Baseball Beyond Batting Average

Mark and Andy determine once and for all who the first family of baseball is, the Boones or the Bells. Taking into account multiple pieces of data, both stats-based and otherwise, the competition between these uncannily-matched combatants comes down to the wire and a surprising finish gives a slight edge to the gang you might not expect. Your hosts finish up the episode with a less-close round of Roll The Stat, America's Favorite Baseball Stat Guessing Game, in which career caught stealing totals are guessed. It's an hour of full-fledged family baseball fun, finally.

The 2001 Mariners won as many regular season games as any team in baseball history, but fell short of playoff success. How did a team without Griffey, A-Rod, and Big Unit reach such heights? Mark and Andy are back to do a statistical deep dive into the winningest regular season team in history, position by position and player by player, and leave no stone unturned. Along the way, questions emerge: Who was Charles Gipson? Was Paul Abbott a winner? Which baseball family--The Boones or The Bells--was better? Listen to find out the answers, play along in a round of Roll The Stat, and more.

Mark and Andy are back for another episode of your favorite advanced stats baseball podcast. This time they are highlighting forgotten stars of the 1980s. While it may seem that the 1980s were just a few short years ago and thus none of the stars was forgotten, your hosts attempt to find some names that may be underappreciated or that produced some seasons that may not be remembered as well as they should be. Enjoy remembering some great '80s names and wrap it up by playing along in a round of Roll The Stat, the best advanced stat guessing game for your holiday season.

Mark and Andy are back for another installment of their baseball stats exploration. Andy explores the list of the 70 20-20 seasons in baseball history. No, not home runs and stolen bases, but 20 batting runs and 20 fielding runs. Mark takes a look at noteworthy accomplishments in the first 162 games of players' careers. Who had the most hits? The most home runs? The most strikeouts? What happened to Kal Daniels? You'll get answers to some of these questions and probably come up with a lot more questions after listening. Play along with Roll The Stat at the end to test your knowledge of pitchers' K/9s. You'll never look at Wilson Valdez the same.

Mark and Andy are back with their latest statistical explorations into baseball's history. This time, Mark looks at some of the most extreme--and worst--100 RBI seasons ever put together. Let's just say Tony Armas figures prominently. Andy takes on the scorching hot topic of pitchers hitting, both the best and worst of all-time. Randy Johnson falls into one of those categories. It all wraps up with a round of Roll The Stat, in which the hosts guess the career OPS+ of different pitchers.

Mark and Andy are joined by Adam Darowski of Baseball Reference to talk about some advanced hitting stats that were recently added to players' pages, rBat+ and rOBA, as well as many other baseball-related topics, including his Hall of Stats site. Learn how these new stats are calculated, how they came to be on the page, and where the all-time greats rank according to the measures. Use your newfound knowledge to play along with a game of rBat+ Roll The Stat, and see if you can beat the expert himself, Adam Darowski.

Mark and Andy pare down their normal gargantuan episodes into one that can be digested in a shorter amount of time. The topics this time are "manager stats"--really an investigation into a team's actual performance vs. their record based on their total WAR--and game scores, the Bill James stat used to evaluate starting pitching performances. Both topics are revelatory and fun, and lead to another round of Roll The Stat, this time guessing the game scores of memorable pitching performances throughout baseball history.

Mark and Andy are joined on this episode by baseball stats guru Jim Passon. The hosts and their guest take turns highlighting some of the less-remembered stars of the 1960s. As over 50 years have passed since the primes of their careers, players like Floyd Robinson, Don Mincher, and Jim Maloney are not household names. They all had their moments of glory, however, and this episode serves to remind us of those moments. Stay to the end to hear Jim, Mark, and Andy play Roll The Stat by guessing career OPSes of players from that era. You won't want to miss one of the 120 minutes.

Mark and Andy are joined by Mark and Jeff from the Two Strike Noise podcast to create a foursome of podcasticness never seen before. The topic? The 1990 baseball season, a subject so nice they had to record it twice. While the National League portion of the season is discussed here, the AL happenings will be discussed on a subsequent episode of Two Strike Noise. Here, your hosts cover the stats and the stories, from the dominance of Lenny Dykstra to Roseanne's memorable national anthem rendition. Each NL team gets discussed, as does the good, bad, and ugly of every position. The episode wraps up with an intense round of Roll The Stat, the first time four players have battled on air.

The 2020 calendar year and season can finally be properly wrapped up, as Mark and Andy are back for their fourth installment of the BBBA Awards. This time, along with giving their takes on the existing inferior awards (MVP, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young), your hosts attempt to rename those awards to give it a more BBBA flavor. And as always, they give their own awards to players for accomplishments both good and bad. Returning awards include The Wilfong Award, The Jeter Award, and The Fury Gene "Steamboat" Tenace Award for Excellence in Plate Discipline. The hosts wrap it up with a thrilling version of Roll The Stat by guessing 2020 hitters' career ISOs. Listen and help put the 2020 season, and that miserable year, to rest.

