Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Salvador Perez’ s power output, durability, defense, and career, Shohei Ohtani ’s offensive slump, the Rays calling up Josh Lowe to go with Brandon Lowe (but not Nathaniel Lowe ), and the desirability of being teammates with one’s brother or father, then draft unsung players who are having good seasons that haven’t been mentioned much on the pod. Audio intro : Ages and Ages, " Unsung Songs " Audio outro : John Prine, " Pretty Good " Link to Patrick Dubuq...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Mike Yastrzemski , “bubble guts,” and the right way for a manager to publicize a player’s intestinal distress, then follow up on Miguel Cabrera and the factors that influence players’ career ratios of pitchers homered off of to total home runs, review the state of the standings, discuss the Cubs’ unexpected contributions from Frank Schwindel and Rafael Ortega , and answer listener emails about Patrick Wisdom and the difference between building blocks and...
Sep 08, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley talk to The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee and SB Nation’s Eric Stephen about the last series of the regular season between the tied-for-first-place Dodgers and Giants, the historic greatness of their race, the state of (and outlook for) their respective rosters, the strengths and weaknesses of each team, their secret sauces, each team’s most pleasant surprise, the highlight of their season series so far, what went wrong for the Padres, how the Dodgers and Giants compare a...
Sep 03, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Wander Franco coming into his own, Kevin Newman ’s steep offensive falloff post-spring training, a strikeout milestone for Robbie Ray , the Kendall Graveman – Abraham Toro trade and promotions/extensions for the Mariners’ Jerry Dipoto and Scott Servais, the new-and-improved Blake Snell , Austin Adams’ historic hit-by-pitch pace, Cardinals radio broadcaster Mike Shannon discovering and attempting to explain NFTs on the air, and the difference between bad ...
Sep 02, 2021•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh talks to Defector ’s David Roth about the Mets’ freefall in the standings, the extremely Metsy controversy surrounding multiple players giving the thumbs down to fans, and how the franchise still practices Wilpon-era self-sabotage. Then (46:18) Ben “benters” with Ben Clemens from FanGraphs about the post-sticky-stuff collapse of demoted Cleveland closer James Karinchak , the continued success of aged ace Adam Wainwright , and the consistent kind-of-good-ness of the still-contending...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh talks to The Ringer ’s Zach Kram about how the red-hot Yankees have salvaged their season, mounted their longest winning streak in 60 years, and put themselves in playoff position. Then (27:33) Ben brings on John Poff , former major leaguer and Stat Blast star, to discuss his brief big league career, walking away from the game, being a bookworm in baseball, playing before big salaries, the evolution of coaching, failure fueling art, his peripatetic post-baseball life, his career as...
Aug 28, 2021•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh follows up on a Stat Blast that generated a lot of listener emails, then (13:04) talks to former major leaguer and current Angels catching coach José Molina about his unparalleled receiving skills, fooling umpires, the importance of framing compared to throwing, blocking, and game-calling, whether stealing strikes can be taught, aspects of catcher defense that still aren’t being measured, robot umps and electronic pitch-calling, Shohei Ohtani , the quarter-century reign of the Moli...
Aug 26, 2021•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s post-concert encounter with a podcast listener, Miguel Cabrera ’s 500th home run and the future of the 500-homer club, the latest sighting of Tom’s enigmatic message to Caitlyn at Great American Ball Park, the Rockies possibly promoting a GM from within (again), and a few pennant race updates, then meet major leaguers Packy Naughton and Griffin Jax and share Stat Blasts about whether managers are more likely to make the outgoing pitcher or the inco...
Aug 23, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on a conversation about protective headgear for pitchers by discussing softball face masks, then banter about whether MLB necessarily needs a legalized sticky substance or a pre-tacked ball, and attempt to unpack a distressing message from “Tom” to “Caitlyn” on the video board at a Reds game. Then (37:47) they talk to ESPN reporter Dan Hajducky about a shocking week for the booming sports card industry, highlighted by Fanatics securing exclusive card licens...
Aug 21, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Germán Márquez and the ethics of diarrhea disclosure, stretched pitching staffs that were supposed to be deep, the Orioles and Diamondbacks competing for MLB’s worst record, a somewhat deceptive salary floor in MLB’s economic proposal (and the future of the ongoing CBA talks), Mets owner Steve Cohen’s critical tweet about his team’s underperforming bats, Chris Bassitt’ s injury and protecting pitchers from line drives, Freddie Freeman’ s cycle, and Shohe...
