Infinite Inning 137, Cutting Off Balls (In a Nice Way)

Mark Simon, co-author of The Fielding Bible V, discusses the latest in defensive evaluation, climbing the ladder at “Baseball Tonight,” and tries to explain Gio Urshela, Paul DeJong, and other mysteries of defense. Plus two New York teams brawl but that’s not the most dangerous thing happening, and why baseball ducked an otherwise deadly disease. TABLE OF CONTENTS Quarantine the World Series*Why Did Baseball Escape the 1918 Influenza Pandemic?*Mark Simon: Halcyon days at “Baseball Tonight”*Life Begins with Jayson Stark*The Fielding Bible V: What’s New in Evaluating Fielders?*The Joe DiMaggio Easy-Catch Hypothetical*Andrew McCutchen and Positioning*Stats Versus the Eye Test I: Gio Urshela*Stats Versus the Eye Test II: Paul DeJong*Runs on Offense and Runs on Defense (That Matt Kemp Season)*The Schmidt-Bowa Question*A Shawon Dunston Celebration*Keith Hernandez vs. Albert Pujols*Can We Compare Defensive Players Across Time?*Cody Bellinger’s Versatility*Goodbyes.