The year was 1987. Mark and Andy were 10 years old and baseballs were flying out of ballparks. Your hosts take a look back at that wondrous time in their youth and try to gain a better understanding of who really were the kings of the diamond that season. Each team gets discussed in some detail, as each host takes a league and looks at the standings and the stars. Some names are expected, like McGwire and Dawson, while others are not so household, like Randy Ready and Garth Iorg. The episode ends with a tight round of Roll The Stat, the advanced baseball stat guessing game that helped us all through a pandemic.

Mark and Andy do another in-depth examination of two players, this time the similarly-skilled Rickey Henderson and Tim "Rock" Raines. While Mark takes on Rickey in all his glory, Andy handles the under-appreciated star Raines. Although the players' careers spanned the same time period and their skills mirrored each other, Rickey was in a league of his own. Find out where his value came from and how Rock measures up as a hitter, baserunner, and fielder. Finish it up by playing along in the latest round of Roll The Stat, in which Mark and Andy tackle a new stat, Championship Win Probability Added, for players who led a league in stolen bases during Henderson's and Raines' careers.

Mark and Andy tackle a new kind of topic for the 65th installment of the podcast. This time, they're looking for stars from the 1970s who have been forgotten or overlooked. Although some of the players mentioned are not all-time greats, several others deserve serious Hall of Fame consideration. Just as the hosts did, hopefully you too will gain a newfound appreciation for the players they mention, such as Ken Singleton, Wilbur Wood, Dave Cash, and Gene Tenace. The show wraps up with a round of Roll The Stat in which the hosts guess the career on-base percentages of 1970s stalwarts. Listen and let them know who they forgot to forget.

Mark and Andy resume their exploration of Statcast measurements by focusing on fielding. Although the data is not readily available for most of it, arm strength, distance covered, and pop time form the foundation for what will come when they look at fielding metrics. The lack of data allow Mark and Andy to discuss some other baseball topics, including their thoughts about MLB's rule changes. The hosts do spend time looking at the pop time leaderboards, and finish the episode with a round of Roll The Stat in which they guess catchers' pop times.

In the latest in their Second Look series, Mark and Andy dive into the careers of Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn to try to better understand the two players who became synonymous with batting titles in the '80s and '90s. Both were hailed as excellent players during their time, so what can we learn? Advanced stats shed some light on just how excellent they were, and allow us to evaluate their all-around game. The hosts wrap it up with another round of Roll The Stat, the greatest advanced stat guessing game developed in the last decade, in which they guess career wOBAs of other former batting champs. It will be the best two hours you spend this week.

Mark and Andy are back for another installment in their exploration of Statcast measurements. This time, they focus on the pitching side of things. We always hear about velocity and spin rate, but do we really understand what makes a pitcher effective? Your hosts attempt to sort through all the numbers and determine what it all means. What they find is that it is not always clear what makes an effective pitcher. Looking at other measurements like extension and movement help, but it's still not obvious what it all means. Included in the episode is a quick digression into the "peak 7" component of JAWS, as well as a round of everyone's favorite advanced stat guessing game Roll The Stat. Listen or get made fun of in the school yard.

Mark and Andy are joined by special guest Brad Balukjian, the author of the exceptional new book The Wax Pack. Mr. Balukjian gives some insight into how the book came about and what makes it so special. The hosts help him break down the players featured in the book, both personally and statistically. While Mr. Balukjian is able to show a side of the players that makes them more human, Mark and Andy attempt to reduce them down to a series of numbers and accomplishments. Our guest plays along in a scintillating round of Which Was Bigger?, while Mark and Andy wrap up the episode with good ol' Roll The Stat, your favorite quarantine advanced baseball stat guessing game. It all makes for one of the best episodes of the BBBA podcast yet.

Mark and Andy are back to where it all started, introducing advanced stats one episode at a time. This time though, there's a little twist in that the "stats" are really just measurements, and instead of one, they talk about four or five different ones. The topic this time around is Statcast stats, and to start their investigation, your hosts are looking at offensive measurements: exit velocity, launch angle, lead distance, and sprint speed. Mark and Andy break down these divisive metrics in an effort to better understand how they're measured and what they mean. Leaderboards and loserboards are utilized to help sort out what kinds of numbers are typical, and which major leaguers have extreme values in all categories. The episode is wrapped up with a round of Roll The Stat, in which the hosts guess players' sprint speeds. Please listen and play along and see if you can also become a Statcast expert.

The careers of Don Mattingly and Kirby Puckett, although divergent in many ways--big-market vs. small-market, first baseman vs. center fielder, Hall of Famer vs. Just Really Good--also overlap considerably. The single-franchise heroes essentially played during the same seasons and have remarkably similar statistical profiles. Each one was regarded as a superstar during a career that was cut short by injury/illness. How does each player fare under the advanced stats microscope? Is Puckett's HoF induction warranted? Is Mattingly's exclusion? Mark and Andy take turns dissecting the careers to allow you to draw your own conclusions. The hosts finish it off with a round of Roll The Stat in which they guess the career WHIPs of AL All-Star pitchers from 1986-1989. If that's something you do regularly anyway, this episode is definitely made for you.

The 2019 calendar year and season can finally be properly wrapped up, as Mark and Andy are back for their third installment of the BBBA Awards. Along with giving their takes on the existing inferior awards (MVP, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young), your hosts give their own recognition to players for accomplishments both good and bad. Among awards that return this year are The Bergen Award, The Tiny Glove, and The Balboni Award, while new additions include the LaMarr Hoyt Award and the Jeff Burroughs Award. The hosts wrap it up with a scintillating version of Roll The Stat by guessing 2019 hitters' career Runs Created. Listen and celebrate the 2019 season in all its holiday glory.

Mark and Andy are back to revamp the stats on the backs of baseball cards. Although they didn't completely do away with traditional stats, there are plenty of more advanced stats that deserve a place among the 14 or so columns shown on the cardboard for both hitters and pitchers. They didn't quite reach consensus yet, but started the conversation and made some definitive choices (sorry, wins and saves) about certain stats. The leaderboards from 2019 were used to give some context to the stats being discussed, and the episode wraps up--as always--with a scintillating round of Roll The Stat. Can you guess pitchers' career K/9? The hosts discover a simple trick for always guessing correctly. Listen to find out!

Mark and Andy are back with your favorite advanced baseball stats podcast after a brief hiatus. The topic this time is Phillies catchers. Your hosts investigate the men who have played the position over the years through the lens of advanced stats. The names range from Darren Daulton to Andy Seminick to more recent luminaries like J. T. Realmuto and Jorge Alfaro. The episode wraps up with a BBBA staple, Roll The Stat. Play along with your hosts and try out your newfound Phillies catchers expertise.

In the final installment of their summer programming, Mark and Andy break down the Mount Rushmores for all five teams in the current National League East. Controversy ensues as the hosts debate, along with listeners and Twitter followers, the legitimacy of candidates and even of the existence of certain teams. Both podcasters have emotional ties to teams from the division, which made the task all the more difficult. Listen and play along in another round of Roll The Stat, in which Mark and Andy guess--*gasp*--batting averages of NL East hitters. It's a fitting cap to a fun series.

Mark and Andy bring you the fifth out of six episodes in their Mount Rushmores series, in which they determine the faces for the teams of the National League West. This may have been the most difficult division to date, as each team presented decisions that could have gone any of several different ways. Ultimately though, there can be only four. As always, we hear from listeners and Twitter followers who help shape the mountainsides with their opinions and wacky takes. Finally, the hosts play a little Roll The Stat, in which they guess career WHIPs for pitchers who played for at least two National League West teams.

Mark and Andy continue their "summer programming" with the next in their series of MLB divisions' Mount Rushmores. This time it's the NL Central, as the 5 current occupants of the division take their turns under the microscope. Twitter followers and podcast listeners chime in with their opinions, comical or serious as they may be, and your hosts sort through it all to illuminate all the faces that could grace the hypothetical mountainside. At the end, play along as Mark and Andy square off in a round of Roll The Stat and guess RBI totals of hitters who played for at least two NL Central franchises.

Mark and Andy wrap up the Mount Rushmores of the American League by naming a top 4 for each team in the American League Central. This episode, just as the previous two, is spiced up with listener submissions and voting. While the listeners' lists are often comical or based on factors other than greatness, the hosts mostly base their lists on the bread-and-butter of the podcast--statistics. Despite the preference for numbers, they do allow a Steve Balboni or two to sneak in here or there. The show wraps up with a rousing rendition of Roll The Stat. Play along and see if Mark continues his recent dominance by using his superior knowledge of AL Central pitchers.

Mark and Andy are joined by the voice of Wax Ecstatic, Matt Sammon, to tackle the daunting task of coming up with a Mount Rushmore for every current American League East team. Matt lends his expertise as a former Rays employee and Blue Jays fan and general baseball guy and Mark and Andy lend their usual takes incorporating stats and stories. The hosts also attempt to stump their guest with a round of Which Was Bigger?, but he dominates like no other. After the lengthy discussions regarding the faces worthy of being carved into a mountainside, Mark and Andy wrap it up with a round of Roll The Stat in which they guess players' career WPAs. Stick around to the end; you won't be disappointed.

The debates about who are the ultimate representatives for the Major League Baseball franchises is sure to be lively and bring up differences in opinions and criteria. Mark and Andy give their takes on who should be carved on the mountainside, taking into account many factors, including of course advanced metrics. This first episode in the series limits the scope to just the current American League West teams. That doesn't stop the episode from clocking in at well over an hour though, as both hosts present their case for their top 4, and time is also given for the opinions of Twitter followers. It's all wrapped up with round of Roll The Stat, in which Mark and Andy guess the number of career shutouts for pitchers who pitched for at least two AL West teams. Enjoy the show and feel free to disagree.

The great Grant McAuley joins Mark and Andy to discuss the spotty history of Braves second basemen. Stories abound for this collection of names, but choosing the best players to man the position in history proved challenging. Most players--from Lemke to Giles to Hornsby--only played the position for a few seasons at most. Did Glenn Hubbard's 1984 Fleer "snake" card make an appearance on the show? If you've listened to any episode, you know the answer to that. McAuley's expertise shines for over an hour of this episode, while your regular hosts do their best to keep up and then show off what they know in an historic round of Roll The Stat.

Todd Helton dominates the Rockies first basemen leaderboards like no other, and although there are only 75 players to have ever manned the position, there are plenty of interesting names, stats, and stories to go around. Mark and Andy go down the path of exploring all the ins and outs of Rockies first sackers, but get sidetracked along the way for conversations about 1990 Topps, the 1983 Seattle Mariners, and that thin Rocky Mount air. Names such as Jay Gainer, Kit Pellow, and Butch Huskey figure prominently. It all wraps up with a riveting round of Roll The Stat, the fastest-growing baseball stat guessing game in the 18-34 male demographic. Play along, beat the hosts, and bring home that hardware for the mantle.

Your hosts thought it would be hard to make an episode about only one position for one team. Then they did it. Now, they attempt to fill an entire episode about only two players--Andre Dawson and Steve Garvey. Not only did Mark and Andy do it, but they made their longest episode to date. Be prepared to know more about these two players than you ever wanted to know and decide for yourself on their level of greatness. The hosts wrap it up as always with a round of Roll The Stat, in which they guess career slugging averages of hitters who were on the 1981 NL All-Star team with Garvey and Dawson. Enjoy!

If you're going to commit to doing an episode about every position for every team, that means you're going to have to do a Marlins leftfielders episode. You might be surprised by how many stars have played the position in the franchise's short history, however. While there are plenty of Chris Coghlans and Bryan Petersons, there's also Miggy, Ichiro, Sheff, Rock, and The Hawk. Despite a limited database, there are plenty of delicious statistical nuggets. As usual, Mark and Andy pick their top 5 and finish the episode with a round of Roll The Stat, your favorite baseball stat guessing game. You'll gain a newfound appreciation for the Fish franchise.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been around forever, and their long history affords Mark and Andy the opportunity to dig in deep to the history of their catchers. While a large chunk of time is devoted to more recent names like Jason Kendall, Manny Sanguillen, and Tony Pena, the Doggie Millers and Bill Salkelds get their due as well. Your hosts look at the analytical side of the conversation, as well as a lighter take in investigating best names, future Hall of Famers, and best baseball cards. Of course, you'll have to play along in a round of Roll The Stat, everyone's favorite baseball stat guessing game. By the end, you too will be a Pirates catchers expert.

Mark and Andy attempt to rethink the Cy Young Award winners in the 1990s, but find that, because of a handful of dominant starters, most choices were easy. Even looking at the candidates through the lens of advance stats instead of just wins and ERA, there's a lot of Maddux, Clemens, Johnson, and Martinez. That doesn't stop the hosts from making a couple of controversial decisions with the benefit of hindsight. Bob Welch, we're looking at you. They wrap it up with a round of Roll The Stat, a mind-blowing stat guessing game, in which you can play along guessing the career ERA+ of 1990s Cy Young candidates (and Rob Dibble). Have fun and learn a little along the way.

Mark and Andy are back with another installment in the every-team-every-position-series, this time with their first Blue Jays episode and their first episode focusing on relief pitchers. You may think they'd be hard pressed to do a whole episode solely on Blue Jays relievers, but you probably had forgotten the contributions of Mark Eichhorn, Roy Lee Jackson, Mark Lemongello, and Dale Murray. The hosts take you on a tour of all the memorable and not-so-memorable names, and rank the greatest relievers in Toronto history by consulting the statistical leaderboards. The episode wraps up with a round of Roll The Stat, the baseball stat guessing game that all the kids are talking about. By the end, you'll know more about Duane Ward than you ever wanted to know.

Mark and Andy return with another episode of your favorite baseball stats podcast, this time centering around the players who have manned the "position" of designated hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers. Only having a full-time designated hitter for 25 seasons allows the hosts to really zero in on a large majority of the significant names, so you'll hear about Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, and Hank Aaron, but also Dick Davis, Randy Ready, and Joey Meyer. The shows shifts from statistical leaderboards to (sometimes inaccurate) vignettes, with a little Hall of Fame talk mixed in. Of course, you will want to play along in America's Favorite Baseball Stat Guessing Game, Roll The Stat. You'll be a winner for just having played.

Mark and Andy are back with what may be their best episode yet--a sprawling, genre-defying, magnum opus of an ode to St. Louis Cardinals starting pitchers. While obvious names like Bob Gibson and Adam Wainwright get their due, the hosts make sure to include more obscure names like John Fulgham, Silver King, and Memo Luna. Through a close inspection of leaderboards, the true greats rise to the top, allowing each host to stake their claim to a Top 5 list. Of course, the episode wraps up with Roll The Stat, the most popular baseball stat guessing game since the 1950s staple "Guess My RBIs!". See if you can top Andy's historic performance and become a true BBBA champion.

