Best Benjamin Hochman Of The Post Dispatch Podcasts (2025)

1
Cardinals caught in a winning/development paradox 1:12:07

3d ago1:12:07

1:12:07

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 The Cardinals' recent road swing through New York and Atlanta revealed a team playing compelling baseball but vulnerable to late-game ruptures in the bullpen that led to a 1-6 record. That prompts the question to launches a brand …

1
Cardinals put together a feisty, energized lineup in April. Will club keep it together by August? 1:01:39

13d ago1:01:39

1:01:39

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 Welcome to a brand-new Best Podcast in Baseball. St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer and host Derrick Goold is joined this week by colleague, sports columnist, and instant offense Jeff Gordon. They discuss the Cardinals’ “rele…

1
Part of MLB's history in Japan, how do Cardinals become relevant there now to appeal to players, fans? 1:06:40

19d ago1:06:40

1:06:40

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 There is a decades-old comic book from Japan that freelance journalist and baseball writer Brad Lefton carries with him and has promised to share when next at the Busch Stadium press box. It features a heroic baseball player, Kyoj…

1
Cardinals' strong first impression shows how to grow a team. Can they regrow the crowds? 56:36

27d ago56:36

56:36

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 It would be difficult for the Cardinals to script a better opening weekend for their "transition" year that an emphatic sweep of the visiting Minnesota Twins. The Cardinals got sturdy performances from the starters, stellar play f…

1
Recorded while rain delays opening day: Can how '25 Cardinals open delay the rebuild? 45:34

1M ago45:34

45:34

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 When the rain clears on opening day, the Cyldesdales, red jackets, and 2025 Cardinals will take center stage in St. Louis for what's become a civic holiday. And yet, outside of the pomp of the opener, the real circumstance facing …

1
Prospect performances force Cardinals to decide between playing in Memphis, sitting in St. Louis 51:16

1M ago51:16

51:16

Post-Dispatch podcasts page Please consider subscribing While typing the introduction to a brand new episode of Best Podcast in Baseball, I'm sitting in the press box at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Florida, having just watched rookie Michael McGreevy carve through the Mets lineup, pitch around two errors, and finish his impressive spring trianin…

1
Cardinals broadcaster Chip Caray's idea: ditch geography, reimagine MLB divisions by economy 37:12

2M ago37:12

37:12

Post-Dispatch podcasts page: https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43 Please consider subscribing: https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5 JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals broadcaster Chip Caray lobbed a compelling question into the conversation he and other members of the media had this past week with Tony Clark, chief executive of the Major League Baseball Players' Assoc…

1
3 up, 3 down at Cardinals spring training and 1 lineup dilemma yet to come around 44:46

2M ago44:46

44:46

JUPITER, Fla. -- With three weeks of spring training remaining before opening day at Busch Stadium and three weeks to make decisions on the bullpen, three weeks to explore any last-minute trades, three weeks to stir the offense, and three weeks to make that first free-agent move of the offseason, the Best Podcast in Baseball considers camp with a p…

1
What sights of spring will reveal the Cardinals commitment to focus on the future? 50:37

2M ago50:37

50:37

Find more podcasts from the Post-Dispatch. Subscribe to the Post-Dispatch. JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado created buzz within the Yankees' social media greenhouse for driving to visit a couple of close friends and, oh, playing six or so innings in an exhibition baseball game. That is where the discussion begins in a brand ne…

1
What will 1985 NL champ Ricky Horton be watching for as 're-something' Cardinals begin games 46:52

2M ago46:52

46:52

JUPITER, Fla. -- There is a sense around the Cardinals that one of the reasons for reducing expectations, seesawing between the words "reset" and "transition" but never once using the world "rebuild," is that the club is trying to create a valve to release some of the pressure that greats young players when they arrive in the greenhouse of October …

1
Best Podcast in Baseball's 13th season premiere: Answering 10 questions facing Cardinals 1:14:54

3M ago1:14:54

1:14:54

JUPITER, Fla. -- The 13th season of the Best Podcast in Baseball begins as it traditionally does with a gathering of the Post-Dispatch writers covering the Cardinals spring training and an answering of the 10 questions facing the club as it begins a new season. And what a new season. For the first time in the span of the podcast, the Cardinals have…

1
First impressions: Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt readies for debut at major-league spring training 29:16

3M ago29:16

29:16

On the eve of his first major-league spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals, top prospect JJ Wetherholt joins the Best Podcast in Baseball for a discussion about his preparation, his health, his strides as a pro, his goals at shortstop, and his of a new technology to learn more about reaction time. He also details the trouble with the water t…

1
Does MLB need a winter deadline for free agents to jolt owners, spark simmering Hot Stove? 44:09

3M ago44:09

44:09

The Hot Stove needs a spark, and the Best Podcast in Baseball has flint ready to strike steel. The forecast calls for a flurry of moves in Major League Baseball before next month's arrival of spring training, and big reason for that isn't market cooling. After the brief, jubilant sparks of signings around the annual winter meetings, the free-agent …

1
Will Gen-Z-led endgame of Cardinals' 'reset' require a reckoning for MLB's spending gap? 49:38

3M ago49:38

49:38

Fresh off the ice after covering the St. Louis Blues for a few days, St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Jeff Gordon is greeted with this question to begin his weekly appearance on the Best Podcast in Baseball: Which was chillier -- the Blues game, the frigid temperatures in St. Louis, or the reception the Cardinals got at their annual Winter …

1
Mapping the many, varied routes to Cooperstown and the new toll roads through October 44:34

3M ago44:34

44:34

Is it easier to get 400 baseball writers to all agree on who is a Hall of Famer or 30 Major League Baseball owners to agree on ways to address skyrocketing payroll disparity? That's the question that begins a brand new episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball. Esteemed baseball writer Tyler Kepner, of The Athletic and formerly with the New York Time…

1
These are the cold, hard questions 'resetting' Cardinals must answer at Winter Warm-up 44:42

3M ago44:42

44:42

At the end of year press conference where the Cardinals announced a pivot toward youth and debuted their buzzword "reset" to describe a reduction in payroll and commitment to development, St. Louis' veteran sportscaster Randy Karraker asked what has changed for the club. It was just six years ago that ownership said a .500 team was acceptable in ot…

1
Can Cardinals count on breakthrough seasons to fish them out of a financial whirlpool? 39:46

3M ago39:46

39:46

"Empty seats are empty seats; no-shows are no-shows," says St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Jeff Gordon. "When you’re just accepting reduced attendance and you’re pointing to that for reduced payroll, now you’re setting yourself up for a spiral." Yet to spend a cent this offseason on a major-league free agent, the Cardinals are banking big …

1
New year, new direction: Do Cardinals need a new message as they face Hall of Fame-level question? 36:25

4M ago36:25

36:25

The 13th year of the Best Podcast in Baseball begins with a conversation about something new for the Cardinals and their fan base, something that hasn't been discussed around Busch Stadium in decades, and something some might argue was overdue. "For the first time in forever, (they're) trying to sell hope," says Post-Dispatch sports columnist Jeff …

1
What are the prospects for Cardinals to rebuild a powerhouse of player development? 1:07:29

4M ago1:07:29

1:07:29

A revealing moment for the Cardinals and all who evaluate or rank their prospects came in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft. With the 18th pick, the Cardinals went straight back to their sweet spot and chose Michael McGreevy, a right-handed pitcher out of UC-Santa Barbara and straight from central casting. He fit the profile of the pitcher the …

1
'Death, taxes, Cardinals competing every year': How quickly can 'reset' restore that brand? 43:42

5M ago43:42

43:42

"There should be three expectations in life," MLB Network Radio host and noted baseball pundit Mike Ferrin says in a brand new episode of the Best Pocast in Baseball. "Death, taxes, and the Cardinals competing evry year. That's National League baseball." That may be the Cardinals' brand, but that is not entirely their plan this coming season. At Ma…

