Episode 956

On this edition of FanGraphs Audio, David Laurila welcomes Rob Kaminsky, former first-rounder and St. Louis Cardinal.

The pair first spoke back in 2014, and while Kaminsky has put a lot of baseball under his belt since then, he is still just 27 years old. We hear stories about coming up with Carson Kelly, Alex Reyes, and previous podcast guest Cole Sulser, as well as how special it was for Kaminsky to make his major league debut in a Cardinals clubhouse with veterans like Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, and Paul Goldschmidt. We also get an anecdote about striking out a protesting Joey Votto, as well as appearing in a COVID-19 vaccine PSA.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 25 minute play time.)

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Episode 955

This week, we get stories from a baseball lifer before a casual chat about some teams that could use a little help.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Manny Acta, former major league manager, current third base coach for the Mariners, and founder of the impACTA Kids charity foundation. David asks Acta about growing up in the Dominican Republic and dreaming of becoming a ballplayer, and what coming to the United States at a young age was like. We also hear personal stories about baseball greats like Billy Wagner, Tuffy Rhodes, Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt, Tim Redding, and Frank Robinson. [2:39]
• After that, Dan Szymborski and Ben Clemens discuss the Phillies and the Angels, two clubs with promise if they can fill some holes. Dan and Ben discuss those teams’ lopsided outfields and some free agent pitchers who could help them, as well as the Cardinals’ own impressive outfield. The conversation then shifts to Tyler O’Neill hitting the ball very hard, free agent Carlos Martínez, and players who felt like they should have hit for more power than they eventually did. [36:17]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 57 minute play time.)

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Episode 954

This week on FanGraphs Audio, David Laurila is joined by Jill Gearin, radio voice of the Visalia Rawhide.

David and Jill discuss adjusting to broadcasting in the Arizona Fall League, interning in the Red Sox radio booth, and the occasional challenges of broadcasting solo from the press box with only your own eyes for aid. We also hear what it was like to cover a Visalia team that went from first to worst, as well as anecdotes about some of the fun minor league promotions they get up to in cattle country.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 28 minute play time.)

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Episode 953

On this week’s show, FanGraphs’ very own Hall of Fame voters go over their ballot options before a segment about the weird offseason.

• To kick things off, Jay Jaffe and David Laurila discuss this year’s complicated Hall of Fame ballot. They each voted for the first time last year (as discussed on episode 898), and the second time around does not look to be any easier. Jay and David go through the ballot’s many compelling candidates and the pressure they feel with their votes, as well as the challenge of telling the story of baseball without key players, before comparing the cases of Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. [2:58]
• In the second half, Eric Longenhagen catches up with Ben Clemens as they discuss baseball’s second straight strange winter. While the pair agree that being able to recharge has been nice, there has still been LIDOM and prospect coverage to keep Eric busy. We hear about — and watch some footage of — exciting players like Wirfin Obispo, Garrett Acton, and Colin Poche, before a deeper conversation about the scientific relationship between arm angle and natural fastball movement. [29:30]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 4 minutes play time.)

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Episode 952

On this edition of the podcast, we engage in an important Hall of Fame discussion before chatting with a pitcher on the rise.

• At the top of the show, Jay Jaffe welcomes Sean Gibson, executive director of the Josh Gibson Foundation; Gary Gillette, baseball author, as well as the founder and chair of the Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium; and Ted Knorr, baseball historian and researcher. Together, they are the co-founders of the 42 for 21 Committee, which works to publicize deserving Negro Leagues and Black baseball players for induction into the Hall of Fame. The group discusses the recent election of Buck O’Neil, Bud Fowler, and Minnie Miñoso to the Hall, as well as the candidates on this year’s Era Committee ballots who deserved to get in but didn’t. We also hear about how the election process could be improved, how important it is to honor living players, and the movement to rename the MVP award after Josh Gibson. [2:52]
• After that, David Laurila is joined by Spencer Strider, a right-handed pitching prospect in Atlanta’s organization. A 2020 draftee, Strider jumped from Low-A to the majors this year thanks to some changes in his game, and he shares with David what’s gone into his recent success. We also hear about his memorable debut against the Mets, developing a major-league changeup, and the best advice he got for pitching high in the zone. [29:19]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 59 minute play time.)

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Episode 951

This week we attempt to react to the tidal wave of baseball news and transactions, including a focus on two teams that look like they’re ready to compete in the AL West.

