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 based on whether players were good low-ball hitters, why music and dancing are important in baseball, and more.

Then Mark was joined by Ed Wheatley, author of the new book, The Finest in the Field, a coffee table book from Rawlings about baseball gloves and their use throughout MLB history. Ed shared stories about famous players from the past and the gloves they used, and what he thinks of the modern baseball glove.

Both are wonderful books for baseball fans of any time period.

Link to Alex Vigderman's article about Defensive Runs Saved and Fielding Run Value.

https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2026/06/04/study-defensive-runs-saved-fielding-run-value-are-inching-closer-to-each-other/

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

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 category.

The categories were:

- What's Your Angle?

- Catch You Later, Homes

- A Game of Numbers

- There's A Word for That

- Science

- On Your Merry Way

- Country Facts

- One Historical Figure, Two Plays

It got a little silly, but we promise you'll learn something new from this.

Afterwards, Mark was joined by his colleague, SIS senior product manager Noah Gatsik, to talk about the Rays hot start and what Noah likes about the ABS system.

Ben on Cristopher Sanchez

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/cristopher-sanchez-continuously-improving

Ben on the 2026 MLB Walk Rate

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/where-are-2026s-extra-walks-coming-from

Mark on the Rays defense

https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2026/05/14/stat-of-the-week-catching-some-rays/

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

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 him how defense comes into play in his everyday life, such as going to the supermarket.

Then Mark was joined by his colleague, Brandon Tew to dissect the starts of Munetaka Murikami and Kazuma Okamoto, as well as which college pitchers Brandon thinks are the best of the lot this year.

Thanks as always for listening. Please check out the new-and-improved FieldingBible.com website, follow us on Bluesky at @sportsinfosolutions.com, and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.