Baseball Beyond Batting Average

Mark and Andy take on a new type of topic: the players that make up--or were excluded from--the 1999 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. This particular ballot was chock full of players who eventually were elected to the Hall of Fame, as well as plenty of others who have come very close. Your hosts highlight a player at each position whose career was noteworthy for one reason or another. As usual, they wrap it up with a scintillating round of Roll The Stat. Come along and relive some baseball memories, and maybe see some players in a new light thanks to advanced metrics.

Three years to the day since their last episode, Mark and Andy come back with an episode that may seem to defy the spirit of the show. However, maybe one cannot go beyond batting average without fully understanding batting average. Our hosts explore the genesis of the stat, why it has persisted despite its flaws, and which players have made it their calling card--as well as those for which the Mendoza line was a constant measuring stick. They wrap it up with a rollicking round of Roll The Stat. Whether you love it or hate it, you will never look at batting average the same again.

Mark and Andy are joined by special guest Kirk McKnight, author of The Voices of Baseball: The Game's Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America's Pastime to talk about the newest edition of the book, as well as the usual assortment of baseball statistics, odds, and ends. McKnight brings to the episode a wealth of knowledge about MLB's teams, players, and stadiums culled from dozens of interviews with the broadcasters baseball fans have come to know and love. McKnight indulges Mark and Andy in their advanced stats-inclined views on the game, and even joins them in a lively round of Roll The Stat, in which the participants guess the career strikeout-per-nine rates for pitchers who became broadcasters themselves after they retired. Just like the book itself, it's an entertaining and informative way to spend some time that any baseball fan would enjoy.

Mark and Andy determine once and for all who the first family of baseball is, the Boones or the Bells. Taking into account multiple pieces of data, both stats-based and otherwise, the competition between these uncannily-matched combatants comes down to the wire and a surprising finish gives a slight edge to the gang you might not expect. Your hosts finish up the episode with a less-close round of Roll The Stat, America's Favorite Baseball Stat Guessing Game, in which career caught stealing totals are guessed. It's an hour of full-fledged family baseball fun, finally.

The 2001 Mariners won as many regular season games as any team in baseball history, but fell short of playoff success. How did a team without Griffey, A-Rod, and Big Unit reach such heights? Mark and Andy are back to do a statistical deep dive into the winningest regular season team in history, position by position and player by player, and leave no stone unturned. Along the way, questions emerge: Who was Charles Gipson? Was Paul Abbott a winner? Which baseball family--The Boones or The Bells--was better? Listen to find out the answers, play along in a round of Roll The Stat, and more.

Mark and Andy are back for another episode of your favorite advanced stats baseball podcast. This time they are highlighting forgotten stars of the 1980s. While it may seem that the 1980s were just a few short years ago and thus none of the stars was forgotten, your hosts attempt to find some names that may be underappreciated or that produced some seasons that may not be remembered as well as they should be. Enjoy remembering some great '80s names and wrap it up by playing along in a round of Roll The Stat, the best advanced stat guessing game for your holiday season.

Mark and Andy are back for another installment of their baseball stats exploration. Andy explores the list of the 70 20-20 seasons in baseball history. No, not home runs and stolen bases, but 20 batting runs and 20 fielding runs. Mark takes a look at noteworthy accomplishments in the first 162 games of players' careers. Who had the most hits? The most home runs? The most strikeouts? What happened to Kal Daniels? You'll get answers to some of these questions and probably come up with a lot more questions after listening. Play along with Roll The Stat at the end to test your knowledge of pitchers' K/9s. You'll never look at Wilson Valdez the same.

Mark and Andy are back with their latest statistical explorations into baseball's history. This time, Mark looks at some of the most extreme--and worst--100 RBI seasons ever put together. Let's just say Tony Armas figures prominently. Andy takes on the scorching hot topic of pitchers hitting, both the best and worst of all-time. Randy Johnson falls into one of those categories. It all wraps up with a round of Roll The Stat, in which the hosts guess the career OPS+ of different pitchers.

Mark and Andy are joined by Adam Darowski of Baseball Reference to talk about some advanced hitting stats that were recently added to players' pages, rBat+ and rOBA, as well as many other baseball-related topics, including his Hall of Stats site. Learn how these new stats are calculated, how they came to be on the page, and where the all-time greats rank according to the measures. Use your newfound knowledge to play along with a game of rBat+ Roll The Stat, and see if you can beat the expert himself, Adam Darowski.

Mark and Andy pare down their normal gargantuan episodes into one that can be digested in a shorter amount of time. The topics this time are "manager stats"--really an investigation into a team's actual performance vs. their record based on their total WAR--and game scores, the Bill James stat used to evaluate starting pitching performances. Both topics are revelatory and fun, and lead to another round of Roll The Stat, this time guessing the game scores of memorable pitching performances throughout baseball history.