Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The SIS Baseball Podcast

On this episode, Mark Simon announces the winners of The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards, including a new award for Defensive Team of the Year. Mark is joined by three of the Fielding Bible winners: Nico Hoerner of the Cubs (2:15), Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays (17:45), and Patrick Bailey of the Giants (26:45).

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

This year for our annual "Biggest Surprises in Baseball" episode, Mark Simon brought in Ben Clemens of FanGraphs to come up with a comprehensive list.

Mark and Ben talked about surprise hitters, pitchers, fielders, teams, and things. Among those discussed: Cristopher Sánchez, Trevor Rogers, Cam Smith, the Brewers, Orioles, Braves, and many more. 

This is our final episode of the MLB regular season. Our next episode will be in October to announce the winners of The Fielding Bible Awards. Stay tuned for that.

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this week's episode, Mark Simon is joined by Angels center fielder Bryce Teodosio, one of the top defensive players in baseball since his recall from the minors about 6 weeks ago.

Bryce talked about his aggressive approach and how he makes plays like a home run robbery against Andy Pages. He also explained the way pre-game prep helps him get ready for making improbable catches.

At episode's end, Mark takes a look at the top contenders for this year's Fielding Bible Awards.

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by the No. 1 prospect in minor league baseball, Pirates shortstop and center fielder Konnor Griffin, who at age 19, is playing solid MLB-caliber defense right now.

Konnor talked about why he plays the positions so aggressively, what it's been like learning from older players, the hard parts of playing defense, and more.

Mark was also joined by his SIS colleague, VP of analytics Alex Vigderman, who described  a project he presented with Joe Rosales at Saberseminar on our pitch-framing metric, Strike Zone Runs Saved. He elaborated on the catchers, pitchers, batters, and umpires who got or called more strikes than expected over the last 10 years.

Konnor's great play vs the Yankees

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NRRdSkSdKCU

Konnor's minor league highlight reel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrGS85eqR2E

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode Mark Simon talked with Marlins shortstop Otto López, one of our Defensive Player of the Month selections about his midseason position switch, the challenges of playing shortstop, and why playing badminton as a kid was helpful to him.

If you would like to read a written transcript of Otto's interview, head here.

Then Mark is joined by his SIS colleague Bailey Knight for a discussion of how they watch baseball and what they think about when they watch baseball at different levels.

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon talks with Rockies minor league prospect Kyle Karros of the Albuquerque Isotopes about the intricacies of third base defense and SIS prospects expert Brandon Tew about the top pitchers selected in the MLB Draft.

Kyle talked about his 6-foot-5 frame comes into play as a third baseman, why he loves watching Nolan Arenado play third base, and what suggestions he has for any aspiring third basemen (learn to make all the throws!)

Watch a highlight of Kyle here:

https://www.milb.com/video/kyle-karros-makes-a-tough-catch?t=milb-default-vtp

Brandon analyzed five pitchers and broke down which had the best chance of MLB success: Kade Anderson, Liam Doyle, Jamie Arnold, Kyson Witherspoon, and Gage Wood.

You can find Brandon's articles here

https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/category/2025-mlb-draft/

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

You can find a transcript of the episode here

On this episode, our Mark Simon talks to Astros rookie right fielder Cam Smith, who ranks among the leaders in Defensive Runs Saved despite never having played the position before this season.

Cam talked about his welcome to the big leagues' moments and explained how teammate Jake Meyers and the Astros outfield coaches have helped in his acclimation to a new position.

Then, we switched topics. Mark went to the SABR convention and shared some of the things he learned, and brought on Sports-Reference's executive director of design Adam Darowski to share his research about players with 4,000 hits in pro baseball.

Lastly, Mark and his colleague Ben Schneider talked about what SIS measures regarding home plate umpire performance and looked at some tendencies among MLB umpires the last couple of seasons.

Three good interviews/discussions in roughly 20 minutes!

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Giants vice-president of player development Randy Winn, Mariners communications manager Alex Mayer, and his SIS colleague Greg Halperin.

Randy explained his new role under new Giants president Buster Posey, shared why teaching players how to hit the cutoff man is a priority to him, described how he and the organization use data, and told stories of new Hall-of-Famer Ichiro and how he played defense.

Alex talked about his enjoyment of finding statistical minutiae, and the recent success of Cal Raleigh and Rodríguez. 

Greg, a recent selection as Data Scout of the Month at SIS, used Ben Rice as an example of looking at a player's expected stats vs his actual stats and shared what it's like to regularly watch NPB and KBO games.

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon was joined by both a current major leaguer and a former major leaguer.

Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo stopped by to talk shop with regards to why he's a shortstop and how he plays his position. He shared with us his approach in the field and how he uses his instincts.

Former MLB and NPB relief pitcher Jay Jackson also joined us to share lessons learned from his MLB career that he's turned into a self-published book about positivity. He also spoke to us about the coaches that influenced him, as he's about to become a coach in the MLB Draft Summer League.

And Mark's colleague, SIS senior product manager Noah Gatsik, discussed why he's optimistic about the Rays and pessimistic about the Phillies. Spoiler alert: It had to do with their 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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon welcomes 2024 Rays Minor League Defensive Player of the Year Tanner Murray, who plays two infield positions and is now learning the outfield. Tanner talked about his transition to new positions and the other players on the well-loaded Durham Bulls that could be great defensive major leaguers in the future, like Carson Williams and Tre' Morgan.

Mark also spanned the globe talking with baseball writer Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extra Base about the current generation of Venezuelan baseball players. They talked about the defensive excellence of Wilyer Abreu and Ezequiel Tovar, the hitting prowess of Wilmer Flores, and the early-season struggle for Anthony Santander.

Lastly, Mark closed the show with his SIS colleague, associate director of baseball operations Evan Butler. They talked about MLB stadiums and their various quirks and traits and how that related to enjoying a game in person.

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, we cover how playing volleyball helped a future minor league Gold Glover, got an explanation on how defensive positioning models are developed and talked about what stats belong on a baseball scoreboard.

Joining Mark Simon, our first guest was Marlins prospect Joe Mack, who won a Gold Glove as a catcher last season. Joe talked about how he developed at the position and what he's working on now.

Then Katie Krall, baseball analyst for Marquee Sports Network and former research analyst for the Reds and minor league coach with the Red Sox, shared her insights on defensive positioning, defensive stats, and why she wants to be thought of as the 'card on the wall at an art museum' of baseball analysts.

Lastly, Mark's colleague, Nick Rabasco came on to talk about a Bluesky thread from Sports-Reference president Sean Forman about scoreboards at MLB ballparks.

Examples of Katie's segments

Positioning cards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H61fpueO3M&pp=0gcJCYUJAYcqIYzv

Umpire accuracy on close pitches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek1gHUblh-s

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon welcomes in ex-major leaguer Doug Glanville, FanGraphs writer Davy Andrews, and his SIS colleague, Mark Bricker.

Mark and Doug talked about Doug's new baseball newsletter, Welcome To Glanville and Mark pitched 3 ideas about defense that Doug could write about (Fernando Tatis The Gymnast is one).

From ideas for articles to actual articles, Mark and Davy talked about what Davy's written about defense this season on Elly De La Cruz, Oneil Cruz, and what adding/losing a Defensive Run Saved looks like early in the season.

And then Mark and Mark talked Roki Sasaki, the Phillies lineup, and the impressiveness of Pete Crow-Armstrong.


Welcome to Glanville
http://dougglanville.substack.com

Latest episode of Doug and Jayson Stark's podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/starkville-mike-shildt-talks-about-the-surging-padres/id1558220009?i=1000704576444

Davy Andrews article links

Witnessing Elly De La Cruz
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/witnessing-elly-de-la-cruz

Oneil Cruz isn't a CF yet
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/oneil-cruz-isnt-a-center-fielder-yet

This is How You Lose A Fielding Run
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/this-is-how-you-earn-or-lose-one-fielding-run

When Ballplayers Make Babies
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-when-ballplayers-make-babies

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by national baseball writer Hannah Keyser and SIS operations analyst Brandon Tew.

Hannah, who formerly wrote for Yahoo Sports, introduced us to her thrice-weekly baseball newsletter, The Bandwagon, which she co-authors with Zach Crizer. She shared what early-season baseball happenings surprised her and 'confirmed her priors.' 

Then she played along and guessed at the members of 'The All-Scrapes Team' (or 'The All-Ouch Team') - players who have dove for balls the most over the last 3 seasons. Mark also shared which players are the most effective at diving for balls at each position.