1
What dominoes must fall for teams to start holiday shopping for trades with Cardinals? 1:17:21

5M ago1:17:21

1:17:21

While discussing how Major League Baseball could proactively move to help smaller-market clubs remain competitive, KMOX/1120 AM host and frequent Best Podcast in Baseball guest Kevin Wheeler strikes upon a model the Cardinals could aspire to emulate during their self-imposed reset. "The Atlanta Braves," Wheeler suggests. A team that develops, acqui…

1
What does Bloom with BoSox reveal about Chaim time in St. Louis? 1:11:25

5M ago1:11:25

1:11:25

During the past two decades in Major League Baseball, only the Houston Astros have won pennants and appeared in more World Series than the Cardinals and Boston. Two of baseball's most accomplished and celebrated franchises have won four pennants each and faced each other twice in the World Series, both of them won by the BoSox. The ties that bind g…

1
As Cardinals play catchup, can their past be a guide to future success? 1:20:23

5M ago1:20:23

1:20:23

After a brief discussion about a shared fondness for a recent, deeply moving and haunting collection of linked short stories, Sequioa Nagamatsu's 'How High We Got in the Dark,' two baseball writers focus on another work of speculative fiction. What to make of the 2025 St. Louis Cardinals. CBS Sports baseball writer Dayn Perry joins the Best Podcast…

1
Are Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers closer to 11th World Series title than Cardinals are to a 12th? 1:03:20

6M ago1:03:20

1:03:20

While awaiting the parade's arrival at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Times sports columnist Dylan Hernandez veers into nostalgia as he wonders whether the Dodgers' run of success and appetite for more might spur the Cardinals to defend their place in the National League and re-spark one of his favorite rivalries. Hosting a parade in Los Angeles for t…

1
Clearing the airwaves on the Cardinals' fuzzy broadcast bind: How it got bad and will get better 58:29

6M ago58:29

58:29

As much as the standings and missteps of their player development system will shape the Cardinals' offseason, arguably the most significant factor in any of their decisions will be when the broadcast sports sinkhole reaches them, and how deep it goes. The consternation will be televised. This much is certain: The Cardinals games will be available t…

1
But at what cost? Auditing Cardinals' planned payroll trim amidst a changing brand (Part 2) 53:50

6M ago53:50

53:50

Continuing the conversation that began in the Best Podcast in Baseball episode 21, season 12, KMOX/1120 AM's Kevin Wheeler considers the question on how the Cardinals can accumulate younger talent, draft picks, or both. The answer begins at first base. The questions continue from there in this brand new Best Podcast in Baseball that ultimately reac…

1
But at what cost? Auditing Cardinals' planned payroll trim amidst a changing brand (Part 1) 58:11

6M ago58:11

58:11

The official changes to some Cardinals' leadership roles, from the front office to the dugout, as they approach their "reset" winter continued on the eve of the World Series with the first new addition to the front office, a new coach, and a new role for an all-time great. Kevin Wheeler, co-host of the drive-time show and baseball coverage at KMOX/…

1
Cardinals vet Matt Carpenter has seen dramatic shifts for MLB hitters, and does he have stories to tell 45:58

7M ago45:58

45:58

Toward the end of his first professional season, not too long after he told a roommate Oliver Marmol about his personal and accelerated timetable to reach the majors, Matt Carpenter got a phone call that could have forever changed his career in baseball. He was approached about being a coach, and he was tempted to take it. The next summer his playi…

1
If a fan's base anger slips into apathy, what message can Cardinals deliver to reinspire the faithful? 42:08

7M ago42:08

42:08

A year after "pitching, pitching, pitching" dictated the Cardinals' approach to the offseason, the club faces a far broader challenge this winter. PR, PR, PR. Or, as Best Podcast in Baseball guest Brooke Grimsley, noted: "Change, change, change." The 2024 Cardinals' season comes to a close with the club trying ot break the hold of .500 and avoid a …

1
How Brewers borrowed from Cardinals blueprint, added patience and development, to rule NL Central 50:42

8M ago50:42

50:42

Despite the smallest market in Major League Baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers have become a marvel of what it means to be a modern contender. The organization the Cardinals used to be and the Cubs wanted to be , the Brewers now are, complete with the 10-game lead in the division standings ahead of the former kings with a month of the season remaining…

