Archive for Podcast – FanGraphs Audio

FanGraphs Audio: Travis Sawchik Rocks the Vote

Episode 1005

This episode, we welcome back another old friend who is casting their first Hall of Fame ballot, then talk about the most surprising free agent move in recent memory.

  • We begin with Jay Jaffe and David Laurila continuing their new annual tradition of discussing their Hall of Fame ballots on the podcast, and this time they are joined by Travis Sawchik, baseball author and writer at theScore. Travis is voting for the first time, and he consults with Jay and David about how to navigate issues like PEDs and players whose late-career struggles might tarnish their overall body of work. The trio also ponder the philosophy of a large Hall vs. a small Hall while discussing players like Bobby Abreu, Jeff Kent, Andy Pettitte, and more. [3:00]
  • After that, Dan Szymborski and Michael Baumann get together to talk about the whole Carlos Correa signing with the Mets thing. The news was obviously a huge shock, and Dan and Michael ponder where the San Francisco Giants go from here after a dismal offseason. We also hear about the Mets going in the opposite direction thanks to an owner who is making the other billionaires look bad, how thrilling Correa should be at the hot corner, and what bears really do when they hibernate. [43:33]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 67 minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: Jerry Dipoto on the Surging Seattle Mariners

Episode 1004

This week, we talk to the man in charge of an on-the-rise franchise before discussing the international market and a puzzling trade.

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 95 minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: Fernando Perez and Eno Sarris at the Winter Meetings

Episode 1003

After a big week in baseball, we bring you two face-to-face conversations from the San Diego Winter Meetings before a chat about outfield defense.

  • First up, David Laurila sits down with Fernando Perez, former major league outfielder and analyst and current coach for the San Francisco Giants. We hear what Fernando was doing at the Winter Meetings and what he and Farhan Zaidi talk about in the suite (it mostly isn’t baseball), as well as what Fernando’s coaching role entails. David and Fernando also talk about soccer and the World Cup, if he would be a good scout, and his relationship with former managers Joe Maddon and Matt Quatraro. [4:35]
  • After that, Jay Jaffe sits down with old friend Eno Sarris of The Athletic, who is excited to be casting his first Hall of Fame ballot this year. The pair go through the list of noteworthy candidates, from Rolen to Wagner to Kent to Sheffield to Beltrán to Jones to Abreu to Helton and more, as Eno looks for some guidance from someone who has done his share of research on the subject. Jay and Eno also discuss the elephant in the room that is PEDs, wishing they’d had the same advanced data back then that they do now, aiming for logical consistency, and who Eno was most looking forward to voting for with his first ballot. [29:39]
  • Finally, Davy Andrews welcomes fellow contributor Alex Eisert for his FanGraphs Audio debut. Both Davy and Alex have been writing about outfield defense at the site recently, so they get together to dig into OAA and their theories about the effects of player handedness. We also get the story on how Alex came to write at FanGraphs, the need for more psychology in baseball, how good Daulton Varsho is at learning skills, and the process of intentionally (or unintentionally) adding jokes to their articles. [1:08:44]

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 104 minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: Brad Miller, Veteran Infielder and Enthusiastic Soccer Fan

Episode 1002

This week on the show, we welcome a long-time major leaguer to chat about the World Cup before going over some recent moves and looking ahead to the Winter Meetings.

  • At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Brad Miller, a 10-year major league veteran and a big soccer fan. The pair talk about the World Cup games that have gotten them the most excited so far, the players and countries they find themselves rooting for, and which teammate is the best to kick the ball around with. We also hear about being drafted by and debuting with the Mariners, being mentored by players such as Raul Ibanez, Willie Bloomquist, and Robinson Canó, and cheering for the Seattle club that broke its long playoff drought this season. Finally, we get some insight on playing with Logan Morrison and Chris Young (now the boss in Texas), and an anecdote about how Canó believed in Miller’s power potential before Miller himself did. [4:00]
  • After that, Ben Clemens and Jason Martinez get together to chat about this week’s transactions. The defending World Champions signed José Abreu, which seems to make plenty of sense, but Ben is even more excited about the rebuilding Washington Nationals rolling the dice on Jeimer Candelario. Ben and Jason also consider how the Dodgers’ signing of Shelby Miller looks like another of the team’s remarkable reclamation projects, even if they are still a little skeptical. Finally, the duo revisit their fun Cardinals predictions from episode 976 and get excited to hang out with each other and the rest of the FanGraphs staff at the Winter Meetings in San Diego next week. [28:20]

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 56 minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: Joel Goldberg on the Rising Royals

Episode 1001

Hot Stove season is upon us and we are ready to start picking apart transactions, but not before we talk about the Kansas City Royals.

