Best Podcast In Baseball

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 During a lengthy rain delay before the finale of the Cardinals' visit to Tampa Bay, St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold and Tampa Bay Rays baseball writer Marc Topkin discuss transfers of power on their beats and how they contribute to a clouded forecast. In St. Louis, former Rays executive Chaim Bloom is positioned to take over as president of baseball operations in the coming month, and Topkin offers insight about the role Bloom had with the Rays, where to find his fingerprints on player development, and why he just might have the best resume possible to lead the Cardinals' front office. In Tampa Bay, the Rays are paying rent at the Yankees' spring training ballpark, George Steinbrenner Field, due to hurricana damage at Tropicana Park. The Rays feel like they're perpetually on the precipice teetertottering between having strong established roots in Tampa Bay or packing up

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 The Cardinals' begin their final three-series home stand of the season with a reunion. Yadier Molina returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2023 and will be in uniform for the first time since 2022 as he joins Oliver Marmol's staff for two games against the Cubs at the invitation of the manaer. Molina is the first of seven things to watch during the home stand that welcomes the Cubs, Rockies, and Yankees for nine games in 10 days. St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Jeff Gordon and baseball writer Derrick Goold list the other three things each they are looking for in the next week at Busch Stadium. Attendance is on the list, especially with two brand-name opponnents. But so is the bullpen, Jordan Walker's swing, Nolan Gorman's playing time, and in the coming weeks what appetite the Cardinals have to discuss contract extensions with any of the young players. In its 13th season as

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 As the Cardinals approach the onrushing July 31 trade deadline, what if the moves made (or not made) are just prelude to a larger overhaul of the organization in the opening months of Chaim Bloom's tenure leading baseball operations. A simple, direct, but essential question about whether the Cardinals four months into their "runway" season have identified the core of their next contending team prompts a lengthy discussion about what's still missing, what hasn't emerged, and what players have made their best case to be part of the foundation upon which Bloom is expected to build a contending team?  That is where the conversation between St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold and KMOX/104.1 FM host Kevin Wheeler  continues, and where it goes touches on future talents, the need for stars, and even the environment at the ballpark.  In its 13th season as on

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 As Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline rapidly approaches, so does another opportunity for the Cardinals to choose a side. Are they riding this "runway" toward the future, or are they going to tighten the race for the National League's third wild card to a point that they stand pat or add on the edges of the roster? The Cardinals' trends of risk aversion and playing it down the middle is about to be challenged. And, at the same time, the trade deadline may invite more questions than they have answers. In Part 1 of an extended conversation about the Cardinals at the trade deadline (Part 1) and the Cardinals nearing the Chaim Bloom takeover (Part 2), KMOX/104.1 FM's Kevin Wheeler joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch lead baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss all the implications of moves the Cardinals could make, and why a "soft buy" or "slight sell" may be more of the same even if eith

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 With Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Cardinals are still considering what direction they'll head. The front office has wished for "tough decisions" at the deadline and "excitement," while acknowledging that the way they head may not be clear 72 hours ahead of the deadline, if at all. History suggests they'll explore the nebulous middle -- neither seller nor buyer, adding to patch holes this year and beyond without giving up too much from the future for now. The wild card this season is it's John Mozeliak's last trade deadline as president of baseball operations, and is there one last trick he'd like to pull before yielding his office and desk to Chaim Bloom?  Sports columnist Jeff Gordon joins baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the deadline, the All-Star Game's bananas finish, and deliver his midterm grades on every corner of the Cardinals'

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 It has been more than a generation since the Cardinals picked in the top five for the MLB Draft, and in a week the Cardinals have a chance for a transformative selection that could come define their next era. A confluence of events meet them at the MLB Draft in Atlanta on Sunday as they hold the No. 5 pick a year after taking J.J. Wetherholt at No. 7, they are deep into a transition year with a new front office leader poised to take over, and they are certain to have access to one of the top three college pitchers available in this draft.  To capture and explore this moment in Cardinals' draft history, Baseball America editor in chief J.J. Cooper joins the Best Podcast in Baseball. With St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold, Cooper discusses the scope of talent available in the 2025 draft, trends that suggest where the Cardinals will look, and the upside of the talent li

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 After his barehanded play on a slow-rolling grounder ended Tuesday night's game against the Cubs with a stirring, 8-7 Cardinals victory, third baseman Nolan Arenado talked about how much it meant to play meaningful, tense, important games against an archrival. He said he woke up excited, and hadn't been this eager to get to the ballpark in almost two years. A day early, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he wouldn't be the "hype man" for the series. The oldest rivalry in Major League Baseball between two teams that have not left their cities, Cubs-Cardinals was long defined by one team's brand as champion and the other as lovable losers, but that's so Y2K, man. Now the rivalry happens in cycles, and for the first time in several years the Cardinals and Cubs were snug in the standings when they played this past week at Busch Stadium. Does that give the rivalry renewed verve, or does the change

