Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the paucity of pitchers selected at the top of the draft, the Hall of Famers Mike Trout passed in career WAR in May, Trout’s quietly impressive season, whether WAR has helped Trout’s reputation more than Trout has helped WAR’s, the surprising names at the top of the 2019 WAR leaderboard for pitchers, and Andrew McCutchen ’s season-ending ACL injury, then answer listener emails about baseball-inspired national holidays, what would happen if Max Scherzer i...
Jun 06, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about whether it would make sense for one team to “blow up the draft” by ignoring the bonus slotting system for one year, paying a premium for the top amateur talent, and incurring the maximum financial penalty. Then they discuss Ben’s new book about baseball’s player-development revolution, The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players , which is out today. (Go get it now!) Audio intro : The Tragically Hip, " Machin...
Jun 04, 2019
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners’ recent run of ineptitude, why some teams talk to the media and whether there’s a moral obligation for teams to share information about preventing player injuries, a question from a fantasy player who’s aiming to compete in 2027, a Clayton Kershaw vs. Jacob deGrom matchup as non-must-see TV, and the aging of Kershaw compared to that of Felix Hernandez , then discuss the arguments against and for extending the protective netting in MLB ballpa...
Jun 01, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about a small way in which Willians Astudillo made the world better, baseball as a conversational icebreaker, Cody Bellinger ’s incredible WAR pace, whether Bellinger is overshadowing the rest of the Dodgers (and Clay Bellinger ), and a few of 2019’s other breakout batters, present a Stat Blast about Statcast no-hitters (and Statcast hitting streaks), then answer listener emails about whether playoff odds are fair to teams that appear out of the race and why w...
May 31, 2019•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Rays’ four-man outfield against Cavan Biggio and the gradual ascendance of four-man outfields across the league, Sam’s belated thoughts on the Mets and baseball in Avengers: Endgame , a few underappreciated aspects of the late Bill Buckner ’s career, and the record number of MLB debuts this decade by sons of former big leaguers (including the return of star-caliber sons), then discuss the origins and sustainability of the Minnesota Twins’ best-in-bas...
May 29, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about snow in Colorado, the Rockies and the decline of Kyle Freeland , and the new-look Lucas Giolito and the White Sox rebuild, then discuss the state of the standings and the number of teams out of contention, touching on how the bad teams got that way, the impact of losing on attendance, the merits of rebuilding, the struggles of the Indians and Nationals (and the success of the Twins), the frequency of blowouts, Mike Trout leading the league in WAR, and co...
May 25, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Robinson Cano hurting himself hustling, Chris Carter dominating the Mexican League, the incredible continuing career of Ruben Rivera , pop-up dekes, a possible fun fact involving Orioles homers, the return of Ryan Feierabend (and an uncommon complete game), multiple improvements for instant replay review, and the significance of Carter Stewart signing with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of the NPB, then answer listener emails about using Statcast for fair/fo...
May 23, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Sean Doolittle ’s delivery and Steve Pearce’ s even/odd-year pattern, then discuss current record chases (involving Cody Bellinger , Christian Yelich , and the Orioles’ pitching staff), whether it’s possible to have exciting record chases based on Statcast stats, the significance of five-tool players (and scouting tools) in 2019, and more, plus a bit of one-sided banter about the Mets. Audio intro : Dinosaur Jr., " Stick a Toe In " Audio outro : Said The...
May 21, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the bounceback of Chris Davis , which Statcast stats they would most want to have for the entirety of baseball history, which aspect of instant replay review most dramatically changes the game, and the new-look Josh Bell and Tommy La Stella , then (28:36) talk to FanGraphs prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen about the recent wave of MLB debuts by top prospects (including the Angels’ new two-way player Jared Walsh , Cole Tucker , Nicky Lopez , Nick Senzel ,...
May 17, 2019•1 hr 14 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Chris Sale’ s seven-inning, 17-strikeout game and the Marlins’ ineptitude, then answer listener emails about differences in home-run distance, rooting for run differential, reimagining errors (and quality starts), whether catchers would still squat after robot umpires were implemented, when relief innings will surpass starter innings, no-hitters as team accomplishments, and the most runs scored in a game by one player who accounted for all of his team’s ...
May 16, 2019•1 hr 10 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about inside-the-park homers versus over-the-fence homers, the gratifying rise of home-run robberies, and the unique career of Edwin Jackson (who’s about to have played for the most-ever MLB teams and with the most-ever MLB teammates), then discuss the convergence of starting pitching and relief pitching and play a game to guess whether randomly selected relievers are having good or bad seasons (plus some closing banter about bobblehead dolls). Audio intro : A...
