Episode 1010

On this week’s show, we consider the career of a potential Hall of Famer before getting to know one of our writers better.

• With Joe Mauer destined for the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame and set to arrive on the Cooperstown ballot for the first time this year as well, Jay Jaffe felt it appropriate to chat with Dan Hayes of The Athletic about the hometown hero. Jay and Dan discuss how stellar Mauer was despite a relatively short resume, and how the brutality of the catcher position combined with the brutality of his concussion symptoms only makes his performance even more impressive. The pair agree Mauer should probably be a slam-dunk pick for the Hall, but they expect some debate about it along the way. [4:02]
• After that, Ben Clemens is joined by Michael Baumann for the latest edition of FanGraphs Backstories. We get the story of Michael’s sportswriting career before ending up at FanGraphs, including grad school and stops at Crashburn Alley (RIP) and The Ringer. Michael also shares some of his favorite baseball memories from over the years, the most notable of which actually concern college and Little League ball. Finally, Ben and Michael discuss the 2023 SABR Awards (both have nominated pieces) and how their writing styles have adapted to FanGraphs. [27:15]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 65 minute play time.)

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Episode 1009

This week, we reflect on the recent Hall of Fame election results before catching up with a top Pirates prospect.

• First up, Jay Jaffe welcomes Ryan Thibodaux, who leads the team at the Hall of Fame Ballot Tracker, to discuss Scott Rolen’s enshrinement and the wild day leading up to it. Ryan has worked on the Tracker for a decade now, but this is somehow the first time he and Jay have had a non-text conversation. The duo look back on the influence the Tracker has had over the years, what compelled Ryan to work on it, and if he ever hears from any of the candidates. Jay and Ryan also take a look at the many exciting names on next year’s ballot. [3:05]
• After that, David Laurila welcomes Pirates prospect Quinn Priester to the show. The pair first chatted after Priester was drafted (then again in 2021), and they discuss how he has developed as a pitcher in that time. We hear about training in Arizona this offseason, changing his approach to stay in games longer, comparing curveballs with teammate Mike Burrows, and playing with Henry Davis, who was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft. Finally, Priester tells us who were the best hitters he faced this year and who he is most looking forward to taking on in the majors one day. [31:40]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 56 minute play time.)

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Episode 1008

In this episode, we get insight from a professional run-creator before turning the tables on our favorite interviewer.

• In the first half, David Laurila welcomes Donnie Ecker, bench coach and offensive coordinator for the Texas Rangers, to the program. Ecker, who David also interviewed last year, shares what it’s like to work with manager Bruce Bochy, associate manager Will Venable, and director of hitting Cody Atkinson as they help the team’s hitters be at their best. We also learn about how important it can be to adapt strategies from other sports and industries, and how studying pitching can help with understanding hitting. Finally, Ecker tells us about working with players like Marcus Semien, Josh Smith, Evan Carter, Josh Jung, Ezequiel Duran, and Nathaniel Lowe. [3:22]
• After that, Ben Clemens makes David the subject of the interview for FanGraphs Backstories. We hear about David’s pre-baseball life, from his time at the Detroit Institute of Arts to working in the ticket office at the Boston Ballet to moderating a Red Sox message board, and how interviewing baseball players led to a career change that took him to Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus before arriving at FanGraphs. David also talks about the art of the interview and some of his most notable conversations before sharing his favorite baseball memories, including his first major league game and the no-hitter he saw with his daughter. [39:40]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 6 minute play time.)

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Episode 1007

This week on the pod, we pair a veteran reliever with a young star before interviewing one of our own fresh faces.

