Baseball Expats

Pat Murphy gives us another one liner. Padres and Brewers give us more one-run chaos.

Spoon and Rolsey are back to unpack another big day of playoff baseball. Xander Bogaerts' defence (?!?!) keeps San Diego alive, Yamamoto puts on a clinic against Atlanta, and the Yankees might want to consider hitting the baseball.

Should the Braves have held back Chris Sale? Who’s actually available to pitch for the Padres? Can Cleveland find some offence? And why are we getting up at stupid o’clock to watch an opener? The boys are very much on the same page about that last one.

We work through the bullpen headaches, lineup decisions and upcoming playoff matchups, with Spoon’s picks to round things out. He’s seeing runs, which is understandable given what’s left of some of these pitching staffs.

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The Wild Card round is done, Spoon’s bracket has taken a few hits, and there are some big questions left behind for the teams heading home.

Rolsey and Spoon get into what’s next for the Phillies, Cubs, Astros and Red Sox, from ugly contracts and roster construction to which teams need a proper rethink and which ones probably just need a few smart moves.

We also give the Padres and Cam Schlittler their flowers, talk through some of the moments that swung the opening round, and look at a few of the players who really announced themselves in October.

Then it’s time to preview all four Division Series, with Spoon running through his best Game 1 angles, including strikeout props, team totals and the play he likes most on the slate.

And because apparently we haven’t learned anything, he also has a World Series long shot he thinks is still worth a look.

Enjoy the baseball, enjoy the weekend, and love you.

It’s baseball Christmas.

Rolsey and Spoon sit down to preview the MLB postseason, starting with all four Wild Card Series before working their way through the entire bracket and eventually landing on a World Series winner.

We get into all four Wild Card Series, looking at the pitching matchups, lineup strengths, bullpen questions and just how unforgiving a best-of-three series can be.

Then Spoon keeps going. Division Series, Championship Series, World Series. One full bracket, plenty of strong opinions, and a couple of picks that may come back to haunt us.

We finish with a few quick plays for the Wild Card openers before sending you off to enjoy October baseball.

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It’s AFL Grand Final weekend in Melbourne, Spoon has adopted Fremantle for the day, and before we get to baseball the boys talk Grand Final weekends, public holidays, expensive travel and why Australia does the big game a little differently.

Eventually we get to MLB, starting with the very strange Justin Turner-Masyn Winn beef before taking a proper look at the final weekend of the regular season. The AL Central and West are still up for grabs, Arizona is somehow still hanging around in the NL picture, and there are plenty of permutations left before the postseason bracket is finally locked in.

We also check in on the final stages of Destiny Draft, discuss Gabby Moreno’s batting title chase and, naturally, his decision to pose in nature (????) in full catcher’s gear.

Then Spoon gives us his best bets for the weekend, including a couple of strikeout plays and a Diamondbacks angle he likes against San Diego.

Enjoy the Grand Final, enjoy the final weekend of the regular season, and we’ll be back Monday to get stuck into the postseason.

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Rolsey and Eric take a proper deep dive into the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Mexico, looking at all 12 teams before the tournament gets underway.

The boys break down both groups, the nations and players to watch, why pitching depth becomes so important in this format, and the different pathways countries use to build teams at this age level. We also spend plenty of time on Australia, their returning international experience, and what they’ll need to do in a seriously tough Group B.

There are traditional powers like Japan, the USA and Chinese Taipei, but plenty of intriguing challengers too, including Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

And part of the fun of a U15 World Cup is having absolutely no idea which of these names we’ll be talking about again in five or ten years.

Eric will be on the ground in Cancún covering and calling the tournament, and we’ll have full tournament coverage throughout the World Cup on the Baseball Expats Instagram.

For schedules, results, rosters and tournament information, head to the official WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup event page.

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It all comes down to this. Destiny Draft Round 9, the finale.

Can anybody knock off Eric? The Canary returns after his brilliant showing back in Round 2 to have one last crack at winning it for the listener spot.

And in true Baseball Expats fashion, we’re ripping packs across the world. Eric joins from Guelph, Spoon is in Turkey.

One last rip. One last draft. Let’s see who takes it home.

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Spoon joins us from Bergamo, which naturally gets the boys talking about one of the great Baseball Expats questions: where in the world is actually the best place to follow Major League Baseball? We then compare the time zones that make being a baseball sicko either surprisingly easy or a genuine lifestyle choice.

We then check in on Destiny Draft as the standings tighten, take the temperature of Spoon’s futures, and look at a few of the young arms that have given us plenty to think about this season.

From there, Rolsey brings some baseball trivia to the table, including a very specific Triple Crown rabbit hole, before we get properly nerdy with perfect games, no-hitters and immaculate innings and discover just how rare some of baseball’s supposedly familiar feats actually are.

Then Spoon closes us out from Italy with his best bets for the midweek slate.

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It’s Weekend Pickoff time, and Spoon is getting ready for a very important European assignment: meeting Sophia’s family.

Naturally, that turns into a full strategy session from Rolsey and Eric about how to survive the meet-the-parents trip, why siblings might be the real key, and how a well-timed bit of obscure sports knowledge can carry you a surprisingly long way.

Eventually, we do talk baseball.

The boys run through the weekend stories that matter, including the Yankees, Padres, Diamondbacks, Astros, Braves, Phillies, Blue Jays, Cardinals, and the very weird Manager of the Year conversations starting to take shape in both leagues.

Then Spoon closes us out with his best bets for the weekend, including a strikeout angle he likes and a few plays to watch before the market catches up.

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September is here, which apparently means spring in Australia, panic in baseball, and fantasy football drafts determined by whatever nonsense we could build out of MLB results.

The boys start with a bit of September baseball chat, before diving into Destiny Draft-adjacent fantasy football, obscure broadcast stats, and a few listener questions that send us on a tangent or two.

Then we get into the Jazz Chisholm stolen base drama from Yankees–Red Sox, the broadcaster reaction, the unwritten rules conversation, and why maybe, just maybe, baseball is more fun when elite athletes are allowed to keep playing hard.

From there we look at the minor league playoff structure, why split seasons actually matter, and what a future MLB lockout could mean for call-ups, prospects, winter ball, and the wider player development machine.

We also check in on the MVP races, possible triple-crown , Houston’s big names, and whether the Cubs’ August power surge has turned them into a real World Series threat or just the scariest boom-or-bust team in the sport.

Then we finish with the playoff picture, some very weird standings, and Spoon’s best bets for the midweek slate in Colorado and Anaheim.

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Destiny Draft Round 8 is here.

The boys recap Round 7, where everything is getting very tight, hear from a cheeky Tom after his listener-pick run, then get stuck into the next draft.

This week’s guest picker is Alex, and with the leaderboard closing up, every pick is starting to feel a little bit dangerous.

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