Brandon, who writes regularly for SportsInfoSolutions.com (see his articles on Roki Sasaki and Tomoyuki Sugano), is SIS' resident expert in Japanese baseball pitchers and their performance in the major leagues. He delved into the pitching approaches of Sasaki, Sugano, Shota Imanaga, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. And he talked about everyone's new favorite pitch, the kick-change (a variant of a changeup).

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 Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon welcomes Washington Post national baseball writer Chelsea Janes, Cleveland Guardians minor league assistant hitting coach Amanda Kamekona, and children’s book author Myra Faye Turner, who gave us a Women’s History month baseball lesson.

Mark and Chelsea discussed the best defensive teams entering 2025, underachievers in 2024 who could be in for big years this season, players with injury concerns, sleeper MVP and Cy Young picks, and predicted LCS and World Series matchups.

Amanda shared the story of her path to pro baseball and the work she focuses on as a minor league coach. She explained what she likes to use in terms of stats and video analysis, how she helps hitters with the mental challenges of a long season, and the mentors that have helped her.

Myra Faye talked about her book, Hitting Her Way to the Negro Leagues: A Graphic Novel Biography of Toni Stone. She detailed Toni’s story and how her determination helped her overcome gender barriers to play baseball for the Indianapolis Clowns. It’s a story worth knowing.

The SIS Baseball Podcast moves to a bi-weekly schedule during the season, so you can catch us again in two weeks.

Check out our 2021 talk on our injury prediction tool! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_iPVOY6TiU&t=744s&pp=ygUdam9obiBzaGlybGV5IG1hdHQgbWFub2NoZXJpYW7SBwkJvQCDtaTen9Q%3D

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

For our 5th annual episode with a connection to Black History Month, Mark Simon is joined by Missouri head baseball coach Kerrick Jackson, and Adam Giardino and Grayson Singleton of the Black Play-By-Play Broadcaster & Scholarship Fund.

Kerrick is the first Black head baseball coach in SEC history. He shared the story of his career path and influences, explained how data and analytics have become a big part of his job, and explained why his school is participating in this weekend's Andre Dawson Classic, competing against HBCU colleges (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). 

Adam explained why he founded the fund and how it has helped aspiring play-by-play broadcasters, including Grayson, a sports broadcaster (including baseball) in Oklahoma with a great voice and a love for telling stories. You can donate to the fund at https://www.blackpxpfund.com/.

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, we devote the entire episode to exploring the Baseball Hall of Fame from different angles.

- Former Mariners outfielder Mike Cameron shares the story of how Ichiro Suzuki made him a better defensive center fielder.

- MLB senior database architect, book author, and inventor of baseball stats Tom Tango gave his recommendations for how to evaluate pitchers for the Baseball Hall of Fame moving forward.

- And show host Mark Simon explained why he's looking forward to two years from now, when he'll be casting votes for Chase Utley and Félix Hernández.

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

We close out 2024 by asking two people what they'll remember.

First we ask recently-retired (and new father) Kevin Kiermaier about the defensive plays he'll most remember from his career. He's the overall leader in Defensive Runs Saved by a center fielder. We also talked to Kevin about what it was like to play for the Dodgers and got a specific example on how their advance scouting paid off.

Then we talked to baseball writer Sam Miller about the most memorable things from the 2024 season (spoiler alert: there's a lot of Shohei Ohtani). We also had a discussion about what gets remembered and what doesn't, and what the things we'll most remember about this year's potential Hall of Fame inductees will be.

Click to see the 5 plays Kevin Kiermaier talked about

Catch vs Wyatt Langford
Throw-out of Brice Turang
Catch vs Francisco Mejia
Throw-out of Ronald Acuña Jr.
HR robbery vs Manny Machado

You can find Sam's articles online at pebblehunting.substack.com
Finding the single memory that defines each baseball season
2024 edition Part 1
2024 edition Part 2

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon takes a break from talking defense (mostly) by welcoming in Sean Smith. Sean, a former consultant for the Blue Jays, is the inventor of the WAR you see on Baseball-Reference.com and the author of the new book, War In Pieces, a documenting of how he put it together and an explanation of how it works. The book's chapters are short and not hard to understand, with lots of pertinent historical examples.

Sean talked about the impact the stat has had within baseball, his perspective on WAR's usefulness in evaluating players, replacement level, win probability, the impact of Bill James on his work, and David Eckstein's justifiable 20-WAR career.

For more of Sean's work, visit his website https://baseballprojection.com/

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

We talked to so many Fielding Bible Award winners that we couldn't fit them all into one episode.

