Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Ben’s introduction to climbing, a Mets-Phillies blowout, Scott Kingery ‘s slow pitches, Jacob deGrom ‘s run support, Jose Ureña ‘s suspension and how to punish hit by pitches, the Rangers’ odd triple play and the 2002 debut of Ron Wright , Matt Kemp ‘s slump, and an umpire’s rapid reaction, then answer listener emails about Mike Trout ’s value if he couldn’t slide, the ethics of using strategy in Little League, Kevin Gausman and the decline of pitchin...
Aug 18, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Ben Lindbergh, Jeff Sullivan, and writer Rachael McDaniel banter about a Scott Boras quote about Bryce Harper , the hot streaks of Matt Carpenter and Ronald Acuña , an Ender Inciarte comment, aging in relation to baseball players, the cold streak of Luis Severino , and a possible old example of groundskeeping gamesmanship. Then (24:22) they bring on former major-league outfielder and current MLB Ambassador for Inclusion Billy Bean to talk about his evolving role at MLB, counseling former minor l...
Aug 16, 2018•1 hr 26 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Ben’s book activities, David Bote ‘s exciting grand slam, Ramon Laureano ‘s highlight throw, a few surprisingly (and not-so-surprisingly) streaking players, Taylor Ward ’s call-up news, and a weird walk-off win in the minors. Then (26:10) they bring on Zach Ricketts, assistant head groundskeeper at the Oakland Coliseum, to talk about many aspects of being a groundskeeper at the last ballpark to house both an MLB team and an NFL team, including: his da...
Aug 14, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Felix Hernandez ‘s demotion to the bullpen, Willians Astudillo and the hidden-ball trick, former major leaguers who are still excelling internationally, an Augusta GreenJackets tweet, Dee Gordon ‘s walk rate, Javier Baez ‘s success, the state of the MVP races, Tyler Glasnow ‘s apparent reinvention and the staying power of coaching gurus, a cricket follow-up, Kenley Jansen ’s absence, the Fernando Rodney trade, and important trick plays. Audio intro : ...
Aug 11, 2018•56 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Jacoby Ellsbury ‘s latest injury, Jayson Werth ‘s anti-analytics rant, Luke Heimlich, and Shohei Ohtani , then answer listener emails about how defensive positioning is affecting positions themselves, throwing strikes to Jorge Alfaro , bringing “the wall” to baseball, why so many pitchers are throwing 100 mph, how the Orioles fit their new minor leaguers into their farm system, Collin McHugh ‘s recent success, Bartolo Colon ’s Hall of Fame case, Mike ...
Aug 09, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Ben’s excursion to a Helena Brewers game, Matt Davidson ‘s relief excellence, Juan Soto ‘s historic performance, Kole Calhoun ‘s resurgence, the A’s acquiring Mike Fiers , Mike Trout ’s 27th birthday, and more, then (25:14) talk to former big leaguer (and former live guest) Fernando Perez about the 10th anniversary of the 2008 Rays, how coaches can hurt or help a player’s professional experience, and what’s right and wrong with baseball broadcasting, ...
Aug 08, 2018•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan follow up on an awful umpire call from the Mexican League, discuss the all-time top power-plus-speed players, lament Johnny Cueto ’s Tommy John surgery, and acknowledge Mike Trout overtaking Mookie Betts on offense. Then they bring on Fangraphs writer Meg Rowley to discuss baseball grumps, good and bad broadcasting, the role of the commissioner, how fans and writers should reckon with the Roberto Osuna story and other bad news besieging baseball, the progress the ...
Aug 03, 2018•1 hr 14 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a hiking analogy, the Nationals jettisoning relievers Brandon Kintzler and Shawn Kelley , and the no-longer-so-unhittable Justin Miller , then answer listener emails about Joey Gallo ’s zero sac flies, Andrew Romine , red lights, and 3-0 swings, the ideal baseball height, the value of a roster spot, where to draw the line when covering players having horrible seasons, a pitcher who always allows a run per inning, why defenders sometimes reposition the...
Aug 02, 2018•59 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan break down (almost) all the trade-deadline deals by (almost) every team, with special attention to the Chris Archer trade between the Pirates and Rays, the Nationals’ non-trades and their competitors’ improvements, the Orioles’ many moves, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers, the Brewers’ remade infield, the Astros and Roberto Osuna , and much, much more. Audio intro : Badfinger, " It’s Over " Audio outro : Arkells, " Deadlines " Link to Ben’s post on the combined O...
Aug 01, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan have an in-depth discussion with former Mets director of baseball operations and Braves assistant GM Adam Fisher about being a front-office utility man, talking to the media, work-life imbalance in baseball operations, the public-private information gap, the evolution of analytics, scouting, and player development over the past 15 years, the shrinking of competitive advantages, and all of the ins and outs of the trade deadline: where trade ideas come from, how tea...
