Now hear this: Baseball podcasts

5 Great MLB Podcasts In my former job, I enjoyed a long enough commute that I was able to listen to podcasts every day: Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, On the Media, Fresh Air, Extra Hot Great (on which I was once a guest contributor for a segment on Deadwood), to name a few. Nowadays it takes me less than 20 minutes, so there doesn’t seem to be any point.

When I was researching new titles for 2021, many of the answers to my query were podcasts. So I thought it might be a good time to post a list of things I might listen to if circumstances were otherwise. This immediately eliminates anything about fantasy baseball or individual teams, all due respect to the creators of such programs.

That said, I have not listened to any of these myself. And since I have very little patience and time, if I’m not immediately grabbed, I don’t know if I’d give them a second chance. One of my many shortcomings.

The first round with comments from “Top 30 Baseball Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021” on blog.feedspot.com.

The Ringer MLB Show: “A rotating cast of Ringer staff members break down baseball’s biggest and silliest stories, mixing in interviews with plugged-in media members and insiders from the front office to the dugout.
The Baseball Rabbi Podcast: “Baseball is the perfect sport for conversation, and no one can converse about it better than the Baseball Rabbi, one of the world’s greatest experts on advanced statistics, sabermetrics, and baseball history. Join Pesach Wolicki and Scott Kahn as they apply advanced metrics to the Major Leagues, reevaluate historical assumptions, and discover new baseball trends and theories that will leave you questioning everything you assumed you knew about the National Pastime.”
Baseball & Chill: “Join Scott Braun and Kelly Nash from the MLB Network each week as they cover all the big storylines and trending topics on and off of the diamond. Be here for player interviews, game coverage and a candid look into the life of professional baseball correspondents as they chill with some baseball!”
Baseball America Podcast: “delivers baseball news you can’t get anywhere else. Covering the game from a player-development point of view, the staff of BA will deliver its take on what’s going on in the world of baseball every week on its podcast, analyzing the game from the majors and minors with an emphasis on prospects through their unparalleled college and high school coverage.”

This next batch comes via BaseballMonkey, with their comments.

Sully Baseball: “Comedian and TV producer Paul Francis Sullivan posts this original baseball podcast every single day. Throughout the entirety of the season, playoffs and off season, Sully makes his observations, voices his opinions and brings on guests like former major league players and others around the baseball community. Tune in for well informed, funny and passionate baseball talk every day.”
MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: “Are you constantly looking for trade rumors around the MLB? Look no further! The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast focuses on just that. MLB.com staff writer Jeff Todd covers the latest news and rumors when it comes to trades in baseball. You can expect in-depth analysis and interviews with special guests including players and analysts.
Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict: “On this baseball podcast, “Tan Man Baseball Fan” speaks upon and discusses baseball cards during all of his episodes. Confessions of a baseball card addict is the perfect podcast for anyone who likes trading or collecting baseball cards or wants to hear some of the history of baseball cards or new information in that realm.”

Others include:

Effectively Wild: FanGraphs Baseball Podcast
Three Swings Podcast with Rhea Butcher: “Long suffering baseball fan Rhea Butcher reinvents America’s pastime with radically sensible thoughts on baseball, history, culture, gender, race, and more. For baseball diehards and novices alike, Rhea breaks down the week in MLB news, analyzes the culture of American sports, and explores forgotten chapters in baseball history from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League to the Negro Leagues and beyond. Plus in-depth interviews with comedians, baseball insiders, and hometown fans.” (Player.fm)
The Infinite Inning: “The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations.” (Player.fm)

And at the risk of promoting the competition: