Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander

Ben Verlander welcomes Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox to the show to discuss all the trade speculation surrounding him this offseason and what he wants to see from himself and the White Sox in 2024. Dylan shares his thoughts after a year of the pitch clock and offers some broader changes he’d like to see around MLB. He also breaks down what it’s like experiencing a Major League brawl, dives...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry discuss the latest MLB news, starting with some free agent signings and Rob Manfred's announcement that he will be stepping down as MLB commissioner in 2029. They debate the merits of Manfred's suggestion to implement a free agency deadline and if it would be good or bad for baseball. Then, Ben and Alex cover Kyle Bradish's sprained UCL injury and how it will affect th...

Ben Verlander welcomes Teoscar Hernandez to the show to discuss his free agency, signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and being teammates with Shohei Ohtani. He also discusses when he almost gave up baseball before he signed with the Houston Astros in 2011. He talks about his relationship with Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Julio Rodríguez. He also tells Ben who the toughest pitcher he's faced and so mu...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry discuss José Altuve's new $125M/5 year extension to make him a Houston Astro for life. They talk about the Boston Red Sox taking part in a new 'Hard Knocks' style docuseries for Netflix that will follow them around for the 2024. Ben gives his Top 5 Trios for 2024. Will the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts take the top spot over the A...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry discuss Bobby Witt Jr's massive contract extension with the Kansas City Royals where he could end up having the 3rd largest contract in MLB history. They also discuss the Los Angeles Dodgers' fan fest where Mookie Betts made a bold statement & Shohei Ohtani talked about his rehab. They also talk about the Baltimore Orioles' blockbuster trade for Corbin Burnes & their s...

Ben Verlander welcomes Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty into the studio! They talk about his years with the St. Louis Cardinals, being traded to the Baltimore Orioles and now being viewed as a veteran on the Tigers. They also talk about him becoming a pitcher late in high school, being committed to North Carolina to be a Tar Heel and how he met Zac Gallen. Finally, they talk about what Los Angeles La...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry discuss the recent moves by the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks. Ben gives his thoughts on why the free agency is moving so slowly. Ben continues his countdown of the Top 50 Players for 2024 and the introduction of a new game called 'Name That Swing'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander is joined by Toronto Blue Jays great José Bautista and they discuss his ownership of Las Vegas Lights FC, USL Championship soccer team. They also discuss his legendary bat flip against the Rangers, the Blue Jays shortcomings last season and their quiet offseason. They talk about when he followed almost everyone on Twitter and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry preview the 2024 MLB Hall of Fame ballot including the top first-year candidates including Adrián Beltré & Joe Mauer, a look back at the voting results from 2023 and Ben goes through who he would vote for if he had a ballot. Ben continues down his list of the Top 50 players for 2024 with numbers 15-11. Ben and Alex break down the big news of Josh Hader signing with the...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry react to the 2024 MLB schedule before breaking down the latest free agent signings, including Shōta Imanaga to the Chicago Cubs and Marcus Stroman to the New York Yankees. Ben continues his countdown to the top MLB player in 2024 by revealing numbers 20-16 & more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander welcomes back 4-time gold glover Adam Jones to the show. They discuss the Los Angeles Dodgers' wild offseason including Jones' former teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They also discuss what went wrong for Jones' hometown San Diego Padres last season and what he thinks the Baltimore Orioles should do this offseason. With MLB Hall of Fame voting just around the corner, Ben & Adam talk abou...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry break down the latest Los Angeles Dodgers' addition in Teoscar Hernández and how he fits into their lineup. Ben goes in depth in analyzing Dodgers' new pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in how he will transition to MLB and his what makes him so good. Ben continues his countdown to the top MLB player in 2024 by revealing numbers 25-21 & more. Learn more about your ad choices....

John Smoltz joins Ben Verlander to discuss MLB's wild offseason so far. They discuss the whirlwind of moves by the Los Angeles Dodgers including signing Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto & trading for Tyler Glasnow. Smoltz also discusses the moves by the Atlanta Braves including the most recent trade for Chris Sale. They talk about the New York Yankees and if the Juan Soto trade will be enough to...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry ring in the New Year with New Year's Resolutions for Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, Shohei Ohtani, Carlos Correa, and Ronald Acuña Jr. Ben continues his list of Top 50 players of 2024 by revealing numbers 30-26 & so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry get into the holiday spirit & break down the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles' holiday wishlists. Ben continues his list of Top 50 players of 2024 by revealing numbers 36-31 & so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander jumps on a bonus episode after Yoshinobu Yamamoto signs a 12 year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers worth $325 million. The Dodgers' World Series title hopes only get bigger after landing the highly touted arm. Ben breaks down the offer, what other teams came close, what this means for the Dodgers and the rest of baseball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry react to Shohei Ohtani officially being a Los Angeles Dodger and the subsequent trade for Tyler Glasnow. They react to the All MLB-Team news and if anyone was snubbed. Ben continues his 2024 Top 50 players list by revealing numbers 40-36 and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander welcomes back unanimous American League Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson to the show. Gunnar talks about the Baltimore Orioles 2023 season, winning Rookie of the Year, and what his goals are for the 2024 season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander discusses the jaw dropping details from the Shohei Ohtani contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani will be deferring $68 million a year for the entirety of the contract to help the Dodgers land some more players. Ben also talks about the New York Yankees becoming American League favorites after landing Juan Soto, but that doesn't prevent them from also trying to land Yoshinobu Y...

Ben Verlander jumps on an emergency podcast to discuss Shohei Ohtani signing the largest MLB contract ever with with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $700M over 10 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander welcomes Deesha Thosar, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman to discuss the latest rumbling and rumors from MLB's Winter Meetings. We find out the latest on the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and what's going on with Shohei Ohtani, Dylan Cease, Cody Bellinger and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry jump right into the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes by discussing his fit with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. They react to the news from the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves trade and Ben starts his countdown to the top MLB player in 2024 by revealing numbers 50-46. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander welcomes new Detroit Tigers play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti to the show. They discuss how Benetti got into announcing, his love of baseball, his decade long grind in the Minor Leagues and how his move from the Chicago White Sox to the Tigers came to life. He also talks about his love of ballpark food, his most memorable call, his terrible travel luck and so much more! Learn more...

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry dive into all the free agent and trade rumors around the MLB. Ben gives three reasons why Shohei Ohtani could sign with the defending World Series Champion Texas Rangers & more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Verlander & Alex Curry break down all of the winners of the biggest awards in MLB including Shohei Ohtani becoming the 1st player to win MVP unanimously twice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices