Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Colin Poche, the “Is This Guy Good?” game for relievers, Mike Trout entering the All-Star break as baseball’s best hitter and player, whether Trout could ever have his number retired league-wide, the rate at which Trout is surpassing Hall of Famers in WAR, an old discussion about Derek Jeter jerseys and the popularity of Aaron Judge, whether catcher collisions and concussions could play a part in bringing about robot umps, Howie Kendrick and a myth about bat-dropping, Max Scherzer’s premature celebration, and more. Then they discuss the past, present, and future of the Home Run Derby, why this year’s Derby could be pivotal, whether the Derby could ever become a major standalone sport, shagging flies during the Derby, and other Derby details.

Audio intro: Prince and The New Power Generation, "The Max"
Audio outro: The Glands, "Something in the Air"

Link to Jeff’s Poche post
Link to “Is This Guy Good?” Game
Link to Ben on Trout’s 2019
Link to Sam on the Hall of Famers Trout passed in June
Link to Judge jersey sales article
Link to Russell Carleton on the value of clubhouse guys
Link to Scherzer’s premature celebration
Link to Sam on how to celebrate a game-ending error
Link to Ben on protecting catchers from concussions
Link to Sam on home run highlights being boring
Link to Sam on the future of the Derby
Link to July 4 Google Doodle
Link to Sam on kids shagging flies during the Derby
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Sam Malone maligning the Mariners, the unlikely career of pinch-hitter extraordinaire Mark Sweeney, the joys of watching Fernando Tatis, Jr., Bryce Harper’s Amazon store, and the definition of “MLB legend.” Then (29:43) Ben talks to Hall of Famer Bud Selig, Commissioner Emeritus and author of the new memoir For the Good of the Game, about Selig’s career, how he built consensus, the mistakes owners made in the ’70s and ’80s, collusion, how MLB missed opportunities to promote itself, steroid testing and Barry Bonds, public ballpark funding, the rise of MLBAM and big broadcast contracts, the future of competitive balance and labor peace, and more. Lastly (56:13), Ben and Meg reconvene to discuss Selig’s comments and analyze his complex legacy.

Audio intro: Rob Orbison, "(I’d Be) A Legend in My Time"
Audio interstitial 1: Willie Nelson, "Buddy"
Audio interstitial 2: Reba McEntire, "That’s What He Said"
Audio outro: Superchunk, "I Guess I Remembered it Wrong"

Link to Frasier clip
Link to THT article about baseball on Cheers
Link to SABRcast episode with Sweeney
Link to Harper store
Link to Harper hair products
Link to Selig’s memoir
Link to Ben on the baseball and the steroid era
Link to Ben on Selig and Hall of Fame voting
Link to Ben on Lords of the Realm
Link to Brewers economic impact study
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley reflect on the passing of Tyler Skaggs. Then (9:57) Ben and Sam Miller banter about whether it’s better for a team to be in a division with a few good teams or a division with one great team and a few bad teams and answer listener emails about whether baseball is a strong-link sport or a weak-link sport, whether a team could benefit by tailoring its park and its roster to a homer-averse style of play, which teams they think it would have been better for baseball for Mike Trout to have been drafted by, plus Stat Blasts about Charlie Blackmon’s home/road splits and the return of vintage Coors Field, and Trout’s chances of setting the record for the longest-ever reign by an active WAR leader.

Audio intro: Built to Spill, "So"
Audio outro: Paul McCartney, "4th of July"

Link to Fabian Ardaya on Skaggs
Link to Stanton’s Instagram post
Link to Trout and other teammates talking about Skaggs
Link to Sam on Coors Field
Link to active WAR leaders data
Link to Sam on the Hall of Famers Trout passed in June
Link to order The MVP Machine

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In a bonus episode about the London Series, Ben Lindbergh talks to Darius Austin and Russell Eassom, writers and podcasters for the UK baseball site Bat Flips and Nerds, about their experiences at both Yankees-Red Sox games, why they think there was so much scoring, whether that brand of baseball was a good advertisement for the sport, the energy in the crowd, MLB’s outreach to the UK community, what could have been better about the weekend, how they became baseball fans, the growth of the UK fan community, where the game is played in the UK, the hardest part of explaining baseball to non-fans, how they would feel about MLB rotating between juiced and non-juiced balls on a set schedule, and much more.