Mark and Andy get back into the team/position episodes for an exploration of all things Rangers leftfielders. Although Harold Baines was a leftfielder and played for the Rangers, he never played leftfield for the Rangers. That didn't stop the hosts from spending a good bit of time debating his Hall of Fame election. Most of the time was spent analyzing players who actually did play the position for the Washington/Texas franchise, though. Headliners like Josh Hamilton, Frank Howard, and Juan Gonzalez populate the leaderboards, but lesser luminaries like Billy Sample, Tony Scruggs, and Gary Gray really add character to the conversation. By the end, when you think you know everything from Allen (Hank) to Zisk (Richie), you can play along in Roll The Stat, P. K. Steinberg's favorite stat guessing game ever. You will almost undoubtedly beat the hosts this time.

The 2018 season can finally be properly wrapped up, as Mark and Andy are back for their second installment of the BBBA Awards. Along with giving their takes on the existing awards (MVP, Rookie of the Year, Gold Gloves), your hosts give their own recognition to players for accomplishments both good and bad. Among awards that return this year are The Bergen Award, The Tiny Glove, and the Jeter Award, while new additions include the Fury Gene "Steamboat" Tenace Excellence in Plate Discipline Award and the Khris Davis Consistency in Batting Award. The hosts wrap it up with a thrilling version of Roll The Stat, the 2018 winner of "Best Baseball Podcast Stat Guessing Game." Listen and celebrate the 2018 season in all its glory.

Your favorite baseball podcast hosts return with another installment in their team/position series, this time exploring every nook and cranny of Pirates first basemen. Find out who the statistical leaders are, who Mark and Andy rank as their top 5 all-time, and some fun and interesting side nuggets along the way. While Stargell and Bream figure prominently in the conversation, detours are taken into Wham!-style Dylan covers, "pre-humidor Billings" rookie ball in 1978, and what to call Jose Rijo's 2001-02 comeback tour with the Reds. An episode wouldn't be complete without an intense match of Roll The Stat, and this one is no different, as Mark and Andy engage in a particularly close round based on WPA. Play along and be the winner you always knew you could be.

George Davis, Art Fletcher, Dick Bartell...the names of legendary Giants shortstops just roll off the tongue. Although the tops of the leaderboards of players to man the oxymoronically-named position don't necessarily include household names, there are plenty of other interesting names--Willie Mays, Darrell Evans, and Yale Murphy to name a few--to keep the delve interesting. Mark and Andy cover it all and then some, reaching conclusions about the best and worst to play the position and dropping a few jokes along the way. They wrap it up, as always, with a round of Roll The Stat, the highest-protein baseball stat guessing game among all sandwich meats. Please listen and tell them how much you like it.

The dice have spoken and the first random selection of a team and position is...Rays leftfielders! Mark and Andy dive into the brief history of players who have manned the position for Tampa Bay, from the Devil Ray days to the more successful and god-fearing Rays era. Through the lens of advanced stats, the hosts attempt to sort out who besides Carl Crawford belongs among the elite Rays leftfielders and who was not-so-elite, as well as digging up some interesting nuggets about players who you may not think of as Rays at all. Although they've only been around for 20 years, the Rays franchise has provided a lot of interesting moments and unforgettable players. The hosts wrap it up with a round of Roll The Stat, guessing career wOBAs of various former Rays. There's no better way to spend your weekday commute...or your cocktail party.

Mark and Andy are joined by baseball savant Chris Kamka in the next installment in their series of "every team, every position" episodes. Their guest shines light on the history of White Sox catchers in ways previously thought impossible. Every nook and cranny of the South Siders' backstops backstories is explored, both through the lens of advanced statistics and through tidbits and stories that would make the most ardent baseball historian proud. Kamka polishes off his star turn by destroying a round of Which Was Bigger? and obliterating the guests in a round of Roll The Stat, the fastest growing baseball stat guessing game in most demographics. Come for the Carlton Fisk information, but stay for the Steve Christmas and Bill Nahorodny nuggets.

As they did with MVP voting, Mark and Andy revisit the Cy Young voting of the 1980s through the lens of advanced stats to see if the right guys won. In an era in which voting was dominated by wins and saves, the hosts find plenty of room for improvement in the process and shed some light on some stars whose careers have been relatively overlooked but probably deserve some more love. They wrap it all up with an exhilarating round of Roll The Stat, the most popular advanced baseball stat guessing game created in the last 18 months. You'll never look at Dave Stieb the same way again.

Mark and Andy are joined by special guest Mark Simon of Baseball Info Solutions to talk about the complete history of Mets third basemen. The trio delve into not only the greatest, but also the obscure and forgotten, players to man the hot corner in eventful 56-year history of the other New York baseball franchise. While you may know Wright, HoJo, Ventura, and Alfonzo, do you know which Mets third basemen are in the Hall of Fame? Who was the worst all-time? Who has the best baseball card? Your hosts cover it all, with the added bonus of Simon's encyclopedic knowledge of all things baseball and statistics. Of course you are invited to play along in a round of Roll The Stat, the most important baseball stat guessing game created in the last 2 years. Never be embarrassed at a party by not knowing answers to Hubie Brooks trivia questions again.

