Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Twitter commotion caused by the Pioneer League’s Grand Junction Rockies (who are definitely not named the Humpback Chubs), an Angels outfield sign and Mike Trout, the curious rise and fall of Yonder Alonso, the promotion of Rays rookie (and two-way player) Brendan McKay, the upcoming FanGraphs All-Star Game event, the All-Star starters and how All-Stars should be selected, and J.D. Martinez’s comments about writers wanting to work in front offices. Then (40:33) they talk to FiveThirtyEight’s Nathaniel Rakich about his sabermetric analysis of the Congressional Baseball Game, why the Dems have dominated recent games, the two-way talents of Rep. Cedric Richmond, and why the game has resisted the polarization of politics. Lastly (1:06:21), they bring on NPR’s Linda Holmes to discuss her debut novel, Evvie Drake Starts Over, her love of baseball and fascination with the yips, whether a character with the yips is based on Brandon McCarthy, how the book has been received, her writing process and approach to dialogue, and more.

Audio intro: Greg Brown, "Grand Junction"
Audio interstitial 1: Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), "Take a Break"
Audio interstitial 2: Warm Thoughts, "Romance Novelist"
Audio outro: 10cc, "The Dean and I"

Link to Craig Goldstein on the Grand Junction Rockies tweets
Link to Humpback Chubs petition
Link to interview about the Humpback Chubs petition
Link to OCR story about Angels outfield sign
Link to Craig Edwards on the McKay call-up
Link to Dave Cameron on Alonso
Link to FanGraphs All-Star Game event post
Link to Devan Fink on All-Star starters and WAR
Link to Martinez’s comments about writers and voting
Link to Nathaniel’s article about the Congressional Baseball Game
Link to Nathaniel’s Congressional Baseball Game stats
Link to order Evvie Drake Starts Over
Link to order The MVP Machine

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In a bonus episode, Ben Lindbergh banters with FanGraphs writer Craig Edwards about Craig’s explanation for the struggles of José Ramírez, and then (11:15) Ben and Craig talk to John Bitzer, founder and editor of the new site Baseball Trade Values, about designing the trade-simulation site, the challenges of valuing players and constructing fair baseball trades, how he used real trades to refine his trade model, whether teams might scout for front-office talent via his site, how he accounts for changing team behavior, the outlook for the 2019 trade deadline, and more. Then (49:12) Ben brings on astrophysicist and contributor to The Athletic Dr. Meredith Wills to discuss her groundbreaking research into the construction of the baseball, the difficulty of disassembling the ball, why and how the 2019 ball is different from the 2018 ball, the multiple phases of home-run-happy balls, what MLB could do to suppress the home-run rate, solving home run mysteries with science, and more.

Audio intro: Matthew Sweet, "Trade Places"
Audio interstitial: The Inbreds, "Drag Us Down"
Audio outro: Stevie Nicks (Feat. Don Henley), "Leather and Lace"

Link to Craig on Ramírez
Link to Baseball Trade Values
Link to Ben on internet commenters trying to trade for Stanton
Link to Ben on internet commenters trying to trade for Price
Link to Meredith’s new research into the 2019 ball
Link to Meredith on lace thickness
Link to Ben on blisters
Link to Ben and Rob on the 2015 home-run spike
Link to Ben and Rob on the ball at midseason 2016
Link to write-up of Alan Nathan’s 2017 Saber Seminar presentation
Link to 2018 MLB-commissioned report
Link to Rob on decreased drag in early 2019
Link to Rob on decreased drag in Triple-A in 2019
Link to Manfred’s latest comments about the ball
Link to article about Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about whether the Red Sox pulling a pitcher in the middle of a plate appearance was an instance of “Strategy,” share a Stat Blast about whether the platoon advantage is more pronounced early or late in plate appearances, and discuss a pitch-framing flare-up between Tyler Flowers and Willson Contreras, then answer listener emails about how different baseball could be and still be baseball, whether moving the mound back would lead to many more hit batters, whether teams should be buying low on fly-ball pitchers and the future of MLB’s home-run rate, and whether the Astros or another team with a reputation for building better players could deke their rivals by expressing interest in trading for players they don’t actually want.

Audio intro: Golden Earring, "Desperately Trying to be Different"
Audio outro: Death Cab for Cutie, "No Room in Frame"

Link to Flowers vs. Contreras beef background
Link to video of Flowers-Contreras encounter
Link to Ben on Flowers
Link to Cooper on moving the mound back
Link to Rob on moving the mound back
Link to info on Ohtani’s throwing session
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Albert Pujols’ touching return to St. Louis, the Dodgers’ deceptive Will Smith walk-off and the reason for the proportional increase in non-pulled home runs, Commissioner Manfred’s latest comments about the ball and dingers, Newsday beat writer Tim Healey’s clubhouse confrontation with Jason Vargas and Mets manager Mickey Callaway, and the possibly pivotal PED suspension of Oakland’s Frankie Montas. Then they revisit two Sullivan-era chats about “baseball IQ” and whether facing death would make baseball teams better, pass judgement on an alleged Mariners-related fun fact, provide an update on Dylan Bundy’s periodic inattention to baserunners, and discuss the causes of the persistent poor performance of relievers relative to starters and the continued democratization of saves.

