The Baseball Rabbi Podcast

Imagine if there were a skill equivalent to hitting 40 home runs in a season... and no one ever noticed that someone was doing it. Believe it or not, that's how important catcher framing is to a baseball team, and the consequences of that realization are INSANE. (Welcome to the Hall, Brian McCann!) Plus: the Dodgers got worse but will have a better record, the Padres were on the cusp even before signing Machado, and the Giants are a pretty good-looking last place team. Also, a prediction of Marlin ineptitude.

In the wake of Tom Seaver's announcement that he's retiring from public life, The Baseball Rabbi Podcast looks at his amazing career, and discusses where he ranks among pitchers all time. Pesach and Scott also analyze the new MLB rule changes - some good, some less so - and evaluate the NL East, where the Harper-free Nationals look ready to run away with the division, the Braves will likely tumble, and the Mets and Phillies will be fighting for second place. The Marlins should have more modest goals, like not losing every game. Join podcasting's best double play combo to learn more.

The Baseball Rabbi, in our continuing series about underappreciated Hall of Fame candidates, discusses Scott Rolen, and why he kind of belongs and kind of doesn't. (He's basically Ron Santo, but not quite.) Meanwhile, the NL Central looks fascinating, with five decent teams fighting it out - including a much-improved Reds pitching staff, and a possibly regressing Brewers team that could land anywhere from first to fourth. Cubs and Cardinals - still good. Pittsburgh - not so much, but not bad, either. Listen up to learn more.

The American League West was baseball's best division last year in total WAR, but 2019 looks very, very different. The Athletics won't win 97 games again... unless they do (which will cause every sabermatrician to freak out). Meanwhile, the Angels are a little better, Seattle is a lot worse, Texas remains terrible, and the Astros are no longer a superteam (but they'll come in first). Plus - the great Bobby Grich and the Hall's second basemen problem.

The Baseball Rabbi explores yet another overlooked potential Hall of Famer: Tiger great Lou Whitaker. He may have been more valuable than Eddie Murray or Reggie Jackson... and he arguably also has a far weaker HOF argument than they do. (We'll explain.) We also look at the fascinating race destined to take place in the AL Central, where Cleveland's bizarre lineup of stars and replacement-level players might actually mean a second place finish. Or maybe not. Listen and become enlightened.

Many baseball fans think that Curt Schilling's exclusion from the Hall is a shame, and that like other borderline candidates, he should be taken more seriously by the voters. The Baseball Rabbi goes further: Schilling is not only a slam dunk candidate, but also one of the absolute greatest pitchers in history. Plus our AL East preview! (Spoiler alert: the Red Sox and Yankees are good, the Orioles are bad, the Rays and Jays in the middle. Shocker.)

When Robinson Cano was traded from the Mariners to the Mets, a lot of fans said, "Same old Mets, spending $120 million for the back end of a bad contract." But the Baseball Rabbi argues that there's more to this than meets the eye, and that both the Mets and the Mariners might be winners in this trade (which is something you don't hear every day). And of course we couldn't ignore Harold Baines and the most inexplicable (though not the worst) Hall of Fame election in history.

By acquiring James Paxton, Brian Cashman did something atypical for him: he traded away a top pitching prospect. Will this work out (which is usually the case with Cashman), or is this another Granderson mistake (yes, you read that correctly)? And when Mike Moustakas doesn't earn the big bucks he expects, will it be because of collusion? (Short answer: No. Long answer: No.) Plus: revisiting Sports Illustrated's preseason predictions, and seeing where - and why - they were wrong.

In this special offseason wrap-up episode, Pesach Wolicki suggests that World Series winning teams have something in common that belies the common assumption that winning in the playoffs is a roll of the dice. He also gets passionately annoyed about Jacob deGrom's 5th place showing in the MVP race (but not because Christian Yelich was a bad choice), and asks the voters to get their act together. Also, Scott Kahn discusses the Drew Brees of baseball, and an appreciation of Adrian Beltre.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are talented enough that they won the NL Pennant - despite some serious missteps by Dave Roberts. Pesach Wolicki argues that while major parts of managing are hidden from the public, making it impossible for an outside observer to conclusively judge how the manager is doing, we nonetheless can evaluate his in-game tactics and strategy, where Dave Roberts has a lot to learn from Genius Craig Counsell. Pesach and Scott Kahn also discuss the unusual Brewers roster, the fallacy of judging based solely upon outcomes, and the best autographs in their possession (unfortunately, not Tim Raines's).