• To kick things off, David Laurila welcomes Matt Hicks, a radio broadcaster for the Texas Rangers, and Shannon Drayer, an ESPN radio journalist who covers the Seattle Mariners. David asks about their respective clubs’ spending sprees, from Marcus Semien to Corey Seager to Robbie Ray. We also hear about how important Chris Young is to the Rangers, what Scott Servais means to the Mariners, the clubs’ biggest rivalries in the division and elsewhere, and what effect these moves have on the teams’ willingness to go for it in 2022. [2:42]
• In the second half, Ben Clemens and Jason Martinez take in the flurry of moves leading up to the expiration of the CBA. They discuss who a lockout is hardest for, how to encourage competition, and what expanded playoff formats could look like. We also learn about brinksmanship and what a break in transactions over the winter could look and feel like. [41:42]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 11 minutes play time.)

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Episode 950

We bring you an early episode before the holiday with discussions on how the Cy Young ballots were filled out and how the Hall of Fame ballots were constructed.

• To begin the show, David Laurila is joined by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic to discuss their Cy Young ballots. It was a tight race in both leagues this year, and Alex recently wrote on how the voting process helped him reimagine how he evaluates pitching analytics. The trio have an in-depth conversation on things like ERA, FIP, quality versus quantity of innings, and how our views on these things have evolved over time. [2:31]
• After that, Jay Jaffe welcomes Adam Darowski, head of user experience at Sports Reference, to talk about the arrival of the Hall of Fame ballots. Jay joined Adam on his own podcast back in August to discuss the formation of the Early Baseball and Golden Days ballots, and now that those have been revealed as well, they take a closer look at the many players through history who deserve more recognition. The pair go over a number of worthwhile figures on the ballots as well as some of the complex contexts involved in their candidacies, including the fact that some are still with us today. [38:15]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 14 minutes play time.)

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Episode 949

This week on the podcast, we learn a lot about Kansas City’s farm system before a chat about potential moves before the 40-man roster deadline.

• To kick things off, David Laurila welcomes Drew Saylor, hitting coordinator for the Kansas City Royals. Saylor shares his journey to the position, and what it was like to begin the job just before a very challenging and strange 2020 season. We also get an inside perspective on a number of promising players who could make an impact with the big league club before long, including Bobby Witt Jr., MJ Melendez, Nick Pratto, Nathan Eaton, Seuly Matias, and more. [2:09]
• In the second half, RosterResource guru Jason Martinez is joined by lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen to discuss the 40-man roster deadline. There are a number of players around the league who teams must add to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft this winter, which also unfortunately means some players will be designated for assignment to make room. Jason and Eric go over some of the more obvious transactions they expect to happen as well as a few intriguing players who might catch a team’s eye if left up for grabs. [31:58]

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

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Episode 948

On this edition of FanGraphs Audio, we are joined by a veteran journeyman before taking a look at FanGraphs’ recently released 2022 Top 50 Free Agents list.

• At the top of the program, David Laurila welcomes Frank Herrmann, former Cleveland and Phillies pitcher and current Chiba Lotte Marine. Herrmann shares what it has been like to play in Japan, from the league parity to the strange playoff structure to the many talented players — some of whom could end up stateside. We also hear about former first-rounder Carter Stewart and how starting his pro career overseas has been going. [2:19]
• After that, Eric Longenhagen joins Ben Clemens to discuss the immense challenge of ranking this offseason’s free agent class. Eric and Ben review the process as well as the notable Boras clients who ranked high on the list and which players were particularly tricky to place. Finally, the duo talk about Seiya Suzuki and how various teams’ 40-man crunches might match up with Oakland’s supposed interest in selling. [26:04]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 8 minutes play time.)

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Episode 947

This week, we chat with an old friend before reacting to a surprise retirement and a surprise World Series champ.

• To begin the show, David Laurila welcomes sportswriter Will Carroll, who was David’s co-worker at Baseball Prospectus over a decade ago. The pair catch up on how sabermetrics and analytics have affected the industry and filtered into the mainstream over the years before reacting to the news ofBuster Posey’s retirement. David and Will also discuss the second person to get Tommy John surgery, Bob Melvin moving on to manage the Padres, and who may take his spot in Oakland. [2:32]
• After that, Ben Clemens and Dan Szymborski get together to talk about the World Series and Atlanta’s impressive championship run. They discuss how fun it is when teams exceed expectations and how boring it would be if the projections were always right. Ben and Dan also praise the Braves’ adjustment to the loss of Charlie Morton and how their moves worked out. [30:52]

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