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 CHICAGO -- Two showdowns loom for the Cardinals in the coming weeks. First, they face the division-leading Chicago Cubs for the first time with a four-game series at Busch Stadium.. Second, they face themselves at the trade deadline. Hall of Fame broadcaster and fixture on Cardinals' radio Mike Claiborne joins the Best Podcast in Baseball for his annual appearance around Flag Day. Claiborne has long argued that Flag Day is the first day to check the standings are start making plans on what kind of team the Cardinals are going to be. This year's time might take a little longer, but Claiborne tells baseball writer and BPIB host Derrick Goold what he already knows about the 2025 'transition' club. Claiborne and Goold also discuss what the Cardinal can aim to get in return at the trade deadline if the upcoming series against the Cubs point them in the direction of selling. That is if they c

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 From near his perch at Busch Stadium, where he calls games for the Cardinals' Spanish language broadcast, Polo Ascensio surveys the style of game, the style of play, and, yes, the style of his calls for the 2025 Cardinals. The nine-game home stand did not lack for some compelling games -- though evidently there is some debate on how entertaining the opening innings of the Cardinals' 2-1 victory against the Dodgers was -- and that had to be reflected in the calls from all of the broadcast booths. Ahead of Toronto completing a series sweep of the Cardinals, Ascensio spoke with Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold about those calls, about the enthusiasm and inspiration he brings to them as well as whether this team has made such energy easier with its style of play. Ascensio also discusses the catching history of the Cardinals and the catching present, with background on how two members

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 The first extended home stand of season brings two sides of the contending spectrum to Busch Stadium, with the Kansas City Royals in an upswing after some down years that have brought in high-end talent and then the Los Angeles Dodgers and how they can muscle their way into perpetual contention with financial might. Somewhere in the middle is where the Cardinals' must find their sweet spot -- not stomaching the downturn the Royals experience while unable to spend like the Dodgers do. Post-Dispatch sports columnist Jeff Gordon joins the Best Podcast in Baseball host and baseball writer Derrick Goold do discuss and compare the building of contenders through various blueprints. As the Cardinals rethink theirs, what can they borrow from each of the teams visiting this week, and what can they pull from their rival they're about to visit -- the Milwaukee Brewers? Gordon presents a hypothetical abo

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 A big, defining topic for the Cardinals' future and their development of a big, defining hitter needs a jumbo-sized Best Podcast in Baseball. For more than a decade, the Cardinals have had to go shopping for their middle-order hitters -- either by trade (Paul Goldcshmidt, Nolan Arenado, Marcell Ozuna) or, rarely, by free agency (Carlos Beltran, Willson Contreras) -- but during this "reset" year where offense has been a major part of their success, the Cardinals seem closer to having homegrown hitters in the middle of the order to build around. Brendan Donovan, currently hitting No. 3, leads the league in doubles and hits. Candidates to climb up to cleanup include Ivan Herrera. There is the catch. Herrera's bright future as a hitter seems clear. Less so, is where he fits at catcher. Kevin Wheeler, host at KMOX/104.1 FM, joins the Best Podcast in Baseball to discuss all of the ramifications of

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 In the wake of three managerial firings before Memorial Day, author and longtime baseball writer Scott Miller joins the Best Podcast in Baseball to discuss his new book, "Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter (and Always Will)". In his deeply reported work, Miller talks with managers, both current and past, to map the changing landscape of the role as front offices and analytics become more dominant and a perception grips the game that, as Miller writes it so well, lineups are being written for the manager not by the manager. With BPIB host and baseball writer Derrick Goold, Miller discusses the evolution of managers in the game from Sparky to Tony to Bochy, the traits that make a successful manager, and also how those traits have changed and adapted to a game driven more and more by data and run like the big business it is. The two baseball writers also explore what happens to game if, as o

  Near the visitors' dugout at Coors Field in September 2024, Cardinals veteran Matt Carpenter found a relatively quiet spot to discuss his career, his future plans, and the dramatic shifts he's seen in the game since his arrival in 2011 with the Best Podcast in Baseball.  Carpenter announced his retirement this past week after 14 seasons in the majors, and included a six-year run as one of the top leadoff hitters in the game to go with three All-Star appearances and a Silver Slugger Award at second base. This is a BPIB replay of the full episode that first dropped on Sept. 28, 2024. From the original launch of this episode: Toward the end of his first professional season, not too long after he told a roommate Oliver Marmol about his personal and accelerated timetable to reach the majors, Matt Carpenter got a phone call that could have forever changed his career in baseball. He was approached about being a coach, and he was tempted to take it. The next summer his playing career took off. There are b

