Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Jose Altuve and other players claiming to give (much) more than 100 percent and Joe Mauer ‘s retirement and Hall of Fame case, then answer listener emails about Shohei Ohtani ’s future role, whether Mike Trout could go contact-for-contact with Willians Astudillo , a baseball romance novel, winning a World Series MVP award without hitting, whether improved pitcher hitting could correct the so-called strikeout scourge, a 60-WAR season vs. 60 one-WAR sea...
Nov 13, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a Carter Capps -like cricket bowler, another Scott Boras nautical analogy, the latest Mariners-Rays trade (this time involving Mike Zunino , Guillermo Heredia , and Mallex Smith ), how fans felt about the 2018 season, and a Twitter kerfuffle caused by comments made by Bill James, then (31:19) bring on former major leaguer F.P. Santangelo to discuss the ins and outs of sign-stealing and pitch-tipping, peeking at the catcher, headsets on the field, play...
Nov 10, 2018•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the possibility of the Mariners selling and what a Jerry Dipoto -led rebuild would look like, the Yankees’ CC Sabathia signing and GM Brian Cashman’s comments about the luxury tax, scenes from the GM meetings, the Giants hiring Farhan Zaidi from the Dodgers, and Lance McCullers presumably pitching hurt and having Tommy John surgery, then conduct their annual free agent contracts over/under draft and World Series odds movers draft. Audio intro : Blondi...
Nov 08, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Willians Astudillo ‘s 2019 Steamer projections and turnover in the Astros front office and field staff, then (13:17) bring on Arnie Pollinger and Robin Perlow, husband and wife administrators of the 40-year-old SOMBILLA Strat-O-Matic league, to talk about the origins of the league, playing Strat on their first date, league rivalries, how they’ve kept the group together for so long, keeping track of past performance, how Strat has enhance their appreci...
Nov 06, 2018•1 hr 33 min
Ben Lindbergh, Jeff Sullivan, and ESPN’s Sam Miller recap the results of their 2018 minor league free agent draft and the surprising season of Wade LeBlanc , banter about Willians Astudillo and Delmon Young , discuss the defining memory of the 2018 season (and other seasons), and react to Clayton Kershaw ’s contract extension. Then (28:54) they bring on Rob Neyer , author of the new book Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game , to discuss how he picked a game and topics to write about, wh...
Nov 03, 2018•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Boston’s outfield rotation during the World Series, the significance of declining World Series ratings, the Orioles and the difficulty of classifying “tanking” teams, Manny Machado ’s public persona and whether his reputation will hurt his free-agent appeal, and the Mets’ hiring of agent Brodie Van Wagenen as their new GM. They also answer two listener emails about the Astros and do a Stat Blast about the differences between postseason and regular-sea...
Nov 01, 2018•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan recap the last three games of the World Series, including a wild and interminable Game 3, Game 4’s divisive managerial decisions, Game 5’s matchup of diverging starter narratives, how this World Series and postseason stacked up historically, the futures of the Red Sox and Dodgers, how great the Red Sox were, the weird ways they won, playoff unpredictability, the transition to the offseason, and more. Audio intro : Frank Sinatra, " It’s Over, it’s Over, it’s Over "...
Oct 29, 2018•1 hr
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about how teams project the outcomes of matchups between batters and pitchers, the perils of second-guessing well-informed managerial decisions, and why teams still make mistakes, then answer listener emails about start-to-start strikeout variance, limiting the number of pitchers used per game, a potential problem with pitcher-catcher headsets, the four Wander Francos, the MLB players with the most-ever teammates, and the legality of getting a running start...
Oct 26, 2018•58 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a home-run robbery by 40-year-old Endy Chavez and some managerial news, then discuss the first two games of the World Series, focusing on the Red Sox strikeout narrative, the disappointment of Clayton Kershaw vs. Chris Sale and Sale’s playoff vulnerability, David Price ‘s second consecutive strong postseason start, a Fenway Park attendance mystery, mid-inning commercials on the Fox broadcast, Nathan Eovaldi ‘s free agency, Cody Bellinger ’s deceptive ...
Oct 26, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Willians Astudillo , how long it takes to fall asleep, and international signings, then review the end of the NLCS, discuss the worst way to lose, forecast the legacy and future of the Brewers, and preview the Red Sox-Dodgers World Series matchup, including why the series is closer than it looks, the Mookie Betts conundrum, Clayton Kershaw vs. David Price , the status of Craig Kimbrel , the potential for bad blood, the Dodgers’ flexibility, the correl...
