On this episode, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by ESPN baseball reporter Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) to talk about the imperfect teams of the AL East, the trade deadline, and stories that go beyond analytics to explain player performance.Marly discussed the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Kris Bryant, Trevor Story, Vladimir Guerrero, and Cedric Mullins. She also gave her thoughts on the state of women in baseball broadcasting.Thank you always for listening. Stay safe and stay well.

Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast

ESPN's Marly Rivera on Baseball's Imperfect Teams & Most Interesting Stories

On a supersized episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon ( http://twitter.com/markasimonsays ) is joined by Red Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe ( https://twitter.com/Hunter_Renfroe ) and Mets infielder Luis Guillorme ( https://twitter.com/lguillorme13 ) to talk shop – how they do what they do on D. That is followed by an MLB Draft Preview with our Video Scouts, Brandon Tew ( http://twitter.com/brandonteweets ) and Dominick Ricotta ( http://twitter.com/domricotta15 ). Renfroe talks about his powerful throwing arm, with tips for aspiring players on what they can do to develop theirs (0:35). He also talks about the challenges of playing the right field triangle and right field corner at Fenway Park. (3:58) Guillorme walks us through how he learned to be a smart defensive player while growing up in Venezuela and how he learned to slow the game down (12:04). He takes us through several plays he’s made this season, including a game-saving relay throw and a well-timed base block (15:30). He also discusses how he catches flying bats, how he battles in his at-bats, and how he became adept at juggling. (19:31) Brandon and Dominick give us a preview of the top college pitchers and hitters in this year’s draft, a class headed by Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, and Henry Davis (24:29). They also come up with players to keep an eye on outside the top 10 (42:47). As always, thanks for listening. Please rate and review us if you can. Stay safe and stay well. *Hunter Renfroe plays referenced* Catch in right field corner vs Tom Murphy at Fenway ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/560f6f03-906a-4e97-8faa-e0e53a1a6f77.mp4 ) Great throw after CF missed ball to throw out Matt Chapman trying for 3B on triple ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/67cb0cb2-c881-444d-a921-900a8b0b98cb.mp4 ) *Luis Guillorme plays referenced* Threw out Cedric Mullins on a bunt ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/cb1e8e65-b5c3-4aa6-9075-b0668d659ece.mp4 ) Tag play at 3B on SB attempt ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/cb3603b3-02d6-444c-8da4-9e525d34becf.mp4 ) Throws Marisnick out at home ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/49c7110d-a4ef-40df-b758-863a3027a9b5.mp4 )

Hunter Renfroe, Luis Guillorme and an MLB Draft Preview

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon ( @markasimonsays ( http://twitter.com/markasimonsays ) ) is joined by Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins ( @cedmull30 ( https://twitter.com/cedmull30 ) ), who is having a breakthrough season. Mullins talks about his favorite play from childhood (an unassisted triple play!) (1:00) and what goes into making some of the great catches he’s made (he walked us through several) (1:44). Mullins also talks about self-awareness and the understanding that giving up switch-hitting could help make him a better hitter (6:58). *Cedric Mullins Highlights* - Catch vs Kiké Hernández ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/93560793-fccd-4935-b95f-f232d2b50998.mp4 ) - Catch vs Nelson Cruz ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/0e311090-8a91-4395-b804-e5bc7a351d05.mp4 ) - Catch vs Amed Rosario ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/68edec4e-b0ed-4329-8b37-98f6c66daed3.mp4 ) - Catch vs Jonathan Villar ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/2e5e46b9-7a0e-45f2-ac02-ebcdc86a4faa.mp4 ) Mark is also joined by Adam Darowski ( @baseballtwit ( http://twitter.com/baseballtwit ) ) of Sports-Reference.com to discuss the Baseball-Reference project – The Negro Leagues Are Major Leagues ( https://www.baseball-reference.com/negro-leagues-are-major-leagues.shtml ) – in which the company added a considerable amount of statistical information to its databases and incorporated it as stats equivalent to the National League and American League (11:19). Adam talks about why the site took on the project (13:57) and some of the many cool statistical discoveries that can be made with a few clicks of a mouse (16:42). Thanks for listening, and don't forget to rate and review!

Cedric Mullins on His Amazing Catches; Adam Darowski on Sports-Reference.com’s Negro Leagues Project

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon ( @MarkASimonSays ( https://twitter.com/MarkASimonSays ) ) is joined by Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon ( @Ry_McMahon ( https://twitter.com/Ry_McMahon ) ), who won Sports Info Solutions Defensive Player of the Month honors for May. McMahon is quick and to the point in discussing how he learned to play defense (1:07), his approach to playing defense (2:09), what he learns from watching other players (6:39), and why he was given a glove at birth (9:50). Mark and show producer Justin Stine ( @j_stine31 ( https://twitter.com/j_stine31 ) ) then review the early-season Defensive Runs Saved leaderboard and point out improvements, surprises, and key players (15:47).