1
Cardinals must solve young hitters 'riddle' for top prospects' sake, with Bernie Miklasz 38:47

8M ago38:47

38:47

Within the span of only a few hours, the Cardinals demoted two of their top prospects from the past decade, sending in separate moves their top left-handed slugging prospect and one of the top right-handed hitting prospects in all of the minors. What gives and what does it mean for the Cardinals ongoing, completely confounding "riddle" when it come…

1
Cardinals continue to muddle, stuck in the muck of the middle 1:13:27

9M ago1:13:27

1:13:27

The proverbial turtle on a fencepost that clearly did not get there by itself is also an apt metaphor for the trouble a Major League Baseball club finds itself in when trying to balance between the hedge-fund tycoons and the heavy tankers. Stuck in the middle is a tough place to be as the Cardinals have shown -- and, as with the turtle, it can take…

1
Friendly confines: How constantly close games are defining, testing Cardinals 38:33

11M ago38:33

38:33

It's Flag Day? Have you checked the standings yet? Following closely behind the Cardinals' 3-0 victory against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and each team's 49th game this season decided by three or fewer runs, a question was presented to KMOX/1120 AM's Kevin Wheeler. What are the traits necessary for a team to do well in so many slim-margin games? As …

1
Walking in Memphis: A visit to Cardinals' scrutinized prospect pipeline 36:21

11M ago36:21

36:21

When it comes to evaluating a farm system, few things offer a better glimpse of the external view than the trade deadline and nothing gives greater clarity on the internal view than when there's a need at the major-league level. Consider the Cardinals. St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Daniel Guerrero recently visited Memphis, Tennessee, to s…

1
Archrivals Cardinals and Cubs share more in common than still chasing Brewers for 1st 49:36

11M ago49:36

49:36

"That gets to the frustration of Cubs fans," says The Athletic senior writer Patrick Mooney. "Of like look at this division and why is the approach so measured and logical all the time to its extreme? ... That drives Cubs fans crazy with good reason." "It's where Cubs and Cardinals fans agree," continues Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold.…

1
Legends on the fall: How far are Red Sox and Cardinals from reclaiming their October prominence? 50:32

12M ago50:32

50:32

Since the Boston Red Sox last bested the Cardinals nearly 11 years ago in one of their recurring World Series appointments, the Red Sox have had three last-place finishes and the Cardinals have slowly faded and fallen, like the leaves, into a decadelong cold snap without a World Series appearance. For these two October rivals, once legends of fall …

1
The meatball factor and super-size problem with Cardinals offense 1:15:15

12M ago1:15:15

1:15:15

With apologies to colleague and Post-Dispatch food critic Ian Froeb, we're talking about meatballs in this episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball. Meatballs and super-sizing. Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson joins the Best Podcast in Baseball, and using his column as a map he and Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold explore t…

1
Can Cardinals' outfield of recent past, Memphis' outfield in the present become St. Louis' outfield for the future? 37:15

1y ago37:15

37:15

Less than a month after two of the Cardinals' leading young position players started opening day side by side in outfield, bringing a glimpse of the future into the present, Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II are reunited this weekend at Class AAA Memphis. Early season offensive struggles have led to both outfieldres being optioned to the Cardinals'…

1
What it was like to be born as a baseball fan into Whiteyball, a force multiplier for Cardinals history 50:50

1y ago50:50

50:50

Whether it was the style of play still expected of the team, the restoration of championship expectations, or the devoted fans that filled the ballpark and informed and inspired generations to come, the 1980s teams of Whitey Herzog were a force multiplier for Cardinals history. They amplified the reach and the devotion of the fans. And Herzog was t…

1
Taking hacks to determine if Cardinals' frostbit offense is a warning sign or small sample size 1:03:02

1y ago1:03:02

1:03:02

As the Cardinals head west for the second time in the first month of the regular season, they do so lugging the baggage from one of the least productive lineups in the majors. The Cardinals' rank in the bottom five for many significant offensive categories. Four of the team's home runs have come from the catcher position, none from third baseman No…