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on a recent observation about a baseball-related line in Twilight , then banter about petards, Ben’s latest trip to see Shohei Ohtani at Yankee Stadium, Tyler Gilbert’ s improbable no-hitter, the playoff hopes of the Padres, Reds, and Giants (and reshuffling in the NL East and AL East), the lows and highs of heckling, the Rockies’ historic home-road splits, Michael Schur adapting Field of Dreams for Peacock and the near future of baseball TV shows, Carter S...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Field of Dreams Game, “playing catch” vs. “having a catch,” scouting baseball movies, and a quibble with baseball in Twilight , answer listener emails about extending the Field of Dreams Game concept to other settings (and other baseball movies), the aesthetics of no-doubt dingers and wall-scrapers, saving the ball from a fluky first hit, and the difficulty of comparing per-game stats and statistical qualifiers across seasons with and without COVID-r...
Aug 14, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about an Alek Manoah semi-fun fact, a day without any starters going deep into games, economical outings by Adam Wainwright and Corbin Burnes , Cody Bellinger ’s bat, a legal decision involving the Phillie Phanatic that may have implications beyond baseball, Joey Gallo feeling small, and the cost of Ray’s lost corn crop in Field of Dreams , then (34:01) talk to writer and editor Danny Funt about his recent deep dive into the relationship between sports media a...
Aug 13, 2021•1 hr 19 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their imperfections, follow up on flying horses, Justice Blackmun omitting Mel Ott from Flood vs. Kuhn , and a possible defense of pitcher hitters, then assess the state of the standings and playoff races, contemplate a position change for Fernando Tatis Jr. , discuss the Field of Dreams Game, and consider a point in favor of robot umps and signs of spin-rate resurgence. Audio intro : David Bowie, " Win " Audio outro : Oh Pep!, " The Race " Link to artic...
Aug 11, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman of Céspedes Family BBQ banter about Jake’s baseball bike trip (and Jordan’s accompanying car ride) from New York to Chicago. Then, in honor of Mike Trout ’s 30th birthday, they draft their favorite things about Trout and his incredible career. Audio intro : Jay-Z, " 30 Something " Audio outro : Smash Mouth, " You Are My Number One " Link to Jake’s fundraising site Link to Jake’s trip stats Link to Episode 762 Link to Sam on Trout an...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about baseball (and steeplechase?) at the Olympics, then answer listener emails about teams intentionally drafting players they don’t intend to sign, Willy Adames as an NL MVP candidate, Dominic Smith and reverse platoon splits, secret ball-strike counts, and which is better (or worse), position-player pitchers or pitcher hitters, then meet major leaguers Shea Spitzbarth and Stephen Ridings and do a Stat Blast about Flood v. Kuhn and Supreme Court Justice Harr...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 39 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mets not signing first-round pick Kumar Rocker, owner Steve Cohen’s comment about the decision, and the amateur draft as a salary-suppressing institution, then discuss how injuries have destabilized some of the major end-of-season awards races. After that (31:51), they talk to Cleveland native (and Baseball Prospectus writer) Russell Carleton about his history as a fan of the team soon to be known as the Cleveland Guardians, when he changed his mind ...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley recap the busiest trade deadline ever, first examining why it was so frantic and then going division by division to analyze the actions or inaction of every team that made a trade (which was, well, every team). Audio intro : Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, " Heard You’re Moving " Audio outro : Vanessa Peters, " Moving Day " Link to FanGraphs trade reactions Link to FanGraphs deadline roundup Link to Ben on the busy deadline Link to Ken Rosenthal on the busy deadline...
Aug 01, 2021•1 hr 48 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the one-for-one A’s-Marlins swap involving Starling Marte and Jesús Luzardo , Marte’s underrated career, and Miami’s enviable pitching stockpile, then discuss the circumstances surrounding a potential trade of Max Scherzer . After that (35:21), they talk to FiveThirtyEight senior writer Neil Paine about the factors that affect whether teams add or subtract at the trade deadline, Neil’s “Doyle Number” metric for assessing trade-season incentives, how this...
Jul 28, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Padres trading for Adam Frazier and other pre-deadline activity, Joey Votto’ s offensive resurgence, Shohei Ohtani ’s dirty uniform, and more, then react in real time to the Mariners surprisingly trading Kendall Graveman to the Astros for Abraham Toro . They also answer listener emails about adding a pitcher/DH position, bringing back unlimited two-strike foul bunts to combat the shift, trading catchers at the deadline, the possibility of pitchers, n...
