Ben and Sam join/are joined by Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs for a longest-ever episode about the worst predictions teams and players made about themselves, Bryce Harper’s historical significance, and the baseball players who led the league in our hearts in 2012. We talked for almost an hour, so adjust your commutes accordingly.

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Ben and Sam discuss the Mariners’ decision to bring in (and lower) Safeco Field’s fences, then talk about what the seasons of Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Norichika Aoki say about the difficulty of projecting the performance of Japanese imports.

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Ben and Sam discuss Jeff Luhnow’s plan to interview his players at the end of each season, then talk about why players and front-office executives are backing different candidates for AL MVP.

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Ben and Sam discuss whether the second wild card has made the stretch run more exciting, then talk about why papers publish columns that criticize advanced stats without making an effort to understand them.

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Ben and Sam discuss whether the A’s all-rookie rotation bodes well for their future, then talk about whether the average strikeout rate has risen too high.

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Ben and Sam discuss the decline of Ubaldo Jimenez and whether the Rockies saw it coming when they sent him to Cleveland, then talk about the Angels’ off-season plans for Torii Hunter and Dan Haren.

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Ben and Sam discuss what we can learn from Travis Snider’s revelations about his relationships with his former manager and hitting coach, then talk about whether they would bring Melky Cabrera back for the NLCS.

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Ben and Sam revisit their discussion from last week on aces in October, talk about the new old Ichiro, and tell you more than you need to know about Orioles starter Steve Johnson.

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Ben and Sam size up this winter’s free-agent first basemen and estimate how much money James Loney will make, then talk about whether the Dodgers’ pursuit of a playoff spot is leading to dangerous decisions.

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Ben and Sam discuss whether Alex Anthopoulos is taking too long to turn around Toronto, then talk about why we can’t find the secret to success in October. Also, Sam drops his wedding ring.

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