Baseball Beyond Batting Average

Mark and Andy once again explore the MVP voting for a whole decade, in this case the 1990s. Using stats that didn't exist during the era, your hosts decide if the choices that voters made were the correct ones, if some changes need to be made, and if some unnatural substances helped any candidates along the way. Be prepared to be furious that your guys have their awards ripped away or joyous that your favorites are recognized after-the-fact. Finally, play along in Roll The Stat, the most popular baseball stat guessing game on a podcast in the 18-35 demo, where your hosts--along with two special guest participants--guess players' total '90s MVP shares. You will never look at the 1990s baseball world the same.

It's been a while, but Mark and Andy are back to where it all started--breaking down advanced baseball statistics in an effort to understand them better. This episode, it is wRC+, a hitting statistic that has become more and more commonly used. Your hosts break down how it is calculated, who has the greatest career and single-season marks, and who have been the worst hitters according to the metric. If you can make it through their tangents about The Natural, Ken Phelps, and Morrissey, you'll make it to Roll The Stat, the baseball stat-guessing game that 9 out of 10 pediatricians recommend. You'll come out a better person on the other side.

Mark and Andy investigate the storied history of Dodgers catchers in this episode, the fourth in their every-position-on-every-team series. Several players--like Steve "Marlboro Man" Yeager--manned the position for long periods of time, while others shone brightly for a few years before moving on. Your hosts use advanced stats to pick the best and worst in franchise history, and also present to you some interesting and humorous anecdotes to complete the story. At the end, play along in a game of Roll The Stat, rated the best play-along baseball stats podcast game in a poll of the creators of Baseball Beyond Batting Average. Become the Dodgers catchers expert you always wanted to be.

You may not think much when you think "Twins leftfielders," but the group of players who have spent at least some time at the position is quite impressive indeed. Although Mark and Andy can't agree on who the 5 best players were (Harmon Killebrew or Larry Hisle???), we can all agree that the players who have played there are a fascinating collection of Hall of Famers, baseball pioneers, and forgotten names. We can guarantee that by the end of the episode, you'll know more about the position for this franchise than you ever could have wanted. Finish it by playing along in Roll The Stat, the preferred advanced baseball stat guessing game for 9 out of 10 sabermetricians.

In the latest installment of their "every team, every position" series, Mark and Andy explore the rich history of Yankees centerfielders. We all know Mantle and DiMaggio, but there were many other luminaries who donned the pinstripes and roamed centerfield. From members of the Baseball and Football Halls of Fame to almost-forgotten players remembered only for their unique names, your hosts cover every nook and cranny of the Yankee centerfield legacy. At the end, join in an all-Yankee-centerfielder round of Roll The Stat, the most addictive baseball stat guessing game ever. After this episode, you'll be clamoring for the other 297 shows to come in the series.

In the second of their series of covering every position on every team ever, Mark and Andy investigate the history of Orioles (and Browns) shortstops through the lens of advanced statistics. Find out who were the greatest, worst, most surprising, and best-named shortstops in the long history of the franchise. Wrap it all up with a round of Roll The Stat, the most interesting baseball statistics guessing game ever invented. Never again will you be stumped to name the best Orioles shortstops other than Cal Ripken.

Is it possible to do an entire podcast episode about Astros first basemen? You bet it is. Mark and Andy, hosts of the funniest baseball statistics podcast ever, investigate the history of Astros first-sackers, from Bagwell to Watson. Included is a discussion of the top 5 first basemen, the players who were just below that level, and some notable names that you may not remember even having played first base for the Astros, all through the lens of advanced (and not-so-advanced) statistics. The episode concludes with a game of Roll The Stat, in which your hosts guess career OPS totals for players they have discussed. You will undoubtedly know more than you ever wanted to know about the men who played the position in Houston.

Having run through a bevy of advanced stats, Mark and Andy use their knowledge to revisit every MLB MVP from the 1980s. Knowing what we know now sheds a different light on some of the voting. The hosts decide who actually deserved the award in each league each year, and highlight the good, bad, and ugly from the voting. Some of the voting was so egregious, it will have you saying "Steve Garvey Gracious!" The show ends with a unique round of Roll The Stat, in which Mark and Andy try to guess each player's total MVP shares from the 1980s. Listen and be prepared to have your opinions changed--or to become violently angry. Either way, you'll be entertained.

With Opening Day 2018 right around the corner, Mark and Andy look at a few of the prominent projection systems that attempt to predict what will happen this baseball season. While not getting bogged down in the formulas, your hosts give you an overview of the nuances of the different systems, and investigate some projections, both past and present, to see how reasonable they seem. Also on their radar is pace of play, a hot topic this offseason. Both hosts offer their solutions for speeding up the game and catering to the ever-shrinking attention spans of their younger fans. The show wraps up with a couple of games, the top prospect Which Was Bigger? and the grizzled veteran Roll The Stat. The show is a must-listen in your preparation for what promises to be a season full of stat-tastic goodness.

Mark and Andy finally put it all together and bring you the episode that is the culmination of the majority of the episodes they have done so far--WAR. Although some time is spent talking nuts and bolts of how WAR is calculated and how it aligns with teams' actual win totals, most of the episode is spent examining the players throughout history--both distant and recent--who have the highest and lowest WAR totals. Mark also challenges Andy to a 1987 All-Star WAR challenge, which acts as a warm-up for the beloved Roll The Stat, the best baseball stat guessing game in the universe. Whether you are a fan of the new stats or someone who prefers traditional ways of measuring players, you can appreciate the discussion of all the baseball names and numbers that happens.