Vladimir Guerrero Jr

We talk about the Great Home Run Surge of 2019, the Rabbit Ball, Slippier in the Air Ball, the call up of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alex Rodriguez on YouTube.  Links:   Moonshot: The Baseball Is Juiced (Again) by Robert Arthur Moonshot: Exit Velocity Is Higher Than Ever by Robert Arthur Moonshot: The Rabbit Ball is Flying in Triple-A Too by Robert Arthur The Call-Up: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. by Jarrett Seidler and Kevin Jebens Circle Change: Who’s Hitting the Extra Dingers? by Zach Crizer Kendall's writing for the Prospectus Notebook ARod on YouTube

We talk about the Great Home Run Surge of 2019, the Rabbit Ball, Slippier in the Air Ball, the call up of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alex Rodriguez on YouTube. Links: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/48260/moonshot-the-baseball-is-juiced-again/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Moonshot: The Baseball Is Juiced (Again)</a> by Robert Arthur</li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/48425/moonshot-exit-velocity-is-higher-than-ever/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Moonshot: Exit Velocity Is Higher Than Ever </a> by Robert Arthur</li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/48613/moonshot-the-rabbit-ball-is-flying-in-triple-a-too/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Moonshot: The Rabbit Ball is Flying in Triple-A Too</a> by Robert Arthur</li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/article/48806/the-call-up-vladimir-guerrero-jr/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Call-Up: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.</a> by Jarrett Seidler and Kevin Jebens</li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/48809/circle-change-whos-hitting-the-extra-dingers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Circle Change: Who’s Hitting the Extra Dingers?</a> by Zach Crizer</li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/48766/prospectus-notebook-opportunity-and-redemption/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kendall's writing for the Prospectus Notebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgT6Dap2uIDuwaJod2zlO3A/videos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ARod on YouTube</a></li></ul>

Episode 36: Dingers, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and ARod

Jared Diamond

We talked with Jared Diamond about recent MLB rules changes. Specifically related to one of our favorite subjects, two-way players. We address how teams will have to designate players as, pitchers, hitters, or two-way and what effect those rules will have on the game. We also get a peak into Jared's upcoming book.  Harry and Kendall also dig into some of the upcoming changes that MLB will be testing out in the Atlantic League. 

We talked with Jared Diamond about recent MLB rules changes. Specifically related to one of our favorite subjects, two-way players. We address how teams will have to designate players as, pitchers, hitters, or two-way and what effect those rules will have on the game. We also get a peak into Jared's upcoming book. Harry and Kendall also dig into some of the upcoming changes that MLB will be testing out in the Atlantic League.

Episode 35: New MLB Rules with Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal

We chatted with the creators and maintainers of four major projection systems, ZiPS (Dan Szymborski), Steamer (Jared Cross), THE BAT (Derek Carty) and Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA (Harry Pavlidis) about how their systems are created, how the past is used to project future performance and how projecting young players without much track record can be tricky.  Music is "Open Your Face" by Parker Projection. 

We chatted with the creators and maintainers of four major projection systems, ZiPS (<a href="https://twitter.com/DSzymborski" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Szymborski</a>), Steamer (<a href="https://twitter.com/steamerpro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jared Cross</a>), THE BAT (<a href="https://twitter.com/DerekCarty" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Derek Carty</a>) and <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pecota-projections/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/harrypav" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harry Pavlidis</a>) about how their systems are created, how the past is used to project future performance and how projecting young players without much track record can be tricky. Music is "<a href="https://parkerprojection.bandcamp.com/track/open-your-face" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Open Your Face</a>" by <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/71yR5UGfJkZHeJ9kk3pezD?si=690DNsrQQHOLRBrNdcqM4g" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Parker Projection</a>.

Episode 34: Projection Roundtable with the creators of ZiPS, Steamer, THE BAT and Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA

Jonathan Judge

Rob McQuown

Deep dive into DRC+ and PECOTA with Jonathan Judge and Rob McQuown of Baseball Prospectus.   Stats Chat DRC Updates and Improvements DRC+ and Observables All DRC+ coverage Projected Standings based on PECOTA How to watch Serie del Caribe 2019

Deep dive into DRC+ and PECOTA with Jonathan Judge and Rob McQuown of Baseball Prospectus. <ul> <li><a href="https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=1521" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stats Chat</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/46944/drc-updates-and-improvements/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DRC Updates and Improvements</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/46947/drc-and-observables/ " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DRC+ and Observables</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/drc-deserved-runs-created/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">All DRC+ coverage</a></li> <li><a href="https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/dc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Projected Standings based on PECOTA</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/46879/how-to-watch-serie-del-caribe-2019/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to watch Serie del Caribe 2019</a></li></ul>