Ryan McMahon Was Born to Play Defense (Literally)

Former longtime MLB pitcher and current Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow gives our host, Mark Simon, a lesson on what to watch for in defensive play and pitching using the surprising Giants team as a model. Mike talked about the Giants overall strengths and put an emphasis on the catcher’s ability to manage the rhythm of a game. He also went pitcher-by-pitcher through the Giants’ surprises this season, explaining how tweaks can lead to success, with Kevin Gausman, Alex Wood, and Anthony DeSclafani as the examples, and the process that leads to such adjustments. To close, he talked about the many arm angles of the Padres pitching staff, and what a fan should watch the rest of the season regarding pitching in MLB (it wasn’t velocity). Thanks for listening as always. Stay safe and stay well.

Mike Krukow on the Giants’ As a Model for Fixing Pitchers, Standout Defense

On this week’s episode Mark Simon ( @markasimonsays ( http://twitter.com/markasimonsays ) ) talks to Cardinals second baseman and outfielder Tommy Edman and Red Sox beat writer Peter Abraham ( @peteabe ( http://twitter.com/peteabe ) ). Tommy talks about his family’s interest in baseball analytics (his father teaches math, his brother works for the Twins, his sister works for the Cardinals) and how data plays a role in how he plays (2:05). He also walks us through multiple good defensive plays he’s made this season, from diving stops against Trevor Story ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/2c3fee7c-8edc-4787-9f1a-cf6e614e6c9f.mp4 ) and Eugenio Suarez ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/1cfea285-2643-430f-abe7-d7327c17529b.mp4 ) to crashing into the fence to take away an extra-base hit from Alec Bohm (9:59). He also talks about what he’s learned from watching his other Cardinals teammates, including new third baseman Nolan Arenado (15:51). Peter explains the stats behind the Red Sox success, ranging from J.D. Martinez’s offensive performance, to the improved pitching of Nick Pivetta and Matt Barnes, and quantifiable examples of how Alex Cora’s return benefited the team (21:05). He also gives his thoughts on the other AL East teams (31:03). Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast if you can. Stay safe and stay well.

Tommy Edman Walks Us Through Great Plays; Pete Abraham on Red Sox Success

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by Royals center fielder Michael A. Taylor. They talk about his defensive approach, the value of having a catcher who can catch throws like Salvador Perez, some of Michael’s favorite defensive plays, and what he’s learned from past mistakes in the field (0:57). Mark also chats with Dr. Jason Themanson of Illinois Wesleyan University to learn the neuroscience behind the great catch that Mookie Betts made against the Padres (12:24). Thank you as always for listening. Go to FieldingBible.com for all the latest defensive stats. Stay safe and stay well.

Talking Defense With Royals Outfielder Michael A. Taylor

On this episode, Mark Simon ( http://twitter.com/markasimonsays ) was joined by Chicago White Sox radio broadcaster Len Kasper ( http://twitter.com/lenkasper ) and ESPN content producer Paul Hembekides ( http://twitter.com/paulhembo ). Len talked about his transition from Cubs TV to White Sox radio, what interested him most from an analytic perspective so far this season, both in the sport as a whole and for the White Sox. He also discussed Tony La Russa’s impact, Chicago’s potentially unique relief situation, what to make of Tim Anderson and José Abreu’s defensive numbers. Len closed by giving tips to get kids interested in analytic thinking and did an impersonation of Howard Cosell commenting on the analytic revolution. Hembo and Mark went back and forth trying to find meaning in some of the early-season stats and why right-handed pitching has been so dominant in 2021. Among the players to come up: Freddie Freeman, Frankie Montas, Evan Longoria, and Mark Melancon. They closed the show with a couple of trivia stumpers of an analytic nature. Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast If you can. Stay safe and stay well.

