Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about how Albert Pujols has remained an RBI man without being a good hitter and the historic slimness of Cleveland rookie pitcher Triston McKenzie, then answer a listener email about whether all innings would be better with the extra-innings automatic-runner rule, followed by Stat Blasts about what would happen if all GMs traded as much as the most frequent trader, the record for the most identical final scores on the same day, and hitters who’ve struck out four times on 12 pitches in the same game, plus another listener email about how much shorter the average game has been this season because of seven-inning games and fewer extra innings, and closing banter about the bottom of the ninth’s history.

Audio intro: The Kinks, "Living on a Thin Line"
Audio outro: The Baseball Project, "Golden Sombrero"

Link to 2017 Pujols article
Link to sheet of lowest and highest BMIs
Link to scouts on McKenzie
Link to video of McKenzie’s debut
Link to story about McKenzie’s debut
Link to Lucas on McKenzie’s stuff
Link to Travis Sawchik on Cleveland’s pitcher development
Link to Tyler Stafford’s Stat Blast Song cover
Link to spreadsheet of days with most identical scores
Link to most common baseball scores
Link to three-pitch strikeouts spreadsheet
Link to Grant Brisbee on Lawrie’s sombrero
Link to Will Leitch on Lawrie’s sombrero
Link to A Game of Inches
Link to episode with discussion about Trout not flying
Link to Baseball-Reference Game Changer

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley reflect on the recent protests, statements, and strikes across the sports world and in MLB specifically, touching on why some teams did or didn’t opt to play on Wednesday and Thursday, the messages that those decisions sent, and whether this week will mark a lasting break from MLB players’ past apolitical tendencies. Then (24:34) they welcome shift-doubting Baseball Prospectus author Russell Carleton and shift-endorsing Sports Info Solutions analyst Alex Vigderman for a knock-down, drag-out debate (OK, maybe more like a friendly discussion) about the present and future of fielder positioning, in an attempt to answer a few pressing questions about how MLB does defensive alignments: Is it possible that the shift is actually increasing scoring? If so, why are teams shifting more often every year? Can teams shift more effectively than they do now? And what can we learn from the, er, shifting perceptions of the shift over time?

Audio intro: Bill and Joel Plaskett, "Solidarity"
Audio interstitial: Snowgoose, "Shifting Sands"
Audio outro: Ty Segall, "I Am Not a Game"

Link to FanGraphs’ Jon Tayler on MLB’s scattered response
Link to Brodie Van Wagenen video and transcript
Link to Bradford Williams Davis on the Mets mess
Link to video of Mets and Marlins
Link to statement by The Players Alliance
Link to David Roberts on rethinking kneeling
Link to Shakeia Taylor on Jackie Robinson Day
Link to Marc Normandin on players taking a stand
Link to Michael Baumann on MLB’s apolitical foundation
Link to Ken Rosenthal on players exerting their power
Link to Russell on killing the shift
Link to Russell on room for nuance in the shift
Link to video about the Mets shifting less
Link to Tom Tango on shifting
Link to Matt Trueblood on shifting
Link to leaguewide shift rates by year in the Statcast era
Link to Ben on outfield shifting
Link to Alex on the latest uptick in shifts
Link to Alex on shifts being added to Defensive Runs Saved
Link to Alex on the most extreme catch locations
Link to FanGraphs post on the 2020 DRS update
Link to article about the Tigers shifting in 2020
Link to Josh Levin on what early sabermetrics got wrong
Link to The Fielding Bible, Vol. V
Link to Russell’s book, The Shift
Link to the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller follow up on two Stat Blasts from the previous week and banter about the Dodgers’ impressive winning percentage pace, the surprisingly normal state of the standings, the Phillies’ bullpen, and the record-setting sale of a Mike Trout baseball card before discussing some of the ways in which the 2020 season has forced them to adjust their prior beliefs about baseball.

Audio intro: RJD2 (Feat. Homeboy Sandman), "One of a Kind"
Audio outro: The Bigger Lovers, "Change Your Mind"

Link to story about Trout card
Link to episode with interview about baseball cards
Link to article about 2020’s unbalanced schedule
Link to Ben on BABIP

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Fernando Tatis Jr.’s “grand slam cycle,” the most exciting cycle sequence, unwritten rules, how to interpret reports of rising TV ratings, why umpires call more strikes when they work with the same catchers, historical precedents for the Cardinals’ overstuffed schedule, a confounding Clayton Kershaw commercial, and Jeff Frye’s controversial cycle. Then (41:24) they talk to Baseball Prospectus associate editor Ginny Searle about Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman using a homophobic slur on a hot mic, Brennaman’s apologies and the responses to his slur and suspension, baseball’s history of homophobic comments, the careers of Glenn Burke and Bill Bean, diversity in broadcasting, the prospect of a player coming out, and what MLB and the Reds should do to make LGBT fans feel more welcome. Finally (1:05:29), FanGraphs author Craig Edwards joins to discuss how he handled the site’s annual trade value rankings in an uncertain season, how he thinks teams will approach the trade deadline, where public and private perceptions of trade value diverge, where he placed Mike Trout, and how he ranked Tatis, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Juan Soto.

Audio intro: Peter Matthew Bauer, "Transhistoric Cycles of Time"
Audio interstitial 1: The Tragically Hip, "Hot Mic"
Audio interstitial 2: Willie Nelson, "I’d Trade All of My Tomorrows (For Just One Yesterday)"
Audio outro: Peter Bjorn and John, "Weekend"

Link to “grand slam cycle” tweet
Link to Ben on Tatis and unwritten rules
Link to The Athletic’s MLB ratings story
Link to Rob Arthur on catchers and umpires
Link to article about the Cardinals’ schedule
Link to May 1, 1975 article about the Twins’ schedule
Link to Pages from Baseball’s Past
Link to Kershaw commercial
Link to Griffey Jr. commercial
Link to article about Frye’s cycle
Link to Ginny on Brennaman
Link to Brennaman’s on-air apology
Link to Brennaman’s written apology
Link to Dale Scott interview episode
Link to Bean interview episode
Link to Christina Kahrl interview episode
Link to Craig’s trade value series intro
Link to Craig’s trade value series top 10
Link to Ben Clemens on trading high-value players

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the three-year anniversary of the Effectively Wild outing to see the total solar eclipse at a minor league game in Oregon and whether the backlash to the kerfuffle over Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 3-0 grand slam made this week a watershed for MLB’s unwritten rules, then answer listener emails about whether a pitcher will (or should) start both ends of a doubleheader this season, what percentage of hit by pitches are intentional and how good we are at distinguishing those that are from those that aren’t, and whether any managers will be fired in 2020, plus a trio of listener-inspired Stat Blasts on a statistical quirk of the top of the Mariners’ career ERA leaderboard, the most pitches thrown in a 1-2-3 inning, and games with “half no-hitters” thrown by both teams.

Audio intro: Neil Young, "Just Singing a Song"
Audio outro: The Moody Blues, "Meet Me Halfway"

Link to Ben on the eclipse game
Link to Ben on Tatis Jr. and unwritten rules
Link to Ringer MLB Show on Tatis Jr. and unwritten rules
Link to Bill James on home runs and hit batters
Link to Eric Gallipo’s Stat Blast Song cover
Link to Mariners career pitching leaderboards
Link to episode with discussion about defining 1-2-3 innings
Link to list of 1-2-3 innings with most pitches thrown
Link to list of games with “half no-hitters” by both teams
Link to Ben on the strike zone at the end of no-hitter attempts
Link to Ben on umpire perfect games

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB’s BABIP bouncing back from its unusually low early level, the Tigers calling up a trio of top prospects in an attempted playoff push, and Cardinals rookie Roel Ramirez’s unprecedented debut, then answer a listener email with a Stat Blast about the longest regular-season and postseason team vs. team losing streaks (inspired by Cleveland’s current 20-game streak against Detroit). Then they draft their favorite small-sample player seasons so far, focusing on strange stat lines, surprising breakouts, and unlikely comebacks (plus a postscript on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s unwritten-rules-violating grand slam).

Audio intro: The Orange Peels, "So Far"
Audio outro: Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, "Surprise"

Link to video of Ramirez’s debut
Link to Robert Au’s Stat Blast Song cover
Link to Adam Ott’s team vs. team streak research
Link to MLB.com article on team vs. team streaks
Link to Andy McCullough on Hosmer
Link to Ben Clemens on Santana
Link to Tony Wolfe on Bundy
Link to Dan Szymborski on Bauer
Link to Ben on foreign substance use
Link to article about Yastrzemski’s surge
Link to article about Tatis’s 3-0 grand slam
Link to list of 3-0 grand slams

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Cardinals finally returning to play and attempting to complete their overstuffed schedule, the teams with the most movement in playoff odds since the start of the season, Cleveland’s clubhouse problems with protocol-defying pitchers Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger, the joy of watching Mookie Betts and Betts’s proclivity for three-homer games, amusing Astros-related comments by Ramón Laureano and Joe Kelly, the hundredth anniversary of the death of Ray Chapman, and a listener-email-inspired, overdue development in the Negro Leagues’ official classification as major leagues.