Oct 23, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a wild week of playoff baseball, including all the action from Games 3 and 4 of the ALCS and Games 4 and 5 of the NLCS, Joe West’s infamous fan-interference call against the Astros, Andrew Benintendi ‘s game-saving catch, Craig Counsell ‘s Curly Ogden gambit with Wade Miley , Clayton Kershaw ‘s bounceback start, spygate and sign-stealing, Manny Machado ’s literal heel turn, Counsell’s fateful decision to pitch to Cody Bellinger , why playoff baseball ...
Oct 19, 2018•1 hr 21 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Game 3 of the NLCS, the apparent breakouts of Orlando Arcia and Brock Holt , Josh Hader as Poochie, why Yasmani Grandal and other playoff catchers can’t catch, whether a “cruising” pitcher is actually likely to keep cruising, and the 15th anniversary of Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Then (26:12) they bring on former Red Sox senior baseball analyst and Diamond Mind developer Tom Tippett to talk about how he started working for Boston, simulating the 2003 AL...
Oct 17, 2018•1 hr 13 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the lack of non-playoff banter and discuss the first two games of each championship series, touching on Clayton Kershaw bias, Matt Barnes curveballs, the finer points of pitcher-batter matchup stats, Josh Hader as a starter vs. as a reliever, the upcoming games, and much more (including a Brandon Woodruff -filled snippet of last week’s Patreon-only broadcast). Audio intro : The Black Keys, " Just Couldn’t Tie Me Down " Audio outro : Fleet Foxes, " Rag...
Oct 16, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the response to their writing about the demise of the starting pitcher, the sources of their unease about baseball’s bullpen takeover, and the difficulty of previewing playoff rounds, then set up and break down the Astros-Red Sox ALCS and the Dodgers-Brewers NLCS and revisit the dullness of the division series round. After the break (37:50), they bring on Britni de la Cretaz to discuss her feature for The Ringer about why women broadcasters are still ...
Oct 12, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about an engaging Game 4 of the ALDS and sum up the Red Sox-Yankees series, the end of Astros-Indians, and the ALDS as a whole. Then they answer listener emails about working the count and avoiding the bullpen, why broadcasts don’t give screen time to streakers, and the best type of playoff rent-a-player, plus a Stat Blast about shifts and line drives. Audio intro : The Avett Brothers, " All My Mistakes " Audio outro : Tame Impala, " New Person, Same Old Mi...
Oct 11, 2018•1 hr 9 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Scott Oberg and the difference between good and bad balk calls, the Brewers sweeping the Rockies and the state of playoff bullpenning, the Astros juggernaut, Dodgers vs. Braves, Ronald Acuna ’s grand slam, and the new Clayton Kershaw , the anomalous playoff performances of Kershaw and David Price , the Yankees’ sluggers and the appeal of balls knocked out of the ballpark, and more. Audio intro : Built to Spill, " Gone " Audio outro : Joel Plaskett, " ...
Oct 09, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the difficulties of postseason scheduling, both opening games of the NLDS, a better bullpen game by the Brewers, the Rockies’ decision to pitch to Mike Moustakas , what Christian Yelich is doing differently, the composition of the Braves and the depth of the Dodgers and Astros, and Chis Sale’s history of fading down the stretch, then answer listener emails about what would happen to a manager who consistently lost in the World Series, why teams haven’...
Oct 05, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan review the saber-savvy ESPN broadcast of the NL wild card game, relive the highs, lows, and pivotal/memorable moments of both wild card games, defend the bullpen game from an analytical standpoint (and criticize it from an aesthetic standpoint), and ruminate about every division series matchup. For the first time in ages, they do not discuss Willians Astudillo, although he’s always in their hearts. Audio intro : Broken Bells, " October " Audio outro : Amy Winehous...
Oct 05, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a wild end to the regular season, including the season’s final Willians Astudillo update (maybe), endings for Joe Mauer , David Wright , and Mike Scioscia , Khris Davis batting .247 again , the Orioles’ final ignominy, surgery for Shohei Ohtani , final regular-season stats about strikeouts, hits, homers, and fastball velocity, Jeff Wilpon’s incredible comments, an unprecedented two-tiebreaker day, the upcoming wild card games, and more. Then they brin...
Oct 02, 2018•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the MVP races, the definition of value, Jacob deGrom , and Christian Yelich , plus an investigation into teams’ international practices, CC Sabathia ’s costly hit by pitch, whether steroids were really responsible for steroid-era home run rates, and (don’t worry) Willians Astudillo . Then they review the 2018 regular season, including their favorite moments, the biggest ways baseball changed, what they learned about Mike Trout , how preseason narrativ...