Jul 27, 2018•1 hr 20 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the Zach Britton and Nathan Eovaldi trades, the Yankees’ unbelievable bullpen, the Rays’ most recent Sergio Romo experiment, and the Gary Sanchez hustle/groin-strain saga, follow up on athletes dominating lesser competition and Noah Syndergaard ’s latest affliction, then answer emails about Odubel Herrera , Rhys Hoskins , how a bad fielder affects a better fielder’s positioning, and the future of specialty coaches. Lastly, they bring on comedian Jim J...
Jul 26, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Billy Butler ‘s beer league, the Jeurys Familia trade, the red-hot Oakland A’s, Seattle’s extensions for Jerry Dipoto and Scott Servais , the AL wild card race, the Mets’ most recent dysfunction, Khris Davis ’s consistency, the FanGraphs trade value series and the long-term prospects of several top teams, the latest on position player pitchers, the pain of hit by pitches, and more. Audio intro : Elton John, " Social Disease " Audio outro : The Flying ...
Jul 24, 2018•1 hr
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about beard grooming, the indy-league exploits of Rafael Palmeiro , Patrick Palmeiro , and the Chinese national team, the Padres-Indians trade involving Brad Hand , Adam Cimber , and Francisco Mejía , the Orioles’ commitment to rebuilding, post-publication regrets about articles, the worst example of umpiring they’ve ever seen, and the state of the standings as the second half starts, then answer listener emails about what (if anything) is wrong with Gary S...
Jul 20, 2018•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan break down the five-for-one deal that sent Manny Machado to Los Angeles, discussing the players changing teams, the short- and long-term implications for the Dodgers and Orioles, and the ripple effects for the rest of the trade market. Then they reflect on the latest national discourse about marketing Mike Trout , review the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, wrestle with how to handle the revelation of Josh Hader ’s reprehensible tweets, and analyze the histor...
Jul 19, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Mike Trout and marketing, the surprising Rays and the unsung Jake Bauers , the AL wild card race, Willians Astudillo ’s pitching appearance, the results of a 21-question player survey, the Royals’ recent performance, and a tariff on baseball gloves, then (24:24) bring on man-of-many-bylines Will Leitch to discuss the long-awaited end of the Mike Matheny era in St. Louis, how Cardinals fans feel to be free of him, what Matheny taught us about managers,...
Jul 17, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Daniel Descalso , Alex Blandino , and the ongoing onslaught of position-player pitchers, Jacob deGrom ‘s updated WAR vs. wins status, Kyle Schwarber ‘s two-strike bunting, the death-ray potential of the Rays’ proposed stadium, Jordan Hicks and Bud Norris , and two baseball blobs, then (31:17) talk to Seattle Mariners senior marketing director Gregg Greene and marketing director Mandy Lincoln about the in-stadium decibel meter, the King’s Court, player...
Jul 13, 2018•1 hr 25 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Manny Machado trade precedents, the Astros’ weird walk-off, the A’s as wild-card contenders, Trevor Bauer and an Indians bullpen miscommunication, the Rays’ proposed stadium design, a Mike Trout shirt, and more, then answer listener emails about players and self-preservation, midseason free agents, Mike Trout hobbies besides weather, constructing a star on the scouting scale, the likeliest best active players, baseball with multiple mound distances, t...
Jul 12, 2018•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about an old “Umpire Day,” the Mariners’ run-differential defiance, and the Royals’ extreme struggles and possibly unprecedented amateur signing, then discuss how to define an All-Star, the All-Star Game’s fading significance, the All-Star selection process, and the perennial conversation surrounding “snubs,” as well as the trade deadline in the era of multiple wild cards and stratified teams, what this deadline might look like, the Orioles and the Manny Ma...
Jul 10, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the third-place Nationals and Wade LeBlanc ’s extension, then answer listener emails about trading Bryce Harper , signing Bryce Harper, throwing super-slow pitches, a DH as the best player ever, hitting flares on purpose, losing games to set up a specific playoff matchup, John Olerud and the Hall of Fame, when to tell fans to “make some noise,” the players with the most RBI against one team, forcing opponents to play out of position, an MLB re-entry r...
Jul 06, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the Rays using backup catcher Jesus Sucre as a pitcher to protect a lead, the return of Shohei Ohtani , Javier Baez ’s exciting and silly steal of home, and what life would be like with deferred payments. Then (29:58) they bring on Phillies international scouting director Sal Agostinelli to discuss his Willians Astudillo -esque career, discovering, signing, and developing Astudillo, the July 2 signing period, scouting teenaged players, amateur scoutin...
Jul 06, 2018•1 hr 13 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the joyous big-league debut and amazing minor-league history of Effectively Wild favorite and new Twins utility man Willians Astudillo , an awful Royals month, Jacob deGrom , a bobbled Raimel Tapia catch and tag-up confusion, Jon Gray ‘s perplexing demotion, Marlins who may be traded, a Vince Velasquez highlight, Michael Lorenzen ‘s hitting and Matt Davidson ’s pitching, a Ryne Stanek fun fact, and a historic, almost-unprecedented putout by the Pirate...