On this episode we talked to Award winners Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee and Braves first baseman Matt Olson.

Bibee shared some of the keys to his success in holding baserunners (he allowed 6 stolen bases in 12 attempts but also had 4 pickoffs) and explained what it's like when a 105-MPH ground ball comes right back at you (watch Bibee pick off Shohei Ohtani HERE)

Olson went through some of his favorite plays in 2024 and discussed the preparation that goes into being so good at first base (watch the behind-the-back play Matt talked about - HERE)

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

Thursday, Sports Info Solutions announced the winners of The 2024 Fielding Bible Awards. Each year since 2006 our voters have picked the best defensive player at each position. This year, we’ve added a Defensive Player of the Year award to the mix.

Mark Simon ran through the winners and shared what makes them great defensive players. We also talked to Tigers left fielder Riley Greene, Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle and Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu about their seasons and one of our voters, Ben Clemens from FanGraphs, about his voting process.

Ben's article about his vote- Part I & Part II

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by one of the top defensive players in the minor leagues, A's outfield prospect Colby Thomas, to talk about how he does what he does in the outfield.

Mark also talked to Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post and Tyler Kepner of The Athletic for our 4th annual look at the surprises of the 2024 season. These included the Jose Iglesias, Ronel Blanco, Christopher Sánchez, as well as the Tigers, Guardians, and Blue Jays, plus others as well.

Mark also coaxes a World Series winner pick out of both of them.

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.  

On this episode, host Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski (@mikeyaz18) and Brewers broadcaster Vinny Rottino (@vinnyrottino) for a pair of discussions on defensive excellence. Mark was also joined by his SIS colleague Noah Gatsik (@iamthatnoah).

Mark and Mike talked about Yaz's love of defenses from his days as a little kid using the sofa to mimic an outfield fence to the challenges of playing Triples Alley at Oracle Park. Mike also talked about his open-mindedness to learning and how that helped him pick up Jung Hoo Lee's throwing technique.

Mark and Vinny went through the Brewers' defensive studs, looking at what makes players like Brice Turang, Blake Perkins, Sal Frelick, and Joey Ortiz so good. Vinny also talked about his favorite jack-of-all-trades major leaguer.

And then Mark and Noah talked about scouting and the lessons Noah picked up from a conversation with Barry Larkin and how he's never watched infield play the same way again.

Be sure to check out "How Mike Yastrzemski owns the outfield" with Mike and Hunter Pence on the Giants YouTube page.

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

Taking a brief break from our usual player interviews as Mark Simon chats about baseball favorites with one of our favorite baseball writers, Joe Sheehan, whose baseball newsletter is a great read.

We're not talking gambling favorites ... instead this was a fun discussion about favorite baseball stories this season, favorite 'out of nowheres,' favorite defensive teams to watch, favorite pitcher to watch who doesn't rank in the Top 10, favorite baseball development, and much more (including a lot on the Royals).

Plus, Mark and his colleague Jordan Coleman chat about Brenton Doyle, Hunter Greene, the ABS challenge system, and the toughest problem to solve in sports.

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Angels shortstop Zach Neto, Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti, and SIS Video Scout Associate Benjamin Cruciani.

Neto talked about a couple of ridiculous plays he's made the last two seasons on popups, explained the pre-game work that's helped him rank among the shortstop leaders in Defensive Runs Saved, talked about what kind of tattoo would honor his defensive excellence, and shared his personal connection to Jackie Robinson.

Benetti engaged Mark on his AL Cy Young and MVP picks, whether the Guardians or Mariners could win the World Series, how he tries to make his broadcasts statistically sophisticated, and offered a baseball book recommendation.

Cruciani talked about catcher defensive evaluation, injury observations, and two-way players that he finds intriguing.

Neto catch vs Yankees

Neto catch vs Rangers

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon talks with Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno, FanGraphs baseball writer Davy Andrews, and SIS Video Scout Associate Christopher Barnett.

Gabriel (with help from interpreter Alex Arpiza) talked about his catching history and the different things he’s worked on that have translated to defensive excellence. He also shared a couple of his favorite defensive plays (you can watch some of Gabi’s best throws here).

Davy talked about 3 articles he’s written recently, one on observing how catchers prevent delayed steals, another in which he looked at what people see when they watch a baseball play, and a third about the statistical stickiness of line drive rate.

Then Mark and Chris closed the show by chatting about NPB outfielder Chusei Mannami, who might have the best throwing arm in baseball, Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, and which team made the best move for a middle reliever.

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by college baseball coach Cody Dennis (@BSB_Blueprint), who runs a Twitter community for teaching defensive excellence. Mark was also joined by SIS "superscouts" Brandon Tew (@brandonteweets) and Colin Sanders (@colinjsanders) who wrote scouting reports on some of the top college players selected in the MLB Draft.

Mark and Cody talked about what skills he likes to watch and some of the players that others can model their efforts after, like Royals shortstop Bobby Witt. They also talked briefly about Cody's other expertise, coaching baserunning.

Mark then ran through the different players that Brandon and Colin scouted and got their takes and projections (click the link to read the report).

- Chase Burns (Reds)
- Kaelen Culpepper (Twins)
- Jurrangelo Cijntje (Mariners)
- Vance Honeycutt (Orioles)
- Tommy White (Athletics)
- Jacob Cozart (Guardians)
- Dakota Jordan (Giants)

Notable link
Cody's podcast - Apple YouTube
Vance Honeycutt interview from 2023 Apple

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays)is joined by Nationals center fielder Jacob Young (@jacob_young27) to talk about his run of defensive excellence in 2024.

Young talked about what goes into playing the position, specifically how he’s one of the best in MLB at getting good jumps on fly balls. He walked us through 2 catches he made this season, one against Kiké Hernández (link to watch) and another against Ozzie Albies (link).

Mark was also joined by his colleague at SIS, Joey Mahon, to talk pitcher injuries, the trade deadline, and bat speed stats.

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Rays outfield prospect Chandler Simpson, a baseball fan who cleverly used analytics for good, Jenn Rubenstein (@queerfancystats), and SIS baseball operations analyst Stephen Marciello (LinkedIn) .

Chandler introduced himself by telling us about some videos online showing him as a kid dancing like Michael Jackson … and how those skills related to baseball. He walked us through the idea of ball, wall, ball and walked us through the best play he’s made in the minors. Note: After the interview, Chandler was the star of the minor league game at Rickwood Field on Tuesday (though he also left the game with a calf injury).

He also told us all the different checkpoints he considers when thinking (or not thinking) about stealing a base. And he explained why he’s studying the hitting of Luis Arraez so closely.

Jenn told us about how they used analytics as a way to calculate donations to LGBTQ-related causes, how the idea originated, MLB’s relationship with LGBTQ fans, and what a misidentified pair of socks can teach us about changing your thoughts when data presents itself to show that you’re wrong.

Stephen explained his role at SIS and talked about some of the game’s breakout players in 2024.

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Rangers utility man Josh Smith (@joshhsmith4), baseball writer Matthew Trueblood (@MATrueblood) and SIS operations associate Mark Bricker (@brick26house).

 Mark S. and Josh talk about Josh’s move to different positions, his approach to playing defense, and the tip he’d give to any kids that want to play defense like he does (a different answer than we usually get) (3:28).

 Matt and Mark talk about Matt’s defense-oriented articles, including one on the aggressive defense of Willy Adames, the slight decline in William Conteras’ pitch framing, the disappearance of the double play, and the experience of watching Eduoard Julien field 400 batted balls (13:15).

 The two Marks then talk about Bryce Harper’s defensive approach, how Shota Imanaga has changed as a pitcher, and how the Yankees and Phillies are dominating with one pitching plan and the Brewers are winning with another (27:53).

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, Mariners bench coach Manny Acta (@mannyacta14), and SIS operations analyst Nick Rabasco (@nrabasco1).

Ryan talks to us about playing first baseman, where he's been a league leader in our "Good Fielding Plays" stat, what it's been like to switch positions at various points in his baseball life, and how he puts technology to use (3:48).

Manny talks to us about the details behind a recent article we wrote about the Mariners excellence in defensive positioning. He gives an intense breakdown of how the Mariners position their infielders, an approach that differs from many other teams. And he talks about how he collaborates with the team's analytics department (14:44).

Nick explains what he does at SIS, then gets into a discussion with Mark about SIS' version of scorekeeping, what's so impressive about Mookie Betts, and how the Red Sox have changed their pitching approach under new coach Andrew Bailey (27:53).

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.  

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Will Carroll (@injuryexpert), CEO of NTangible Sports and the Under The Knife baseball injury newsletter and SIS injury associate Brett Barnes.

The conversation is all things injury-related, not just pitcher injuries. The 3 discuss the abundance of muscular injuries, future prognosis for Mike Trout and Byron Buxton, and novel ideas like catcher innings limits and whether injuries may necessitate tandem starters.

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.  

On this episode Mark Simon is joined by Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel, baseball writer Daniel Epstein, and SIS baseball operations analyst Brandon Tew.

Mark and Kyle talk about Kyle's defensive approach, which has helped him to rank 3rd in Defensive Runs Saved the last 2 seasons. Kyle explains how a childhood game got him on an early path to being a top defensive player and what it was like to rob a home run from Bryce Harper and make an incredible play against Marcus Semien. And he shares what kind of tattoo he would want to create to commemorate the kind of defense he plays (2:50).

Mark and Daniel discuss Daniel's comprehensive video analysis articles, including ones on Mookie Betts, tagging effectiveness, and how first basemen catch throws, as well as a piece on pitchers introducing the splitter to their repertoire (14:41).

Mark and Brandon chat about how Kansas has taken one of its players and turned him into a roving defender, which players could go 1-1 in this year's MLB Draft, and a difference in pitch usage between MLB and NPB pitchers (30:29).

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.  

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) does an "everything but defense" show, talking to Cubs minor league hitting coach and co-hitting coordinator Rachel Folden (@rachelfolden25) and pitching analyst Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz), who writes his own newsletter and does analysis for Marquee Sports.

Rachel, a former softball All-American, talks about her path to her current job and what goes into teaching hitting from the perspective of understanding biomechanics, the lingo, the stats, and the player. She offers advice to those who want to work in a similar role and shares some of her success stories (3:16).

Lance talks about the trend of significant pitcher injuries to start the season, gives some examples of pitcher analysis he's done, and provides perspective on how fans could best utilize his info (20:25).

And then SIS VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales (@bobby_scales) joins us to further explain some of the things we learned in Rachel's interview. He also talks baserunning, specifically the challenges of being a major league third base coach and whether runners are sent home enough in situations that they should be (39:32).

Lance's newsletter: LanceBroz.Substack.com

YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@LanceBroz

Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, we honor Women’s History Month with 2 interviews featuring women working in baseball in different ways.

 First, Mark Simon talks to Saint Elizabeth University catcher Alexia Jorge, who became the 2nd woman to start at catcher in a college baseball game. Alexia has been playing baseball (not softball) her entire life and she speaks to us about her techniques for pitch framing and thwarting basestealing attempts, as well as how she prepares for upcoming opponents with limited data and information available (3:34).

 Then we speak with baseball researcher Emily-Anne Patt, who talks about a project she’s worked on - with research partner James Stockton - for the last several years. Emily-Anne’s work deals with analyzing strike zone sizes and shapes for umpires, catchers, pitchers, and hitters. She’s presented at the last 2 SABR Analytics Conferences and shared some of her findings on specific players (her project is very much in line with work SIS does) (19:39).

 Mark also recapps Alexia’s interview with SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales and talks about the things Bobby is most looking forward to watching in 2024 (32:33).

 Other SIS interviews with women in baseball:
 Rachel Balkovec
Bianca Smith
Alex Oglesby
Veronica Alvarez, Tess Taruskin, Sarah Thompson
Justine Siegal PhD
Kiri Oler and Emily Curtis
Jasmine Dunston
A.J. Andrews
Chelsea Janes, Andrea Arcidipane, Sarah Thompson

Thank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez (@andresgimenez). Andrés talks about how he does what he does on defense, which led to him winning a 2023 Fielding Bible Award. Andrés even explains one thing he does with his wife in the offseason to help him stay athletic (0:36).

Then, SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales (@bobby_scales) joins us to talk about what Andrés had to say (14:32).

Links to the 3 plays mentioned in the episode:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Julio Rodríguez
Anthony Santander

Thank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

 On this special Black History Month episode, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Pirates' Vice President of Player Personnel Steve Williams and former MLB pitcher LaTroy Hawkins (@LaTroyHawkins32).
Steve talks about his career working in baseball and the role he plays as the president of the Buck O'Neil Professional Baseball Scouts & Coaches Association (0:38).
LaTroy talks about his lengthy career, creating opportunities in baseball for underserved communities, and how he has adjusted to changes in the game now that he is working as a Special Assistant for the Twins (21:28).
Mark and Bobby also take a few minutes to talk about the Jackie Robinson Museum and the Negro League Baseball Museum (41:03)
Check out the podcasts mentioned in the show using the links below:
Black Diamonds Podcast
Thick Skin Podcast
Thank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Orioles pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek, SIS’ Asian Baseball scout and operations associate Brandon Tew, (@BrandonTeweets) and our VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales (@Bobby_Scales).

