Advertise on podcast: The SIS Baseball Podcast

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by sportswriters Chelsea Janes (SNY) and Tyler Kepner to review the biggest surprises of the season among hitters, pitchers, fielders, teams, and things. Among the players and teams brought up both for good and for bad: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Paul Skenes, Miguel Vargas, Andy Pages, Louis Varland, the Rays, Brewers, White Sox, and much more. Our next episode will be just before the World Series with the announcement of The Fielding Bible Awards. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode Mark Simon is joined by Braves utility man Mauricio Dubon, as well as baseball researchers Chris and Lindsay Dial. Chris was an early pioneer in the field of defensive metrics. Lindsay is a writer at Baseball Prospectus who has looked into topics that include competitive balance, and language in baseball journalism. Mark and Mauricio talked about the challenges of playing so many different positions, why transitioning from infield to outfield is tough beyond just making plays, and why Mauricio tracks the catch probabilities on the plays he makes. Mark, Chris, and Lindsay talked about Chris's early invention of a defensive stat, originally known as Defensive Runs Saved, but now known as Runs Effectively Defended (RED for short). They also discussed Lindsay's recent piece comparing competitive balance across MLB, the NBA, and the NFL, as well as her look at vocabulary used to describe players by baseball writers that was a presentation at the SABR convention. Lindsay's article on competitive balance https://www.seatoseabaseball.com/the-myth-of-competitive-balance/ Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by two MLB prospects who are excelling defensively. The one you might know by name is shortstop Eli Willits, last year's No. 1 pick by the Washington Nationals, who currently is playing in High-A and leading minor league shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved. The other is Dylan O'Rae, a second baseman in the Brewers organization who is playing very well defensively and dominating in basestealing too for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers. Mark talked to Eli and Dylan about memorable plays they've made and how they go about playing their respective positions. They're both big on creating. In Eli's case, that's creating your own hop to field balls cleanly. In Dylan's case, that's creating (and preventing) chaos. We were also joined by Jack Cecil, an SIS alum and R&D analyst for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who talked with Mark about recent posts on LinkedIn about innovation in baseball and how player projection and player development can work best together. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Eric Young Sr., manager of the Los Angeles Queens in the Women's Professional Baseball League. After a longtime playing and coaching career in the major leagues Eric is enjoying the opportunity to manage. He shared some behind-the-scenes of a memorable Opening Day win in the league's inaugural game. He gave some insight on who some of the top players will be. He also shared his coaching influences and a sign that this opportunity was meant to be. He also explained how he's approaching managing without access to some of the analytics he had in the major leagues. Listen to our interview from February with San Francisco Firebells infielder Joely Leguizamon Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by standout Marlins rookie catcher Joe Mack, one of our Defensive Player of the Month selections for June. Mack talked about the adjustments to the major leagues and what the MLB experience has been like. He also explained the logistics of the Marlins' pitch-calling system and pitch challenge strategy, and shared which basestealer he's taken the most pride in throwing out. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by two major leaguers: Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe and Guardians catcher Austin Hedges. Brandon talked to us about how he's been one of the most improved defensive players in baseball this season and the one small change that made that possible. He also shared some behind-the-scenes of what went into making some great defensive plays. Austin rejoined us after chatting with us about all things catching defense in 2019. We focused our attention on pitch challenges, both how he's handling them and the strategy that goes into whether or not to challenge a pitch.  This is very much an episode for learning about how players do what they do defensively. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode Mark Simon was joined by Nate Burke, creator of the website TapToChallenge.com, an encyclopedia tracking pitch challenges across MLB. Nate explained all the different things his site tracks - pitchers, hitters, catchers, even umpires, with lots of visuals and additional stats assessing the value and worthiness of challenges. Mark and Nate then discussed some of their favorite stats, including Bryce Eldridge's perfection and how the Yankees and Nationals appear to have shut down the challenges by two of their notable players.  Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

We're a few days late with this week's episode but we have two great guests. Mark Simon was joined by former MLB manager Dusty Baker, whose new book, Crossroads, A Memoir in Baseball and Life came out this week. Mark and Dusty talked about how Hank Aaron was great at positioning the Braves outfielders, what stats Dusty kept handy in the dugout, how he used to make lineup decisions based on whether players were good low-ball hitters, why music and dancing are important in baseball, and more. Then Mark was joined by Ed Wheatley, author of the new book, The Finest in the Field, a coffee table book from Rawlings about baseball gloves and their use throughout MLB history. Ed shared stories about famous players from the past and the gloves they used, and what he thinks of the modern baseball glove. Both are wonderful books for baseball fans of any time period. Link to Alex Vigderman's article about Defensive Runs Saved and Fielding Run Value. https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2026/06/04/study-defensive-runs-saved-fielding-run-value-are-inching-closer-to-each-other/ Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode of The SIS Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by FanGraphs baseball writer Ben Clemens. Both Ben and Mark are big fans of the game show, Jeopardy, so they decided to have a little fun with the show concept. Ben and Mark took 4 categories apiece from the Tuesday May 20, 2026 episode of the show, and came up with one baseball stats-related question and answer that fit the category.  The categories were: - What's Your Angle? - Catch You Later, Homes - A Game of Numbers - There's A Word for That - Science - On Your Merry Way - Country Facts - One Historical Figure, Two Plays It got a little silly, but we promise you'll learn something new from this. Afterwards, Mark was joined by his colleague, SIS senior product manager Noah Gatsik, to talk about the Rays hot start and what Noah likes about the ABS system. Ben on Cristopher Sanchez https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/cristopher-sanchez-continuously-improving Ben on the 2026 MLB Walk Rate https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/where-are-2026s-extra-walks-coming-from Mark on the Rays defense https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2026/05/14/stat-of-the-week-catching-some-rays/ Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Seattle Mariners infield coach Perry Hill for a discussion on how he's taught defensive excellence to pro baseball players for 40 years. Perry explained how he wants his players to own all the batted balls hit within their defined box, what makes Cole Young a good second baseman and what he's working on. Perry also had a fun answer when we asked him how defense comes into play in his everyday life, such as going to the supermarket.  Then Mark was joined by his colleague, Brandon Tew to dissect the starts of Munetaka Murikami and Kazuma Okamoto, as well as which college pitchers Brandon thinks are the best of the lot this year. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined  by single-game home run robbery king Jo Adell of the Los Angeles Angels. Jo talked about his amazing night of 3 home run robberies a few weeks ago but also expanded the discussion to talk about which outfields are the most challenging to play, why it's important for an aspiring ballplayer to be fearless, and why Vladimir Guerrero Jr. impresses him so much defensively. Mark also talked to his SIS colleague, Greg Halperin, about what goes into advance scouting for fielders, hitters, and pitchers, as well as Greg's thoughts on ABS. Video: Jo Adell's 3 HR robberies Video: Jo's 4th-favorite catch Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

We kick off the baseball season, with Mark Simon talking about all things robo-ump. First, Jayson Stark joins us to explain the "buffer zone" and the imperfections of the new system. He wrote an article about this last month and we're now seeing what he wrote about play out in front of us. Then we're joined by Maxfield Lane and Owen Riley of Oyster Analytics. They're former college baseball players with a statistical expertise who have mapped out when it's best to challenge and when it's best to hold back, and they have an interactive tool that you can use to play along with batters, pitchers, catchers, and umpires. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode of The SIS Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by SNY baseball insider Chelsea Janes (former national baseball writer for The Washington Post) to preview the season.  Also, in celebration of Women's History Month, he talks to Joely Leguizamon who will be one of the pioneers playing in the Women's Professional Baseball League this summer. Mark and Chelsea swapped predictions, sharing surprise teams and players, tight division races, and defensive assessments, as well as the thing in baseball that will make them throw up their hands saying "I just don't know" and what the coolest thing of the 2026 baseball season will be. Joely joined Mark to talk about our favorite topic, defense, including her earliest defense memories, how she learned to play, and why self-reliance is an important part of being an athlete..  Over the years we've talked to major leaguers, minor leaguers, college baseball and softball players, high school players, and Korean and Japanese league players and we're glad to add a WPBL player to our list. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode we deviate a little bit from our usual format. This is our 6th straight year doing an episode with Black History Month connections. We feel it's important to be socially conscious and inclusive, especially with everything happening in the world. This year we did that by speaking with two people whose job is sharing the legacy of baseball legends.  Samantha Gibson, director of education at The Jackie Robinson Museum talked to Mark Simon about the museum's mission and the many elements to Jackie Robinson the person, not just the baseball player (plus, some book recommendations for people of all ages).  Then, Sean Gibson, executive director of The Josh Gibson Foundation explained how video games have helped tell the story of Sean's great-grandfather, Josh, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also shared what the Foundation is doing to further youth participation in sports in Pittsburgh. The episode also featured our alumni corner spot, this one with Chris Goudoras, director of baseball analytics at Ole Miss University. He explained what he does in his job and gave tips for aspiring baseball job seekers. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

It's a guest-packed episode of The SIS Baseball Podcast as Mark Simon welcomed in Pirates coach and player development director Michael Chernow as well as three finalists for the SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards, Zach Crizer (The Bandwagon), Maddie Landis (Talk Sox), and Michael Rosen (FanGraphs). Michael Chernow explained how his job compares to that of a farm director, and shared how the Pirates organization works to build good habits in players and good habits in its coaches, such that both can get promoted to the major league staff or (in the case of coaches) pursue other areas within their baseball interest. Zach Crizer talked about his article for Opta Analyst, "Evolution in the Outfield: Is Center Fielder Morphing Into A Defensive Specialist Position" and cited the decline of center field OPS as players like Brenton Doyle, Kyle Isbel, and Tyrone Taylor become priorities for their teams. We also looked at his story from last season about right-handed batters and their lowered success vs left-handed pitching. Maddie Landis shared her article on "Baseball's Gatekept Pitching Metric: Inside Vertical Approach Angle" and explained what can be learned from knowing the angle at which a pitch crosses home plate. She also discussed what she wrote about baseball player success by shoe type and which hitters are primed for breakout seasons in 2026 based on a stat she created. Michael Rosen detailed what he learned from "How Much Do Trail Runners Matter? An Investigation" including which teams gained the most run expectancy from their successes. We also explored his articles on relief pitcher signings and also Wyatt Langford's defense. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].