The Baseball Rabbi Podcast

How good is Justin Verlander, really? That's not a question that's easy to answer, but at age 36, he's doing things that, if he keeps it up, have never been seen in baseball history. The best comparison might be the owner of the Triple-A Round Rock Express, who once was a pretty good pitcher himself, or Jim Palmer, who made an appearance in our last episode, too. Pedro? Sandy? Sid (Fernandez)? The greats are all here, so listen in to become enlightened.

The Baseball Rabbi Podcast is constantly invoking WAR - wins above replacement - as the most telling of all advanced baseball stats. But how do we explain the instances where Fangraphs and Baseball Reference calculate drastically different WAR numbers for the same player? Using Tommy John as a test case, Pesach and Scott present the fundamental difference between the two primary means of calculating pitcher WAR, and demonstrate that the distinction reflects a fundamental difference in baseball philosophy. So how good was Jim Palmer, anyway? Listen in to find out.

Adrian Beltre is unquestionably a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest players we've ever seen. But where does he rank among all-time third basemen? Is he just a good player who stayed around long enough to compile amazing stats, or is he another Mike Schmidt? Can a player who wasn't an all star until he was 31 be considered greater than Boggs or Brett? Join Pesach and Scott to find out more.

The Nationals, once again, are MLB's strangest team: great pitching, decent hitting, and a rotten record. What's going on? Also, hear Pesach take a bow as his prediction about the Twins seems to be coming true (though he hopes you'll forget about that pesky Red Sox episode two weeks ago), but explains that Minnesota is not quite as good as you thought. And Pesach and Scott answer the question that everyone is wondering: are the Marlins truly as bad as they seem... or are they even worse?

After striking out his 3000th batter, CC Sabathia is essentially on the same level as Hall of Famers Niekro, Jenkins, and Smoltz... unless he's more like very-non-Hall of Famer Frank Tanana. Let the Baseball Rabbi help you figure out which is more accurate. Plus: Mike Trout seems to have picked up a brand new skill that makes him even greater than he was before (let's just say that Williams and Bonds might soon have company in a pretty exclusive club).

There's always next year, right? As the Red Sox join the Orioles around the bottom of the AL East, Pesach Wolicki uses Win Probability Added (WPA) to argue that something is seriously messed up with Boston's starting pitching... but the Reds, with an almost identical record, might start to surprise a lot of people despite last year's pitching disasters. Meanwhile, Scott Kahn investigates the (possibly) tragic career of Dick Allen, who, in a fairer world, might have been Willie Mays.

The right fielder had the highest career value; the center fielder had the highest peak; but the left fielder is the guy who's in the Hall. Pesach and Scott take a closer look at the fascinating Red Sox outfield of 1975-1980, with a special focus on the great Freddie Lynn and his HOF-deserving-if-he-weren't-injured-so-much career. Plus: more on line drives and BABIP, and Seattle's budding superstar Domingo Santana.

It's a well-known truism by now that baseball players are getting younger, and the Baseball Rabbi certainly agrees... kind of. According to Pesach Wolicki, baseball's aging curve is a little more complicated than the standard narrative would have you believe, and he and Scott Kahn try to identify the trends, and determine why there's an apparent divergence between hitters and pitchers. All of this, of course, in the service of asserting that the New York Mets are built to last.

Everyone knows that stats after eleven games are meaningless... everyone, that is, but the Baseball Rabbi. Join Pesach and Scott as they look at storylines that seem to be developing (Jason Heyward learning how to hit, the Cubs forgetting how to pitch, and the Dodgers continued brilliance as a franchise), and investigate the connection between higher strikeout rates, more walks, the decline of the fastball, and the rise of the slider. Plus a celebration of the incredible opening week of the Boston Red Sox. (By the way, stats this early truly are meaningless, except the stats that are not.)

With Opening Day behind us, the Baseball Rabbi says farewell to three potential Hall of Famers, and reviews their exceptional (and interesting) careers. Pesach Wolicki also reads a short selection from Bill James on the meaninglessness of baseball, and explains why this parodoxically is the secret source of its greatness. Scott Kahn anticipates whopper seasons from Aaron Nola and Walker Buehler. But above all, the Baseball Rabbi introduces the Ryan Howard Award! Who do you nominate as the next winner?