 Ryan walks us through his career path and explains what goes into being a pitching strategy coach in the major leagues (0:48).

 Brandon shares his scouting reports on Yoshinobu Yamamoto,  Shōta Imanaga, Naoyuki Uwasawa, Jung-hoo Lee, Yuki Matsui, and Woo-suk Go. (Click the link to read the report.) (18:29)

 And then Mark and Bobby talk about the recent Hall of Fame elections of Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer, and look ahead to the next Hall of Fame ballot, which features Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia. (31:58)

 Thank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, we remember the many baseball players - major leaguers, minor leaguers, NPB players, and college players - that we spoke to in 2023.

 You'll hear the best we got from Phillies GM Sam Fuld, Washington Post reporter Chelsea Janes, Tre' Morgan, Vance Honeycutt, Noah Miller, Nasim Nuñez, Brenton Doyle, Bobby Witt Jr., Bobby Scales, Marcus Semien, Josh Rojas, David MacKinnon, Myles Straw, Jake Meyers, Adley Rutschman, Marquis Grissom, Kevin Kiermaier, and Ke'Bryan Hayes

 Apply to work as a SIS Baseball Video Scout here 

 Thank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com..

The podcast goes global this week as Mark Simon is joined by Seibu Lions first baseman David MacKinnon and Japan Baseball Weekly podcast co-host John Gibson.
Mark and David talk about David's first season in Japan both from a baseball and cultural perspective and how being a college soccer goalie made him a better defensive player (1:23).
Mark and John then review the 2023 NPB Fielding Bible Award winners, explaining what made each of those players so good (12:13).
And SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales comes on for his regular segment breaking down what MacKinnon said and the things that separated the Texas Rangers from other teams in the postseason (25:35).
Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays)  is joined by national baseball writers, Tyler Kepner of The Athletic (@tylerkepner) and Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post (@chelsea_janes).

This is our 3rd annual “The Year in Surprises” episode. Tyler, Chelsea, and Mark each offer their pick for most surprising team, position player, and pitcher. Among the teams and players that come up in the conversation are the Mets, Padres, Diamondbacks, Orioles, Kyle Bradish, Isaac Paredes, Zach Eflin, and even Freddie Freeman and Blake Snell (for specific reasons) (0:28).

Mark is then joined by SIS VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales (@bobby_scales), who offers his thoughts on the Rangers resurgence, the Braves’ potential playoff issue, the potentially scary nature of the Brewers, and the goodbyes for Miguel Cabrera and Adam Wainwright (27:21).

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by a pair of minor league defensive standouts, Noah Miller from the Twins organization (0:58) and Nasim Nuñez (16:19) from the Marlins organization.

We enjoyed talking about how they do what they do on D. Noah Miller leads all shortstops in the minor league version of Defensive Runs Saved this season with Nuñez consistently ranking around the top 5.

They talk about their specific defensive approaches, how they've come to be students of the game, and walked us through some of the best plays they've made.

SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales joined us to dissect what both players talked about (30:10).

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

Plays referenced in the interviews
Nasim's QB1 play
Nasim's diving play
Noah's great play

 Afterwards, Mark discusses the interview with Sports Info Solutions VP of Baseball Bobby Scales (@bobby_scales), who provides additional depth to some of the things Bobby Witt Jr. talked about, including a sliding play on Mike Tauchman (VIDEO). With the MLB home run robbery record being broken last week, Bobby also explains what it's like to watch a home run robbery on the field (13:34).

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by The Athletic senior writer Eno Sarris (@enosarris), as well as Noah Gatsik (@iamthatnoah) and Brandon Tew (@brandonteweets), who help run SIS Baseball Scout School.

 Mark and Eno talk pitching, with a focus on the Giants, Astros, and Orioles. Among the names that come up are Grayson Rodriguez, Framber Valdez, and Jakob Junis, along with organizational pitching philosophies (0:33).