Sep 28, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Willians Astudillo , Chris Davis and Khris Davis , the end of a Clayton Kershaw streak, Jacob deGrom , the ever-changing NL playoff race, the rapid spread of the opener, Joe Maddon’s comments about Addison Russell , and the worst team collapses of 2018, then answer listener emails about the Cubs’ offense and the most surprising division race, Bryce Harper ’s bad defense, intentionally deflecting pickoff throws, the relievers with the most wins after b...
Sep 27, 2018•1 hr 4 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Willians Astudillo , Jeff McNeil , and Juan Graterol , Shaq Thompson and the highest minor-league strikeout rates, the last week of the season, the lowest ERAs of the second half, Bryan Mitchell , and why voting for pitcher awards may be getting even more complicated, then (20:14) bring on The Athletic’s Levi Weaver to talk about the Rangers’ reasons for firing Jeff Banister , what his dismissal says about managerial styles, the value of managers, and...
Sep 25, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the response to their previous episode, whether improvements in catching or improvements in umpiring have done more to reduce the variation in framing performance among teams, a Mike Trout snub, Breyvic Valera ‘s contact rate, and the latest revelations about Addison Russell ’s alleged domestic abuse, then answer listener emails about Luke Voit and Yankees home-run records, Mike Clevinger and Indians strikeout records, whether it would be noticeable i...
Sep 21, 2018•1 hr
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Trevor Story ’s close call, then (9:04) bring on former MLB pitcher Michael Schwimer , the founder and CEO of Big League Advance , to talk about the mechanics and morality of giving money to minor leaguers in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings if they make the majors, why the company was the subject of a now-dropped lawsuit, the dilemma of low minor-league pay, why Michael maintains that BLA is helping players, BLA’s investment model a...
Sep 20, 2018•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Willians Astudillo and Jacob deGrom (as usual), the perception of the Cubs vs. the reality of the Cubs, the dramatic, puzzling increase in infield shifting against Mike Trout , the checkered career of honest but pugnacious umpiring legend Tim Hurst, the future of two-way players, Joel Sherman’s column about new stats driving fans away from baseball, and the end of the American League’s interleague winning streak. Audio intro : Sloan, " Same Old Flame ...
Sep 18, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Willians Astudillo going viral again, a Shohei Ohtani fun fact, J.D. Martinez , Mookie Betts , and how to gauge a player’s value to his teammates, the emergence of A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano , the impending ends to the careers of David Wright and Joe Mauer , a Kyle Freeland update, the surprising NL West race and AL wild card race, and the overlooked excellence of Jeremy Jeffress . Then (34:42) they bring on Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri to...
Sep 14, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the unlikely championship season of the Northwest League’s Eugene Emeralds, Jacob deGrom ‘s latest hard-luck loss, and maintaining perspective about the Phillies’ late-season swoon, then answer listener emails about an MLB ballpark sleepover, whether making ballparks bigger would counter the three true outcomes, Chris Davis ’s strikeouts vs. batting average and the worst seasons of all time, Javier Baez and “creating chaos,” the value and cost of good...
Sep 13, 2018•1 hr 4 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Willians Astudillo , Jeff’s ideal afterlife, Mike Trout ‘s future and what an extension for Trout might look like, the Tyler Flowers extension, Michael Kopech ‘s impending Tommy John surgery and the UCL scourge, how being Tampa Bay’s “bulk guy” is affecting Ryan Yarbrough ‘s WAR, Mallex Smith vs. Giancarlo Stanton , a divisive call against the Astros and the state of replay review, the Cubs and bad weather, Oakland’s incredible bullpen, John Gant ’s o...
Sep 11, 2018•1 hr 8 min
Ben Lindbergh, The Ringer’s Michael Baumann , and Tommy John surgery researcher Jon Roegele convene to discuss every aspect of the news that Shohei Ohtani will likely undergo Tommy John surgery, including how the Angels handled him and whether they bear any blame for the outcome, their recent rash of similar injuries and unusual treatments, Ohtani’s ongoing hitting heroics, whether his season was a success, the probable timing of his return as a hitter and as a pitcher, his future as a two-way p...
Sep 06, 2018•56 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Dee Gordon ‘s walk rate, Jonathan Villar ‘s daring baserunning, how much the “opener” has contributed to the Rays’ success, and Todd Frazier ’s variation on the hidden-ball trick. Then they bring on FanGraphs writer Sheryl Ring (22:02) to discuss what the MLB Players Association hiring new lead negotiator Bruce Meyer might mean for the next round of collective bargaining, whether the Mets are committing insurance fraud by delaying the activation of Da...
Sep 06, 2018•1 hr 8 min