  • To kick things off, David Laurila welcomes Joel Goldberg, broadcaster and reporter for the Royals. David didn’t put Bobby Witt Jr. on his AL Rookie of the Year ballot this year, but he and Joel discuss how the best is certainly yet to come for the young phenom. The pair also talk about the underrated Scott Barlow, top prospect Maikel Garcia, the promise of a new ballpark, and how Kansas City was Salvador Perez’s town before it belonged to Patrick Mahomes. We also get insight into Dayton Moore’s legacy now that he has left the organization and J.J. Picollo has become the new president of baseball ops. [3:53]
  • In the second half, Ben Clemens is joined by Eric Longenhagen to talk about the early roster moving and shaking. The duo discuss glove-first center fielders who can’t hit enough for the majors, the Marlins struggling to develop players with a good approach at the plate, and Ben’s recent article about what would happen if pitching were a carnival game. Eric and Ben also banter about backstops, wonder how catchers who are good at framing will be valued going forward, framing vs. blocking, and if pop time is more important than accuracy when throwing to second base. [37:56]

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 88 minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: Episode No. 1000 Retrospective

Episode 1000

That’s right, we have reached our four-digit milestone. Look back through the years with us before we look to the future (or at least this upcoming offseason).

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 58-minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: Baumann and Longenhagen Do a World Series Jawn

Episode 999

This week on the pod, the most Philadelphia pairing we have on staff comes together to break down the World Series so far.

Michael Baumann is fresh off covering Games 3 and 4 of the World Series in person, and he welcomes lead prospect analyst and old Crashburn Alley pal Eric Longenhagen to discuss what it was like to see the Phillies get no-hit on the largest stage. The pair have mostly grown out of their fandom as they have matured into sports professionals, but they share how the fan feeling has crept back in a little bit this October. We also hear about rooting for Corinne Landrey to be the first FanGraphs alum to win a championship ring, rooting for your own prospect evaluations to come true, the difference in attitude between the Houston and Philadelphia clubhouses, and a digression about high school drum major camp.

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 50 minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: Tyler Kepner Talks World Series, Justyn-Henry Malloy Calls From AFL

Episode 998

Just in time for the World Series, we welcome back an author who recently wrote a book on the subject before talking to a prospect in the Arizona Fall League.

  • To start the show, Jay Jaffe welcomes Tyler Kepner, baseball writer at The New York Times and author of The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series, back to the show. The pair discuss what inspired the book, the hundreds of interviews that went into it, and how Tyler has been preparing to write it his whole life. We hear about picking MVPs for the Fall Classic before they started officially doing so in 1955, and Jay’s fond memories of the 1988 championship. The duo also talk about how un-fun it is to cover Yankees eliminations, how players handle pressure on the game’s biggest stage, and what they are looking forward to in the Astros/Phillies World Series. [3:26]
  • After that, David Laurila welcomes Justyn-Henry Malloy, a prospect in the Braves system whose excellent 2022 campaign has culminated in playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the AFL. We hear what a day in the life of a Fall League player is like, and how much fun it has been to play with players like Cade Bunnell, Cal Conley, Heston Kjerstad, and Vaughn Grissom. Malloy also tells us about how he strives for consistency as a hitter while aiming to command the zone, as well as his adventures in battling the Arizona sun while playing the outfield. [33:21]

To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here.

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 55 minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: No Cheering in the Press Box

Episode 997

With four teams remaining in the postseason, this week we put our fan hats on before meeting a talented new FanGraphs contributor.

  • In the first segment, resident Phillies fan Michael Baumann is joined by site Padres fan Jason Martinez to discuss the NLCS. Jason was at the first two games in San Diego, while Michael will be at each of the next three in Philly; neither expected their team to get this far. We hear about Jason working as a field timing coordinator, Michael being more scared of Manny Machado than Juan Soto, the experience of facing (and watching) Blake Snell, their shared adoration for Jorge Alfaro and Jake Cronenworth, and Jason almost having to help Ralph Sampson to break up a stadium fight. [2:56]
  • After that, Dan Szymborski welcomes Davy Andrews for his podcast debut. Davy recently joined the site as a contributor. We hear how he found himself at FanGraphs before learning more about his musical projects. The duo also discuss Jose Altuve’s recent struggles and future Hall of Fame chances, the playoffs being a bit of a crapshoot, what the Dodgers should do in the offseason, being fun uncles, and their strong opinions about baking and cookies. [45:07]

To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here.

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 72 minute play time.)


FanGraphs Audio: AL East Chats With Eve Rosenbaum, David Cone, and Julian McWilliams

Episode 996

We bring you a trio of AL East-flavored interviews this week as we find ourselves in the middle of the divisional playoff round.

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Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 78-minute play time.)