Let's Talk Fun & Smart Baseball With Len Kasper (White Sox radio) & Paul Hembekides (ESPN)

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball podcast, Mark Simon ( @markasimonsays ( http://twitter.com/markasimonsays ) ) is joined by MLB Network analyst Cliff Floyd, ESPN Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech, and New York Times national baseball writer James Wagner to answer some questions from Mark's baseball predictions game. Cliff Floyd ( http://twitter.com/clifffloyd30 ) breaks down 5 hitters - Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, Lorenzo Cain, and Shohei Ohtani and assesses the most important thing to watch and what the future holds for each guy (1:09). Karl Ravech ( http://twitter.com/karlravechespn ) breaks down the 2 toughest divisions, shares what 2021 holds for superstars Juan Soto and Trevor Bauer, and gives a sleeper pick for the Cy Young who has not previously even gotten a Cy Young vote (13:23). James Wagner ( http://twitter.com/byJamesWagner ) picks the 2 teams poised to overachieve the most, gives win total estimates for the 2 most polarizing teams, compares the Yankees postseason chances to those of the Brooklyn Nets and lets us know if baseball games will get any shorter in 2021 (spoiler: probably not) (20:53). Do you want to get an edge in fantasy baseball this season. Then check out The Bill James Handbook: Projections Update. This excel spreadsheet offers player projections for 2021. The projections are based on our exclusive formula and our playing time assessments. Purchase them here: http://baseballinfosolution.com/bijahaprup208.html Thanks for listening. Please rate and review the podcast if you have a chance. Stay safe and stay well.

MLB Experts Cliff Floyd, Karl Ravech, James Wagner Have Predictions For 2021

Mark Simon ( @MarkASimonSays ( http://twitter.com/markasimonsays ) ) heard from Rays infielder Joey Wendle ( @JoeyWendle ( http://twitter.com/joeywendle ) ) right after we posted our last episode, so we figured we’d bring you a bonus interview with him before we ramp up to our Opening Day Preview here at the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast. Joey talks about his 2020 postseason experience and the large number of hard-hit balls he had to field as well as the preparation that goes into playing defense, including pre-game work and how he’s positioned. He also shares tips for aspiring third basemen on making the long throw across the diamond to first base and gives his early impressions of Wander Franco. Thanks for listening as always. Don’t forget to rate and review us if you can. Stay safe and stay well.

Bonus Episode: Joey Wendle on How He Does What He Does

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon ( @MarkASimonSays ( https://twitter.com/MarkASimonSays ) ) is joined first by Eno Sarris ( @enosarris ( http://twitter.com/enosarris ) ) of The Athletic to talk about the trends to watch in MLB this season. Eno discusses what people should know about seam shifted wake and the pitchers for which it might be the most pertinent (0:48). He also talks about the rule changes at the minor league level and which are most important to note (7:49). Other items discussed include the deadening of the baseball (10:35), the concern over Fernando Tatis' 14-year contract (11:33), and who's winning the World Series if the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers or Padres don't (14:06). Eno is followed by Dr. Phil Klotzbach ( @philklotzbach ( http://twitter.com/philklotzbach ) ), a baseball fan and meteorologist at Colorado State University. He explains the research he does on hurricanes and draws parallels between hurricane predicting and baseball predicting (16:20). Then, Alex Vigderman ( @vigmanoncampus ( http://twitter.com/vigmanoncampus ) ) joins Mark to talk about their takeaways from last weekend's SABR Analytics Conference (31:40). Thank you for listening. Please rate and review us if you can. Stay safe and stay well.

A Different Kind of Prediction Season (with Eno Sarris, Phil Klotzbach, Alex Vigderman)

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon ( @MarkASimonSays ( https://twitter.com/MarkASimonSays ) ) welcomes spring training with 3 guests! First, Mark is joined by Oakland Athletics second baseman and outfielder, Tony Kemp ( @TonyKemp ( https://twitter.com/tonykemp?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor ) ). Tony talks about how his hitting approach generated higher walk rates (1:09), how a player knows and understands what he can do (2:23), the challenges of hitting at Wrigley Field, Minute Maid Park, and Oakland Coliseum (7:00), and his favorite defensive plays, both from college ( https://www.instagram.com/p/ZL8CPgl3Xw/ ) and pro ( https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/5e89bbba-337b-45af-9faa-0f5c76e29bcf.mp4 ). (8:39) He also discusses what happened last year when he put out a call on social media to talk to people during the protests related to George Floyd’s death (12:14), and the work Tony is doing for his movement, The +1 Effect ( https://breakingt.com/collections/plus1?rfsn=1483968.6b00a2a ). (14:31) Also joining the podcast is Baltimore Orioles radio broadcaster Melanie Newman ( @MelanieLynneN ( https://twitter.com/MelanieLynneN ) ), who is entering her second season calling games for the team. Melanie talks about her rapport with broadcast partner Geoff Arnold (20:20), her climb up the baseball broadcast ladder (24:15), the ascension of women and the importance of representation in baseball play-by-play broadcasting and other important MLB roles (31:25), how she simplifies numbers for listeners (38:17), which Orioles pitcher is better than you might think (hint: knuckleballer!) (42:03) and much more! Lastly, SABR ( @SABR ( https://twitter.com/sabr ) ) CEO Scott Bush ( @scott_bush ( https://twitter.com/scott_bush ) ) stops by to give us a preview of the SABR Analytics Conference. (45:33) Thank you as always for listening, Please rate and review the podcast if you can. You can contact us at mark@sportsinfosolutions.com or @sportsinfo_SIS ( https://twitter.com/SportsInfo_SIS ).