Braves reporter Grant McAuley joins Mark and Andy for this deep dive into the storied history of Braves catchers. The result is the most informative episode of BBBA to date, a perfect balance of stories about people and statistical analysis. The familiar segments are here--Top Fives, Best Names, Best Baseball Cards, Leaderboards--all enhanced with McAuley's vast knowledge of all things Braves earned by working in the big leagues for over a decade. The hosts attempt to stump their guest with a strenuous game of Which Was Bigger? and fall victim to his latent aptitude for guessing advanced baseball statistics in getting trounced in Roll The Stat, the most popular sabermetric podcast game of 2018. It all makes for the most entertaining 80 minutes you'll spend this year. Come for the stats, stay for the stories.

The inclusion in and exclusion from the Baseball Hall of Fame is a continuous source of debate for certain players. Like all things baseball, experts have tried to quantify players' worthiness (and likeliness) of being in the Hall with different statistics. Your hosts Mark and Andy--joined for the first time by a guest, one P. K. Steinberg--break down these numbers and show where they come from and what they tell us. Although none is a be-all end-all, the numbers help contextualize the accomplishments of players over the long history of baseball. After becoming familiar with the metrics, Mark, Andy, and P. K. play a rousing round of Roll The Stat. Will the rookie win in his debut? Play along and show off your newfound expertise to friends and family alike, and let the Hall of Fame debates begin.

Mark and Andy once again explore the MVP voting for a whole decade, in this case the 1990s. Using stats that didn't exist during the era, your hosts decide if the choices that voters made were the correct ones, if some changes need to be made, and if some unnatural substances helped any candidates along the way. Be prepared to be furious that your guys have their awards ripped away or joyous that your favorites are recognized after-the-fact. Finally, play along in Roll The Stat, the most popular baseball stat guessing game on a podcast in the 18-35 demo, where your hosts--along with two special guest participants--guess players' total '90s MVP shares. You will never look at the 1990s baseball world the same.

It's been a while, but Mark and Andy are back to where it all started--breaking down advanced baseball statistics in an effort to understand them better. This episode, it is wRC+, a hitting statistic that has become more and more commonly used. Your hosts break down how it is calculated, who has the greatest career and single-season marks, and who have been the worst hitters according to the metric. If you can make it through their tangents about The Natural, Ken Phelps, and Morrissey, you'll make it to Roll The Stat, the baseball stat-guessing game that 9 out of 10 pediatricians recommend. You'll come out a better person on the other side.

Mark and Andy investigate the storied history of Dodgers catchers in this episode, the fourth in their every-position-on-every-team series. Several players--like Steve "Marlboro Man" Yeager--manned the position for long periods of time, while others shone brightly for a few years before moving on. Your hosts use advanced stats to pick the best and worst in franchise history, and also present to you some interesting and humorous anecdotes to complete the story. At the end, play along in a game of Roll The Stat, rated the best play-along baseball stats podcast game in a poll of the creators of Baseball Beyond Batting Average. Become the Dodgers catchers expert you always wanted to be.

You may not think much when you think "Twins leftfielders," but the group of players who have spent at least some time at the position is quite impressive indeed. Although Mark and Andy can't agree on who the 5 best players were (Harmon Killebrew or Larry Hisle???), we can all agree that the players who have played there are a fascinating collection of Hall of Famers, baseball pioneers, and forgotten names. We can guarantee that by the end of the episode, you'll know more about the position for this franchise than you ever could have wanted. Finish it by playing along in Roll The Stat, the preferred advanced baseball stat guessing game for 9 out of 10 sabermetricians.

In the latest installment of their "every team, every position" series, Mark and Andy explore the rich history of Yankees centerfielders. We all know Mantle and DiMaggio, but there were many other luminaries who donned the pinstripes and roamed centerfield. From members of the Baseball and Football Halls of Fame to almost-forgotten players remembered only for their unique names, your hosts cover every nook and cranny of the Yankee centerfield legacy. At the end, join in an all-Yankee-centerfielder round of Roll The Stat, the most addictive baseball stat guessing game ever. After this episode, you'll be clamoring for the other 297 shows to come in the series.

In the second of their series of covering every position on every team ever, Mark and Andy investigate the history of Orioles (and Browns) shortstops through the lens of advanced statistics. Find out who were the greatest, worst, most surprising, and best-named shortstops in the long history of the franchise. Wrap it all up with a round of Roll The Stat, the most interesting baseball statistics guessing game ever invented. Never again will you be stumped to name the best Orioles shortstops other than Cal Ripken.

Is it possible to do an entire podcast episode about Astros first basemen? You bet it is. Mark and Andy, hosts of the funniest baseball statistics podcast ever, investigate the history of Astros first-sackers, from Bagwell to Watson. Included is a discussion of the top 5 first basemen, the players who were just below that level, and some notable names that you may not remember even having played first base for the Astros, all through the lens of advanced (and not-so-advanced) statistics. The episode concludes with a game of Roll The Stat, in which your hosts guess career OPS totals for players they have discussed. You will undoubtedly know more than you ever wanted to know about the men who played the position in Houston.

