The SIS Baseball Podcast

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by KT Wiz outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. (@melrojasjr), arguably the best hitter in the KBO and the league’s leader in hard-hit rate. If Mel’s name sounds familiar, it should – his father pitched 10 seasons in the majors including a strong run as the closer for the Expos. Mel talks about his family’s baseball history, which includes the Alou family, and explains why he’s a hitter and not a pitcher (1:11). He talks about what the season has been like and how improved plate coverage has led to more success (3:31). He also explains what it takes to hit or lay off a nasty forkball and how his family’s history may have come in handy regarding his knowledge of that pitch (7:03).

Mel also discusses his defense and playing/living in Korea (10:40) and what it has been like to play without fans and how KBO fans are highly positive, even when their players are in slumps (16:30). He also explains why he chose to come to the KBO and why he chose to stay (17:38). He picks out some of the league’s other top players and references one who should be a future MLB prospect (20:00). Lastly, he offers advice for anyone considering playing in the KBO (22:23). 

On this special edition episode, Mark Simon is joined by Sports Info Solutions Director of Basketball, Jake Loos. SIS recently announced that it would be entering the basketball business. Jake, the former director of basketball analytics and technology for the Phoenix Suns will head up our operation. Jake talks about his background, which includes an MBA from MIT and what he loves about basketball and statistics (1:12). He then details the challenges of basketball analytics and trying to explain it to non-analytically inclined fans (7:26). He also explains what SIS will be doing with basketball data and the challenges of trying to do the kind of player evaluation he wants to do (11:18). He also talks about why Joe Ingles of the Jazz is one of his favorite players (20:24), why Stephen Curry and Dwyane Wade’s stats are his favorite (22:24), and gives advice both on how to watch the game smarter (25:48) and how to pursue a career in basketball analytics (26:48).

Back to our usual programming later this week. Thanks for tuning in! 

We know that MLB is back and we’ll talk about that plenty in the next few weeks. This week on the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Japanese baseball writer, statistician and historian Jim Allen (@JballAllen) of JballAllen.com to talk about Nippon Professional Baseball (the NPB). Jim explains his background and talks about how Japan was able to work to a 120-game season (1:47), and he also explains how the top storylines this season have been overshadowed by Coronavirus (5:49). He discusses how team pitching plans have changed and top starters are already going deep into games (7:34). Jim also explains the expectations for ex-MLB players Adam Jones and Justin Bour, the latter of whom has drawn comparisons to an all-time Japanese great (9:39). The two then talk about defense and the emphasis that Japanese players put into defense compared versus how much attention defense gets in highlights (14:36). Jim also gives insight into the game’s top defensive players, including standout shortstop Sosuke Genda (16:44). He also points out aspects of defense that Japanese players do better than MLB players (22:58). His choice for the coolest thing to watch about Japanese baseball might surprise you (25:33).

Stay healthy and stay safe. Thank you as always for listening. Please rate and review us if you can.

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Baseball America writer Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) to talk about last week’s MLB Draft and how different players rate from a defensive perspective. First, they discuss the preparation heading into the draft and the challenges of trying to evaluate a player’s defense at the amateur level (1:17). Then, Carlos gives a scouting report on Mets draftee Pete Crow-Armstrong, ranging from his defense to his makeup (5:20).

They also discuss No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson and whether he was well equipped to make the move to third base (9:15). Next, Carlos shares his thoughts on Austin Martin to the Blue Jays and the idea of whether a player being versatile at the collegiate level was a good thing (11:16). Then, he talks about the top defensive prospect among infielders, Cubs draftee Ed Howard, and what makes him so promising as a fielder (14:11). One of Carlos’ favorite players in the draft was Garrett Mitchell, who went to the Brewers, and he explains why Mitchell rates so well (16:33). Then he talks about two catchers he likes a lot – Patrick Bailey of the Giants and Drew Romo of the Rockies (19:05).

Lastly, he provides a lengthy list of players who rate well in various analytic measurements, whether they be offense or pitching-based (23:51).

Check out Carlos and his work at baseballamerica.com. Thanks for tuning in. Stay safe, and don’t forget to rate and review the show!

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Coastal Carolina (@CoastalBaseball) outfielder Parker Chavers (@pchavers14). Parker was a preseason All-American and a two-time All-Sun Belt conference selection who missed the start of 2020 due to a shoulder injury. Prior to the injury he was ranked among college baseball’s top outfielders and was particularly praised for his arm strength. He’s viewed as anywhere from a Top 50 to Top 100 selection in this week’s MLB Draft.

Parker talks about how he’s feeling with the draft upcoming (2:16), what went into developing his arm and what has gone into rehabbing his torn labrum (2:31). He provides a self-scouting report on his defense, his hitting approach, and his power (6:58). He also explains why he models his game after Andrew Benintendi and Adam Eaton (10:55) and praises the coaches who helped him get to this point (13:17).

Mark is also joined by SIS Video Scout Associates Brandon Tew (@BrandonTeweets) and Corey Leaden (@cleaden24) (15:37). They dissect the top seven college baseball prospects in the draft, from first baseman Spencer Torkelson to outfielder Heston Kjerstad and pitcher Reid Detmers (18:56). They also provide tips to anyone looking to evaluate college baseball players (32:16).

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) talks with college baseball infielder Dai Dai Otaka (@dai_squared) about studying defensive excellence using a combination of video and in-depth statistical analysis (what we like to do!). Dai Dai first fills us in on his interests and his successful time as a starter at second base and shortstop at Yale, where he won 2 Ivy League titles (2:39).

Dai Dai then explains the study he did reviewing more than 600 5-4-3 and 5-6-3 successful double plays to see where the pivot man most often receives the throw (5:58). He also details the video review he did on the fielding approaches of Nolan Arenado (9:25), Javier Baez (12:30), and Francisco Lindor (14:50), and explains how what he learned could be applied to studying any infielder (15:48).

He also shares his passion for coaching, describing drills that could be done just by watching video highlights on YouTube or throwing a ball against a tree (16:56). He also notes the most common mistakes infielders make (19:54). Lastly, he gives advice for aspiring researchers (21:01) and teases future studies and his career aspirations (22:44).

Make sure to check out Dai Dai’s Twitter work. Thanks for listening, don’t forget to rate and review us, and stay safe!

Useful Links

Dai Dai Otaka Yale player page

Dai Dai’s study of 5-4-3 double plays

Study of approach of Javier Baez and Francisco Lindor

The “Watching highlights on YouTube drill”

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Dirk Lammers (@ddlammers), author of Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders and an expert on the history of no-hitters for a conversation on all the different factors that go into throwing one. Dirk explains the origins of his research, how much research he’s done, and his favorite (2:18). They then discuss the most prominent defensive plays in no-hitters, what made Gregor Blanco’s perfect game-saving catch so special, what percentage of no-hitters feature a good or great defensive play, and why Kevin Kouzmanoff should be remembered for his defensive work (7:21). They also get into the role of umpires and catchers (14:36) and look at patterns in pitchers that throw no-hitters (18:47). Lastly they discuss the most likely current pitchers to throw a no-hitter (20:01). Thanks for listening and stay safe!

Dirk’s website – NoNoHitters.com (@nonohitters)

No-Hitters Referenced

Robin Yount catch in Juan Nieves no-hitter LINK

Gregor Blanco catch in Matt Cain perfect game LINK

DeWayne Wise catch in Mark Buehrle perfect game LINK

Mike Baxter catch in Johan Santana no-hitter LINK

Dallas Braden perfect game LINK

Roy Halladay perfect game LINK

Francisco Liriano no-hitter LINK

Harvey Haddix near-perfect game LINK

Max Scherzer’s 17-strikeout no-hitter LINK

Sandy Koufax perfect game LINK

Tom Seaver’s no-hitter LINK

The story of a Cy Young’s no-hitter LINK

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Yonhap News reporter Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1). Jeeho is based in Seoul, South Korea and covers the KBO on a daily basis. He explains fan reaction to the return of baseball (2:27) and what it’s like to cover baseball in the age of Coronavirus (4:46). He also gives his impressions of the season so far, why Preston Tucker is off to a good start, and which American and Korean pitchers have fared well (6:42). That leads to a discussion of how we should translate stats from KBO to MLB (9:02), how Korean teams use analytics (10:49), and how the hitting approach of a Korean batter differs from MLB counterparts (12:51). Jeeho also points out how much defensive tracking goes on in the KBO and who the top defensive players are (14:40), and how shifting hasn’t necessarily caught on quite as much (16:18). He also explains what he’s seen in terms of an early increase in injuries (20:20). Lastly, he shares a few fun facts and stats he has compiled (23:17), explains why he doesn’t want to jinx no-hitters by mentioning them on Twitter (25:22), and gives some things for viewers to keep an eye on for the rest of the season (26:16).

Stay safe. Stay well. Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Thanks for listening!

Useful Links

Statiz (Korean-Language Analytics Site)

MyKBOStats (English-Language KBO Site)

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by softball star A.J. Andrews (@aj_andrews_) to talk about what goes into being an outstanding defensive outfielder. A.J. was the first softball player to be awarded a Rawlings Gold Glove, and she breaks down three catches: the first being one along the right field line in which she explained proper diving technique and how to evaluate the angles you take (2:58), the second being the first time she could remember making a great play as a kid (10:24), and the third in which she crashed into the outfield wall (13:11).

A.J. also discusses pre-pitch anticipation (15:38), how defensive positioning in softball is similar to defensive positioning in baseball (17:39), and the mentality needed to be a great defensive outfielder (22:24).

Thank you for listening. Stay healthy and stay safe!

Links

AlwaysAJ.com

TheAJAndrews.com

A.J.’s YouTube page

On this edition of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Washington Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver (@DeanO_Lytics), a pioneer in basketball analytics, to discuss some of the challenges of measuring defense in his sport.

Dean talks about the differences in basketball analysis contrasting 25 years ago to now (2:18), the parallels between tracking defense in basketball and baseball (5:23), and trying to chart the effectiveness of double-teams, getting hands in the face of shooters, and deflections (8:07). He also explains the influence that coaches have on defensive performance (14:07).

Lastly, he discusses the different perspectives on fouling when up by 3 points in the final seconds (18:32) and offers advice to aspiring statistical analysts (22:32).

Thanks for listening and stay safe.