Audio intro: The Magnetic Fields, "Swinging London"
Audio outro: T. Rex, "London Boys"

Link to Bat Flips and Nerds website
Link to Bat Flips and Nerds podcast
Link to MLB UK Community Twitter account
Link to Absolute Bunts podcast
Link to article at The Athletic about Baseball on Five
Link to Q&A about the UK fan community
Link to MLB.com article about the UK fan community
Link to Cut4 piece about the history of baseball in England
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller talk to Ross Stripling, Los Angeles Dodgers starter and host of The Big Swing, about why he started and enjoys doing a podcast, how Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman influenced his pitching style, how he uses data to prepare for opponents, and how he feels about pitching in an era with the highest home-run rate ever. Then Stripling walks them through what he was thinking and why he threw what he threw in six memorable plate appearances from his career, including a showdown with his nemesis Mike Trout, the first and last batters he faced in his memorable, no-hit debut, his highest-leverage appearance, an 11-pitch PA, and a big moment from the 2017 World Series.

Audio intro: Superchunk, "Throwing Things (Acoustic Version)"
Audio outro: Buzzcocks, "Harmony in My Head"

Link to Stripling’s podcast
Link to Stripling’s Rich Hill episode
Link to Stripling’s fastball height by month in 2016
Link to EW episode with Sam’s reaction to Stripling’s debut
Link to Sam’s feature on Philip Humber
Link to Russell Carleton on the benefits of fouling off two-strike pitches
Link to Stripling PA 1 (vs. Trout)
Link to Stripling PA 2 (vs. Span)
Link to Stripling PA 3 (vs. Pagan)
Link to Stripling PA 4 (vs. Moroff)
Link to Stripling PA 5 (vs. Jay)
Link to Stripling PA 6 (vs. Bregman)
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Twitter commotion caused by the Pioneer League’s Grand Junction Rockies (who are definitely not named the Humpback Chubs), an Angels outfield sign and Mike Trout, the curious rise and fall of Yonder Alonso, the promotion of Rays rookie (and two-way player) Brendan McKay, the upcoming FanGraphs All-Star Game event, the All-Star starters and how All-Stars should be selected, and J.D. Martinez’s comments about writers wanting to work in front offices. Then (40:33) they talk to FiveThirtyEight’s Nathaniel Rakich about his sabermetric analysis of the Congressional Baseball Game, why the Dems have dominated recent games, the two-way talents of Rep. Cedric Richmond, and why the game has resisted the polarization of politics. Lastly (1:06:21), they bring on NPR’s Linda Holmes to discuss her debut novel, Evvie Drake Starts Over, her love of baseball and fascination with the yips, whether a character with the yips is based on Brandon McCarthy, how the book has been received, her writing process and approach to dialogue, and more.

Audio intro: Greg Brown, "Grand Junction"
Audio interstitial 1: Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), "Take a Break"
Audio interstitial 2: Warm Thoughts, "Romance Novelist"
Audio outro: 10cc, "The Dean and I"

Link to Craig Goldstein on the Grand Junction Rockies tweets
Link to Humpback Chubs petition
Link to interview about the Humpback Chubs petition
Link to OCR story about Angels outfield sign
Link to Craig Edwards on the McKay call-up
Link to Dave Cameron on Alonso
Link to FanGraphs All-Star Game event post
Link to Devan Fink on All-Star starters and WAR
Link to Martinez’s comments about writers and voting
Link to Nathaniel’s article about the Congressional Baseball Game
Link to Nathaniel’s Congressional Baseball Game stats
Link to order Evvie Drake Starts Over
Link to order The MVP Machine

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In a bonus episode, Ben Lindbergh banters with FanGraphs writer Craig Edwards about Craig’s explanation for the struggles of José Ramírez, and then (11:15) Ben and Craig talk to John Bitzer, founder and editor of the new site Baseball Trade Values, about designing the trade-simulation site, the challenges of valuing players and constructing fair baseball trades, how he used real trades to refine his trade model, whether teams might scout for front-office talent via his site, how he accounts for changing team behavior, the outlook for the 2019 trade deadline, and more. Then (49:12) Ben brings on astrophysicist and contributor to The Athletic Dr. Meredith Wills to discuss her groundbreaking research into the construction of the baseball, the difficulty of disassembling the ball, why and how the 2019 ball is different from the 2018 ball, the multiple phases of home-run-happy balls, what MLB could do to suppress the home-run rate, solving home run mysteries with science, and more.