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 “Change the atmosphere at the ballpark and start to mirror the scrappiness and the feistiness and that vibe that you talk about of this team. It is very interesting that for the last few years they’ve had a very stoic team and a very stoic ballpark. This is not a stoic team. This is a kinetic team. It’s time to have a kinetic ballpark.” PHILADELPHIA -- The wake of the Cardinals roll to a series win at the rocking Citizens Bank Park against the Phillies, Post-Dispatch sports writers Jeff Gordon and Derrick Goold discuss if expectations should change for the 2025 Cardinals after they won nine consecutive games and 10 of 11. The Cardinals' stated goal in this "transition" year is to be better in May than they were in April and better in June than they were in May. A brand new Best Podcast in Baseball explores this question: When they have a May that puts them within one

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 "The discussion around the Cardinals will be similar to one you and I are having right now," says Rich Waltz, broadcaster for Apple TV+'s Friday Night Baseball. "Who are these guys and where are they headed? Are the pieces they've got good enough?" The Cardinals reach the nation's capital riding a five-game winning streak, back at .500 for the first time in three weeks, and about to embark on what could be a defining three-city road trip. There to great them is a national broadcast as the Cardinals appear for the first time this season on Apple TV+'s Friday Night Baseball. Waltz will be at Nationals Park with Ryan Spillborghs and Tricia Whitaker to call the game. As he prepared for it, Waltz joined St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold for a brand new Best Podcast in Baseball recorded in Washington.  The discuss the Cardinals' winning streak coming out of a strong home s

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 If we can all agree that teams in the National League Central cycle in and then out of a window contention, then let's begin the discussion there as a brand new Best Podcast in Baseball does with a look at all five division rivals and where they are in their timeline to contend. Longtime Cincinnati baseball writer and Reds beat writer C. Trent Rosecrans, who is now with The Athletic and The New York Times, joins Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold during a rain delay at Great American Ball Park to look out the windows and see what teams are in a downcycle from contending, what team is square in an urgent window to do so, and where the Reds and Cardinals fit on the spectrum. The comparison between the Reds and Cardinals gets some added gravity when considering how the Reds have a young nucleus of players -- and arguably the most-talented position player (Elly De La Cruz) and most-tale

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 The Cardinals' recent road swing through New York and Atlanta revealed a team playing compelling baseball but vulnerable to late-game ruptures in the bullpen that led to a 1-6 record. That prompts the question to launches a brand new episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball: If the Cardinals are focused on development in 2025 and aim to develop winners for beyond 2025, should they have outfited the most volatile area of the roster -- the bullpen -- with more certainty to avoid losses like on the road trip?  KMOX/1120 AM's Kevin Wheeler rejoins the podcast to discuss that concept and what role the results of games actually play in the development of young players.  Along with Post-Dispatch baseball writer and BPIB host Derrick Goold, there are some hearty debates about the importance of fundamentals and style of play as a force multiplier not a counterpunch for superstar talent and a

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 Welcome to a brand-new Best Podcast in Baseball. St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer and host Derrick Goold is joined this week by colleague, sports columnist, and instant offense Jeff Gordon. They discuss the Cardinals’ “relentless bunch” – their league-leading on-base machine lineup and their leader, hitting coach Brant Brown. There’s even a quiz on his catchphrases. The two writers look at the Cardinals shift to a six-man rotation for the coming week. And then they dive into the numbers on attendance in the early series of the season, ticket sales, and whether the dip in attendance reflects exactly the drop in payroll. Will the assertive start by the lineup and this team’s style of play be enough to bring fans to Busch Stadium, or Goold asks, is there something else afoot hear? The Cardinals have advertised a “transition” year, so is com

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 There is a decades-old comic book from Japan that freelance journalist and baseball writer Brad Lefton carries with him and has promised to share when next at the Busch Stadium press box. It features a heroic baseball player, Kyojin no Hoshi, and, in one issue, Red Schoendienst and the Cardinals appear. A fictional character in the comic wears the Birds on the Bat as he becomes a rival to the comic's protagonist. So it was for the Cardinals for years -- two Cardinals teams, one led by Stan Musial and another by Bob Gibson, visited Japan on tours. The Cardinals were one of the first teams in Major League Baseball to sign a position from Japan when So Taguchi arrived in the early 2000s. He would go on to start in the World Series, win in a World Series championship, and be a key part of a pennant winner for the Cardinals. When he met Schoendienst he marveled that he was the same person he knew

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 It would be difficult for the Cardinals to script a better opening weekend for their "transition" year that an emphatic sweep of the visiting Minnesota Twins. The Cardinals got sturdy performances from the starters, stellar play from the defense, and 19 runs in three days from the offsenese. Lars Nootbaar ignited the weekend with a run scored in three of the Cardinals' first four games, and Victor Scott personified the three-game series sweep of the Twins with a dynamic catch in the opener, two stolen bases in the middle game, and the decisive three-run homer in the series finale. The Cardinals put on a show. And some of the smallest crowds in Busch Stadium history were there to see it. How can the Cardinals grow a team and regrow the crowds? Will one assure the other, or are the Cardinals entering more than a "transition" year in the front office and actually embarking on a whole new p