On this episode Mark Simon is joined by Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel, baseball writer Daniel Epstein, and SIS baseball operations analyst Brandon Tew. Mark and Kyle talk about Kyle's defensive approach, which has helped him to rank 3rd in Defensive Runs Saved the last 2 seasons. Kyle explains how a childhood game got him on an early path to being a top defensive player and what it was like to rob a home run from Bryce Harper and make an incredible play against Marcus Semien. And he...

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) does an "everything but defense" show, talking to Cubs minor league hitting coach and co-hitting coordinator Rachel Folden (@rachelfolden25) and pitching analyst Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz), who writes his own newsletter and does analysis for Marquee Sports. Rachel, a former softball All-American, talks about her path to her current job and what goes into teaching hitting from the perspective of understanding biomechanics, the lingo, the stats,...

On this episode, we honor Women’s History Month with 2 interviews featuring women working in baseball in different ways.  First, Mark Simon talks to Saint Elizabeth University catcher Alexia Jorge, who became the 2nd woman to start at catcher in a college baseball game. Alexia has been playing baseball (not softball) her entire life and she speaks to us about her techniques for pitch framing and thwarting basestealing attempts, as well as how she prepares for upcoming opponents with limited...

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez (@andresgimenez). Andrés talks about how he does what he does on defense, which led to him winning a 2023 Fielding Bible Award. Andrés even explains one thing he does with his wife in the offseason to help him stay athletic (0:36). Then, SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales (@bobby_scales) joins us to talk about what Andrés had to say (14:32). Links to the 3 plays mentioned in the...

 On this special Black History Month episode, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Pirates' Vice President of Player Personnel Steve Williams and former MLB pitcher LaTroy Hawkins (@LaTroyHawkins32). Steve talks about his career working in baseball and the role he plays as the president of the Buck O'Neil Professional Baseball Scouts & Coaches Association (0:38). LaTroy talks about his lengthy career, creating opportunities in baseball for underserved communities, and how he has...

On this episode, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Orioles pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek, SIS’ Asian Baseball scout and operations associate Brandon Tew, (@BrandonTeweets) and our VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales (@Bobby_Scales).  Ryan walks us through his career path and explains what goes into being a pitching strategy coach in the major leagues (0:48).  Brandon shares his scouting reports on Yoshinobu Yamamoto,  Shōta Imanaga, Naoyuki Uwasawa, Jung-hoo Lee, Yuki Matsui, and...

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, we remember the many baseball players - major leaguers, minor leaguers, NPB players, and college players - that we spoke to in 2023.  You'll hear the best we got from Phillies GM Sam Fuld, Washington Post reporter Chelsea Janes, Tre' Morgan, Vance Honeycutt, Noah Miller, Nasim Nuñez, Brenton Doyle, Bobby Witt Jr., Bobby Scales, Marcus Semien, Josh Rojas, David MacKinnon, Myles Straw, Jake Meyers, Adley Rutschman, Marquis Grissom,...

The podcast goes global this week as Mark Simon is joined by Seibu Lions first baseman David MacKinnon and Japan Baseball Weekly podcast co-host John Gibson. Mark and David talk about David's first season in Japan both from a baseball and cultural perspective and how being a college soccer goalie made him a better defensive player (1:23). Mark and John then review the 2023 NPB Fielding Bible Award winners, explaining what made each of those players so good (12:13). And SIS VP of Baseball...

Thursday, Sports Info Solutions announced the winners of The 2023 Fielding Bible Awards. Each year since 2006 our voters have picked the best defensive player at each position. This year, we’ve added a Defensive Player of the Year award to the mix. Podcast host Mark Simon and SIS VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales run through the winners and discuss what makes them great. We are joined by Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier to talk to them about their...

On this episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays)  is joined by national baseball writers, Tyler Kepner of The Athletic (@tylerkepner) and Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post (@chelsea_janes). This is our 3rd annual “The Year in Surprises” episode. Tyler, Chelsea, and Mark each offer their pick for most surprising team, position player, and pitcher. Among the teams and players that come up in the conversation are the Mets, Padres, Diamondbacks,...

On this episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by a pair of minor league defensive standouts, Noah Miller from the Twins organization (0:58) and Nasim Nuñez (16:19) from the Marlins organization. We enjoyed talking about how they do what they do on D. Noah Miller leads all shortstops in the minor league version of Defensive Runs Saved this season with Nuñez consistently ranking around the top 5. They talk about their specific defensive approaches, how...

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who has been one of the best players in baseball both offensively and defensively since the All-Star Break.  Bobby talks about how he's no longer trying to field balls and make throws at the same time and how he mentally resets before each pitch. He also breaks down some of the best plays he's made in 2023 (0:29).  Afterwards, Mark discusses the interview with Sports Info Solutions VP of Baseball...

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by The Athletic senior writer Eno Sarris (@enosarris), as well as Noah Gatsik (@iamthatnoah) and Brandon Tew (@brandonteweets), who help run SIS Baseball Scout School.  Mark and Eno talk pitching, with a focus on the Giants, Astros, and Orioles. Among the names that come up are Grayson Rodriguez, Framber Valdez, and Jakob Junis, along with organizational pitching philosophies (0:33).  Mark, Noah, and Brandon talk about SIS Scout School,...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo, author of the new book Smart, Wrong, and Lucky, The Origin Stories of Baseball’s Unexpected Stars.  Adley talks about the challenges of catching the different pitchers on the Orioles staff, how the team’s pitching strategist helps him with game preparation, and what he could do defensively that would top switch-hitting home runs in the Home Run Derby (0:39).  Jonathan discusses his new...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by baseball writers Jay Jaffe (FanGraphs, The Cooperstown Casebook) and Russell Carleton (Baseball Prospectus, The New Ballgame). With this being Hall of Fame week, Jay comes on to talk about a series of pieces he's written about the Hall of Fame candidacies of current players. We discuss Jose Ramirez, Freddie Freeman, Kenley Jansen, and Marcus Semien from a variety of angles (0:51). Russell comes on to talk about his new book, which takes a macro...

On this episode, we focus on the toughest defensive job in baseball, playing center field at Coors Field. Rockies rookie Brenton Doyle is doing it and doing it well. Mark Simon talked to Brenton about how he does what he does defensively and how his defensive game has developed dating back to his Division II college days (0:39).  SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales just watched Doyle play live and shares his thoughts on his game, as well as the outstanding defense of Rockies shortstop Ezequiel...

On this episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by Giants rookie catcher Patrick Bailey. Patrick talked about who taught him to think like a catcher, how he works with his pitchers, what goes into pitch framing, and why he thinks he got off to a good start as a hitter too (0:31). SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales addressed some of Bailey's comments, talked about what goes into managing a pitching staff, and cited one past catcher who was particularly good...

On this episode of the SIS Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien and Astros center fielder Jake Meyers for a pair of conversations about defensive excellence.  Marcus talks about a couple of memorable plays from the season, the hardest things about playing second base, the level of peak focus a hitter and fielder can have, and how eliminating the shift helped the Rangers right-side defense (0:32).  Jake Meyers walks us through 3 great catches he’s made...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by ZiPS projection system creator and FanGraphs writer Dan Szymborski to talk shop about creating a projection tool. Dan talked about the principles of ZiPS, how he created it, and how the system works. He cited specific current examples, including whether the A's will lose 120 games, how the projection on Matt Chapman changes over time, the challenge of projecting defense from minor league data, and why the system projects what it does for George...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by North Carolina sophomore center fielder Vance Honeycutt and FanGraphs.com baseball writer Ben Clemens. Vance was the 2022 ACC Tournament MVP and league Preseason Player of the Year, but he joins us to talk about his defense and his penchant for home run-robberies and other great catches. He also explains how he's evolved as a hitter, one who could be a high-end pick in next year's MLB Draft (0:42). Ben writes a weekly column about "5 Things He Likes...

On this episode, Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) is joined by Diamondbacks third baseman Josh Rojas (@joshrojass) and Guardians center fielder Myles Straw (@Myles_Straw) to discuss what’s made them into good defensive players and baserunners.  Josh talks about the adjustments he’s made at third base and how he can feel the difference it has made for him. He also describes in detail three memorable plays he’s made this season and how he successfully executed a difficult move to steal home on a...

On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by …  * ESPN broadcaster Eduardo Pérez, who celebrates the global nature of the game, and talks about his appreciation of Shohei Ohtani, Luis Arraez, and (among others) Rays outfielder Harold Ramírez. Eduardo also talks about the new rules, the pace of the game, and why this Sunday’s broadcast of Astros-Rangers is going to stand out beyond the starting pitching matchup (1:07).  * ESPN’s Paul Hembekides,...

This episode has all the bases covered.  We start in college with Mark Simon talking to No. 1 LSU’s starting first baseman, Tre' Morgan. He’s considered one of college baseball’s defensive standouts, so we pick his brain on picks, adventures in the outfield, and much more (0:28). We move on to some MLB Prospect talk as Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser gives us the rundown on how some of the game’s top future stars rate defensively. We run the gamut from Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson to...

On this episode, we honor Women’s History Month with conversations with three women who are moving the industry forward with their work in baseball analysis. Mark Simon is joined first by Chelsea Janes, national baseball writer for the Washington Post to discuss player reaction to rule changes, what to make of the Padres and Orioles heading into 2023, and other season preview-related topics. Chelsea also discusses how baseball’s receptiveness to women writers has changed in her 10 years on...