Episode 33: PECOTA 2019 with Jonathan Judge and Rob McQuown

Shohei Ohtani revisited, baseball Hall of Fame bar lowering and how it affects who gets in, lining up optimal player development and what happens when you launch a new statistic.  Available at Baseball Prospectus

Shohei Ohtani revisited, baseball Hall of Fame bar lowering and how it affects who gets in, lining up optimal player development and what happens when you launch a new statistic. Available at <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/podcasts/episode-32-how-big-can-this-hall-get/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Baseball Prospectus</a>

Episode 32: How big can this Hall get?

Harry and Kendall talk about the quantifying The Opener phenomenon, Bill James' comments about replacing players, trying to figure out if regular baseball fans could visibly tell the difference between top MLB talent and replacement level talent. Then cap it off with a discussion about the changes at Baseball Prospectus.

Harry and Kendall talk about the quantifying The Opener phenomenon, Bill James' comments about replacing players, trying to figure out if regular baseball fans could visibly tell the difference between top MLB talent and replacement level talent. Then cap it off with a discussion about the changes at Baseball Prospectus.

Episode 31: Changing Pitchers, Changing Players, Changing Owners

In the playoffs (and always) pitching and catching are important  Donate to the Lupus Foundation  Required Reading  The unlucky legacy of the 2018 Houston Astros by Sam Miller  Joel Sherman writes about the plight of catchers

In the playoffs (and always) pitching and catching are important <ul> <li><a href="http://bit.ly/2O7rtgh" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Donate to the Lupus Foundation</a></li> </ul> <h2>Required Reading</h2> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/25024557/the-unlucky-legacy-2018-houston-astros" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The unlucky legacy of the 2018 Houston Astros</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/sammillerbb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sam Miller</a> </li> <li><a href="https://nypost.com/2018/10/24/its-not-just-gary-inside-the-catching-plague-thats-only-getting-worse/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joel Sherman writes about the plight of catchers</a></li></ul>

Episode 30: In the playoffs (and always) pitching and catching are important

We talk about how you build a baseball team for the playoffs and the future. It’s good to talk about baseball. Enjoy the playoffs. 

We talk about how you build a baseball team for the playoffs and the future. It’s good to talk about baseball. Enjoy the playoffs.

Episode 29: Building a Baseball Team for the Playoffs and the Future

Harry and Kendall talk about the Women's Baseball World Cup, then look at how the number of 🔥high velocity🔥pitchers has increased over the last 10 years. They wrap up with a discussion of how bullpen usage affects lineups and how it might affect your daily fantasy league.   Stolen Bases book by Jennifer Ring, Ph.D. Women's Baseball World Cup website Women's Baseball World Cup YouTube Channel Kalamazoo Yankees vs Colorado Silver Bullets Bullpen (Mis)management Tool

Harry and Kendall talk about the Women's Baseball World Cup, then look at how the number of 🔥high velocity🔥pitchers has increased over the last 10 years. They wrap up with a discussion of how bullpen usage affects lineups and how it might affect your daily fantasy league. <ul> <li><a href="https://amzn.to/2wmOnJw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stolen Bases book</a> by <a href="https://www.unr.edu/political-science/people/jennifer-ring" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jennifer Ring, Ph.D.</a></li> <li><a href="https://wbwc.wbsc.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Women's Baseball World Cup website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UXjExO348UiOCxazH69hA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Women's Baseball World Cup YouTube Channel</a></li> <li><a href="https://vimeo.com/162749016" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kalamazoo Yankees vs Colorado Silver Bullets</a></li> <li><a href="https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/pitchfx/bpm/index.php?org=CHN&amp;grint=27&amp;startgame=1&amp;endgame=162&amp;year_id=2018&amp;Submit=Submit&amp;utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=stolen_signs_28" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bullpen (Mis)management Tool</a></li></ul>

Episode 28: Women's Baseball World Cup and the Rise of the 100 MPH Pitcher

Jason Benetti

We visit with Jason Benetti, television play by play announcer for the Chicago White Sox. We talk with him about his start in the business, taking over for a broadcasting legend, how he integrates Steve Stone's first hand knowledge, with the plethora of statistical data he has access to.  We also touch on the All Star Game and how catchers are evaluated for the Hall of Fame. 