• To start things off, David Laurila welcomes Spencer Strider and Andrew Miller back to the show. Strider and Miller had not officially met before, but they quickly hit it off, discussing growing up as fans of each others’ club, what kind of music they like, and what a good teammate Josh Tomlin is. The duo also talk pitching, as Miller offers insights into his move to the bullpen while the pair ponder how his career might have been different if he had had access to the same information that Strider has at his disposal today. [3:43]
• In the second half, Ben Clemens welcomes Alex Eisert to the podcast for the latest edition of FanGraphs Backstories. We hear how Alex was inspired by a fateful FanGraphs meetup, and how starting a statistics blog led him to the site. Alex also shares his favorite baseball memories, including some big Johan Santana and Alex Rodriguez moments. Finally, Ben asks Alex about his recent piece on swing mirroring, and how studying philosophy and psychology can go hand-in-hand with researching baseball. [45:57]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 16 minute play time.)

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Episode 1006

In the first show of 2023, we welcome back a beat writer friend to talk Cardinals before introducing a new series on the podcast.

• At the top of the program, David Laurila is joined by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (and The Best Podcast in Baseball), who last appeared on episode 903. The duo discuss whether Nolan Arenado deserves the title of the best all-around player in the National League, while contemplating if Paul Goldschmidt may have claim as the best hitter in the circuit. David and Derrick also talk about players on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot like Bobby Abreu and Gary Sheffield, and how Derrick has been listening to FanGraphs Audio in recent weeks for insight while preparing his own ballot. [4:34]
• In the second half, Ben Clemens debuts his new series FanGraphs Backstories. Ben will be interviewing FanGraphs staff to discuss how they came to the site and what their favorite baseball memories are, and senior writer Jay Jaffe is first up. Jay shares how he never would have imagined he’d end up at FanGraphs after his early days at Baseball Prospectus, what his time at Sports Illustrated was like, and how truly unforgettable Nolan Ryan was to a young fan. [43:32]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 9 minute play time.)

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Episode 1005

This episode, we welcome back another old friend who is casting their first Hall of Fame ballot, then talk about the most surprising free agent move in recent memory.

• We begin with Jay Jaffe and David Laurila continuing their new annual tradition of discussing their Hall of Fame ballots on the podcast, and this time they are joined by Travis Sawchik, baseball author and writer at theScore. Travis is voting for the first time, and he consults with Jay and David about how to navigate issues like PEDs and players whose late-career struggles might tarnish their overall body of work. The trio also ponder the philosophy of a large Hall vs. a small Hall while discussing players like Bobby Abreu, Jeff Kent, Andy Pettitte, and more. [3:00]
• After that, Dan Szymborski and Michael Baumann get together to talk about the whole Carlos Correa signing with the Mets thing. The news was obviously a huge shock, and Dan and Michael ponder where the San Francisco Giants go from here after a dismal offseason. We also hear about the Mets going in the opposite direction thanks to an owner who is making the other billionaires look bad, how thrilling Correa should be at the hot corner, and what bears really do when they hibernate. [43:33]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 67 minute play time.)

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Episode 1004

This week, we talk to the man in charge of an on-the-rise franchise before discussing the international market and a puzzling trade.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Jerry Dipoto, president of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners. We hear his thoughts on the wild spending going on around the league this offseason, as well some acquisitions Seattle has made recently, including Teoscar Hernández and old friend Dave Cameron. Dipoto also shares insights on Mariners players like Andrés Muñoz, Penn Murfee, Emerson Hancock, and Marco Gonzales, as well as his own pitching career (and his son’s). [4:14]
• In the second half, Ben Clemens catches up with Eric Longenhagen after missing each other at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. The duo talk a little bit about the World Cup and the World Baseball Classic before discussing the signings of Kodai Senga and Masataka Yoshida, and how they and other international prospects may adapt to the major leagues. Ben and Eric also chat about the puzzling Sean Murphy trade, how much higher the A’s must be on Esteury Ruiz than everyone else does, and what direction Oakland seems to be heading in (if any). [45:26]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 95 minute play time.)

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Episode 1003

After a big week in baseball, we bring you two face-to-face conversations from the San Diego Winter Meetings before a chat about outfield defense.