Having run through a bevy of advanced stats, Mark and Andy use their knowledge to revisit every MLB MVP from the 1980s. Knowing what we know now sheds a different light on some of the voting. The hosts decide who actually deserved the award in each league each year, and highlight the good, bad, and ugly from the voting. Some of the voting was so egregious, it will have you saying "Steve Garvey Gracious!" The show ends with a unique round of Roll The Stat, in which Mark and Andy try to guess each player's total MVP shares from the 1980s. Listen and be prepared to have your opinions changed--or to become violently angry. Either way, you'll be entertained.

With Opening Day 2018 right around the corner, Mark and Andy look at a few of the prominent projection systems that attempt to predict what will happen this baseball season. While not getting bogged down in the formulas, your hosts give you an overview of the nuances of the different systems, and investigate some projections, both past and present, to see how reasonable they seem. Also on their radar is pace of play, a hot topic this offseason. Both hosts offer their solutions for speeding up the game and catering to the ever-shrinking attention spans of their younger fans. The show wraps up with a couple of games, the top prospect Which Was Bigger? and the grizzled veteran Roll The Stat. The show is a must-listen in your preparation for what promises to be a season full of stat-tastic goodness.

Mark and Andy finally put it all together and bring you the episode that is the culmination of the majority of the episodes they have done so far--WAR. Although some time is spent talking nuts and bolts of how WAR is calculated and how it aligns with teams' actual win totals, most of the episode is spent examining the players throughout history--both distant and recent--who have the highest and lowest WAR totals. Mark also challenges Andy to a 1987 All-Star WAR challenge, which acts as a warm-up for the beloved Roll The Stat, the best baseball stat guessing game in the universe. Whether you are a fan of the new stats or someone who prefers traditional ways of measuring players, you can appreciate the discussion of all the baseball names and numbers that happens.

Mark and Andy fight the final battle of the WAR--offensive WAR. This Baseball Reference stat assigns a value to everything a position player does besides play defense. Although there are some confusing/debatable aspects to the metric, it does a good job of highlighting the players who have contributed the most on offense over the years. The hosts discuss the light cast by oWAR on players ranging from J. J. Hardy to Bill Bergen to Babe Ruth, and everyone in between. The show concludes with one of the most competitive and well-played rounds of Roll The Stat, the ridiculously addictive stat guessing game you've heard so much about.

Finally, an answer to the question, "Why are Mike LaCoss's WAR totals so different between FanGraphs and Baseball Reference?" Around this scalding-hot topic, Mark and Andy engage in a discussion about pitching WAR in general: How it's calculated, its pros and cons, and which pitchers rate as the best according to the stat. As always, the episode concludes with a round of Roll The Stat, the best baseball-stat-guessing game on any podcast anywhere. And if you hear any noise toward the end of the show, it's just me and the boys' static poppin'.

Mark and Andy start off the new year with their longest and funniest podcast yet--all in the name of explaining this thing called WAR. They start off with just the defensive component, called dWAR. While they can't explain every detail of every calculation, they attempt to show why the stat is useful and what it purports to measure. Of course, they run down the lists of baseball's best and worst fielders using dWAR as their guide, and wrap it up with a spellbinding contest of Roll The Stat, the most fun baseball stat guessing game ever known to man. Who knew advanced baseball metrics could be so fun?

Mark and Andy take a break from the normal focus on individual stats to roll out their first awards show. The hosts give their take on the existing traditional awards in each league, and then introduce their own awards, including The Bergen Award, The Alfredo Griffin Award, and The Ken Phelps Award, among others. Andy also challenges Mark to a new game--Which Was Bigger?--that you can play along with. The baseball season may be over, but the BBBA season never stops.

"Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing." So why not have a stat that tells you how much closer each play gets a player's team to winning? WPA attempts to do just that. While it may oversimplify things, attributing everything to the batter and the pitcher, it does do a good job of telling the story of what happened in the game. Mark and Andy break it down, figure out what a good WPA is, and tell you the players who have accumulated the most WPA in a career, a season, and even a game. To wrap it up, of course, they play Roll The Stat, the stat guessing game that determines who the real experts are. Maybe this time it's you.

After a brief hiatus, Mark and Andy are back to talk about how we take a position whose job it is to prevent runs and measure it with a stat in which more runs is better. Pitching Runs is actually not very complicated, but it is interesting nonetheless. Which pitchers throughout history have fared well according to this metric? Who has been slighted by the Pitching Run? Why is Mike LaCoss so fascinating? Learn the answers to these questions and then play along in a game of Roll The Stat, the stat guessing game that will demonstrate your newfound expertise.