We visit with Jason Benetti, television play by play announcer for the Chicago White Sox. We talk with him about his start in the business, taking over for a broadcasting legend, how he integrates Steve Stone's first hand knowledge, with the plethora of statistical data he has access to. We also touch on the All Star Game and how catchers are evaluated for the Hall of Fame.

Episode 27: Bringing numbers to the booth with Jason Benetti

Kendall Guillemette and Harry Pavlidis discuss baseball statistics, as well as look for the stories and people behind the stats.

The anti-sabermetric community would do itself a great service by listening to Harry and Kendall’s podcast. It isn’t glossy. It isn’t delivered with a condescending tone. It really shatters the stereotype of quants as intellectual elites whose interest in baseball consists of jerking off to equations. Great job, guys. Keep being yourselves.

It’s what goes unsaid.

Really enjoy the over of the process.

Mason

Great stuff

Stolen Signs

Sean Forman

David Cameron

Greg Matthews

We welcome Sean Forman from Baseball Reference, David Cameron from FanGraphs, Greg Matthews from openWAR, Rob McQuown and Jonathan Judge from Baseball Prospectus to the show.  With all the recent discussion about Wins Above Replacement statistics, we wanted to get people who create and maintain the statistics together to talk about how their respective stats are created and calculated. We talk about what replacement level is, positional adjustments, how to accurately portray confidence in the precision of the statistic.

We welcome <a href="https://twitter.com/sean_forman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sean Forman</a> from <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Baseball Reference</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DCameronFG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">David Cameron</a> from <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/library/misc/war/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FanGraphs</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/StatsInTheWild" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Greg Matthews</a> from <a href="https://baseballwithr.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/introduction-to-openwar/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">openWAR</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Robmcquown" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rob McQuown</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/bachlaw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan Judge</a> from <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/27944/prospectus-feature-updates-to-fraa-bps-fielding-metric/&lt;br&gt; " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Baseball</a> <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/26195/prospectus-feature-introducing-deserved-run-average-draand-all-its-friends/&lt;br&gt; " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Prospectus</a> to the show. With all the recent discussion about Wins Above Replacement statistics, we wanted to get people who create and maintain the statistics together to talk about how their respective stats are created and calculated. We talk about what replacement level is, positional adjustments, how to accurately portray confidence in the precision of the statistic.

Episode 13: Wins Above Replacement discussion with Sean Forman (bWAR), David Cameron (fWAR), Greg Matthews (openWAR), Rob McQuown and Jonathan Judge (WARP)

Jeff Long

 2:32 Revisiting PECOTA team projections 10:44 Announce winners of The Shift by Russell A. Carleton giveaway 14:40 Spin Rates and Pitch Design with Jeff Long 1:08:45 Home Runs Have Surged in MLB — Baseball Experts Explain Why NBC Left Field (h/t Rob Arthur)  Other Links  What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light? Ellen McManis

<ul> <li>2:32 Revisiting <a href="https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/dc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PECOTA team projections</a></li> <li>10:44 Announce <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/blue-jays-chris-coghlan-flips-into-home-plate/c-226493268" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">winners</a> of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shift-Next-Evolution-Baseball-Thinking/dp/1629375446/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Shift</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/pizzacutter4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Russell A. Carleton</a> giveaway</li> <li>14:40 Spin Rates and Pitch Design with <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffLongBP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Long</a></li> <li>1:08:45 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP7mUi18wg8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Home Runs Have Surged in MLB — Baseball Experts Explain Why</a> NBC Left Field (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/No_Little_Plans/status/973969689704566785" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rob Arthur</a>)</li> </ul> Other Links <ul> <li><a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light?</a> Ellen McManis</li></ul>

Episode 20: Spin Rates and Designing Pitches with Jeff Long

When we talk about park adjusted stats, and park factors, what does all of that mean? How do we arrive at those numbers and how do we account for changes over time? We also talk about "pitch design" and how that combines analytical data and player development.  Links:   The Shift: The Next Evolution in Baseball Thinking by Russell A. Carleton Basics Of Pitch Design Using Rapsodo Baseball Prospectus' Park Factors by Handedness

When we talk about park adjusted stats, and park factors, what does all of that mean? How do we arrive at those numbers and how do we account for changes over time? We also talk about "pitch design" and how that combines analytical data and player development. Links: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shift-Next-Evolution-Baseball-Thinking/dp/1629375446/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Shift: The Next Evolution in Baseball Thinking</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/pizzacutter4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Russell A. Carleton</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/2017/04/basics-pitch-design-using-rapsodo/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Basics Of Pitch Design Using Rapsodo</a></li> <li><a href="https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/sortable/index.php?cid=1819123" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Baseball Prospectus' Park Factors by Handedness</a></li></ul>

Episode 19: Park Factors and Pitch Design

Sam Miller

Sam Miller joined us to talk about his recent article about evaluating Statcast's new Pop Time metric. Surprising exactly no one, we also talk about Shohei Ohtani, again. And take a look at Robinson Cańo's Hall of Fame candidacy.   'Pop' science: Your guide to learning a new MLB stat by Sam Miller Usain Bolt playing baseball by Sam Miller A big step forward in measuring command by Eno Sarris CMD from Baseball Prospectus What Makes a Good Change Up? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 by Harry Pavlidis  Below is a table showing the comparative ratings of some of the pitchers with the best command scores. Command+ CMDName19Kyle Hendricks    219Jordan Zimmermann  321Alex Wood   410Jeremy Hellickson     564Masahiro Tanaka  686Josh Tomlin *  725Aaron Nola    812Tyler Mahle   96Jacob deGrom   103Zack Greinke    124Corey Kluber202Marco Gonzales231Kyle Davies538Doug Fister1015Marco Estrada1227CC SabathiaData pulled a few days apart, 151 total pitchers in COMMAND+ rankings and 130 in CMD* Tomlin ranked sixth in CMD in 2017Shohei Ohtani is flexible https://twitter.com/shinjibvby/status/996478920110190592

Sam Miller joined us to talk about his recent article about evaluating Statcast's new Pop Time metric. Surprising exactly no one, we also talk about Shohei Ohtani, again. And take a look at Robinson Cańo's Hall of Fame candidacy. <ul> <li><a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23500839/pop-science-your-guide-learning-new-mlb-stat" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">'Pop' science: Your guide to learning a new MLB stat</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/sammillerbb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sam Miller</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/22979/pebble-hunting-billy-hamilton-usain-bolt-and-whether-90-feet-is-still-enough/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Usain Bolt playing baseball</a> by Sam Miller</li> <li><a href="https://theathletic.com/346863/2018/05/10/exclusive-a-big-step-forward-in-measuring-command/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A big step forward in measuring command</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/enosarris" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eno Sarris</a></li> <li><a href="https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/sortable/index.php?cid=2570426" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CMD from Baseball Prospectus</a></li> <li>What Makes a Good Change Up? <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/20539/what-makes-a-good-changeup-an-investigation-part-1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Part 1</a>, <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/20696/what-makes-a-good-changeup-an-investigation-part-two/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Part 2</a>, <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/21675/what-makes-a-good-changeup-an-investigation-part-three/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Part 3</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/harrypav" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harry Pavlidis</a></li> </ul> Below is a table showing the comparative ratings of some of the pitchers with the best command scores. <a href="https://theathletic.com/346863/2018/05/10/exclusive-a-big-step-forward-in-measuring-command/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Command+</a> <a href="https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/sortable/index.php?cid=2570426" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">CMD</a> Name 1 9 Kyle Hendricks 2 19 Jordan Zimmermann 3 21 Alex Wood 4 10 Jeremy Hellickson 5 64 Masahiro Tanaka 6 86 Josh Tomlin * 7 25 Aaron Nola 8 12 Tyler Mahle 9 6 Jacob deGrom 10 3 Zack Greinke 12 4 Corey Kluber 20 2 Marco Gonzales 23 1 Kyle Davies 53 8 Doug Fister 101 5 Marco Estrada 122 7 CC Sabathia Data pulled a few days apart, 151 total pitchers in COMMAND+ rankings and 130 in CMD * Tomlin ranked sixth in CMD in 2017 Shohei Ohtani is flexible <a href="https://twitter.com/shinjibvby/status/996478920110190592" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/shinjibvby/status/996478920110190592</a>

Episode 23: Evaluating Baseball Statistics with Sam Miller of ESPN

We start by talking about projection systems in general, then dive into 2017 PECOTA team projections. We look to see how adding in actual playing time affects the team totals. Then we talk about individual players that out-performed and under-performed their PECOTA projections.  This Week I Learned:   Harry learns that "bullpenning" is a thing, sort of, maybe, kind of. (h/t Matt Trueblood) Kendall learns to make adjustments in parenting, just like hitters like Mike Trout have had to make adjustments to high fastballs. (h/t to Jeff Sullivan)

