29, 2022•9 min•Season 10Ep. 19
Two teams, two of the sharpest teams in baseball, both leading their division, made trades at the deadline that slowed their season, and in one cause capsized their hold on first place. The Cardinals, meanwhile, took flight. Don't dismiss the old school nuances in the Cardinals' new-school look, says St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson. At the same time, they revitalized the pitching staff, the Cardinals recast their lineup around matchups and ignited one of the best offens...
Sep 03, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 10Ep. 18
There's more than hopping the pond for a series in London to the Cardinals-Cubs meetings in 2023. Start with this: There are few of them. Six games from one of the game's oldest rivalries have been shaved off the schedule as part of Major League Baseball's balanced scheduled. What does that mean? ESPN baseball reporter Jesse Rogers suggests it could bring even more intensity to the rivalry. Rogers, who will be part of the network's Sunday Night Baseball coverage from Busch Stadium on Sunday, joi...
Aug 26, 2022•37 min•Season 10Ep. 17
"Our fans want to win today. But our fans want to win every year," says Cardinals vice president/general manager Michael Girsch as he joins the Best Podcast in Baseball for the first time to discuss his rise to becoming the 13th GM in organization history and the expectations ownership sets for the club. Girsch, a native of Chicago, joined the Cardinals before the 2006 World Series championship season, worked his way up through the baseball operations structure, and became general manager in Jun...
Aug 17, 2022•50 min•Season 10Ep. 16
Two longtime Colorado baseball writers, MLB.com's Thomas Harding and The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders, join St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the brilliance of Nolan Arenado at third base and what, despite all the Gold Glove awards, he's yet to catch. And can he find that with the Cardinals? The three baseball writers recall Arenado's finest plays in the field, the legacy he left behind in Colorado, how he forced the Rockies to consider their direction and whethe...
Aug 12, 2022•30 min•Season 10Ep. 15
Against National League rivals that got better at the deadline, the Cardinals will need to have the best bullpen in Octobers, argues Hall of Fame baseball writer Rick Hummel. Did they do enough at the deadline to assure that? That's the theme of a brand new Best Podcast in Baseball, featuring Hummel and his St. Louis Post-Dispatch colleague Derrick Goold, a baseball writer and host of BPIB. The Cardinals added two lefty starters at the deadline and a right-handed reliever. They did not make the ...
Aug 05, 2022•46 min•Season 10Ep. 14
