FanGraphs Audio

Episode 1015 This week’s episode is a bittersweet one, as your favorite podcast producer (that’s me!) tells his story before saying goodbye. Dialing in from the snowy slopes of France, Ben Clemens [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/bclemens6/] interviews me, Dylan Higgins [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/dylanh/], for the latest edition of FanGraphs Backstories. Ben and I talk about the gateway drug that was Moneyball, how I hopped from internship to internship, and the summer I spent in an office with Branch Rickey III. I also tell Ben about my adventures working in the Australian Baseball League, finding myself in a sticky championship celebration, and eventually finding my people at FanGraphs. To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-membership/]. To donate to FanGraphs and help us keep things running, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-donation/]. Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins [https://twitter.com/dhhiggins] on Twitter. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=356200509] or other feeder things [http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/feed/podcast/]. Audio after the jump. (Approximate 51 minute play time.) Source [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-audio-dylan-higgins-signs-off/]

Episode 1014 On this week’s show, we discuss the new rules on display in spring training before reacting to Manny Machado [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/manny-machado/11493/stats?position=3B]’s new extension. Jay Jaffe [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/jayjaffe/] is joined by Dan Szymborski [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/dszymborski/] as they welcome back baseball, now with a pitch clock and bigger bases. The pair discuss the effects of these changes, such as the clock’s impact on relievers vs. starters [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/kenley-jansen-is-fighting-the-clock-but-hes-hardly-alone/], as well as the challenges they can create when it comes to projections. Jay and Dan also consider whether Manny Machado has earned being called just “Manny,” and how big of a factor opt-outs played [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/opting-out-may-not-be-manny-machados-best-move/] in his 11-year extension with San Diego [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/san-diego-strikes-again-with-11-year-extension-for-manny-machado/]. Finally, Jay and Dan consider Shohei Ohtani [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/shohei-ohtani/19755/stats?position=DH]’s future in the context of the Hall of Fame and discuss how much they expect him to be paid in free agency. To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-membership/]. To donate to FanGraphs and help us keep things running, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-donation/]. Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins [https://twitter.com/dhhiggins] on Twitter. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=356200509] or other feeder things [http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/feed/podcast/]. Audio after the jump. (Approximate 45 minute play time.) Source [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-audio-jay-jaffe-and-dan-szymborski-welcome-you-back/]

Episode 1013 It’s Prospect Week [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2023-top-100-prospects/] at FanGraphs, so our scouting department shares how the prospect list sausage is made before we hear from a fellow ranker who is now on the team side. * To start things off, lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/elongenhagen/] is joined by contributor Tess Taruskin [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/tesstass/] to celebrate making it through Prospect Week and to shine a light on how the Top 100 [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2023-top-100-prospects/] was made. The duo walk through a ranking exercise, using a group of relief-risk pitchers to show how they would evaluate comparable players. Eric and Tess also discuss some of their favorite players on the list, including Addison Barger [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/addison-barger/sa3006910/stats?position=3B/SS] and Miguel Bleis [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/miguel-bleis/sa3016834/stats?position=OF], and how nowadays they sometimes have to watch players’ TikTok accounts for the best scouting footage available. [3:44] * After that, David Laurila [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/david-laurila/] welcomes John Manuel [https://twitter.com/johnmanuelNC], former editor-in-chief at Baseball America [https://www.baseballamerica.com/] and current scout for the Minnesota Twins. John tells David how different prospect lists look now that he is on the inside of a front office, as well as how much clubs actually pay attention to them. The pair also discuss the origins of prospect lists and how BA founder Allan Simpson deserves credit for originating the exercise many years ago. Finally, John reflects on some of his own evaluations on players such as Félix Hernández [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/felix-hernandez/4772/stats?position=P], Joe Mauer [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/joe-mauer/1857/stats], Mookie Betts [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/mookie-betts/13611/stats], Justin Verlander [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/justin-verlander/8700/stats], and Freddie Freeman [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/freddie-freeman/5361/stats]. [43:22] To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-membership/]. To donate to FanGraphs and help us keep things running, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-donation/]. Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins [https://twitter.com/dhhiggins] on Twitter. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=356200509] or other feeder things [http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/feed/podcast/]. Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 36 minute play time.) Source [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-audio-perennial-prospect-week-podcast-2023/]