We start by talking about projection systems in general, then dive into 2017 PECOTA team projections. We look to see how adding in actual playing time affects the team totals. Then we talk about individual players that out-performed and under-performed their PECOTA projections. This Week I Learned: <ul> <li>Harry learns that "bullpenning" is a thing, sort of, maybe, kind of. (h/t <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=32960" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Trueblood</a>)</li> <li>Kendall learns to make adjustments in parenting, just like hitters like Mike Trout have had to make adjustments to high fastballs. (h/t to <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-history-of-the-adjustment-to-mike-trout/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Sullivan</a>)</li></ul>

Episode 10: Looking back at PECOTA

We talk with Jonathan Judge and Rob McQuown, who oversee Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections to get some more insight into how the projections are made, what's new this year, and of course hip hop.   Sam Miller asks how much we'd be willing to endure to play Major League Baseball 

We talk with <a href="https://twitter.com/bachlaw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan Judge</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Robmcquown" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rob McQuown</a>, who oversee Baseball Prospectus' <a href="https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/dc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PECOTA projections</a> to get some more insight into how the projections are made, what's new this year, and of course hip hop. <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/SamMillerBB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sam Miller</a> asks <a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22381495/put-coach-how-much-embarrassment-willing-endure-play-major-league-baseball" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">how much we'd be willing to endure to play Major League Baseball</a> </li></ul>

Episode 18: Making PECOTA with Jonathan Judge and Rob McQuown

Meredith Wills

Talking about the materials that make up a baseball with Dr. Meredith Wills. We also revisit two-way players, dig into defensive metrics and why they're difficult, and are reminded that everything old is new again.   How one tiny change to the baseball may have led to both the home run surge and the rise in pitcher blisters Angels Live: What to make of ‘Seam Study’

Talking about the materials that make up a baseball with <a href="https://twitter.com/Bbl_Astrophyscs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Meredith Wills</a>. We also revisit two-way players, dig into defensive metrics and why they're difficult, and are reminded that everything old is new again. <ul> <li><a href="https://theathletic.com/381544/2018/06/06/how-one-tiny-change-to-the-baseball-may-have-led-to-both-the-home-run-surge-and-the-rise-in-pitcher-blisters/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How one tiny change to the baseball may have led to both the home run surge and the rise in pitcher blisters</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.foxsports.com/west/video/1252393539925" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Angels Live: What to make of ‘Seam Study’</a></li></ul>

Episode 26: It seems the seam material has a material impact with Dr. Meredith Wills

Shohei Otani

Ben Lindbergh

Kaz Yamazaki

We talk with Ben Lindbergh and Kaz Yamazaki about the NPB posting system, differences between the mounds, balls, culture of MLB and NPB and dig a little deeper into some of the myths about Japanese pitchers coming over to MLB. We also look into the current state of the sabermetric community in Japan.   Effectively Wild Episode 1145: The Reigning-MVP Podcast Effectively Wild episode where Ben and Jeff Sullivan talk with Dennis Sarfate Shohei Otani and MLB's Japanese Fragility Myth from The Ringer Shohei Otani's life goals Delta Graphs

We talk with Ben Lindbergh and Kaz Yamazaki about the NPB posting system, differences between the mounds, balls, culture of MLB and NPB and dig a little deeper into some of the myths about Japanese pitchers coming over to MLB. We also look into the current state of the sabermetric community in Japan. <ul> <li><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/effectively-wild-episode-1145-the-reigning-mvp-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Effectively Wild Episode 1145: The Reigning-MVP Podcast</a> Effectively Wild episode where Ben and Jeff Sullivan talk with Dennis Sarfate</li> <li><a href="https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2017/12/5/16737454/shohei-ohtani-history-of-japanese-pitchers-in-mlb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shohei Otani and MLB's Japanese Fragility Myth</a> from The Ringer</li> <li><a href="http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/12/06/262926572/check-out-shohei-ohtanis-life-goals-that-he-wrote-out-in-high-school" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shohei Otani's life goals</a></li> <li><a href="http://1point02.jp/op/index.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Delta Graphs</a></li></ul>

Episode 14: Shohei Otani and Japanese Baseball with Ben Lindbergh and Kaz Yamazaki

Harry and Kendall look back at the World Series, discuss the Cy Young awards and the BBWAA vote has lined up with BP's pitching metrics over the past few years.  Next up is a preview of some new pitching statistics that the Baseball Prospectus stats team is working on and why that's proven to be a challenge. Harry gives a look into how these statistics are imagined, designed, tested, and tweaked throughout the process. 

Harry and Kendall look back at the World Series, discuss the Cy Young awards and the BBWAA vote has lined up with BP's pitching metrics over the past few years. Next up is a preview of some new pitching statistics that the Baseball Prospectus stats team is working on and why that's proven to be a challenge. Harry gives a look into how these statistics are imagined, designed, tested, and tweaked throughout the process.

Episode 12: Making Sausage and Catching Up

We talk to Jeff Long, Sean O'Rourke, Wayne Boyle, and Russell Carleton about their recent Pitching Week article about the Robot Strikezone and Robot Umpires.   New Power, Command, Stamina pitching metrics from Baseball Prospectus Updating Pitch Tunnels - by Jeff Long, Harry Pavlidis, and Martin Alonso Jeff Long, Jonathan Judge and Harry are nominated for a SABR Analytics Conference Research Award The Hazards of Going on Auto-Pilot - by Maria Konnikova 

We talk to <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffLongBP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Long</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/dj_mosfett" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sean O'Rourke</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchGrader" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wayne Boyle</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/pizzacutter4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Russell Carleton</a> about their recent <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/tag/pitching-week/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pitching Week</a> article about the <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/37347/robo-strike-zone-not-simple-think/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robot Strikezone and Robot Umpires</a>. <ul> <li>New <a href="http://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/sortable/index.php?cid=2507171" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Power, Command, Stamina pitching metrics</a> from Baseball Prospectus</li> <li><a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/37436/prospectus-feature-updating-pitch-tunnels/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Updating Pitch Tunnels</a> - by Jeff Long, Harry Pavlidis, and <a href="https://twitter.com/martnar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Martin Alonso</a></li> <li>Jeff Long, <a href="https://twitter.com/bachlaw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan Judge</a> and Harry are nominated for a <a href="http://sabr.org/about/sabr-analytics-conference-research-awards" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SABR Analytics Conference Research Award</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/hazards-automation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hazards of Going on Auto-Pilot</a> - by Maria Konnikova </li></ul>

Episode 17: These Are Not the Robot Umpires You're Looking For

Sergio Romo

R.J. Anderson

R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports came on to talk with us about the Rays recent usage of Sergio Romo as a starting pitcher. We talk about whether this concept will continue and if there may be other teams willing to try it out. We also talk with Anthony Rescan about his Baseball Prospectus Intern project for calculating surplus draft value. We threw in a handful of things we've learned over the last few weeks including tidbits about Kendrys Morales, Jordan Hicks, and the predictive value of xStats.   How Sergio Romo and the Rays 'opener' strategy are impacting how pitching stats are tracked and viewed Kendrys Morales: An All-Time Unlikely Base Stealer by Mike Passador

<a href="https://twitter.com/r_j_anderson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">R.J. Anderson</a> of CBS Sports came on to talk with us about the Rays recent usage of Sergio Romo as a starting pitcher. We talk about whether this concept will continue and if there may be other teams willing to try it out. We also talk with <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyrescan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anthony Rescan</a> about his Baseball Prospectus Intern project for <a href="https://apps.baseballprospectus.com/shiny/draftvalue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">calculating surplus draft value</a>. We threw in a handful of things we've learned over the last few weeks including tidbits about Kendrys Morales, Jordan Hicks, and the predictive value of xStats. <ul> <li><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/how-sergio-romo-and-the-rays-opener-strategy-are-impacting-how-pitching-stats-are-tracked-and-viewed/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How Sergio Romo and the Rays 'opener' strategy are impacting how pitching stats are tracked and viewed</a></li> <li><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2018/05/24/kendrys-morales-an-all-time-unlikely-base-stealer/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kendrys Morales: An All-Time Unlikely Base Stealer</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_pandador" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Passador</a></li></ul>

Episode 25: Sergio Romo is The Opener with R.J. Anderson

We discuss the Report of the Committee Studying Home Run Rates in Major League Baseball released on May 24, 2018. We talk with committee chair Dr. Alan Nathan, and committee member Dr. Dan Brooks as well as radar and target tracking research engineer, Dr. Sean O'Rourke. We examine what the report is saying and what it means going forward. 

We discuss the Report of the Committee Studying Home Run Rates in Major League Baseball released on May 24, 2018. We talk with committee chair Dr. Alan Nathan, and committee member Dr. Dan Brooks as well as radar and target tracking research engineer, Dr. Sean O'Rourke. We examine what the report is saying and what it means going forward.

Episode 24: Report of the Committee Studying Home Run Rates in Major League Baseball

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