The Ringer Mlb Show

On the eve of the Hall of Fame's annual induction ceremony, The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann bring on Sports Illustrated writer Jay Jaffe to discuss the future of Hall of Fame debates (06:00), how the Hall would be different if Jay could pick the plaques (12:00), several overlooked inductees and candidates (19:30), Adrián Beltré and the BBWAA's bias against third basemen (27:30), how the Hall should handle relievers (44:00), and Jay's new book, 'The Cooperstown Casebook' (48:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann discuss the injuries that forced Clayton Kershaw and Stephen Strasburg to leave their Sunday starts early (02:30), then bring on FiveThirtyEight editor and senior sportswriter Neil Paine to talk about the unusual eliteness of 2017's top teams (10:30), how to evaluate whether a team should buy or sell at the trade deadline (16:00), the teams with the toughest buy/sell decisions this season (38:30), the best matches between contending teams and expendable players (41:00), and the outlook for Aaron Judge (43:30). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about the Astros' funeral for Carlos Beltrán's glove (01:15), the problem with baseball humor (02:30), and why teams aren't waiting for the deadline to make moves (05:30). Then they round up the news from a busy baseball week, including: the Yankees–White Sox trade (08:30); Yoan Moncada's promotion (18:30); the battle to be Chicago's best-looking third baseman (20:45); the Carlos Correa injury (22:15); Kris Bryant's close call (22:00); the pros and cons of headfirst slides (22:30); the J.D. Martinez deal (and why Detroit didn't get more) (30:00); the changing tenor of trade analysis (37:30); Orioles trade rumors (41:30); the red-hot Dodgers and Dodger Stadium naming rights (43:30); what constitutes a blockbuster (47:30); and, for the first time in months, what Jerry Dipoto did (51:30). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about Freddie Freeman's performance at third base so far (00:30), the Nationals' trade for Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson (02:00), and Matt Holliday's weekend baserunning adventure (06:15). Then, with "Ty Cobb" recently trending for a surprising reason, they talk to Charles Leerhsen, author of 'Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty,' about why the baseball legend was not the cruel, cutthroat racist he's widely believed to be (12:00), how that misconception started (26:30), and what we can learn from how hard it's been to debunk Cobb's bad reputation (49:30). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about an All-Star idea (01:00) and the Cubs–White Sox José Quintana trade (04:30), then discuss several stories that are foremost on their minds as the All-Star break comes to a close, including close pennant races (13:30), the staying power of some early-season surprises (and some slow starters' comeback potential) (34:00), who'll do what at the trade deadline (40:30), and the competition for the most valuable individual season (51:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann bring on a series of writers (including Eric Stephen, Rustin Dodd, Dan Hayes, Andrew Stoeten, and Zach Buchanan) to explain the anomalous seasons of five veterans who are making their first trips to the All-Star Game: Alex Wood (04:15), Jason Vargas (15:15), Avisaíl García (28:00), Justin Smoak (40:30), and Zack Cozart (53:00). In the process, they also discuss the trade-deadline outlooks of the Dodgers, Royals, White Sox, Blue Jays, and Reds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about All-Star selection philosophies (1:10) and then tee up Ben’s conversation with Braves catcher Tyler Flowers, an elite pitch framer who’s transformed himself offensively and has, by one measure, been one of the most valuable players in baseball this season (10:25). Then, they discuss whether Flowers’s framing skill is good or bad for baseball (36:55), the obstacles that still stand in the way of a computerized strike zone (42:35), and whether they’re pro-robot umps (45:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann bring on Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports to talk about the likely (and unlikely) buyers and sellers at this month's MLB trade deadline (01:00), what the contenders can do to address their weaknesses (13:00), the best bats and arms available (31:00), the impact that the massive 2018-19 free-agent classes could have on the market throughout the next year (45:00), and the latest on Japanese superstar Shohei Otani's MLB ETA (48:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann discuss the Cubs' decision to DFA Miguel Montero (00:30) and the end of the College World Series (06:30), then draft 10 of their favorite stories from the first half of the 2017 regular-season schedule (plus honorable mentions) and forecast how they'll hold up over the rest of the season (10:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann discuss a wild Dodgers win and the surprising longevity of weak-hitting Michael Martínez (05:30), then talk to superhero/sprinter/Braves grounds crew member Nigel Talton (a.k.a. "the Freeze") about becoming a between-innings phenomenon at SunTrust Park this season (09:30). Lastly, they bring on orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Dugas to discuss the season-ending injury to Dodgers phenom Julio Urías (25:15), the prognosis for his career and return (28:00), and why shoulder injuries have become less common among major league pitchers (32:30). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann talk about Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman potentially moving to third (01:00), then bring on ESPN's Marly Rivera to discuss the Béisbol Experience project (06:00), why baseball's native Spanish speakers still aren't covered enough (09:30), the drawbacks and benefits of Latino players' paths to the majors (16:00), how teams are trying to make it easier for Latino players to learn English and adjust to American culture and food (20:00), differences among countries in off-the-field challenges and on-the-field playing styles (23:30), leadership questions and cultural cliques in the clubhouse (26:00), why baseball players rarely talk to the media (or each other) about politics (33:30), and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about balding and baseball hairstyles (01:00), then bring on Kyle Boddy, founder of data-driven training facility Driveline Baseball, to talk about how independent instructors work with teams and college programs (03:45), how Boddy is trying to turn Driveline into baseball's DARPA (12:45), myths about baseball training (16:00), the future of biomechanics in baseball (24:00), and the latest on launch angle and spin rate (26:00). Then, they ask RotoGraphs writer and xStats founder Andrew Perpetua about Statcast's improvements and limitations (32:00) and how he uses Statcast stats to assess skill and project performance (34:00). They wrap up with a brief discussion about the struggle to stay curious about baseball (50:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann talk about Michael's recent power rankings (01:15) and Carlos Ruiz's pitching appearance (04:00), then bring on ... Michael Baumann, a college pitcher whom the Orioles just selected with the 98th overall pick in the amateur draft (05:00). Later, Ben and Michael (the first one) play a game of "Is This Reliever Currently Good?" (19:30) and end with an Aaron Judge Minute (42:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann talk to FanGraphs lead prospect writer Eric Longenhagen about why this draft class is unusual, the class's strengths and weaknesses (02:30), the prominence of two-way players (10:00), the pros and cons of potential top pick Hunter Greene (12:00), which teams have the most at stake in this draft (19:30), how the first several picks are likely to play out (26:00), how much college reputations matter for player development (35:15), the influence of analytics (37:30), which draftees are the best bets to make their major league debuts first (41:15), the draft's unpredictability (44:00), and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann discuss the AL East's historic strength (03:00) and the NL East's historic weakness (with a focus on the Phillies' stalled rebuild). They they speak to injured Mets starter Noah Syndergaard about his health (12:15), the Mets' struggles this season (15:00), his pitching approach (18:30), how he spends time in New York (27:00), and trends in home runs and strikeouts (30:00). Lastly, Ben and Michael talk about the incentives that often lead to injury for hard-throwing pitchers (34:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about college baseball (01:00), Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen's two-way opportunity (02:00), Jon Lester's triumphant pickoff throw (03:30), and Albert Pujols's 600th career homer (08:15). They then bring on longtime Cardinals executive John Vuch to talk about Pujols's origin story as a 13th-round draft pick (11:00), his rapid ascent to the majors (25:00), and his St. Louis peak (30:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter how poor pitcher hitting affects the DH debate (02:30) and Mike Trout's injury (06:00), then talk to The Crawfish Boxes managing editor Ryan Dunsmore about whether the streaking Astros have a weakness (11:15) and what they can do to distance themselves further from the field (14:15). Lastly, Ben and Michael discuss whether the success of the Astros and Cubs has overfly inflated fan expectations for rebuilding teams (38:20) and whether the current, copycat crop of rebuilders can count on such short paths to the playoffs (42:30). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann talk to FanGraphs writer/fly-ball believer Travis Sawchik and 'FiveThirtyEight' writer/fly-ball skeptic Rob Arthur about hitters who've broken out after aiming for the air (03:00), other hitters who've declined despite elevating their batted balls (13:00), how teams are trying to teach the uppercut swing (15:00), whether the "fly-ball revolution" explains the big leagues' record home run rate (24:00), and whether pitchers can counter batters' altered approach (33:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann start off with a quick edition of "College Baseball Player or Fictional Racing Driver" (02:30). Then they bring on Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer and Fox Sports/MLB Network analyst Tom Verducci to discuss his new SI cover story about the high-tech ways in which teams are evaluating breaking balls (04:30), why the curveball is becoming more common and disrupting traditional pitch-usage patterns (06:00), how an emphasis on spin rate could affect the pitcher-batter balance (18:00), and how Verducci reports on trends that teams could consider competitive advantages (28:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about a fun fact and then talk to WFAA Rangers reporter Levi Weaver about how the irrepressible Rangers have won without big contributions from their projected best players and whether they can sustain their success (06:00). Then they bring on Sun Sentinel Marlins beat writer Tim Healey to discuss Giancarlo Stanton's vocal frustration with the state of his team (27:30), how his contract affects his future (30:30), and the Marlins' depressing prospects of success (46:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices