Foul Ball Area

All-Star Recap

Tune in to this week's episode of the podcast as Matt and Trey recap their favorite moments from All-Star Week, covering everything from the game itself, to the Home Run Derby and the MLB Draft. 

Plus, some big news on Thursday as the Yankees and Red Sox had to postpone their game due to some positive COVID tests within the Yankees' organization. And a big trade went down Thursday evening that tells us a little bit about the direction two teams are heading as we near the deadline. All that and more on today's episode!

Preseason Prediction Update

We've officially reached the halfway point of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, which means it's time to look back at our preseason predictions and see how accurate, or in this case inaccurate, they are. Trey and I go through the standings in each division, who we picked to win the division, and our World Series matchups. All we can say is we tried our best at the beginning of the season. You never know what's going to happen in baseball. 

 

Plus, other discussions including: should the Cubs sell at the deadline now? Who will win the Home Run Derby? Are the Yankees finished? Tune in for all that and more on today's episode!

Wander Franco Has Arrived

The No. 1 prospect in all of MLB has made his debut! Wander Franco, the top-ranked prospect in the Rays' organization was called up over the weekend, and made his debut on Tuesday night in the Rays' game against the Red Sox. We discuss what his arrival means for baseball and how he compares to other highly-anticipated prospects. 

 

Plus, the Jr.'s are taking over the game. Vladdy Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuna Jr. are all among the offensive leaders in MLB, putting up phenomenal stats so far this season. We touch on all that and more in today's episode.

A Sticky Situation

MLB released its memo to teams this week detailing the punishment for pitchers caught using foreign substances on the baseball, and we have a lot of thoughts. Is this really as bad as other forms of cheating? Is Tyler Glasnow justified in thinking that a lack of sticky substances caused his injury? Is the punishment enough? We answer all those questions and more. 

Plus, there are two candidates for AL MVP that stand out above the rest. Trey and I each give our thoughts on the race and which player we think has the advantage.

Bennett Conlin, Daily Progress

UVA baseball is heading to Super Regionals after winning the Columbia, SC regional last weekend. A wild weekend of baseball culminated in a dramatic walk-off victory over Old Dominion on Tuesday morning, setting up a Super Regional matchup with Dallas Baptist, also in Columbia.

Daily Progress UVA Sports reporter Bennett Conlin joins us on the podcast today to recap UVA's weekend, and preview their upcoming matchup. Plus, I give my thoughts on some of the breakout players we've seen in MLB this season, and which ones have had the most impressive performances. 

Ozuna Arrested, Softball vs. Baseball

Braves' left fielder Marcell Ozuna was arrested over the weekend and charged with aggravated assault by strangulation and misdemeanor family violence battery. He was already missing time due to injury, but now he'll likely face a significant suspension once MLB completes its investigation into the incident. While many fans would like to see Ozuna gone from the game, it's a little tricky for the Braves to get out of paying his contract, but they can try to void it once the investigation is complete.

 

On a lighter not, Trey and I discuss some of the differences between softball and baseball on this week's episode, and if there are any changes baseball could make to the game to make it more exciting. Softball games are definitely a little more exciting than baseball due to their faster pace, but they go by too quickly in my opinion. We discuss all that and more on today's episode!

Hokies Softball Heads to Super Regionals

For just the second time in program history, the Virginia Tech softball team is heading to Super Regionals! The Hokies went undefeated in the Tempe Regional last weekend, setting up a matchup against No. 2 seed UCLA in Los Angeles beginning on Thursday. Evan Hughes joins the podcast to break down the Hokies' season so far and preview this weekend's matchup.

 

Plus, I go over all of the notable injuries we've heard of in just the past two days, which is a lot. Including one very weird injury coming out of Cleveland in a clothing-related incident. All of that and more on today's episode!

Best Players to Wear No. 24

With Trey and I each turning 24 this week, we decided to rank the best players to ever wear the number 24 during their MLB careers. Turns out, there are a lot of greats who have donned this number, including some that are ranked in the top players of all time. While I thought our lists would be pretty similar, there's one controversial player who causes us to have a bit of a debate on how we put together our rankings. 

 

Plus, we touch on all of the injuries around Major League Baseball. Some players currently dealing with significant injuries, to name a few: Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, Byron Buxton, Max Fried, Kevin Pillar, Jacob deGrom and we could go on and on. What is causing the influx of injuries this season, and how much will it impact teams contending for the playoffs? We touch on that and more in today's episode.

A's May Relocate, Tatis on the IL, Pujols Released

We're a few days late this week but we've got a packed half hour full of all kinds of baseball news. Starting off with a discussion about the Oakland A's possibly having to relocate unless they can get a new stadium. Will it get done? And if they do move, where will they go?

 

Plus, Fernando Tatis Jr. is back on the IL after testing positive for COVID-19 and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols was released by the Angels. We'll touch on all of that and more on today's episode!

April Players of the Month

Trey and Matt are back this week with another half hour of baseball talk! Since we missed last week, we have plenty to discuss. We cover everything from the biggest injuries around Major League Baseball, to the April Players of the Month and some college baseball updates. 

 

Plus, we play a little bit of contender or pretender with some of the teams that have surprised us so far this year. And we ask you - one month into the season, how are you feeling about your team? All that and more on today's episode!