Episode 1012 On this edition of the pod, we talk to a player/analyst in the Cardinals system before hearing the story of how our RosterResource guru got here. * At the top of the show, David Laurila [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/david-laurila/] welcomes Ryan Loutus [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/ryan-loutos/sa3016850/stats?position=P], a 24-year-old right-hander who went undrafted out of a D-III school and now finds himself in the Cardinals’ big league camp. Loutos has impressed on the mound, but he has also been a big contributor off the field, working as an analyst for the club to develop a player-facing app and help convey data to his teammates. David asks Ryan about balancing his focus between his two responsibilities, weighing pitching science vs. pitching feel, his analysis of his own arsenal, and what he might do after his pitching days are over. [3:57] * After that, Ben Clemens [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/bclemens6/] asks Jason Martinez [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/jaymar22/] to share his own FanGraphs Backstory. We hear about wanting to run through a wall thanks to a Bob Gibson [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/bob-gibson/1004662/stats?position=P] biography, working at the YMCA, starting a band [https://soundcloud.com/jmar2510/sets/amlux2002], and eventually having the idea to create RosterResource. Jason also tells us how he and RosterResource ended up here at FanGraphs, spending a long time searching for the thing he was destined to do, and seeing Ruppert Jones [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/ruppert-jones/1006588/stats?position=OF] go deep at his first Padres game. [26:55] To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-membership/]. To donate to FanGraphs and help us keep things running, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-donation/]. Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins [https://twitter.com/dhhiggins] on Twitter. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=356200509] or other feeder things [http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/feed/podcast/]. Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 19 minute play time.) Source [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-audio-ryan-loutos-on-his-hybrid-role-jason-martinez-on-his-path-to-here/]

Episode 1011 This week, we sit down with one of the bright baseball minds in Baltimore before getting our lead prospect analyst’s backstory. * At the top of the show, David Laurila [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/david-laurila/] welcomes Sig Mejdal, vice president and assistant general manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Mejdal tells us about breaking into baseball with the Cardinals, and what his day-to-day with Mike Elias and former podcast guest [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-audio-al-east-chats-with-eve-rosenbaum-david-cone-and-julian-mcwilliams/] Eve Rosenbaum is like. Mejdal also shares his thoughts on analytics and data, and what his team of analysts are working on in Baltimore. Finally, David asks about spending a season in the minors, seeing Albert Pujols [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/albert-pujols/1177/stats] in his prime, and how difficult it was to trade Trey Mancini [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/trey-mancini/15149/stats]. [3:32] * After that, Ben Clemens [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/bclemens6/] is joined by Eric Longenhagen [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/author/elongenhagen/] for the latest edition of FanGraphs Backstories. Eric tells us about interning with his hometown IronPigs, taking up writing because he got mono, working at Baseball Info Solutions, and eventually ending up at FanGraphs. Ben also asks Eric about his favorite baseball memories, which include dressing up as Mark McGwire [https://www.fangraphs.com/players/mark-mcgwire/1008559/stats?position=1B] for Halloween and going to Veterans Stadium for his first major league game. The duo also discuss the Super Bowl being in Arizona and how going to Eagles training camp had an impact on Eric’s path. [24:20] To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-membership/]. To donate to FanGraphs and help us keep things running, click here [https://plus.fangraphs.com/product/fangraphs-donation/]. Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins [https://twitter.com/dhhiggins] on Twitter. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=356200509] or other feeder things [http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/feed/podcast/]. Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 15 minute play time.) Source [https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-audio-sig-mejdal-on-analytics-eric-longenhagen-on-his-journey-here/]