1
Cardinals starter Lance Lynn joins BPIB to discuss returning home, baseball's 'sense of humor' 38:47

1y ago38:47

38:47

A World Series champion, a two-time NL pennant-winner, and a two-time All-Star, Lance Lynn has done a bit of everything as a Cardinal and since he was a Cardinal. But on April 4, 2024, the burly, right-handed starter will do something he never has. He will start the home opener at Busch Stadium for the Cardinals. And that might mean doing something…

1
Welcome to the mosh pit of parity: Some team (by rule) must win the NL Central, so how? 41:00

1y ago41:00

41:00

From the back fields and press box at Sloan Park, the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball Derrick Goold and Cincinnati Enquirer baseball writer Gordon Wittenmyer survey the National League Central and discuss ballpark factors, dead zones, and whether any of these teams is actually going to win the division, or…

1
What did Cardinals learn from disastrous '23 that they can already apply to early '24 challenges? 1:02:55

1y ago1:02:55

1:02:55

The 2023 Cardinals, on their way to 91 losses and a last-place finish, diagnosed the rotation, an inconsistent outfield, and a difficult schedule at the start of the season as reasons for the fist last place finish in more than 30 years. Well, deja vu. The Cardinals near the start of the 2024 regular season with injuries in the rotation, uncertaint…

1
Cardinals near the breakpoint. How will mid-spring injuries strain roster, reveal new talents? 39:00

1y ago39:00

39:00

Within the first 90 seconds of his camp-opening comments, Cardinals executive John Mozeliak said one of the "critical" questions of spring was whether the team could stay healthy. He noted that is something he has probably said in all 17 years of addressing the media on the first day of official workouts. Injuries, after all, are part of the game, …

1
10 Cardinals prospects, 2 minutes each on how they're poised for a leap year in 2024 33:51

1y ago33:51

33:51

Ten prospects. Two minutes each. Start the clock. St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Daniel Guerrero, one of the few staff writers at a daily paper dedicated to covering minor-league affiliates of the city's major-league team, joins the Best Podcast in Baseball to discuss 10 prospects who are set to have a leap year in 2024. Building off of Gu…

1
Seeking the 'Legend of Sonny Gray' and how spring can be the season of storytelling 34:25

1y ago34:25

34:25

"See a Different Game" was the motto of The Sporting News for a long time, and for a long time The Sporting News was known as the Bible of Baseball. Like everything, The Sporting News has changed, baseball coverage has changed, but more and more the best coverage remains true to that directive, "See a Different Game." And the best season for tellin…

1
Hello, 2024. What way is the wind blowing as Cardinals open pivotal spring for top players, management? 41:48

1y ago41:48

41:48

On a windy day on the back fields of Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., Mike Claiborne, one of the radio voices of the Cardinals, joins baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss how maybe Flag Day is too late in the schedule to determine where the club is headed in 2024. So it's time for an earlier Claiborne appearnce. It's a Leap Year. It's after…

1
What tone must Cardinals set during spring training? Follow the leaders 1:05:50

1y ago1:05:50

1:05:50

As Cardinals prepare for the official opening of spring training, what tone must be set early and what lessons from last year's losing season and curious spring will inform this year's camp? St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson joins baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss how more than just the Cardinals' spring training faci…

1
New Cardinals reliever Andrew Kittredge talks trade, slider, and his Huskies 37:26

1+ y ago37:26

37:26

New Cardinals reliever Andrew Kittredge, less than 72 hours after the trade that brought him from Tampa Bay to St. Louis, talks with the Best Podcast in Baseball and host Derrick Goold about the move, and why it wasn't entirely unexpected. Kittredge also details the slider that got him to the majors, and how the Rays and their creative and collabor…

1
Comedian Greg Warren wrestles with Cardinals moves, MLB gifts (Part 2) 45:02

1+ y ago45:02

45:02

It's the Best Podcast in Baseball Holiday Episode: Part 2. Comedian Greg Warren, an All-American wrestler at Mizzou, considers a question posed by Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson: What current Cardinal would make the best wrestler? The physical skills and mental strength necessary propels the discussion in this is second part of the…

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Benjamin Hochman Of The Post Dispatch Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen