Episode 744
Alex Stumpf covers the Pirates and Duquesne basketball for The Point of Pittsburgh. He’s also (a) FanGraphs’ writer-in-residence for the month of May and (b) the guest on this edition of FanGraphs Audio.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 1 hr 0 min play time.)

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Episode 743
Exit velocity is an asset for hitters, all things being equal. That said, some of the very best hitters in baseball (including Mike Trout, for example) have recorded rather pedestrian batted-ball speeds. Managing editor Dave Cameron addresses the diminishing returns of exit velocity. He also discusses Chris Davis and Khris Davis and explains why only one of them was a prospect. Also: the Brewers and Twins were among 2016’s worst clubs. Now? They’re both division leaders. “How and why and how?” is what the host asks, in that careful order.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 43 min play time.)

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Episode 742
Lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen is the guest on this edition of the pod. In this episode, recorded on the eve of his trip to the ACC tournament, he discusses a number of top collegiate prospects for the approaching amateur draft — top prospects, for example, like Louisville two-way star Brendan McKay. He also examines a couple former first-rounders — Detroit right-hander Beau Burrows and Pittsburgh shortstop Cole Tucker — who’ve begun to translate their tools into on-field success.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 1 hr 6 min play time.)

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Episode 741
Over the past few years, a number of players have benefited from a change in swing mechanics or approach. Josh Donaldson and J.D. Martinez most famously. Yonder Alonso and Aaron Altherr more recently. Now that the means exist to recognize adjustments more quickly, is it also possible to anticipate breakout performances before they actually occur? This is the question that managing editor Dave Cameron nearly answers on this edition of the pod.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 39 min play time.)

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Episode 740
The prolific Travis Sawchik is a former beat reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and author of the book Big Data Baseball. He’s also the guest on this edition of the program, during which he discusses both (a) Eric Thames and the transformative power of boredom and also (b) the Hardball Dynasty league in which he participates with notable beat writers, whose names he reveals here!

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 1 hr 15 min play time.)

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Episode 739
Managing editor Dave Cameron is the guest on this edition of the program, during which he addresses not those players who declare that they’re in the best shape of their respective lives, but rather those players who claim to have changed their swings. Yonder Alonso is one of them. In his case, at least, the early returns are strong.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 36 min play time.)

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Episode 738
Dayn Perry is a contributor to CBS Sports’ Eye on Baseball and the author of three books — one of them not very miserable. He’s also the impatient guest on this edition of FanGraphs Audio.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 56 min play time.)

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Episode 737
Managing editor Dave Cameron is the guest on this edition of the program, during which he leads the guest on a tour of the National League’s easternmost division. There, one finds that the Mets are infested with injuries, that the Nationals are contending with the loss of their center fielder, and that three other clubs are also present.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 46 min play time.)

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Episode 736
Lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen is the guest on this edition of the pod. In this episode, he examines a shortstop in the Rangers system who’s playing catcher; a first baseman in the SEC who’s leading the conference in homers and stolen bases; and the strange cult of the college third baseman.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 1 hr 13 min play time.)

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Episode 735
Managing editor Dave Cameron is the guest on this edition of the program, during which he discusses the absence of Starling Marte from the Pirates and the absence of Madison Bumgarner from the Giants and, implicitly, the absence of “human behavior” from his behavior.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximately 39 min play time.)

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