The SIS Baseball Podcast

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by two major leaguers: Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe and Guardians catcher Austin Hedges. Brandon talked to us about how he's been one of the most improved defensive players in baseball this season and the one small change that made that possible. He also shared some behind-the-scenes of what went into making some great defensive plays. Austin rejoi...

On this episode Mark Simon was joined by Nate Burke, creator of the website TapToChallenge.com , an encyclopedia tracking pitch challenges across MLB. Nate explained all the different things his site tracks - pitchers, hitters, catchers, even umpires, with lots of visuals and additional stats assessing the value and worthiness of challenges. Mark and Nate then discussed some of their favorite stat...

We're a few days late with this week's episode but we have two great guests. Mark Simon was joined by former MLB manager Dusty Baker, whose new book, Crossroads , A Memoir in Baseball and Life   came out this week. Mark and Dusty talked about how Hank Aaron was great at positioning the Braves outfielders, what stats Dusty kept handy in the dugout, how he used to make lineup decisions bas...

On this episode of The SIS Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by FanGraphs baseball writer Ben Clemens. Both Ben and Mark are big fans of the game show, Jeopardy, so they decided to have a little fun with the show concept. Ben and Mark took 4 categories apiece from the Tuesday May 20, 2026 episode of the show, and came up with one baseball stats-related question and answer that fit the categor...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Seattle Mariners infield coach Perry Hill for a discussion on how he's taught defensive excellence to pro baseball players for 40 years. Perry explained how he wants his players to own all the batted balls hit within their defined box, what makes Cole Young a good second baseman and what he's working on. Perry also had a fun answer when we asked h...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined  by single-game home run robbery king Jo Adell of the Los Angeles Angels. Jo talked about his amazing night of 3 home run robberies a few weeks ago but also expanded the discussion to talk about which outfields are the most challenging to play, why it's important for an aspiring ballplayer to be fearless, and why Vladimir Guerrero Jr. impresses him so muc...

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 form...

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 predi...

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...

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 h...

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...

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...

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 we...

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 regu...

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...

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 co...

On this episode Mark Simon talked with Marlins shortstop Otto López , one of our Defensive Player of the Month selections about his midseason position switch, the challenges of playing shortstop, and why playing badminton as a kid was helpful to him. If you would like to read a written transcript of Otto's interview, head here . Then Mark is joined by his SIS colleague Bailey Knight for a dis...

On this episode, Mark Simon talks with Rockies minor league prospect Kyle Karros  of the Albuquerque Isotopes about the intricacies of third base defense and SIS prospects expert Brandon Tew about the top pitchers selected in the MLB Draft. Kyle talked about his 6-foot-5 frame comes into play as a third baseman, why he loves watching Nolan Arenado play third base, and what suggestions he has for a...

You can find a transcript of the episode here On this episode, our Mark Simon talks to Astros rookie right fielder Cam Smith , who ranks among the leaders in Defensive Runs Saved despite never having played the position before this season. Cam talked about his welcome to the big leagues' moments and explained how teammate Jake Meyers and the Astros outfield coaches have helped in his acclimat...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Giants vice-president of player development Randy Winn, Mariners communications manager Alex Mayer , and his SIS colleague Greg Halperin . Randy explained his new role under new Giants president Buster Posey, shared why teaching players how to hit the cutoff man is a priority to him, described how he and the organization use data, and told stories of new Ha...

On this episode, Mark Simon was joined by both a current major leaguer and a former major leaguer. Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo stopped by to talk shop with regards to why he's a shortstop and how he plays his position. He shared with us his approach in the field and how he uses his instincts. Former MLB and NPB relief pitcher Jay Jackson also joined us to share lessons learned from...

On this episode, Mark Simon welcomes 2024 Rays Minor League Defensive Player of the Year Tanner Murray , who plays two infield positions and is now learning the outfield. Tanner talked about his transition to new positions and the other players on the well-loaded Durham Bulls that could be great defensive major leaguers in the future, like Carson Williams and Tre' Morgan. Mark also spanned th...

On this episode, we cover how playing volleyball helped a future minor league Gold Glover, got an explanation on how defensive positioning models are developed and talked about what stats belong on a baseball scoreboard. Joining Mark Simon , our first guest was Marlins prospect Joe Mack , who won a Gold Glove as a catcher last season. Joe talked about how he developed at the position and what he&a...

On this episode, Mark Simon welcomes in ex-major leaguer Doug Glanville , FanGraphs writer Davy Andrews, and his SIS colleague, Mark Bricker. Mark and Doug talked about Doug's new baseball newsletter, Welcome To Glanville and Mark pitched 3 ideas about defense that Doug could write about (Fernando Tatis The Gymnast is one). From ideas for articles to actual articles, Mark and Davy talked abou...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by national baseball writer Hannah Keyser and SIS operations analyst Brandon Tew. Hannah, who formerly wrote for Yahoo Sports, introduced us to her thrice-weekly baseball newsletter, The Bandwagon , which she co-authors with Zach Crizer. She shared what early-season baseball happenings surprised her and 'confirmed her priors.'  Then she played along...