Ben and Sam discuss two baseball mysteries: the Orioles’ success in 2012, and MLB’s blackout policy.
Ben and Sam slum it with a bunch of bad teams from baseball’s underclass and speculate about which has the least hope of going all the way before 2022, then discuss Jimmy Rollins’ benching and how much running out a popup really matters.
An Important Internet Discovery reveals more of Ichiro’s strange sense of humor.
Ten players who took the long route from top prospect to major-league contributor this year.
Ben and Sam discuss whether a team should have claimed Joe Mauer, what he’s worth, and what his future will look like, then talk about the end of Erik Bedard’s stay in Pittsburgh and how sad it is when a guy who’s always either good or injured goes bad.
If the Nationals had handled their ace’s innings limit a little more like the Braves massaged Kris Medlen’s, they might not be facing a Strasless October.
Ben and Sam discuss sabermetric managerial favorite Davey Johnson’s impact on the Nationals, whether certain managers can make their players play better, and what the ideal relationship between a GM and manager might be.
It’s hard to draw conclusions about manager abilities, but Ben looks at how each of five managers hired before the season have performed this year.
Ben and Sam question the conclusions of an article in The Atlantic about racial bias in baseball broadcasting, then talk about whether Brian McCann’s best is behind him and whether his down year is the result of bad hitting hitting or bad luck.
Ben and Sam discuss the futures of the two teams involved in the weekend’s blockbuster trade, then talk about whether the Astros would benefit from signing Roger Clemens.
Ben and Sam discuss Austin Jackson’s excellent catch, whether he’s the best defensive center fielder in baseball, and whether it’s even possible to decide one way or another, then dissect Seattle’s eight-game winning streak to see if it’s the start of something good or a fluke that will soon be forgotten.
Oakland’s success this year is all the more surprising considering they have departed from the small-market blueprint perfected by Tampa Bay.
Five older players on contending teams have defied the aging curve by having unexpected success this year. How have they done it, and can it continue?
Ben and Sam revisit the trade that sent Dan Haren to the Angels in light of Haren’s down year and Tyler Skaggs’ debut for the Diamondbacks, then talk about how Derek Jeter has remained productive at age 38 and examine whether the Yankees are in any trouble in the AL East.
The latest inefficiencies exploited by the Rays: ice cream and classical conditioning.
The pitcher with the lowest strikeout rate in baseball faced the best hitter in the big leagues three times. One of those times, the pitcher won.