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Killer B’s Podcast 9: Babe Ruth Could Have Been Hitting Juiced Balls

Bioinformatician and neuroscientist Max Bay joins us to discuss Grandal’s method to madness, the Dodgers 2021 season, and the MLB’s current sticky substance witch hunt

By Keelin Billue and Tommy Barbee
Max Bay

Join the Killer Bs to welcome special guest Max Bay in Episode 9. While Max is part of Dodgers Nation, he has become embraced by some in the Chicago White Sox community and beyond for his baseball modeling and statistical analysis. He has contributed to FanGraphs and recently developed the Stuff+ model with Eno Sarris.

Tune into this episode, as Max and the Bs discuss a few of the latest hot topics for the Chicago White Sox, and baseball at large:

  • Yasmani Grandal is playing poker: Max talks about Grandal’s frustrating time as a Dodger and the enigma of Yasmani Grandal’s splits. Yaz is getting fewer pitches in the zone, but it does not contribute to a massive walk rate that is probably not sustainable. Max contemplates that Grandal might be approaching at-bats with a no-swing mentality that’s tricking pitchers. Listen in for the entire conversation.
MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White Sox
Jun 10, 2021; Chicago; Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal gestures as he runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field.
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
  • Dodgers fans are just like us: Max shares the recent ups and downs with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, including season starts with high expectations and love-hate relationships with managers.
  • MLB’s recent obsession with sticky stuff and juiced balls: Two months into the 2021 season, MLB has decided to focus on sticky substance usage. Max chats with the Bs about why this is an oversimplification of the issue, and why the timing is less than ideal. Additionally, this topic harks of the steroid witch hunt detailed in the Mitchell Report. Will this sticky substance conversation complicate players’ legacies?

Listen on the Megaphone player above, or check out this and the entire family of SSS podcasts on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You may also watch the Killer B’s podcast at the South Side Hit Pen YouTube channel.

Also, be sure to follow guest Max Bay on Twitter at @Choice_Fielder. Additionally follow the the Killer B’s on Twitter @KillerBPod, Tommy @KindaBleu, and Keelin @Keelin_Billue.

And please leave comments, questions, or thoughts about what we might talk about in our upcoming episodes.

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