Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik, authors of 'The MVP Machine'

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

NPR

Society & Culture

4.7 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2019

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It's baseball week here at Bullseye and best-selling authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik are stepping up to the plate. They're the writers behind the book, The MVP Machine: How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players. The book looks at how previously cast aside players are transforming themselves into All-Stars. And, they'll talk to us about how players aren't the only ones changing the game. And even if you're not into baseball, we promise there are some lessons to take away!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.
0:12.0	It's Bullseye.
0:20.0	It's Bullseye, I'm Jesse Thorn.
0:22.0	My guests this week are Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawcheck.
0:25.0	They're the writers behind the book The MVP Machine,
0:28.0	how baseball's new non-conformists are using data to build better players.
0:33.0	There's this quote in it from the great Billy Martin.
0:35.0	Billy was a long time player and manager who ran the Yankees and the A's on multiple occasions each.
0:42.0	It was well known for getting fired.
0:44.0	The quote goes, you got your mules and you got your race horses and you can kick a mule in the s*** all you want
0:50.0	and he's still not going to be a race horse.
0:53.0	The MVP Machine basically asks,
0:55.0	well did the mule try changing his swing?
0:58.0	People in baseball always assumed that players were going to be about as good as they were going to be.
1:05.0	By the time they made it to the major leagues they weren't likely to be transformed.
1:11.0	The book gets into how a lot of conventional coaching in the big leagues turns out to be totally wrong.
1:17.0	Always lead with your fastball wrong, have a nice even line drive swing wrong.
1:23.0	Strike out all the time, who cares?
1:26.0	And even if you're not into baseball, I promise there are takeaway lessons in this remarkable book.
1:32.0	Ben and Travis, welcome to Bullseye.
1:34.0	Great to have you two on the show.
1:36.0	Thanks, great to be here.
	...

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