Replacement Level Podcast

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast former MLB left fielder/second baseman Frank Catalanotto joined me to discuss his career. Frank talked about getting drafted by the Tigers, playing through the minors, his first Major League game, and getting traded for Juan Gonzalez. Frank also spoke about his approach to hitting. He talked about […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast Neuroscientist & Brooksbaseball.net founder Dan Brooks joined me to discuss PITCH f/x. Dan talked about how and when the system was implemented, what we’ve learned about pitchers and hitters through the data it has produced, and the algorithm used to determine what pitches a pitcher is actually throwing. […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast Baseball America’s Conor Glassey joined me to discuss the 2013 MLB draft. Conor gave some scouting reports on several notable players from the draft including Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray, Kris Bryant, and Trey Ball. Conor and I also re-examined the 2012 draft.  Now that those players have […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast Baseball Prospectus writer Russell Carleton joined me to discuss small sample sizes and when statistics start to stabilize. Russell also spoke about how much value good hitting & pitching coaches can provide to a team, the limitations of WAR(P), and the reliability of defensive metrics. Russell also […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast Wendy Thurm joined me to discuss the business of baseball. We discussed the future of local TV contracts, what teams are set to benefit from the boom, and what teams will likely be shut out of the windfall. We also spoke about the state of free agency, […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast Sports Illustrated’s Jay Jaffe joined me to discuss his 20 ways to improve baseball right now piece. His ideas include expanding instant replay, using the DH in both leagues, and stopping the war on advanced metrics. We offered some suggestions on how to revamp the Hall of […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast Baseball America’s Ben Badler joined me to discuss the possibility of an international draft and what that would mean for Major League Baseball. Ben discussed the primary motivation of MLB for pushing for an international draft (money), and detailed the disadvantages it could present to teenage prospects […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast FanGraphs writer Bill Petti joined me to discuss his favorite advanced metrics and why those numbers matter. Bill spoke about the differences between wRC+ and OPS+, the state of defensive independent statistics,  and why BABIP is at times misused. Bill and I also discussed his work on […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast Vice President at Baseball Info Solutions and co-author of The Fielding Bible-Volume Three, Ben Jedlovec joined me to discuss the state of defensive metrics. Ben spoke about how DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) is calculated, and what goes into the individual components involved in making those calculations. Ben […]

On this episode of the Replacement Level Podcast St. Louis Cardinals minor league infielder Vance Albitz joined me to discuss his Gloves4Troops endeavor, and life in the minor leagues. Vance talked about the talent discrepancies at different levels in the minors and why the jump to AA is bigger than AAA. Vance also gave this […]