2 Tools Baseball Podcast

This week Alex and Travis continue building their all-time franchise and division teams by jumping into the AL East. A good mix of baseball legends, historic franchises, and expansion teams leads to great balance in our conversation about baseball history.

Alex and Travis open by breaking down the slow news week as the lockout continues. Then they dive into their picks for the all-time teams for each historic franchise in the AL Central, and they finish by revealing their all-time AL Central team.

Six new people were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, so Alex and Travis open by reacting to these new members and a surprising omission as a result of Veteran's Committee voting. Then, Alex and Travis begin their new segment of cataloguing the the best starting lineups for every team in MLB by using the players in that franchise's history. They begin the exercise this week with their all-time teams for the five AL West franchises.

Alex and Travis recorded a bonus early episode because of all the hot news that had come out in the days following their last episode. They open by going over all of the new signings and trades from the past few days and then transition into their predictions for the remaining biggest free agents on the market. Alex and Travis finish with their thoughts about the lockout that was initiated on Wednesday night and breakdown some of the key points of discussion and how MLB could be different in 2022.

Alex and Travis open with their takes on the recently announced 2021 All-MLB first and second teams, explaining the good picks and the major snubs. Then, they jump into their thoughts on the major trades, signings, and extensions that took place over the last week. Alex and Travis proceed with how they think the markets are shifting for some of the big name free agents as we approach the looming CBA deadline.

The 2022 free agent class has begun signing contracts with new teams, so Alex and Travis give their takes on the deals that were completed this week. They also give their thoughts on the posting of Seiya Suzuki and his prospects to join an MLB roster. Then Alex and Travis react to the results of the 2021 Awards voting and provide some context to the seasons of these top performers. Lastly, Alex and Travis present their rankings of their Top 5 Season of All-Time in honor of the extraordinary season put forth by Shohei Ohtani in 2021.

Alex and Travis open by covering some more minor signings and trades that have occurred in the last week. Then they go over their thoughts on all of the Gold Glove, Platinum Glove, and Sliver Slugger award winners. Jeff Passan published a list of the biggest potential trade pieces this offseason, so Alex and Travis broke down what teams make sense to push for some of these difference maker players. Vladimir Guerrero Jr and MLB Network analysts had a discussion on launch angle so Alex and Travis weighed in on that as well. They then wrapped up the episode by giving their current MLB Power Rankings considering all of the free agents on the market at the moment.

Alex and Travis open up with the surprising announcement that Buster Posey is officially retiring from baseball. They continue with other recent news like the hiring of Bob Melvin to head coach the Padres and the trade of catcher Tucker Barnhart to the Tigers. Then Alex and Travis go player by player through a list of several of the top free agents on the market and predict where these players might sign as a preview for this offseason.

Alex and Travis opened by talking about the Braves' World Series victory of the Astros in six games. They discuss their big takeaways from the series and highlighted some top performers. Then Alex and Travis debated about their 2021 All-Postseason teams and made the cases for their postseason MVPs. They finish with a segment where they breakdown the best World Series games of the century in celebration of the 2021 World Series coming to an end.

Alex and Travis open with their takeaways from the conclusions of the ALCS and NLCS. The Astros finished off the Red Sox at home with serious momentum heading into the World Series, while the Braves remained hot and took care of business against the heavily favored Dodgers in six games. Alex and Travis dive into this season's World Series matchup and give their prediction on how they see this series unfolding. Astros versus Braves, Tuesday night, GET HYPED!

This week Alex and Travis start by briefly explaining their thoughts on the controversial ending to the winner-take-all Game 5 between the Dodgers and Giants. Then they jump into the back and forth nature of the ALCS thus far with the offensive outbursts between the Astros and the Red Sox. Alex and Travis also discuss how the Braves have managed to pull off a stunning 3-1 series lead against the Dodgers, pushing the reigning champs' backs against the wall in the NLCS. They wrap up by making their arguments for how they see these series concluding and look ahead to their picks to win the pennants.