May 14, 2019
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about dogs, nieces, and nephews, their ambivalence about gambling and the future of gambling and real/fantasy baseball, the on-field and off-field excellence of Chris Paddack , the significance of Sinclair Broadcasting’s acquisition of 21 regional sports networks, the divisive Red Sox visit to the White House, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ’s slow start and the paucity of strikes he’s seeing, the new and improved Joey Gallo , the latter-day Albert Pujols and Miguel Ca...
May 10, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Shohei Ohtani ’s return, Mike Fiers’ no-hitter, and the hard-luck Reds, do a Stat Blast and banter about True Wins vs. no-hitters and other standout starts, and answer listener emails about baseball and the gambler’s fallacy, umpires estimating the outcome of every batted ball (and whether pitchers, hitters, or fielders are the most dispensable players on the field from an entertainment standpoint), why we measure pitch speeds in mph rather than ft/s (an...
May 09, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the merits of True Wins vs. no-hitters, a Pablo Sandoval fun fact, whether most pitchers would prefer to be better than average with a higher ERA or worse than average with a lower ERA, and whether the running Royals are, in fact, fun, then (26:24) talk to author Joe Bonomo about his book about about The New Yorker’ s Hall of Fame baseball writer Roger Angell, touching on Angell’s notes and writing process, his career arc and evolution, his facility with...
May 07, 2019•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Noah Syndergaard ‘ s True Win, an 81-pitch complete game for Kyle Hendricks , the AL Central after Corey Kluber ‘s injury and the Twins’ hot start to the season, Tyler Glasnow ’s breakout, the Chris Archer trade in review, the impermanence of coaching success, and the latest comments about the baseball by David Price and Rob Manfred, then (28:43) talk to Jeopardy! phenom James Holzhauer about how sabermetrics influenced his future career, his history of ...
May 04, 2019•1 hr
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Hall of Famers Mike Trout just surpassed in WAR (featuring a story about Goose Goslin and Joe Cronin ) and Trout’s recent improvements in plate discipline, then answer listener emails about Cody Bellinger ’s extreme hot streak, whether most baseball fans notice the rising strikeout rate, a Statcast conspiracy theory, when it makes the most sense to trade Madison Bumgarner (and other players), and the level at which the best pitcher in baseball would ...
May 02, 2019•1 hr 12 min
Co-hosts assemble! Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley banter (briefly and sans spoilers) about baseball in Avengers: Endgame and follow up both about Meg’s attempt to keep track of baseball at a bachelorette party and about pricing on Cameo for Kevin Pillar and Mike Trout , then talk about baseball and happiness, comparing their picks for the World Series winner, division winners, WAR leader, rules change, baseball occurrence, and alteration in past World Series outcome that would most in...
Apr 30, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Rich Hill ‘s dominant rehab start, the most famous catches in history and Sam’s article about recreating Kevin Mitchell ’s barehand catch, their own best baseball plays, and when it becomes objectionable to sit a player who’s pursuing a single-season record, then answer listener emails about the entertainment value of high-strikeout teams, whether rebuilding teams should try to plan for forthcoming rules changes, how fast a pitch would have to be to knoc...
Apr 27, 2019•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the long-awaited promotion of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , baseball-watching etiquette at a bachelorette party, and Mike Trout if he weren’t trying, then answer listener emails about Rhys Hoskins , Jacob Rhame , and the latest unwritten-rules flare-up between the Phillies and Mets, Tyler Wade , Andrelton Simmons , and a questionable application of replay view, how home-plate umpires would perform with transparent players, what type of MLB players they’d prefe...
Apr 26, 2019•1 hr 14 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the numbers behind the Yankees’ historic injury stack, an inspired piece of pitch-framing by Francisco Cervelli , Ramon Laureano as a human highlight machine, how often hitters would (and should) swing if they knew every pitch would be in the strike zone but still be called a ball, and the hitters they’re paying particular attention to, then discuss how Christian Yelich elevated himself onto a Hall of Fame trajectory, how the Marlins’ latest round of tra...