A's Tony Kemp Talks Offense and Defense, Orioles Broadcaster Melanie Newman on Women in Baseball

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon ( @MarkASimonSays ( https://twitter.com/MarkASimonSays ) ) is joined by Yankees minor league hitting coach Rachel Balkovec ( @_rachelbalkovec ( https://twitter.com/_rachelbalkovec ) ), who is currently in Australia working as a coach with the Sydney Blue Sox. Rachel talks about how she came to be coaching in Australia (1:46). She then addresses the progress that women have made in baseball and other sports and the challenges women face in light of the Mets firing of their GM (5:24). Rachel also talks about the way she connects with players (11:21), the hardest thing to coach athletes on (13:36), and what she studied when she worked with Driveline (14:51). She also speaks about her favorite mentoring story (20:43) and provides perspective on how she viewed 2020 (25:12). Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast if you can. You can also find Rachel at RachelBalkovec.com ( http://rachelbalkovec.com/ ) or on Instagram at @Rachel.Balkovec ( http://instagram.com/rachel.balkovec )

Conversing about Coaching with Rachel Balkovec, Minor League Hitting Coach with the Yankees

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon ( @MarkASimonSays ( https://twitter.com/MarkASimonSays ) ) is joined by Minnesota Twins centerfielder Byron Buxton ( @OfficialBuck103 ( https://twitter.com/officialbuck103?lang=en ) ) to talk about everything from his defensive approach to how he changed his swing by watching video, to why he smiles so much and much more (0:45). Mark also welcomes a group of guests to break down the Fielding Bible award winners from both the KBO and NPB. Jeeho Yoo ( @Jeeho_1 ( https://twitter.com/Jeeho_1 ) ) of the Yonhap News and Ted Baarda of SIS join first to discuss the winners from the KBO (24:19), and John Gibson ( @JBWPodcast ( https://twitter.com/JBWPodcast ) ) of JapaneseBaseball.com and the Japan Baseball Weekly Podcast finishes the show with a look at the winners from the NPB (48:24). You can read more about the Fielding Bible award winners at Stat of the Week ( https://actasports.com/statoftheweek2020-npb-kbo-fielding-bible-awards/ ). Don't forget to rate and review, and stay safe. *Important Links* Byron Buxton defensive highlights ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTbCBq4JE0Q ) (10 minutes worth!) Game-winning infield hit vs Tigers ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbelvrphepw )

Byron Buxton On His Well-Rounded Game Plus KBO and NPB Fielding Bible Award Discussion

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, we begin by discussing the historic hiring of Kim Ng as the Marlins GM with Josh Rawitch ( @joshrawitch ( https://twitter.com/joshrawitch ) ), the Diamondbacks senior VP of content and communications. Josh and Kim worked together when both were with the Dodgers, and Kim gave Josh a shout-out at her press conference. Josh shares stories about working with her and describes the traits that he thinks will make her a great general manager, including her knowledge base and demeanor (1:47). We’ll be talking more about Kim and women in baseball in greater depth later this offseason. We are also joined by Jomboy Media baseball analyst, Trevor Plouffe ( @trevorplouffe ( https://twitter.com/trevorplouffe ) ), who played third base for nine MLB seasons (2010 to 2018) (9:59). Trevor helps us preview the free agent market. He gives insights on what it’s like to hit against Trevor Bauer and offers a thought on why Bauer’s success could have staying power (14:31). He also evaluates George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, DJ LeMahieu, and Marcell Ozuna (17:59), along with the crowded market for No. 3 starting pitchers and closers (32:51). Along the way, he discusses things to keep in mind, like which hitters bring value for their long at-bats and which teammates work with players to make them better. Lastly, we ask Trevor about what it’s like to be a first-round pick and about the challenges that come with being in that spot (36:09). Thank you for listening. Please rate and review us if you can. Stay safe and stay well.

Josh Rawitch on Kim Ng’s Historic Hiring; Trevor Plouffe on MLB Free Agents

The R&D team at Sports Info Solutions is joined by special guests to discuss notable topics related to baseball analytics. Hosted by Mark Simon.