Audio intro: Matthew Sweet, "Trade Places"
Audio interstitial: The Inbreds, "Drag Us Down"
Audio outro: Stevie Nicks (Feat. Don Henley), "Leather and Lace"

Link to Craig on Ramírez
Link to Baseball Trade Values
Link to Ben on internet commenters trying to trade for Stanton
Link to Ben on internet commenters trying to trade for Price
Link to Meredith’s new research into the 2019 ball
Link to Meredith on lace thickness
Link to Ben on blisters
Link to Ben and Rob on the 2015 home-run spike
Link to Ben and Rob on the ball at midseason 2016
Link to write-up of Alan Nathan’s 2017 Saber Seminar presentation
Link to 2018 MLB-commissioned report
Link to Rob on decreased drag in early 2019
Link to Rob on decreased drag in Triple-A in 2019
Link to Manfred’s latest comments about the ball
Link to article about Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about whether the Red Sox pulling a pitcher in the middle of a plate appearance was an instance of “Strategy,” share a Stat Blast about whether the platoon advantage is more pronounced early or late in plate appearances, and discuss a pitch-framing flare-up between Tyler Flowers and Willson Contreras, then answer listener emails about how different baseball could be and still be baseball, whether moving the mound back would lead to many more hit batters, whether teams should be buying low on fly-ball pitchers and the future of MLB’s home-run rate, and whether the Astros or another team with a reputation for building better players could deke their rivals by expressing interest in trading for players they don’t actually want.

Audio intro: Golden Earring, "Desperately Trying to be Different"
Audio outro: Death Cab for Cutie, "No Room in Frame"

Link to Flowers vs. Contreras beef background
Link to video of Flowers-Contreras encounter
Link to Ben on Flowers
Link to Cooper on moving the mound back
Link to Rob on moving the mound back
Link to info on Ohtani’s throwing session
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Albert Pujols’ touching return to St. Louis, the Dodgers’ deceptive Will Smith walk-off and the reason for the proportional increase in non-pulled home runs, Commissioner Manfred’s latest comments about the ball and dingers, Newsday beat writer Tim Healey’s clubhouse confrontation with Jason Vargas and Mets manager Mickey Callaway, and the possibly pivotal PED suspension of Oakland’s Frankie Montas. Then they revisit two Sullivan-era chats about “baseball IQ” and whether facing death would make baseball teams better, pass judgement on an alleged Mariners-related fun fact, provide an update on Dylan Bundy’s periodic inattention to baserunners, and discuss the causes of the persistent poor performance of relievers relative to starters and the continued democratization of saves.

Audio intro: The Beach Boys, "Angel Come Home"
Audio outro: The Coral, "Come Home"

Link to Doolittle on peak Pujols vs. Trout
Link to video of Pujols’s first at-bat as an Angel in St. Louis
Link to video of Pujols homering in St. Louis
Link to Will’s Pujols newsletter
Link to Derrick’s story on the possible Pujols trade
Link to video of Smith’s surprising walk-off homer
Link to Manfred’s latest comments about the ball
Link to Tim Healey’s explanation of the Callaway/Vargas incident
Link to Verducci on bullpens
Link to Rob Arthur on pitchers’ hot hands
Link to Clay’s comment on starters and stuff
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and guest co-host Ellen Adair banter about Ellen’s acting career and baseball background, the causes of (and possible solutions to) the Phillies’ post-McCutchen slump, what the (extremely far-fetched) idea of the Rays splitting time between Tampa Bay and Montreal might look like in practice, Ellen’s script for a baseball series, and her solution for maintaining her Phillies fandom in the wake of Odubel Herrera’s domestic violence suspension. Then (44:51) they bring on San Diego Padres Baseball Operations Fellow Sam Schultz to discuss her work in the Padres’ front office, her indirect route to baseball, her training in physics, the MLB Diversity Fellowship Program, the value of diversity of thought, why she chose to work for the Padres, her recommendations for baseball job-seekers, and more.

Audio intro: Jason Isbell, "Brand New Kind of Actress"
Audio interstitial: B.o.B., "Mellow Fellow"
Audio outro: Family of the Year, "Diversity"

Link to Craig Edwards on Nola
Link to Ellen’s website
Link to Ellen’s article about Herrera
Link to article about Sam
Link to website for MLB’s Diversity Fellowship Program
Link to Ben on the sabermetrics of marketing
Link to Ringer MLB Show episode on baseball business analytics
Link to Astudillo’s catch
Link to Ben’s Trout piece
Link to order The MVP Machine

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