Ben and Sam talk to Cincinnati Enquirer reporter C. Trent Rosecrans about the Reds, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, and the trials and travails of beat writing.
Wladimir Balentien is threatening to break Japan’s single-season home-run record. Does that mean he can hit in the majors?
Why “be quiet” might be the best advice for backstops.
Ben and Sam discuss how Wladimir Balentien’s explosive season in Japan would translate to the majors, then examine the notion that Billy Beane’s teams play better in the second half.
Ben and Sam answer listener emails about rare plays they wish they would see, players wearing heart rate monitors, and more.
Were there any warning signs that Matt Harvey was about to be hurt?
Ben and Sam try to come to terms with Matt Harvey’s elbow injury, then discuss a player poll about Alex Rodriguez.
Ben and Sam discuss Jack Zduriencik and the future of the Mariners, then talk about CC Sabathia’s dismaying season.
The best and worst receivers of the week (s) and season, with a cameo from Vin Scully and a closer look at Travis d’Arnaud.
Vin Scully will be back in the booth for 2014. This calls for an infographic!
Ben and Sam pick a perceived clubhouse leader for each team, then talk about whether teams should ever refuse to sign certain players on moral grounds.
Ranking closers based on how bad they’ve looked at the plate.
Ben, Sam, and guest co-host Russell Carleton discuss whether and how the Dodgers should discipline Yasiel Puig, teams that would want to take mulligans on their trade deadlines, and things sabermetricians are still getting wrong.
The anatomy of an unlikely ball four.
Ben and Sam answer listener emails about when every team will have won a World Series, the best baseball Kickstarters, rooting for draft picks, one-pitch pitchers, and more.
An object lesson in implementing the shift drawn from two consecutive plate appearances.