Beat the Shift Podcast – State of Baseball Episode w/ Zack Scott

by
July 17, 2026

The State of Baseball episode of the Beat the Shift Podcast – a baseball podcast for fantasy baseball players.

Guest: Zack Scott

Analytics in Baseball

  • The biggest revelations in baseball analtyics over the past few years
  • What is new in basbeall analytics in 2026?
  • Who makes the day to day lineup in baseball – the manager or the front office?
  • For player evaluation – How much do analytics factor in vs. scouting reports vs. actual production?
  • Why don’t major league teams pay enough (salary) for analysts?
  • The best sabermetric stats to use for hitters and for pitchers
  • Is baseball too analytically driven today?

State of Baseball

  • Thoughts on the addition of the extra wildcard teams in baseball
  • Thoughts on moving back the MLB trade deadline
  • Will there be baseball in 2027?
  • Thoughts on a potential salary cap
  • Thoughts on contract deferrals

State of the New York Mets

  • Can the Mets win in the short term?
  • Who is to blame more for the current Mets failure (in 2026) – the manager or the GM?
  • How much does a major league GM consider the fanbase when making signing decisions?
  • Looking at the Nimmo trade, the non-signing of Alonso, yet spending $760m+ on Juan Soto.
  • The greatness of Francisco Lindor
  • What will the Mets do in the offseason?

Waiver Wire

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Ariel is the 2019 FSWA Baseball Writer of the Year. Ariel is also the winner of the 2020 FSWA Baseball Article of the Year award. He is the creator of the ATC (Average Total Cost) Projection System. Ariel was ranked by FantasyPros as the #1 fantasy baseball expert in 2019. His ATC Projections were ranked as the #1 most accurate projection system over the past three years (2019-2021). Ariel also writes for CBS Sports, SportsLine, RotoBaller, and is the host of the Beat the Shift Podcast (@Beat_Shift_Pod). Ariel is a member of the inaugural Tout Wars Draft & Hold league, a member of the inaugural Mixed LABR Auction league and plays high stakes contests in the NFBC. Ariel is the 2020 Tout Wars Head to Head League Champion. Ariel Cohen is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) and the Society of Actuaries (SOA). He is a Vice President of Risk Management for a large international insurance and reinsurance company. Follow Ariel on Twitter at @ATCNY.

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