 Mark, Noah, and Brandon talk about SIS Scout School, a program that helps SIS employees learn how to scout baseball players. They discuss their favorite things to teach related to scouting hitting, pitching, and defense (16:49).

 You can find Stuff+ leaderboards at FanGraphs.

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo, author of the new book Smart, Wrong, and Lucky, The Origin Stories of Baseball’s Unexpected Stars.

 Adley talks about the challenges of catching the different pitchers on the Orioles staff, how the team’s pitching strategist helps him with game preparation, and what he could do defensively that would top switch-hitting home runs in the Home Run Derby (0:39).

 Jonathan discusses his new book and shares the scouting story behind the drafting of Mookie Betts. He explains the different types of work that goes into scouting a player. And he offers a college player and a minor league prospect that could be high-impact players defensively (12:38).

 We are also joined by SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales, who joins Mark in analyzing some of the big moves made at the trade deadline (27:18).

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

With this being Hall of Fame week, Jay comes on to talk about a series of pieces he's written about the Hall of Fame candidacies of current players. We discuss Jose Ramirez, Freddie Freeman, Kenley Jansen, and Marcus Semien from a variety of angles (0:51).

Russell comes on to talk about his new book, which takes a macro (and micro) look at the hidden forces shaping contemporary baseball (17:40).

To wrap the show, Mark is joined by SIS VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales. They discuss CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame candidacy, the rise of the Orioles, and what the days leading up to the MLB trade deadline are like behind the scenes (30:09).

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.  

Links
The Cooperstown Casebook
The New Ballgame
Jay Jaffe's FanGraphs articles
Russell Carleton's BP articles

On this episode, we focus on the toughest defensive job in baseball, playing center field at Coors Field. Rockies rookie Brenton Doyle is doing it and doing it well. Mark Simon talked to Brenton about how he does what he does defensively and how his defensive game has developed dating back to his Division II college days (0:39).

 SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales just watched Doyle play live and shares his thoughts on his game, as well as the outstanding defense of Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and third baseman Ryan McMahon. He also pays tribute to one All-Star close to his baseball heart (10:27). 

 Then we're joined by Saberseminar co-founder Dan Brooks, who talked about the return of the baseball statistical conference this August in Chicago. It's a fantastic chance to hear interesting speakers and network, with all the money raised going to a great cause (18:19).

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com. 

On this episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by Giants rookie catcher Patrick Bailey.

Patrick talked about who taught him to think like a catcher, how he works with his pitchers, what goes into pitch framing, and why he thinks he got off to a good start as a hitter too (0:31).

SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales addressed some of Bailey's comments, talked about what goes into managing a pitching staff, and cited one past catcher who was particularly good at staff handling (2008 Phillies fans will appreciate) (13:08).

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

On this episode of the SIS Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien and Astros center fielder Jake Meyers for a pair of conversations about defensive excellence.

 Marcus talks about a couple of memorable plays from the season, the hardest things about playing second base, the level of peak focus a hitter and fielder can have, and how eliminating the shift helped the Rangers right-side defense (0:32).

 Jake Meyers walks us through 3 great catches he’s made this season, explaining what went into making each play. He explains the practical value of his pre-game prep and why batting practice is such an important time for him to work on his defense. And he talks about the defensive lessons he learned from his father and from Nebraska baseball coach Darin Erstad (11:13).

SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales also joins us for his usual segment, where he reacts to some of the things Jake said in his interview and gives his thoughts on some of the early Defensive Runs Saved leaders (21:35).

 Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

 Links

- Marcus Semien throw-out at home

- Marcus Semien jump throw

- Marcus Semien DP turn

- Jake Meyers catch vs Owen Miller

- Jake Meyers catch vs Brandon Drury

- Jake Meyers catch vs Shohei Ohtani

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by ZiPS projection system creator and FanGraphs writer Dan Szymborski to talk shop about creating a projection tool.

Dan talked about the principles of ZiPS, how he created it, and how the system works. He cited specific current examples, including whether the A's will lose 120 games, how the projection on Matt Chapman changes over time, the challenge of projecting defense from minor league data, and why the system projects what it does for George Kirby.

Mark was then joined by SIS VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales. Bobby talked about how projection systems are used by teams. He then talked about a game that he and Mark watched recently in which Bobby correctly predicted what was going to happen in the 1st inning. He explained the factors that went into that prediction.

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com (check out our recent piece on pitchers getting hit by batted balls). You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.