Alex and Travis give a full breakdown on each Wild Card game and then dive into the outcomes of all the ALDS and NLDS series, including notable performers and key storylines. Then they organize their thoughts on the remaining teams and give their predictions for the upcoming championship series.

October is here. Alex and Travis jump into their All-MLB teams for the 2021 season and fully breakdown how they would vote for the major awards like MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year in the AL and NL. Then they preview the Dodgers vs Cardinals and Red Sox vs Yankees Wild Card games that are set for this week, as well as the ALDS and NLDS series that would follow this weekend. Alex and Travis give their picks for each series and explain how they think the 2021 MLB Postseason will shape up.

Alex and Travis open by recapping their weekend trip to watch the Yankees take on the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Entering the final week of the 2021 MLB regular season, Alex and Travis break down the remaining wild card and divisional races that will determine who makes and who misses the playoffs. After going over the remaining games in the season and giving their predictions, Alex and Travis dive into the comments made by Shohei Ohtani regarding the Angels' lack of success, which echoed the quotes from Mike Trout and Joe Maddon on the need to acquire more talent when they retool this offseason.

Alex and Travis open with a breakdown of the Tatis and Machado dugout argument that symbolize where the Padres are at this season. They go into what are some likely outcomes for the wild card races in each league with a couple weeks left in the season. Then Alex and Travis go in depth on who they think are the 10 best teams in MLB this year as the 2021 season nears its conclusion.

Alex and Travis open with a conversation about Corbin Burnes' combined no hitter, Max Scherzer's 3000th career strikeout, and how these feats affect the NL Cy Young race. They also talk about how some other awards races have or have not changed course, specifically with the emergence of Wander Franco and the return of Guerrero Jr.'s triple crown potential. They then provide some historical context on the Triple Crown feat and how that ties into the AL MVP race. They close with some thoughts on the SF Giants being the first team in MLB to clinch a spot in the 2021 Postseason.

Alex and Travis briefly cover the hot trends of the last week of MLB action. Then they give their thoughts on the newly enshrined members of the Baseball Hall of Fame: Derek Jeter, Larry Walker and Ted Simmons. Alex and Travis then breakdown the arguments for or against all of the active players who are eligible for the hall of fame that might wind up on the ballot in the future.

Alex and Travis go over current events in the baseball world first by breaking down what Yadier Molina's extension means for his future and legacy, how significant Wander Franco's hot streak is, and what they think of the growing beef between Mets fans and players. Then they dive deep into what their All-MLB Team is looking like through August, as well as who they have penciled in for the major awards with only one month left in the 2021 MLB season.

Alex and Travis open by covering two big milestones that were reached this week: Shohei Ohtani hitting 40 homers before anyone else on baseball and Miguel Cabrera joining the elusive 500 career home run club. They dive into what this means for Ohtani's season and for Miggy's career, plus they see who are next in line to reach the 500 homer and 3000 hit clubs. In the wake of the Reds surpassing the Padres in the Wild Card race, Alex and Travis bring up some ideas they have to make sure that the best teams and players in MLB get their shot to play in October. They finish up by analyzing the slimming NL Cy Young race and the Yankees lineup dilemma as prepare to enter the last month of the baseball season.

Alex and Travis open with a discussion about how Fernando Tatis Jr is trying to get back into the Padres lineup early by starting off as an outfielder. They break down what it means for his value this season and what it could mean for his legacy going forward. Then Alex and Travis put Mike Trout's WAR this season into perspective despite his IL stint. They follow up by hitting a variety of the week's hot topics from the Field of Dreams game to the wild NL East and NL wild card situations to some of the lowlight performers on the Angels this season.

It feels like we are entering the home stretch of the 2021 MLB season, so Alex and Travis breakdown what teams are surging, what teams are slipping, and how some trade deadline moves are going to impact the last two months of the season. They also go over how chaotic the NL MVP and Cy Young races still are, which leads to an in-depth talk about Bryce Harper's recent hot streak and what kind of player he has been this season and throughout his whole career. Alex and Travis wrap up with some Angels discussion as the forever .500 team gears up for the final third of the season.

Alex and Travis fully breakdown all of the trade deadline deals that broke before Wednesday night and then discuss the way that they would go about choosing who would make a fully-loaded Team USA Olympic baseball team. They go on to briefly respond to a recently posted and deeply flawed Power Rankings that was posted by MLB itself on social media, and then Alex and Travis fully dive into their updated All-MLB team and award winners through July. They end by looking ahead to what is on the horizon for the Angels.

On this week's episode, Alex and Travis start out by covering some of the issues with the umpiring in baseball right now. The main topic at hand is a full breakdown of all of the buyers and sellers as we sit one week away from the trade deadline. Alex and Travis go through the best options for all teams in Major League Baseball to make the most of their potential trade scenarios. Then, they wrap up by going over some interesting trivia and having a discussion comparing the on-field value of Ohtani v.s. Trout.

This episode of the 2 Tools Baseball Podcast features Alex and Travis breaking down all the exciting headlines coming out of the All-Star break, from a star-studded Home Run Derby to the unprecedented performances put on in the All-Star Game. They transition into a brief chat about some suspect comments regarding Shohei Ohtani's ability to be the face of baseball as a Japanese international player in the MLB. Lastly, Alex lays out a series of debate-style questions for himself and Travis to discuss in order to analyze how they see the rest of the 2021 MLB season unfolding.

Alex and Travis start out by going over some hot scoops in the last week of baseball and go back and forth with some trivia and stats. This is followed by a breakdown of their full top 10 list of the best teams in baseball right now. Then the 2 Tools give their mid-season full update on what bets they love and what bets they hate from their pre-season Las Vegas trip. The mid-season recap continues as they take a look back into their Episode 1 predictions for overrated and underrated teams. This episode was wrapped up with a brief Angels mid-season progress report and a quick plug for possibly the most anticipated Home Run Derby ever.

The 2 Tools take a deep dive into every aspect of the 2021 All-Star selection process. There was plenty to discuss from the questionable nominations for top 3 players at every position to some of the sneaky elite players that were left off of the starting squad or the whole team altogether. Alex and Travis tackle all of this and more in this weeks episode of the 2 Tools Baseball Podcast.

After an action-packed first of half of the 2021 MLB season, the 2 Tools had a lot to unpack on this weeks episode. Alex and Travis open by talking about how this 2021 season feels special so far, harkening back to pre-pandemic baseball. Then, the 2 Tools breakdown who they have on their All-MLB teams as it stands halfway through the MLB season, all while the Angels put up a seven run ninth inning in the Bronx in real time during the podcast.

The saga of foreign substances continues as the 2 Tools breakdown the next phase of the story where pitchers are now blaming the MLB's regulations for their injuries. Building up to the All-Star break, international superstar Shohei Ohtani has declared for the Home Run Derby at Coors Field, creating an all-time high in anticipation for the event. Internet chatter also had a lot to say about the ESPYs' four questionable nominees for baseball player of the year and the newest stories about the hardships of minor league baseball life. Alex and Travis discuss all of this and more on this episode of the 2 Tools Baseball Podcast.

Alex and Travis couldn't help but shower praise onto their team, the Angels, after a hot streak has propelled them back above a .500 record. They also go over the rocky performances by every elite pitcher and Cy Young candidate following the recent crackdown on doctored baseballs... except for one. The 2 Tools track some other new storylines like the skidding Yanks, the Patrick Wisdom hype train, and much more! (P.S. All new intro song created in the 2 Tools beat laboratory makes its debut this episode, so hope you enjoy!)

In this week's episode, Alex and Travis make their arguments for who they think the ten best teams in baseball are at this point in the season. They also commemorate Lou Gehrig Day in the MLB by discussing his legendary career and his place in baseball lore. Alex and Travis talk about how the young trio of Vladdy Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., and Fernando Tatis Jr. are leading the pack in the home run race and taking baseball by storm across the board. The 2 Tools also give some historical context to the deGromination that has taken over the MLB this season thus far by drawing comparisons to Bob Gibson's 1968 and Pedro Martinez's 2000 seasons, and they wrap-up on some Angels optimism after a pleasant 8-4 stretch of play. Listen now!

The month of May has brought about many new storylines and hot performers in the MLB, so Alex and Travis took a look over the season thus far and created their own updated All-MLB teams for the first two months of the season. By going over their starting line-ups, pitching staffs, award winners, and May Players of the Month, the 2 Tools dug deep to cover the players that have impressed them the most this season so far. Also, the MLB had its first instance of an umpire acknowledging the current wave of ball doctoring, an incredibly awful defensive gaffe, and more examples of disappointing strike calling by home plate umps. Alex and Travis cover all of this and more in this weeks episode of the 2 Tools Baseball Podcast!

An eventful week in the MLB season has left Alex and Travis with a myriad of storylines to discuss on this week's episode. Tony La Russa threw his own player under the bus and MLB players responded accordingly. Shohei Ohtani continued his historic tear, and the Year of the Pitcher 2.0 has continued to surprise. Brewers added a shortstop, and Yasmani Grandal walked a lot. The 2 Tools discuss all of this and more in this week's episode of the 2 Tools Baseball Podcast!!

Alex and Travis jump between a handful of hot topics in this weeks episode of the 2 Tools Baseball Podcast. How legit are the Yankees as they slowly heat up thanks to Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge? Will any contact year all-stars be dealt at the trade deadline? How will the World Series or bust Dodgers use Albert Pujols?!?!! Rounding it all out with our updated top 10 Power Rankings and some Angels concerns, catch up with this week in the MLB season right here right now!!

Alex and Travis take an in-depth look at the Los Angeles Angels' decision to release future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols from the organization during the final year of his 10-year deal. Come check out what the 2 Tools think this means for the Angels going forward! After a couple no-hitters and an intense Yankees-Astros series, there was no shortage of hot topics for Alex and Travis to sink their teeth into this week! P.S. Shout-out to moms!!

With one month of the 2021 MLB season under our belts, the 2 Tools decided it's time to unveil their current All-MLB teams for the month of April. Covering the best players in baseball after one month of play and ranking our top 10 teams so far, this monthly round-up is one you won't want to miss!

Join the 2 Tools as they talk about the hot storylines three full weeks into the MLB season! The Dodgers and Padres put on another show this weekend as they battle for dominance in the baseball world. Meanwhile, many rising stars and familiar faces are taking the league by storm by putting up some incredible individual stat lines. Come along for the ride as Alex and Travis dive into all of this and more!

The Dodgers are rolling, and the Padres look good. Should the Yankees be worried? Are the Red Sox legit?! Alex and Travis discuss how they view some the most impressive and concerning performances in the MLB right now. The 2 Tools also go over their top 10 teams in the MLB right now, and they cap off the episode with a tableside chat with a friend of the show to talk Dodgers, Astros, the keys to winning, and way more. Come listen!

With about 10 or so games under most teams' belts, Alex and Travis dive into some of their takes on the season thus far. Covering hot and cold players, winning and losing teams, the shortcomings of instant replay, and much more, the 2 Tools invite you to join them on their journey into the 2021 MLB season!

The 2021 MLB season is officially underway, and it is so good to have baseball back! An exciting first week of play gave Alex and Travis a lot to talk about, from hearing 13,000+ people boo the Astros in person to seeing Shohei Ohtani show off his unreal two-way potential to contextualizing the current greatness of Jacob deGrom, and so much more. Come along for the ride as we dive into the first week of the season!

At long last, the 2021 MLB season is finally upon us. Alex and Travis discuss who they like and don't like going into the season, some preseason bets that they made in Vegas, and how they think the Angels stack up in the American League. Join them in this inaugural 2 Tools Baseball Podcast episode that will kick off their weekly show of covering the 2021 season. Cheers!