Best Podcast in Baseball

With the St. Louis Cardinals speeding toward opening day and The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's 2020 Baseball Preview section about to drop its 26-page extravaganza, including a poster-ready cover of Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright, the podcast takes a brief detour to the other side of the state and a visit with Kansas City Star columnist Sam Mellinger. The Kansas City Royals will visit Busch Stadium for an exhibition game on July 22 -- the Cardinals' first game against an opposing team in 133 games. It's the Cardinals first chance to catch 22, Royals manager Mike Matheny, and his first appearance in uniform at Busch since the Cardinals fired him midway through the 2018 season. The Royals are a team in the middle of a reinvention, and what they're trying do will some familiar to Cardinals fans. They want to draft and debut pitching, pitching, pitching. Development is where the Cardinals have found their edge. Can KC? Mellinger and Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold discuss that -- and navigate a few tangents about covering baseball during a pandemic. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a weekly production of The Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

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Remember Luis Robert, the uber-talented outfielder from Cuba who the Cardinals tried to woo before falling short of the Chicago White Sox's offer? Well, the Cardinals are scheduled to face him and the Sox in Dyersville, Iowa, near the site of the Field of Dreams, and his Chicago teammates have nickname for him. Brace yourself. They call him: Trout. Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Steve Greenberg joins the Best Podcast in Baseball and St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the rising Sox of the American League Central, the possible magic of a game in a cornfield, and how the Cubs are in a "fragile" spot in their club's current era. Greenberg, a longtime resident of St. Louis, also talks about the changing tone of the Cubs fans base and how his return to Chicago, where he grew up, has helped crystallize what he misses about living in St. Louis. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design, is a production of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

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As the Cardinals hold their first official workout of the rebooted 2020 season, Chris Hrabe, of KMOX/1120 AM, joins BPIB host and St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to field seven questions that confront the Cardinals as they ready for the 60-game dash of the 2020 season. The questions range from the field -- who will be the first starter? who will close? who will play left field? -- to the environment and whether baseball and its players will remain healthy enough to see this season through to a championship. And, the biggest thing standing between the Cardinals and their success still remains unanswered: How are they going to score more runs? The Best Podcast in Baseball, brought to you by Closets by Design, is a production of STLtoday.com, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Derrick Goold.

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'Stay healthy. Get weird.' That's the motto suggested for the 2020 Major League Baseball season as teams begin to report to their "summer camp" sites and ready for the first official workouts after more than three months of stoppage due to the global pandemic. St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports writers Derrick Goold and Ben Frederickson discuss the chances of actually having a baseball season in the face of spiking coronavirus cases and the massive, strict protocols in place for teams to follow, all of which will rely on the discipline of players and anyone affiliated with the team to change habits and commit to the health of others. It's a big undertaking. And it could be a massive celebration of baseball's community and willingness to work together. Also discussed is how weird teams could get -- six-man rotation, quick hooks for veterans, and much more. Plus, Frederickson recommends a promotion and PSA for the Cardinals that should have happened yesterday. The Best Podcast in Baseball, brought to you by Closets by Design, is a production of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

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'Ladies and gentlemen, Greg Warren ... ' St. Louis native Greg Warren, whose comedy special 'Where the Field Corn Grows' will debut on Amazon, Amazon Prime Direct, Google Play, and elsewhere on June 30, 2020, joins the podcast before his show in Myrtle Beach to discuss his fondness for the Cardinals and whether baseball can withstand some self-inflicted bruises as the owners and players' union tussle and try to save the 2020 season. Warren joins two other Mizzou School of Journalism grads, St. Louis Post-Dispatch sportswriters Ben Frederickson and Derrick Goold, for a new BPIB and explores the cultural significance of Tower Tee, the joy of visiting batting cages on the road, what kind of corn is the best habitat for baseball ghosts, and why six is a super serious number for his father. Warren's special, 'Where the Field Corn Grows,' from 800 Pound Gorilla Records will be available as an album on July 21, 2020. A clip from his special is used with permission from his publicist. The Best Podcast in Baseball, brought to you by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

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The arrival of Flag Day every June 14 at Busch Stadium means one thing -- it is now Mike Claiborne-approved to begin talking about and looking at the standings. This year, those standings are empty, indefinitely ppd. Tandem crises have engulfed the United States and baseball could play a part in reopening a country and bringing it together, if owners and players can wade through their public squabbles to an agreement on the 2020 season. Claiborne, a Cardinals broadcaster and host of ClaibsOnline.com, joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to talk about the importance of Flag Day to the standings -- and what could be most important about this Flag Day. It's a chance for baseball to stop playing games and stand for something. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

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This past week, Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore explained his organization's plans to continue paying minor-league players a full stipend and not release any players, and he did so with an eloquent description of how the minor-leaguers of today are the coaches, scouts, and umpires of the future that help nurture and grow the fans and players of generations yet to come. Call them the Johnny Appleseeds of baseball. And there will be fewer in 2021 -- and possibly beyond. To better understand Moore's comments, Kansas City Star sports columnist Vahe Gregorian joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the Royals' approach, the Royals' place in their community, and, of course, the Royals' new manager, Mike Matheny, and what plans the team had for 2020. The conversation keeps revisiting the idea of baseball's place in a community as a way to connect people -- across states, across countries, and across divides. But that takes the game being a part of the community, not abandoning it. The Best Podcast in Baseball, brought to you by Closets by Design, is a production of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

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A special bonus episode: Baseball America national writer Kyle Glaser joined Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold for a series of videos to discuss the future at every position for the Cardinals. Their conversation was part of an eight-day, eight-part series that appeared in The Post-Dispatch and online at StlToday.com. For BPIB listeners, the entire conversation has been combined here to offer a look into the impact players the Cardinals have on deck, on the horizon, and the positions where they are in a hole. Glaser does the Cardinals' Top 30 rankings for Baseball America's Prospects Handbook, and few people spend as much time talking to scouts and collecting reports on the Cardinals' system. Players discussed in this podcast include Dylan Carlson, Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore, Zack Thompson, Delvin Perez, Mateo Gil, Elehuris Montero, Malcom Nunez, Johan Oviedo, Jhon Torres, and many more. The entire eight-part series can be found at StlToday.com. The Best Podcast in Baseball, brought to you by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

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St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson, from his home office in the St. Louis area, hosts a night at the round table with four of his colleagues: Blues beat writer Jim Thomas, Mizzou beat writer Dave Matter, sports columnist Benjamin Hochman, and baseball writer Derrick Goold. Viewers were invited to ask questions throughout the broadcast, and this is the audio-only recording of the event. There's baseball talk, rink talk, Tiger talk, and even some small talk as five members of the StlToday.com staff discuss the landscape of St. Louis sports during the coronavirus crisis and how each league is tentatively, haltingly, and, in some cases, optimistically planning a return to play. A video of the latest Sports on Tap event is available at StlToday.com. The Best Podcast in Baseball, brought to you by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold. 

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The Heartland Division? Fly-Over Central? The Breadbasket Rivalries? We're still working on the name, but the clock may be ticking. Major League Baseball's plan to start a shortened 2020 regular season is likely to include a revamp of the divisions and a merger between the Cardinals' National League Central and the American League Central. The result will be a geographically condensed division right in the middle of the country -- and perhaps the awakening of new rivals, not to mention a more rigorous path to the postseason for the Minnesota Twins. To help map a Midwest Division, Star Tribune baseball writer LaVelle Neal joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the Twins, their bombastic 101-win season in 2019, and all the hurdles ahead as baseball attempts to return from its indefinite delay to the 2020 season. The Best Podcast in Baseball, brought to you weekly by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

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