• First up, David Laurila sits down with Fernando Perez, former major league outfielder and analyst and current coach for the San Francisco Giants. We hear what Fernando was doing at the Winter Meetings and what he and Farhan Zaidi talk about in the suite (it mostly isn’t baseball), as well as what Fernando’s coaching role entails. David and Fernando also talk about soccer and the World Cup, if he would be a good scout, and his relationship with former managers Joe Maddon and Matt Quatraro. [4:35]
• After that, Jay Jaffe sits down with old friend Eno Sarris of The Athletic, who is excited to be casting his first Hall of Fame ballot this year. The pair go through the list of noteworthy candidates, from Rolen to Wagner to Kent to Sheffield to Beltrán to Jones to Abreu to Helton and more, as Eno looks for some guidance from someone who has done his share of research on the subject. Jay and Eno also discuss the elephant in the room that is PEDs, wishing they’d had the same advanced data back then that they do now, aiming for logical consistency, and who Eno was most looking forward to voting for with his first ballot. [29:39]
• Finally, Davy Andrews welcomes fellow contributor Alex Eisert for his FanGraphs Audio debut. Both Davy and Alex have been writing about outfield defense at the site recently, so they get together to dig into OAA and their theories about the effects of player handedness. We also get the story on how Alex came to write at FanGraphs, the need for more psychology in baseball, how good Daulton Varsho is at learning skills, and the process of intentionally (or unintentionally) adding jokes to their articles. [1:08:44]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 104 minute play time.)

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Episode 1002

This week on the show, we welcome a long-time major leaguer to chat about the World Cup before going over some recent moves and looking ahead to the Winter Meetings.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Brad Miller, a 10-year major league veteran and a big soccer fan. The pair talk about the World Cup games that have gotten them the most excited so far, the players and countries they find themselves rooting for, and which teammate is the best to kick the ball around with. We also hear about being drafted by and debuting with the Mariners, being mentored by players such as Raul Ibanez, Willie Bloomquist, and Robinson Canó, and cheering for the Seattle club that broke its long playoff drought this season. Finally, we get some insight on playing with Logan Morrison and Chris Young (now the boss in Texas), and an anecdote about how Canó believed in Miller’s power potential before Miller himself did. [4:00]
• After that, Ben Clemens and Jason Martinez get together to chat about this week’s transactions. The defending World Champions signed José Abreu, which seems to make plenty of sense, but Ben is even more excited about the rebuilding Washington Nationals rolling the dice on Jeimer Candelario. Ben and Jason also consider how the Dodgers’ signing of Shelby Miller looks like another of the team’s remarkable reclamation projects, even if they are still a little skeptical. Finally, the duo revisit their fun Cardinals predictions from episode 976 and get excited to hang out with each other and the rest of the FanGraphs staff at the Winter Meetings in San Diego next week. [28:20]

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 56 minute play time.)

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Episode 1001

Hot Stove season is upon us and we are ready to start picking apart transactions, but not before we talk about the Kansas City Royals.

• To kick things off, David Laurila welcomes Joel Goldberg, broadcaster and reporter for the Royals. David didn’t put Bobby Witt Jr. on his AL Rookie of the Year ballot this year, but he and Joel discuss how the best is certainly yet to come for the young phenom. The pair also talk about the underrated Scott Barlow, top prospect Maikel Garcia, the promise of a new ballpark, and how Kansas City was Salvador Perez’s town before it belonged to Patrick Mahomes. We also get insight into Dayton Moore’s legacy now that he has left the organization and J.J. Picollo has become the new president of baseball ops. [3:53]
• In the second half, Ben Clemens is joined by Eric Longenhagen to talk about the early roster moving and shaking. The duo discuss glove-first center fielders who can’t hit enough for the majors, the Marlins struggling to develop players with a good approach at the plate, and Ben’s recent article about what would happen if pitching were a carnival game. Eric and Ben also banter about backstops, wonder how catchers who are good at framing will be valued going forward, framing vs. blocking, and if pop time is more important than accuracy when throwing to second base. [37:56]

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 88 minute play time.)

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