Audio intro: The Beach Boys, "Angel Come Home"
Audio outro: The Coral, "Come Home"

Link to Doolittle on peak Pujols vs. Trout
Link to video of Pujols’s first at-bat as an Angel in St. Louis
Link to video of Pujols homering in St. Louis
Link to Will’s Pujols newsletter
Link to Derrick’s story on the possible Pujols trade
Link to video of Smith’s surprising walk-off homer
Link to Manfred’s latest comments about the ball
Link to Tim Healey’s explanation of the Callaway/Vargas incident
Link to Verducci on bullpens
Link to Rob Arthur on pitchers’ hot hands
Link to Clay’s comment on starters and stuff
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and guest co-host Ellen Adair banter about Ellen’s acting career and baseball background, the causes of (and possible solutions to) the Phillies’ post-McCutchen slump, what the (extremely far-fetched) idea of the Rays splitting time between Tampa Bay and Montreal might look like in practice, Ellen’s script for a baseball series, and her solution for maintaining her Phillies fandom in the wake of Odubel Herrera’s domestic violence suspension. Then (44:51) they bring on San Diego Padres Baseball Operations Fellow Sam Schultz to discuss her work in the Padres’ front office, her indirect route to baseball, her training in physics, the MLB Diversity Fellowship Program, the value of diversity of thought, why she chose to work for the Padres, her recommendations for baseball job-seekers, and more.

Audio intro: Jason Isbell, "Brand New Kind of Actress"
Audio interstitial: B.o.B., "Mellow Fellow"
Audio outro: Family of the Year, "Diversity"

Link to Craig Edwards on Nola
Link to Ellen’s website
Link to Ellen’s article about Herrera
Link to article about Sam
Link to website for MLB’s Diversity Fellowship Program
Link to Ben on the sabermetrics of marketing
Link to Ringer MLB Show episode on baseball business analytics
Link to Astudillo’s catch
Link to Ben’s Trout piece
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller review Sam’s latest observations on Jeff Sullivan-era EW episodes, including musings on Ketel Marte, the worst team draft of all time, and Johnnie LeMaster, then banter about Shohei Ohtani’s tools, Todd Frazier’s wild swings, Max Scherzer’s nose-breaking bunting practice, and Mickey Callaway’s odd pitching-change justification. They also answer listener emails about Scott Rolen and aliens, the Angels and the .500-est teams of all time, the Houdini-esque masters of escaping bases-loaded, no-outs jams, and a stolen base that wasn’t one, plus a Stat Blast about Ryne Sandberg and the rise of Rynes.

Audio intro: Blink-182, "Aliens Exist"
Audio outro: Cary Ann Hearst & Michael Trent, "Swing Low"

Link to Jeff’s Marte post
Link to Sam’s draft piece
Link to video of 2019 Frazier swing
Link to video of 2017 Frazier swing
Link to video of Pillar swing
Link to video of Scherzer bunt attempt
Link to Scherzer’s tweet about pitcher hitting and the DH
Link to “games above .500” discussion
Link to Callaway explanation
Link to picture of JBJ not stealing second
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Yankees acquiring Edwin Encarnacion and some surprising names near the top of the MLB home-run leaderboard, Kenley Jansen’s intentional balk, and a fun fact starring Hyun-Jin Ryu, then reckon with some of the most perplexing player seasons of 2019, focusing on the enigma that is the boom-and-bust trajectory of Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez.

Audio intro: The Olivia Tremor Control, "Mystery"
Audio outro: The Beach Boys, "You’re Still a Mystery"

Link to video of Jansen balk
Link to video of Segura baserunning play
Link to 2018 trade value rankings
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Shohei Ohtani’s hot streak and future as a two-way player, Sam’s decision to listen to all of the Jeff-era EW episodes and his reactions to a few topics from the final few (including a description of Stan Musial’s retirement tour), and two research papers about pitchers’ perceived effort level and arm strain. Then they answer listener emails about where to host baseball games overseas, future universal uniform number retirements, outsourcing strategic experiments to other teams, and what type of player should make a minor-league hall of fame, plus a Stat Blast about Roy Smalley’s 1979 season and the worst- and best-case scenarios for Cody Bellinger’s second half.

Audio intro: Rain Parade, "Look Both Ways"
Audio outro: Roxy Music, "Both Ends Burning"

Link to Kram on Ohtani and Ruth
Link to Sam on the Ohtani two-way math
Link to first Fleisig paper
Link to second Fleisig paper
Link to Sam on the fastest fastballs
Link to Max Marchi on the fastest fastballs, part 1
Link to Max Marchi on the fastest fastballs, part 2
Link to 2015 Pacific Association simulation data
Link to article on minor-league halls of fame
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s upcoming vacation and brief break from baseball, Chris Paddack’s demotion to High-A, the latest act of Clayton Kershaw’s career and the perils and possibilities of player aging, whether the home-run rate is too damn high, the state of the standings, what the trade market might look like under the unified trade deadline, and more.

Audio intro: Super Furry Animals, "Long Gone"
Audio outro: Bob Dylan, "Going, Going, Gone"

Link to Ben on Kershaw
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about poor pronunciations, an oddity in Bash Brothers, a Byron Buxton hustle double, the running (but not running enough) Royals, whether to talk about and whether they did talk about the curiously contending Rangers, and a few takeaways from the Madison Bumgarner–Max Muncy kerfuffle, then discuss several insights they gleaned from Keith Law’s oral history of how Mike Trout was (and wasn’t) drafted a decade ago.

Audio intro: Stephen Malkmus, "Ocean of Revenge"
Audio outro: The Dream Syndicate, "Recovery Mode"

Link to Buxton hustle double
Link to “Fire it through the internet” shirt
Link to Keith’s oral history
Link to Ben Reiter’s 2012 Trout draft story
Link to Ben’s 2019 scouting reports series
Part 1 of study on geographical bias in the draft
Part 2 of study on geographical bias in the draft
Link to Dollar Sign on the Muscle
Link to story of Sam spiriting away Baptista in The Only Rule
Link to Ben on the career of Trout’s father
Link to order The MVP Machine

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