Scoring runs is the ultimate offensive goal in baseball. We have a stat that can tell us how many runs a hitter's efforts contributed to his team above the average. It's called different things, including wRAA and Rbat, but they essentially mean the same thing. Our hosts take a long, sometimes serious, look at the stat, how it's calculated, and which players measure up using this metric. By the end of the episode, you'll feel smart enough to beat Mark and Andy in a round of Roll The Stat. Try not to brag too much, they're sensitive guys.

A baseball player's worth on the basepaths has for years been measured solely by his ability to steal bases. Baserunning Runs attempts to account for everything that happens after a batter leaves the batter's box, from stealing bases to taking extra bases to advancing on balks. Mark and Andy break it down for you in a simple way and find a stat that is intuitive and satisfying. Play along in a round of Roll The Stat, the stat guessing game, to test your newfound expertise. You'll never look at stolen base totals the same.

Baseball fans are always looking for the next great metric to evaluate players, but what about the truly terrible ones that have been around for a while? What's so bad about wins and saves anyway? Mark and Andy examine the rules surrounding these stats, delve into their history, and list leaders and losers. Finally, the show culminates in another round of Roll The Stat, the stat guessing game that will have you reaching for your abacus. Become an expert and beat the hosts!

OPS+ is a league-adjusted, park-adjusted version of OPS that Baseball Reference uses. Its formula is a little tricky and it has its drawbacks. But, all in all, it's an improved version of the flawed OPS stat that gets thrown around so much. Your hosts Mark and Andy dissect the stat and look at the OPS+ leaders and losers throughout history, and the best hitters for each franchise according to the metric. There are plenty of jokes and Heinie-humor to go around. And don't forget to stick around till the end to play Roll The Stat, the baseball stat guessing game. Can you beat the hosts? (Probably.)

How do we measure defense in baseball? Traditionally, statistics primarily told us about errors committed, but there's much more to fielding than that. Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) is one of the most popular advanced measures of fielding prowess. But how does it work? Mark and Andy break down the stat and look at the best and worst fielders as measured by DRS. You may be surprised at the results. Finally, join in a round of Roll The Stat and beat the hosts at their own game with your newfound expertise.

Are you frustrated that ERA is not adjusted for park and for run environment? Do you want a way to convince your friends that Mike Henneman was in fact the best pitcher in Tigers history? Then ERA+ might be the stat for you. Mark and Andy tell you how to calculate it, why it's good, why it's bad, and who has been the best and the worst in history using the stat as the measuring stick. Wrap it up by playing along in a round of Roll The Stat, and see how much your ERA+ knowledge has grown in just an hour.

To get a true measure of baseball players and teams, many advanced statistics are park adjusted. What exactly does that mean and how is it done? Mark and Andy dive into the many layers of park factors to find out what goes into them, how different sites calculate theirs, and the pros and cons of using them at all. This week's Roll The Stat is a park factor guessing game--which historical stadiums have been hitter-friendly and which have been nicer to pitchers? Some parks have the effect you would expect, while others are a bit more surprising.

Mark and Andy go further down the advanced statistics rabbit hole to investigate the complex wOBA. No matter how you pronounce it, the hosts explore why it is a good alternative to OPS, but one that still has its drawbacks. Find out who are the wOBA winners and losers throughout baseball history, and play along in another game of Roll The Stat. By the end, whether you like it or not, you too will be a wOBA expert.

FIP is the most commonly referenced advanced pitching metric. But how is it calculated? Mark and Andy do a deep dive into the FIP formula and its pros and cons. Also find out which pitchers are the best and worst according to this measure. Finally, show off your new FIP knowledge by joining the guys in a round of Roll The Stat, the baseball metric guessing game that's sweeping the nation.

Mark and Andy look into the mystery that is Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP). How is BABIP calculated and how should it be calculated? What information does it give us about the players it represents? Which hitters and pitchers have had historically high or low BABIPs? Finally, join our hosts in the game that's sweeping the nation--Roll the Stat--to see if you're a BABIP expert now.

Mark and Andy take on their first pitching metric, the trendy WHIP--the gateway metric for advanced pitching stats. Learn how to tell when a WHIP is good or bad, and find out which pitchers have sported the best and worst WHIPs throughout baseball history. Finally, join along in another spirited round of Roll The Stat to see how much of a WHIP expert you are now.

Mark and Andy finish off the gateway advanced baseball stats by exploring all the different combinations of OBP, SLG, and batting average. Learn about the pros and cons of OPS and ISO and which hitters have excelled (and failed), using these stats as a measure. Also learn about the lost legacy of Ron Kittle, a slugger whose baseball skills extended beyond the playing field.

Mark and Andy delve into the another gateway baseball stat--slugging percentage. Find out how the stat developed over time, why it's important, and who has sported good and bad slugging percentages throughout baseball history. Finally, join the guys in a round of Roll The Stat by guessing different players' career slugging percentages.

In the first episode of Baseball Beyond Batting Average, Mark and Andy investigate the gateway advanced baseball metric, on-base percentage (OBP). Find out what OBP means, how it originated, how to determine a good and bad OBP, and what players throughout baseball history have been leaders (or losers) in the category. Join your hosts in a round of Roll the Stat, the stat guessing game.