Jul 28, 2021•1 hr 43 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the new name and look of Cleveland’s MLB team, the Guardians, then react to the Rays trading for Nelson Cruz and dealing away Rich Hill , analyze a new electronic system for sending signs from catchers to pitchers that’s about to be tested in A ball, and salute Juan Soto ’s post-Home Run Derby hot streak. Then (38:42) they bring on FanGraphs writers Ben Clemens and Kevin Goldstein to talk about their just-completed ranking of the 50 players with the most...
Jul 24, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the return of the debate about batting around and other unending debates they do or don’t care about, whether MLB should borrow the NFL’s plan to make clubs forfeit games that can’t be played because of unvaccinated players, Willians Astudillo being back in the big leagues, and listeners’ suggestions for alternate cycles, then answer listener emails about Zack Greinke and the Expos, turning the zombie runner into a ghost runner, beliefs about baseball th...
Jul 23, 2021•1 hr 34 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the length of the baseball season (and postseason) compared to other sports’, whether Shohei Ohtani ever grows frustrated with his mere-mortal teammates, the prolific predictions of the Rockies’ Mike Redmond , a possible modification to the zombie-runner rule, an update on the Marlins’ run differential, a story about a broadcaster bet gone wrong, a listener report on Tony La Russa , Willie Stargell ’s stars, an Ohtani playing-time fun fact, the AL MVP ra...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the conditions David Fletcher has faced during his hitting streak compared to those Joe DiMaggio faced, follow up on a discussion of baseball in a multiverse scenario, discuss the difficulty of extending (or trading) Byron Buxton , mention a quest to collect Willians Astudillo cards, puzzle over the stagnation of former top prospect Nomar Mazara , and marvel at Padres rookie reliever Daniel Camarena ’s improbable grand slam. Then (32:53) they talk to Jak...
Jul 17, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s airport problems, discuss the All-Star Game (touching on mic’d up and profane players, unsightly uniforms, All-Stars being friendly on the field, and MLB embracing the game’s lack of stakes), lament that the zombie-runner rule may not be (un)dead after all, follow up on more players with high highlight-to-value ratios, reflect on Will Craig seeking solace in the KBO, celebrate David Fletcher ’s 24-game hitting streak and unique offensive profile, e...
Jul 16, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rob Manfred teasing a possible permanent reprieve from zombie runners and seven-inning doubleheaders, react to Monday’s Home Run Derby and outpouring of appreciation for Shohei Ohtani , and lament Ronald Acuña Jr. ’s season-ending injury (and assess the state of the Braves). Then (45:46) they bring on FanGraphs Lead Prospect Analyst Eric Longenhagen and National Writer Kevin Goldstein to break down the amateur draft, touching on the Pirates’ surprising f...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr 53 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the 10th anniversary of Mike Trout ’s promotion to the majors, Rey Ordóñez and other players with high highlights-to-value ratios, opting against an Albert Pujols pun, MLB wisely forgoing the humidor for the Home Run Derby, and a quibble with the Derby bracket, then follow up on a discussion of mid-inning coaching visits for hitters and answer listener emails about the value of an above-average broadcast crew, letting All-Stars wear a special patch on th...
Jul 09, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rays’ combined seven-inning hitless game, knuckleballer Mickey Jannis as a secret weapon in MLB The Show , Jacob deGrom and the near-impossibility of breaking the ERA record, Billy Hamilton and players with the highest highlight-to-value ratios, a six-man outfield against Joey Gallo , Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the retelling of player predictions, a first for Albert Pujols , Miguel Cabrera’ s recent semi-resurgence, Pablo López and an (almost) unprece...
Jul 08, 2021•1 hr 51 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their long weekends, birthday boy (and two-way All-Star) Shohei Ohtani , MLB’s perplexing timing when it comes to announcing awards and All-Star honors and scheduling special events such as the Futures Game and the amateur draft, the Yankees’ continuing troubles, pitchers who’ve struggled since the sticky stuff crackdown began, and Kyle Schwarber falling prey to the hamstring-injury epidemic. Then (35:34) they “Meet a Major Leaguer” up close by bringing ...
Jul 06, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about passing the halfway point of the regular season, the early effects of the sticky-stuff crackdown, a historically high-scoring day, the white-hot Brewers (and Willy Adames ) and the red-hot Nationals (and Kyle Schwarber ), a Germán Márquez gem, and a study on how kids become fans that helps explain how Ben and Meg became co-hosts. Then they talk to two academics who have used baseball data to study psychology: Professor James Archsmith of the University o...
Jul 02, 2021•1 hr 42 min
