Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about which team with a new opening at the top of its baseball operations department would be the most attractive to baseball executives: the Reds, the Phillies, or the Angels. Then (15:07) they bring on James Buffi, the biomechanics expert, former Driveline Baseball biomechanics consultant and Dodgers senior analyst, and current CEO of motion analysis company Reboot Motion, to discuss the path he took from public research to working for a team, the biomechanical arms race, how progressive teams are using motion-tracking tech to improve players, how the Dodgers develop pitchers, how predictable and preventable injuries are, how the pandemic-shortened season and the postseason schedule affect pitchers, whether deception can be quantified, and how to avoid snake oil salesmen.

Audio intro: Neil Young, "Motion Pictures"
Audio interstitial: Pavement, "Motion Suggests Itself"
Audio outro: Rex White, "Who’s Hiring?"

Link to Dick Williams story
Link to Matt Klentak story
Link to Phillies hiring process story
Link to Angels hiring process story
Link to James Buffi’s LinkedIn page
Link to Reboot Motion website
Link to Driveline story on biomechanics and motion capture
Link to story on baseball’s biomechanical revolution
Link to excerpt from The Arm about Buffi
Link to story about Buffi leaving the Dodgers
Link to Driveline study on Dodgers player development
Link to story about KinaTrax
Link to Hawk-Eye introduction
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller discuss the merits of stats about the success of teams that hit more home runs in the playoffs and then review the first several games of the division series, touching on the unparalleled power of Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees’ piggyback pitcher decision, the Astros’ resurgence, the overtaxed Padres’ bullpen, the latest bad blood between the Braves and Ronald Acuña Jr., Clayton Kershaw’s 2020 renaissance, bad blown ball/strike calls, and more (plus a Stat Blast about the biggest mismatches in height between opposing starting pitchers).

Audio intro: Eleanor Friedberger, "My Mistakes"
Audio outro: Olivia Jean, "Mistakes"

Link to Lindsey Adler on the Yankees’ pitching plan
Link to Ben on second-guessing
Link to most lopsided starting pitcher heights
Link to Ben on Kershaw
Link to research on shadows
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about potato chip sponsors, playoff games at neutral sites, juiced-ball suspicions, ALDS bad blood, how Pedro Martínez approached playoff starts, postseason MLB debuts, and the power of Giancarlo Stanton, then answer listener emails about how 2020’s shortened season will affect future pitcher workloads, what counts as a “crooked number,” how to define a “hard-luck pitcher,” the significance of the Dodgers’ record win total in a simulated season, whether baseball history would be better if it extended even further into the past, how quickly preferred mechanics can change among major leaguers, and how teams could incorporate a pitcher like Trevor Bauer who wants to work on three days’ rest.

Audio intro: Van Halen, "Hear About it Later"
Audio outro: Animal Collective, "On Delay"

Link to thread about Utz
Link to B-Ref’s simulated season results
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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With the wild card round wrapped up, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley react to the end of the Marlins-Cubs and Padres-Cardinals series and reflect on the wild card round as a whole. Then they critique a few aspects of the postseason’s national baseball broadcasts (including Alex Rodriguez’s small-ball boosterism, the scourge of live, in-game player interviews, and the portrayal of Trevor Bauer) before previewing the division series and paying tribute to the late, great Bob Gibson.

Audio intro: Dawes, "Somewhere Along the Way"
Audio outro: The Strokes, "Vision of Division"

Link to Katie Baker on A-Rod
Link to Ben on in-game interviews
Link to Meg on baseball grumps
Link to Bryan Curtis on Joe Buck
Link to Ben on foreign substances
Link to Rob Arthur on Bauer’s suspicious spin rates
Link to story about Bauer’s tweets
Link to Ben on Tatis and unwritten rules
Link to Bud Light ad
Link to other Bud Light ad
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage
Link to Gibson obit
Link to Angell on Gibson

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During a brief respite between games, Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller catch up on a week’s worth of wild card action, discussing the experience of being bombarded by an unprecedented amount of postseason baseball, the playoff run environment, and the state of postseason strategy, along with observations and takeaways from every wild card matchup and musings about almost every one of the 16 playoff teams.

Audio intro: The Jesus and Mary Chain, "I Can’t Find the Time for Times"
Audio outro: The Rolling Stones, "Keep Up Blues"

Link to Ben on Yankees-Cleveland and second-guessing
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about a misconception about FIP and how to weigh FIP and ERA in evaluating pitcher performance after the fact, the Phillies’ failure to make the playoffs and how the outcome of their season affects (and should affect) the future of their front office, Jacob deGrom’s ever-increasing velocity and how his record fastball speed changes his long-term outlook, what the playoff field would have been after a 54-game season instead of a 60-game season, the lack of stakes at the end of the season, and the strike zone in the final regular-season game.

Audio intro: Elvis Costello, "Welcome to the Working Week"
Audio outro: Dear Nora, "Rollercoaster"

Link to Beyond the Scrum episode
Link to Bowden article
Link to blown leads percentage update
Link to deGrom’s Brooks Baseball page
Link to Rob Arthur on deGrom’s velocity
Link to Travis Sawchik on deGrom’s velocity
Link to Ben on 60-game-season randomness
Link to article on unique playoff matchups
Link to FanGraphs playoff previews

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about late-season playoff uncertainty, whether they’re happy with how the playoff field has turned out, the Cubs’ strange season, the surprising number of top prospects who’ve made their MLB debuts in 2020, and the percentage of promoted prospects who’ve skipped the upper levels of the minors. Then (20:47) they talk to free agent left-handed pitcher David Speer about spending six seasons in Cleveland’s system, witnessing the team turn into a pitcher development powerhouse, the organization’s individualized plans for pitchers, learning about and being receptive to advanced stats and technology, nature vs. nurture, playing with many members of Cleveland’s current staff, reaching Triple-A, getting released and job-hunting in 2020, the reduction of the draft and contraction of the minors, minor league pay, and preserving player dev advantages.

Audio intro: Jim James, "Out of Time"
Audio interstitial: Yo La Tengo, "Periodically Double or Triple"
Audio outro: The Roches, "Losing Our Job"

Link to Jay Jaffe on the playoff picture
Link to Dan Szymborski on the Cubs’ offense
Link to Ben on 2020 prospect promotions
Link to Lucas Apostoleris on Crochet’s stuff
Link to Travis Sawchik on Cleveland’s homegrown rotation
Link to Zack Meisel on Cleveland’s pitching development
Link to David’s Twitter account
Link to the rebooted FanGraphs Audio

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about whether we need middle names and what it was like not to know what players were worth before WAR and its statistical predecessors existed, then do Stat Blasts about pickoff attempts in a fan-free season, why home-field advantage has persisted without fans in the stands, and the Phillies’ blown leads, and finally conduct a quiz based on surprising Statcast sprint speeds.

Audio intro: Will Butler, "I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know"
Audio outro: Fleet Foxes, "Can I Believe You"

Link to Ben on player evaluation before WAR
Link to study on WAR and MVP voting
Link to Bill James on WAR and MVP voting
Link to Sam on how fans affect the game
Link to story on the extra-inning home-field advantage
Link to Jonathan Judge on the 2020 strike zone
Link to R.J. Anderson on Gallen’s pickoffs
Link to blown leads spreadsheet
Link to Statcast sprint speed leaderboard

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Justin Verlander’s Tommy John surgery, a different way to expand the playoffs, and whether MLB’s approach to playing in 2020 has been vindicated, then (38:52) talk to Defector’s David Roth about the Mets being sold to Steve Cohen, what life as a fan would be like without the Wilpons, his expectations and hopes for the franchise, and co-founding Defector.

Audio intro: Matthew Sweet, "Nothing Lasts"
Audio interstitial: Amy O, "David"
Audio outro: Sloan, "Nothing Lasts Forever Anymore"

Link to Ben on elbow injuries
Link to Rob Arthur on the expanded playoffs
Link to Boras on the expanded playoffs
Link to Craig Edwards on the Mets sale
Link to David on the Mets sale
Link to blog post about being on time
Link to David’s podcast

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In honor of New Yorker writer and editor and Baseball Hall of Famer Roger Angell’s 100th birthday, Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley discuss what they admire about Angell’s life and work, how he’s influenced their writing, and a few of their favorite Angell works. Then (26:22) they cue up a collection of original, recorded tributes to Angell from a distinguished group of baseball writers.

Audio intro: The Swinghoppers & Wolfgang Lohr, "Party Like it’s 1920"
Audio interstitial: Matthew Grimson, "Prize for Writing"
Audio outro: The Moody Blues, "I Never Thought I’d Live to Be a Hundred"

Link to tribute episode transcript
Link to WSJ interview with Angell
Link to Gammons on Angell
Link to Mark Singer on Angell
Link to David Remnick on Angell
Link to Verducci on Angell
Link to Roger Angell Day video
Link to Bonomo EW episode about Angell
Link to Angell’s “In the Fire”
Link to Ben on catchers
Link to Angell’s “Agincourt and After”
Link to Angell’s “Distance”
Link to Angell’s “Four Taverns in the Town”
Link to Angell’s “The ‘Go!’ Shouters”
Link to Angell’s “If Only”
Link to Angell on Tiant
Link to Angell on Blass

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