Jul 03, 2018•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Jose Alvarado , Shohei Ohtani ‘s power and possible return as a hitter, Shane Bieber ‘s velocity, the minor-league breakouts of Chris Paddack and Colin Poche , FanGraphs readers vs. average fans, Brandon Nimmo ‘s latest HBP antics, the Mets’ recent struggles and Mets-fan fatalism, the recoveries of the Reds and Wilmer Font , what teams would trade to enter the awful AL Central, Edwin Jackson ‘s journey, the decline of the 2018 free-agent class, and mo...
Jun 29, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Jeff’s lost and found voice, then bring on MLB on TBS and SNY analyst Ron Darling (5:33) to discuss preparing to call games, talking stats on TV, local broadcasting vs. national broadcasting, the beloved Mets broadcasting team, building booth rapport, positivity and negativity on TV, dealing with broadcasting criticism, calling AL games vs. calling NL games, 1980s baseball vs. modern baseball, facing Barry Bonds and Tim Raines , and pitcher hitting. T...
Jun 29, 2018•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh and The Athletic’ s Lindsey Adler discuss Lindsey’s transition from blogging to beat writing, how to talk to players and become comfortable in the clubhouse, the contrasts between the Yankees and Mets (and Aaron Boone and Mickey Callaway), writing about teams vs. writing about baseball’s big picture, the beat-writing fraternity, being a beat writer on Twitter, and more. Then (32:01) they bring on former MLB Director of Business Public Relations Jeff Heckelman to explain why MLB pla...
Jun 26, 2018•1 hr 23 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Coors Field, Domingo German , the amazing Max Scherzer , Tyler Chatwood , Kole Calhoun ‘s comeback, the writing process, Marcell Ozuna ‘s catch attempt, Ichiro and the Home Run Derby, and the AL playoff picture, then bring on 31-year-old MLB-player-turned-FanGraphs-writer Nate Freiman (20:22) to talk about his recent embrace of advanced stats, coding, and blogging, his record-setting college career, his short-lived attempt at being a two-way player, h...
Jun 22, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Steven Brault ‘s national-anthem performance, Brandon Morrow ‘s ignoble injury, the Kelvin Herrera trade, banana ambivalence, a suspicious baby-powder puff, Vinny Castilla ‘s bat-boning, an interleague-play update, Jose Urena ‘s control, the New Orleans Baby Cakes and minor-league team names, the senseless Giants-Marlins beanball war, the debut of Jonathan Loaisiga , and a sound-of-strikes study, then answer listener emails about hoax broadcasts, Jon ...
Jun 21, 2018•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Juan Soto ‘s timeline-rearranging home run, Adrian Houser throwing up mid-game, Nick Markakis and Braves all-star voting, a Mets official’s donut metaphor, and Mike Trout ’s continued excellence, then (17:35) talk to longtime MLB umpire and crew chief Dale Scott about miking up umpires, manager-umpire arguments, the Tom Hallion/Terry Collins clip and the expression “ass in the jackpot,” automated strike-calling, catcher framing, other factors that aff...
Jun 19, 2018•1 hr 21 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan follow up on Terry Collins, trick running plays, Steven Brault ‘s disappointing strikeout, the Mariners, and Justin Miller , banter about Takuya Nakashima’s 200th career sacrifice bunt, the Astros’ enviable depth, the most exciting rookies of 2018 (including Juan Soto , Gleyber Torres , Walker Buehler , and Adam Cimber ), and MLB’s attendance decline, and talk to Hans Van Slooten about his years building and maintaining Baseball-Reference.com as Sports Reference’s...
Jun 16, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the end of Steven Brault ‘s strikeout streak, Brandon Nimmo ‘s non-HBP, Jacob deGrom ‘s and Mike Trout ’s latest futile heroics, the Mariners’ luck, leaked umpire audio, Hank Aaron on bottle boning, the new-and-improved Jordan Hicks , Miguel Cabrera being done for the year, post-substitution ejections, and a clever college play, then answer listener emails about Manny Margot, lineup loopholes, technical fouls, LeBron James, and Steph Curry, a league o...
Jun 14, 2018•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Masahiro Tanaka ‘s double hamstring strain, Joey Gallo ‘s bunt against the shift, and Nationals reliever Justin Miller ‘s amazing stats this season. Then they discuss the short- and long-term effects of Shohei Ohtani ’s elbow injury, critique several baseball-fixing proposals by Nick Elam, inventor of basketball’s “Elam Ending,” and wrap up with an update about the endangered Nick Markakis fun fact. Audio intro : First Aid Kit (with Jack White), " It ...
Jun 12, 2018•1 hr 13 min