Apr 23, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg seeing the Padres in person, the Phillies’ attendance surge, rooting for writers who’ve taken team jobs, and the Mariners’ lousy last week, then discuss the aesthetic and competitive ramifications of the huge spike in home-run rate in the majors and minors, why Rob Manfred is still insisting that the ball isn’t responsible, and what, if anything, MLB should do. Then (35:18) they talk to veteran baseball writer Danny Knobler , author of the new book U...
Apr 19, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Johnny Cooney as the Vroom Vroom Guy, minor-league closer Dusten Knight’ s backflip save-celebration ritual, the extreme struggles of the Red Sox, and a new way to represent Willians Astudillo ’s success at making contact, then answer listener emails about umpires calling balls and strikes from second base and the most commonly known things about baseball, plus a Stat Blast about the disappearance of old pitchers. Audio intro : The Undertones, " Jump Boy...
Apr 18, 2019•1 hr 14 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about baseball equivalents of Tiger Woods winning the Masters, follow up on two topics from the previous week (Willians Astudillo’s disputed whiff and Don Zimmer’s bases-loaded suicide hit and run) and, in a time-honored tradition, discuss whether selected league-wide stats from the first few weeks of the season are reflective of real trends. Audio intro : The Milk Carton Kids, " Nothing is Real " Audio outro : The Zombies, " Play it for Real " Link to Rob on ...
Apr 16, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners’ fun, surprising, and unsustainable start (and how it might affect the franchise), Austin Hedges’ chest protector, the extraordinary nature of Ozzie Albies’ extension, why he might have signed it, what it says about baseball’s economic market, and why we should care, the frustrating MLB/MiLB crackdown on sharing game video, Marcell Ozuna ’s weird week, whether we’re beyond the golden age of bloopers, and the Twins’ meltdown inning against th...
Apr 13, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Willians Astudillo’ s first strikeout of the season (and whether strike three should have been a foul ball), then answer listener emails about Alex Verdugo and whether it’s better to play full-time in Triple-A or part-time in the majors, what baseball would be like if players had a finite number of career or seasonal plate appearances, Ichiro Suzuki with different hitting mechanics, the optimal way to distribute WAR across a roster, and whether pitchers ...
Apr 10, 2019•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley banter about Mike Trout leading MLB in WAR and follow up on the bad ad from Episode 1358, then draft all 30 teams in terms of how fun they are to follow in 2019. Audio intro : Smash Mouth, " Fun " Audio outro : The Knack, " Serious Fun " Link to list of drafted teams Link to poll about drafted teams Link to Sam’s fun facts about every team Link to preorder The MVP Machine iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!) Sponsor Us on Patreon Facebook Group Effec...
Apr 08, 2019•1 hr 25 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a Blue Jays fan who’s unfazed by foul balls, a possible comeback for defunct Fox show Pitch , the Mariners (specifically Tim Beckham and Dylan Moore ) committing errors in bunches, the offensive futility of Chris Davis , how Nationals fans treated Bryce Harper in his return to DC, Ramon Laureano’ s amazing throwing arm, a change in the baseball and the increase in strikeout rate and Three True Outcomes percentage, the inspirational Willians Astudillo , C...
Apr 06, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Christian Yelich vs. Eugenio Suarez and Yelich vs. regression, an inscrutable ad, Jose Alvarado and the apparent increase in aesthetically pleasing pitches, visual differences between 1998 and now, and the significance of the latest contract extensions, then answer listener emails about the Twins and what makes a team fun, the Indians’ slow start, an intentional walk to Chris Davis , batting practice and bunting against the shift, Justin Verlander ’s sho...
Apr 05, 2019•1 hr 11 min
In a bonus episode of EW, Ben Lindbergh and The Ringer’ s Michael Baumann banter about Bryce Harper ’s transparently but nonetheless almost endearingly calculated campaign to win over Philly fans, why it’s working for him, and whether he could take it too far, then (14:26) talk to actor Hank Azaria , the star of IFC baseball TV series Brockmire , about the show’s return for a third season and how it doubled down on baseball references, incorporated new cast members, adapted to a sober Brockmire,...
Apr 02, 2019•50 min
Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley banter about Sam’s cabin sojourn, how well Major League has held up, an exciting development in strategic bat tosses, a big day for Willians Astudillo , the difficulty of drawing conclusions about baseball early in the season, the early-season home-run rate, the paradox of sports radio, Sam’s Jose Ramirez hot take, bunting against four-man outfields, service-time manipulation and Kyle Freeland , whether we would notice if MLB stealthily implemented robot...
Apr 01, 2019•1 hr 11 min
