The Baseball Rabbi Podcast

Max Scherzer struck out victim number 3000 (he's the 19th guy to do it), pitched an immaculate inning, and had a perfect game into the eighth inning... and if you wanted to find out more while this was going on, you needed to scroll down on ESPN's website. Yes, baseball continues to lose popularity, and the Baseball Rabbi identifies the Rays as exemplifying the problem. (The problem, in short, is that their boring brand of baseball works.) Plus: handicapping the NL MVP race (Tatis? Wheeler? Harper?) and quick headlines so you're up to date as the season heads into the homestretch.

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The San Francisco Giants have been the surprise of the baseball season; they could lose every game until the end of the season and still end up with a record significantly better than we anticipated back in April. How, exactly, are they doing it? That's where the questions start, but not where they end; there's something weird happening by the Bay, and it could be incredible coaching, some advantage conferred by advanced analytics... or something else? Whatever it is, Pesach and Scott lay out the facts and why those facts are surprising. Plus: the Reds are going to the Wild Card game and the Padres are not, the Yankees look like the best team in baseball, the potential Boston-New York Wild Card game could be a classic, the Mets are booing their own fans, and more on the Field of Dreams game that Pesach trashed last time.

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Two months ago, the NL MVP was clearly Jacob deGrom or - if you insisted on voting for a position player - Fernando Tatis, Jr. Well, things change fast in baseball, and the race is both wide open and fascinating. Pesach and Scott offer their insights as to where it's going, and discuss whether Zack Wheeler can be the MVP (after all, he's got the highest bWAR) while boasting only the sixth best ERA in the National League. Also pay attention to what they think about Joey Votto's Hall of Fame chances, and whether he's a shoo-in or an also-ran. As for Pesach's view of the Field of Dreams game between the Yankees and the White Sox? He holds back a little because this is a family podcast, but he. does. not. like. it.

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This might have been the most exciting trade deadline in years - or ever?- and MLB deserves kudos for actually doing something right for a change. And while most contenders worked to improve their chances at making the postseason or going on a deep playoff run, that doesn't mean that any given team is necessarily better off today than it was last week. (Howdy, Padres! Take a bow, Bosox!) Pesach and Scott look at some of the major buyers, and analyze whether they're playoff bound or more likely destined to watch the playoffs from their living rooms like the rest of us. Plus: why do older teams have fewer players with terrible WARs, and the Baseball Rabbi basks in vindication regarding offensive rate stats.

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The National League Central is so different from the chaotic NL East: each team's actual record is close to where advanced analytics says that the team should be. But the division is full of storylines, and the Baseball Rabbi offers them to you on a silver platter. The Brewers are actually really good, but in ways you might have missed. The Reds are interesting, even as they will likely be "that team" that just misses the playoffs. The Cubs' collapse was predictable because they're not very good; Javier Baez is actually making history, but not in a way that will make the denizens of Chicago smile. The Cardinals are falling apart (equal parts bad pitching and bad hitting), and the Pirates are a mess - but with some entertaining position players with surprising talent for achieving a high BABIP. Plus: the storylines that Pesach and Scott are watching in the second half (how low can the Diamondbacks go?), and what baseball rules are too fundamental to touch.

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The Baseball Rabbi made lists of the five most memorable seasons for each position, but listing significant catcher seasons poses a unique challenge. What makes catcher different from every other position? How can we compare modern catchers with catchers from before 2008? (Answer: We can't.) Join Pesach and Scott for a deep dive into catchers, starring Johnny Bench, Roy Campanella, Gary Carter, Buster Posey, Carlton Fisk, Joe Mauer, Yogi Berra, and a bunch of guys who didn't make the cut. Plus: Mike Piazza wasn't a cheater, his 1997 was the greatest season ever for a catcher, and it still isn't on the list. Why?

It's been one hundred years, and finally baseball has a Shohei Ohtani... but his uniqueness transcends his ability to be two different players. Pesach and Scott look at what he's doing, why it matters, and what his future might hold. Elsewhere in the American League West, the Houston Astros have a historically good offense, though their ability to succeed in October is not quite as clear. The Seattle Mariners are the luckiest team in baseball (that's an objective reality, not an attempt to insult the team) though the future looks kinda bright... and Texas has a really good pitcher and some not-as-good other players. And the Oakland A's are great, but it's hard to understand why. All this plus Pesach's success at predicting Chapman's meltdowns make this a Baseball Rabbi you won't want to miss.

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Pesach and Scott had similar lists of their favorite seasons by shortstops, first basemen, and second basemen, but their lists diverge when it comes to third base. Brett or Brooks? Eddie Mathews or Adrian Beltre? One Mike Schmidt season or two (or three or four or five)? It's all about the strange nature of third base, and how it has changed drastically over the years. Plus: is corking bats akin to taking steroids, and how Eddie Mathews might have changed the course of baseball history (Hello, Milwaukee Red Sox!).

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As the season passes game 70, Pesach and Scott look carefully at what may be MLB's most fascinating division, the National League East. Jacob deGrom may be having the greatest pitching season in history and can lead a strong starting staff to the Promised Land... if only the team could actually hit. (Although Pesach says that the Mets' terrible hitting is actually a hopeful sign.) The Braves can hit but can't pitch, the Nats have to decide by the trading deadline if they're a young up-and-coming team or an old this-ain't-the-future team, and the Marlins have a great pitching staff and OK hitting but still have no real future. And why does Zack Wheeler of the Phillies have stats that aren't even close to deGrom's numbers but still has almost an identical bWAR? Plus: Tyler "Boo Hoo" Glasnow, another wonderful Target Field experience, and no coffee on Tuesday's train from New York to Philadelphia. If you want breaking news like that, there's no better place to find it than here!

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What teams are the most disappointing of all time? Which teams should have been more memorable, or won more rings, than they actually did? Pesach and Scott each provide a list of the top (or bottom) five non-dynasties of all time (with only one team making both lists). After last week's addition of the current Yankees to the list - this time with mathematical evidence -  nothing is more appropriate than talking about other great teams that didn't do what they were supposed to do. 

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