Audio intro: The Muffs, "No Action"
Audio outro: Pavement, "Major Leagues"

Link to Jay Jaffe on the Cardinals
Link to article about Plesac’s video
Link to article about Plesac and Clevinger being optioned
Link to Ben Clemens on Mookie
Link to Joe Kelly’s comments
Link to Laureano’s comments
Link to Craig Wright on Ray Chapman
Link to Pages from Baseball’s Past
Link to Ben on Negro Leagues reclassification

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about whether the idea of sports as a distraction from the pandemic has panned out, whether unexpectedly hot-starting teams like the Rockies and Tigers should “go for it” (and what that would entail), and what, if anything, MLB should do to address the curious case of Trevor Bauer’s spiking spin rates, then answer listener emails about the ideal balance between chaos and predictability, why lower pitch counts haven’t kept pitchers healthy, a clever solution for preserving extra-long games in the era of the automatic-runner rule, and pitchers calling their own pitches, plus a Stat Blast about how many more homers some of history’s greatest sluggers would have hit if they’d batted higher in the order.

Audio intro: L.E.O., "Distracted"
Audio outro: The Go-Betweens, "Your Turn My Turn"

Link to Will Leitch on how it feels to watch sports now
Link to story about streaking Tigers
Link to Ben Clemens on the hot Rockies
Link to playoff odds changes since Opening Day
Link to Ben on foreign substances and Bauer’s spin rates
Link to Jeff Passan on foreign substances and Bauer’s spin rates
Link to article about projections and the 2015 season
Link to Phil Birnbaum on the limits of predictions
Link to Ben on 2020’s injured pitchers
Link to Neil Paine on the unsolved injured-pitcher problem
Link to Russ Hull’s Stat Blast Song cover
Link to Michael Baumann on the odds of anyone reaching 700 homers
Link to Aaron Gleeman on the new no. 2 hitter
Link to video of Greinke calling his own pitches
Link to story about Maddux calling his own pitches
Link to Ben Gibbard’s “Centerfield”

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about a realization about fake crowd noise discomfort, a disastrous start to a Derek Holland outing that recalled an earlier podcast discussion, whether Fernando Tatís Jr. will ever have a moment as remarkable as Fernando Tatís’s two-grand-slam inning, outfielders showing up pitchers, and more, then bring back the “Is This Guy Good?” Game, in which they attempt to guess whether randomly drawn relievers are having good seasons so far.

Audio intro: Boat, "Be As Good As You Want to Be"
Audio outro: The Hold Steady, "You Did Good Kid"

Link to Adell video
Link to episode with interview about fake crowd noise
Link to story about drone delay
Link to episode with home runs hypothetical
Link to Holland game play-by-play
Link to Tatís’s two-grand-slam inning
Link to Bumgarner/Tatís home run video
Link to first “Is This Guy Good?” Game episode
Link to Is This Guy Good? website
Link to Ben on the low BABIP mystery

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a bad fun fact on a baseball broadcast, a case of copycat pitching involving Jake Diekman and Chaz Roe, how MLB may amend eligibility for the Rookie of the Year award in 2021, a Wade LeBlanc balk and why balks remain mystifying and debatable, plus a Stat Blast on the longest hitless innings. Then (36:52) they talk to FanGraphs lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen about what he learns about prospects after they’re promoted, how teams are approaching prospect promotions in a shortened, pandemic-endangered season, why prospect evaluators missed on Shane Bieber, what to watch for with Luis Robert, Jo Adell, Nate Pearson, and several other top prospects who’ve made their MLB debuts, 2019 rookie arrivals who are having impressive sophomore seasons, how shorthanded teams like the Astros and Marlins are restocking their rosters, how teams might handle information deficits at the trade deadline, and how prospect evaluators are doing their jobs in the absence of minor league games.

Audio intro: The Posies, "It’s Great to Be Here Again"
Audio interstitial: The Rutles, "We’ve Arrived (And to Prove it We’re Here)"
Audio outro: The Weakerthans, "A New Name for Everything"

Link to Marlins broadcast “fun” fact
Link to Diekman/Roe story
Link to Stark on rookie eligibility
Link to LeBlanc balk tweet
Link to Sam on balk rules
Link to Jon Bois’s balk rules
Link to real balk rules
Link to Facebook group discussion of LeBlanc balk
Link to Mariners balk commercial
Link to Budweiser balk commercial
Link to Zach Nahlik’s Stat Blast song cover
Link to Stat Blast spreadsheet
Link to 1962 Mets-Dodgers play-by-play
Link to 2008 A’s-Orioles play-by-play
Link to 1994 Mariners-Yankees play-by-play
Link to Bois’s Mariners Dorktown documentary
Link to Ben Clemens on Bieber’s new pitch
Link to Craig Edwards on Luis Robert
Link to FanGraphs prospect rankings board
Link to Baseball Prospectus “Call-Up” posts
Link to Future Value
Link to Rob Arthur on the 2020 baseball

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