Ballpark Dimensions

Javier Baez has been a fixture in the Cubs lineup for the past three seasons and has earned a reputation for swinging and chasing pitches during his at-bats. However, this season, the usual heavy swinging Baez is swinging even more, and it just might be the reason he’s having an MVP caliber season. Statcast host Mike Petriello and national editor Matt Meyers examine how Baez has dropped his strikeout rate and upped his slugging by swinging at more pitches than he’s done in the past. Later in the podcast they talk about Joc Pederson and Bryce Harper turning their seasons around, Harrison Bader becoming the most interesting outfielder you don’t know and what the Rockies are doing for their rotation that pretty much no other team is doing. 

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As the 2018 non-waiver trade deadline came and went this past week, we saw a flurry of moves throughout baseball including some surprising deals and others that were inevitable. Statcast host Mike Petriello and national editor Matt Meyers take a look at some of the deals that went down, including Chris Archer to the Pirates, Mike Moustakas and Jonathan Schoop to the Brewers and Tommy Pham to the Rays. They also discuss a little later on if a new team has risen to the top of the rankings for best defensive outfield in baseball. 

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The Yankees have arguably made the biggest trade of the season so far by acquiring Zach Britton from the Orioles in exchange for three minor leaguers prior to next weeks deadline. Statcast host Mike Petriello and national editor Matt Meyers break down the deal that will make the Yankees already dominant bullpen that much stronger and how Aaron Boone will manage it. They also talk about what's going on with the surging Oakland A's and if Bryce Harper could be a trade target, a couple teams that don't necessarily need to make a move before the 31st and a few trade predictions.

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With the 2018 mid-summer classic in the rearview mirror, teams aren't holding back on making deals to bolster their clubs before the trade deadline. Just in the past few days, the Dodgers landed Manny Machado from the Orioles and the Indians picked up Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the Padres. Statcast host Mike Petriello and national editor Matt Meyers discuss the latest moves and how it will affect the pennant race down the stretch. Later in the podcast they talk about a few relievers you probably don't know that might get traded, what contenders have the biggest holes they need to fill and a recap of All-Star Weekend.

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On this episode of the Statcast podcast host Mike Petriello and national editor Matt Meyers are joined by former Mets Sr. Director of Baseball Operations and former Braves assistant GM Adam Fisher to the podcast to discuss working in a baseball front office and what the trade deadline season, from a front office perspective, is like. They also talks about what it was like for Adam to work in the sport when the statistical revolution got started, the deadline moves that he was a part of that helped propel the Mets to the 2015 World Series and what the next advantage that front offices might start utilizing in the future. 

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The Washington Nationals were supposed to be the lead dog in the NL East for the 2018 season. Instead, they currently find themselves seven games behind the divisional leaders Atlanta Braves in third place. Because of that, the Nationals could very well become sellers at the trading deadline. Statcast host Mike Petriello and national editor Matt Meyers discuss why Washington may consider trading upcoming free agent Bryce Harper and what kind of return it could net the Nats. They also talk about a few dark horse trade candidates, something you might not know about Aaron Judge, the most interesting minor league pitcher you probably don’t know and why the return of Luis Perdomo to the bigs has Matt excited.

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Freddy Peralta might be someone you’ve never heard of, but what he’s accomplishing for the Milwaukee Brewers this season is remarkable. Even though Freddy has only been in the bigs for a short time, he’s become the only pitcher since 1908 to strikeout five or more batters and give up three or fewer hits in his first four starts. Statcast host Mike Petriello and national editor Matt Meyers take a look at how Peralta has managed to be so successful with the Brew Crew despite throwing his 91 mph fastball 80% of the time. Later they discuss four hitters who are turning it around despite their rough start, the Tampa Bay Rays having some of the best pitching stats since their “opener” experiment began and Mike Trout’s still doing crazy good things. 

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The defending champion Houston Astros play in a ballpark that has had the stigma of being hitters park. With the "Crawford Boxes" being only 315 feet down the left field line, one would think it's safe to make that assumption. However, after much research, Statcast host Mike Petriello takes a look at why Minute Maid Park has in fact become the opposite and how the numbers can back that up. Mike also discusses some of the notable Statcast moments from this past week, if Giancarlo Stanton is starting to turn it around, another ridiculous stretch of games from Mike Trout and a conversation between the Dodgers Max Muncy and MLB.com Dodgers beat reporter Ken Gurnick. 

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When Cardinals pitcher Jordan Hicks exploded onto the scene this season by throwing the fastest pitches in 2018, topping out at 105 MPH, many people asked themselves “who is this guy?” As a prospect that was in the Single-A ball in 2017 and was the first player cut from the Cardinals 2018 spring training camp, Hicks has become a bright spot for St. Louis’ pitching staff this season. Statcast host Mike Petriello and national editor Matt Meyers talk about what Jordan is doing to be so successful in the bigs and why the change to his slider has been key. They also discuss the most improved pitchers this season in baseball, hitters that aren’t living up to their projected stats and why Max Muncy has been one of the best hitters in baseball.  

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