ABS Replay Review: Buffer Zones and Strategy w/ Jayson Stark, Oyster Analytics

We kick off the baseball season, with Mark Simon talking about all things robo-ump.First, Jayson Stark joins us to explain the "buffer zone" and the imperfections of the new system. He wrote an article about this last month and we're now seeing what he wrote about play out in front of us.Then we're joined by Maxfield Lane and Owen Riley of Oyster Analytics. They're former college baseball players with a statistical expertise who have mapped out when it's best to challenge and when it's best to hold back, and they have an interactive tool that you can use to play along with batters, pitchers, catchers, and umpires.Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode of The SIS Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by SNY baseball insider Chelsea Janes (former national baseball writer for The Washington Post) to preview the season. Also, in celebration of Women's History Month, he talks to Joely Leguizamon who will be one of the pioneers playing in the Women's Professional Baseball League this summer.Mark and Chelsea swapped predictions, sharing surprise teams and players, tight division races, and defensive assessments, as well as the thing in baseball that will make them throw up their hands saying "I just don't know" and what the coolest thing of the 2026 baseball season will be.Joely joined Mark to talk about our favorite topic, defense, including her earliest defense memories, how she learned to play, and why self-reliance is an important part of being an athlete.. Over the years we've talked to major leaguers, minor leaguers, college baseball and softball players, high school players, and Korean and Japanese league players and we're glad to add a WPBL player to our list.Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode we deviate a little bit from our usual format. This is our 6th straight year doing an episode with Black History Month connections. We feel it's important to be socially conscious and inclusive, especially with everything happening in the world.This year we did that by speaking with two people whose job is sharing the legacy of baseball legends. Samantha Gibson, director of education at The Jackie Robinson Museum talked to Mark Simon about the museum's mission and the many elements to Jackie Robinson the person, not just the baseball player (plus, some book recommendations for people of all ages). Then, Sean Gibson, executive director of The Josh Gibson Foundation explained how video games have helped tell the story of Sean's great-grandfather, Josh, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also shared what the Foundation is doing to further youth participation in sports in Pittsburgh.The episode also featured our alumni corner spot, this one with Chris Goudoras, director of baseball analytics at Ole Miss University. He explained what he does in his job and gave tips for aspiring baseball job seekers.Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

It's a guest-packed episode of The SIS Baseball Podcast as Mark Simon welcomed in Pirates coach and player development director Michael Chernow as well as three finalists for the SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards, Zach Crizer (The Bandwagon), Maddie Landis (Talk Sox), and Michael Rosen (FanGraphs).Michael Chernow explained how his job compares to that of a farm director, and shared how the Pirates organization works to build good habits in players and good habits in its coaches, such that both can get promoted to the major league staff or (in the case of coaches) pursue other areas within their baseball interest.Zach Crizer talked about his article for Opta Analyst, "Evolution in the Outfield: Is Center Fielder Morphing Into A Defensive Specialist Position" and cited the decline of center field OPS as players like Brenton Doyle, Kyle Isbel, and Tyrone Taylor become priorities for their teams. We also looked at his story from last season about right-handed batters and their lowered success vs left-handed pitching.Maddie Landis shared her article on "Baseball's Gatekept Pitching Metric: Inside Vertical Approach Angle" and explained what can be learned from knowing the angle at which a pitch crosses home plate. She also discussed what she wrote about baseball player success by shoe type and which hitters are primed for breakout seasons in 2026 based on a stat she created.Michael Rosen detailed what he learned from "How Much Do Trail Runners Matter? An Investigation" including which teams gained the most run expectancy from their successes. We also explored his articles on relief pitcher signings and also Wyatt Langford's defense.Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On our final episode of 2025 we're joined by Minnesota Twins pro personnel analyst Nihar Maskara (an SIS alumnus) to talk about what working in baseball analytics is like when working for an MLB team.Nihar recounted his time as a student at Wake Forest volunteering for the baseball team's analytics department. He shared what goes into his work with the Twins and the things he learned by asking questions. He explained how the sport is evolving, what jobs he'd like to explore in the future, and provided tips for those just starting out for a team.To close the episode we looked back at what advice the major leaguers we interviewed in 2025 had for aspiring baseball players.Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon was joined by former major leaguer and current Japanese baseball star Tyler Nevin, who won an NPB Fielding Bible Award for defensive excellence at first base.Tyler talked about his overall experience in Japan (he loved it - he signed a 2-year contract extension with the Seibu Lions), and what it was like to be a former American player in a Japanese locker room.He also told us the story of a one-of-a-kind defensive play and other unusual things he saw, and provided a scouting report of future MLB pitcher Tatsuya Imai, as well as one on Japan's best defensive player, 5-foot-2 Natsuo Takizawa.Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon announces the winners of The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards, including a new award for Defensive Team of the Year. Mark is joined by three of the Fielding Bible winners: Nico Hoerner of the Cubs (2:15), Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays (17:45), and Patrick Bailey of the Giants (26:45).Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

This year for our annual "Biggest Surprises in Baseball" episode, Mark Simon brought in Ben Clemens of FanGraphs to come up with a comprehensive list.Mark and Ben talked about surprise hitters, pitchers, fielders, teams, and things. Among those discussed: Cristopher Sánchez, Trevor Rogers, Cam Smith, the Brewers, Orioles, Braves, and many more. This is our final episode of the MLB regular season. Our next episode will be in October to announce the winners of The Fielding Bible Awards. Stay tuned for that.Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this week's episode, Mark Simon is joined by Angels center fielder Bryce Teodosio, one of the top defensive players in baseball since his recall from the minors about 6 weeks ago.Bryce talked about his aggressive approach and how he makes plays like a home run robbery against Andy Pages. He also explained the way pre-game prep helps him get ready for making improbable catches.At episode's end, Mark takes a look at the top contenders for this year's Fielding Bible Awards.Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by the No. 1 prospect in minor league baseball, Pirates shortstop and center fielder Konnor Griffin, who at age 19, is playing solid MLB-caliber defense right now.Konnor talked about why he plays the positions so aggressively, what it's been like learning from older players, the hard parts of playing defense, and more.Mark was also joined by his SIS colleague, VP of analytics Alex Vigderman, who described  a project he presented with Joe Rosales at Saberseminar on our pitch-framing metric, Strike Zone Runs Saved. He elaborated on the catchers, pitchers, batters, and umpires who got or called more strikes than expected over the last 10 years.Konnor's great play vs the Yankeeshttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/NRRdSkSdKCUKonnor's minor league highlight reelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrGS85eqR2EThanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].