2023 In Review: A Great Run Of Players Talking About Their Defensive Excellence

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 shares what kind of tattoo he would want to create to commemorate the kind of defense he plays (2:50).Mark and Daniel discuss Daniel's comprehensive video analysis articles, including ones on Mookie Betts, tagging effectiveness, and how first basemen catch throws, as well as a piece on pitchers introducing the splitter to their repertoire (14:41).Mark and Brandon chat about how Kansas has taken one of its players and turned him into a roving defender, which players could go 1-1 in this year's MLB Draft, and a difference in pitch usage between MLB and NPB pitchers (30:29).Thank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].  

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, and the player. She offers advice to those who want to work in a similar role and shares some of her success stories (3:16).Lance talks about the trend of significant pitcher injuries to start the season, gives some examples of pitcher analysis he's done, and provides perspective on how fans could best utilize his info (20:25).And then SIS VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales (@bobby_scales) joins us to further explain some of the things we learned in Rachel's interview. He also talks baserunning, specifically the challenges of being a major league third base coach and whether runners are sent home enough in situations that they should be (39:32).Lance's newsletter: LanceBroz.Substack.comYouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@LanceBrozThank you for listening. Please check out Archive.FieldingBible.com for your defensive stats needs, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected]. 

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 data and information available (3:34). Then we speak with baseball researcher Emily-Anne Patt, who talks about a project she’s worked on - with research partner James Stockton - for the last several years. Emily-Anne’s work deals with analyzing strike zone sizes and shapes for umpires, catchers, pitchers, and hitters. She’s presented at the last 2 SABR Analytics Conferences and shared some of her findings on specific players (her project is very much in line with work SIS does) (19:39). Mark also recapps Alexia’s interview with SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales and talks about the things Bobby is most looking forward to watching in 2024 (32:33). Other SIS interviews with women in baseball: Rachel BalkovecBianca SmithAlex OglesbyVeronica Alvarez, Tess Taruskin, Sarah ThompsonJustine Siegal PhDKiri Oler and Emily CurtisJasmine DunstonA.J. AndrewsChelsea Janes, Andrea Arcidipane, Sarah ThompsonThank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected]. 

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 episode:Vladimir Guerrero Jr.Julio RodríguezAnthony SantanderThank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected]. 

 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 adjusted to changes in the game now that he is working as a Special Assistant for the Twins (21:28). Mark and Bobby also take a few minutes to talk about the Jackie Robinson Museum and the Negro League Baseball Museum (41:03)Check out the podcasts mentioned in the show using the links below:Black Diamonds PodcastThick Skin PodcastThank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected]. 

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 Woo-suk Go. (Click the link to read the report.) (18:29) And then Mark and Bobby talk about the recent Hall of Fame elections of Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer, and look ahead to the next Hall of Fame ballot, which features Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia. (31:58) Thank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

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, Kevin Kiermaier, and Ke'Bryan Hayes Apply to work as a SIS Baseball Video Scout here  Thank you for listening. Please check out the new FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected]..

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 Bobby Scales comes on for his regular segment breaking down what MacKinnon said and the things that separated the Texas Rangers from other teams in the postseason (25:35).Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected]. 

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 seasons. Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

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, Orioles, Kyle Bradish, Isaac Paredes, Zach Eflin, and even Freddie Freeman and Blake Snell (for specific reasons) (0:28). Mark is then joined by SIS VP of Baseball, Bobby Scales (@bobby_scales), who offers his thoughts on the Rangers resurgence, the Braves’ potential playoff issue, the potentially scary nature of the Brewers, and the goodbyes for Miguel Cabrera and Adam Wainwright (27:21). Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at [email protected].