The Season Preview Series is an annual series of guest episodes in which the podcast invites writers to come talk about a team that they cover and give their thoughts for the upcoming season.
All Season Preview Series episodes can be found in the category Season Preview Series.
History[]
The Season Preview Series began in 2013, with an entire episode devoted to each team, two interviews per episode. Starting in 2017, two teams were previewed each episode, and the second team interview was dropped as redundant. The podcast experimented with different episode orderings before settling on previewing the teams "middle out": Teams in the middle of the pack are previewed first, and each subsequent episode selects teams closer to the extremes, finishing with an episode that previews the best team and the worst team.
Through the 2022 season, it had been tradition to ask each guest to predict how many games the team will win. There is the understanding that the guess is almost certainly going to be wrong, because baseball is like that. There is nothing at stake, and nobody keeps score.
Except that some people keep score: There is a guest prediction spreadsheet, and Banished to the Pen often does an end-of-year assessment of the predictions.
The prediction was dropped in 2023 for multiple reasons, primarily that it was unfair to the guests, particularly those who were interviewed early in the series, before spring training even started. Other reasons: The Season Preview Series is already based on predicted win totals, so another prediction was redundant. Guests tended to predict a little high, presumably because they don't want to upset their team's fans.
Starting in 2023, the final question to each guest is to ask what they would consider to be a successful season for the team.
Despite being out of character for the podcast, the Season Preview episodes are effective at drawing new listeners to the podcast because guests typically promote their appearances to their own audiences. The series also relieves the hosts of having to come up with 15 episodes worth of new content. (However, scheduling all of the guests can be difficult.)
2013 Season Preview[]
- 30 episodes, one team per episode.
- Five episodes per week without a break.
- Two interviews per team.
- Ben and Sam interview a writer from Baseball Prospectus.
- Intern Pete Barrett interviews a writer from outside the Baseball Prospectus family.
- Episode order: AL teams, then NL teams. Within a league, by division, east to west (East Coast Bias). Within a division, by 2012 standings, best first.
For some teams, Ben and Sam conducted the preview without a guest.
2013 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | First Guest | Second Guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 127 | Yankees | AL East | Wallace Matthews | |
| 128 | Orioles | AL East | Derek Carty | Brittany Ghiroli |
| 129 | Rays | AL East | Adam Sobsey | Roger Mooney |
| 130 | Blue Jays | AL East | Matthew Kory | Brendan Kennedy |
| 131 | Red Sox | AL East | Matthew Kory | Chad Finn |
| 132 | Tigers | AL Central | Paul Sporer | Jason Beck |
| 133 | White Sox | AL Central | Ken Funck | Mark Gonzalez |
| 134 | Royals | AL Central | Craig Brown | Sam Mellinger |
| 135 | Indians | AL Central | Matthew Kory and Paul Sporer | Jordan Bastian |
| 136 | Twins | AL Central | Michael Bates and Bill Parker | Phil Miller |
| 137 | A's | AL West | Doug Thorburn | John Hickey |
| 138 | Rangers | AL West | Jason Cole | Richard Durrett |
| 139 | Angels | AL West | Jeff Fletcher | |
| 140 | Mariners | AL West | Geoff Baker | |
| 141 | Astros | AL West | Jason Collette | Richard Justice |
| 142 | Nationals | NL East | Paul Sporer and Daniel Rathman | Adam Kilgore |
| 143 | Braves | NL East | Zachary Levine | Mark Bradley |
| 144 | Phillies | NL East | Paul Sporer | Jim Salisbury |
| 145 | Mets | NL East | Jason Wojciechowski | David Lennon |
| 146 | Marlins | NL East | Daniel Rathman | Juan C. Rodriguez |
| 147 | Reds | NL Central | Jay Jaffe and Geoff Young | Zach Wells |
| 148 | Cardinals | NL Central | Ken Funck | Joe Strauss |
| 149 | Brewers | NL Central | Ken Funck | Mike Bauman |
| 150 | Pirates | NL Central | R.J. Anderson | Rob Biertempfel |
| 151 | Cubs | NL Central | Colin Wyers | Patrick Mooney |
| 152 | Giants | NL West | Ian Miller and Josh Shephardson | Alex Pavlovic |
| 153 | Dodgers | NL West | Jay Jaffe | Ken Gurnick |
| 154 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Doug Thorburn | Nick Piecoro |
| 155 | Padres | NL West | Geoff Young | Tom Krasovic |
| 156 | Rockies | NL West | Geoff Young | Thomas Harding |
2014 Season Preview[]
- 30 episodes, one team per episode.
- Four episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Two interviews per team.
- Ben and Sam interview a writer from Baseball Prospectus or who wrote for the 2014 BP Annual.
- BP writer Nick Wheatley-Schaller interviews a writer from outside the Baseball Prospectus family.
- Episode order: Projected win total, lowest first.
2014 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | First Guest | Second Guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 379 | Astros | AL West | Zachary Levine | Evan Drellich |
| 380 | Marlins | NL East | David Roth | Juan C. Rodriguez |
| 382 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman | Phil Miller |
| 383 | Cubs | NL Central | Ken Funck | Bruce Miles |
| 384 | Mets | NL East | Will Woods | Marc Carig |
| 385 | Orioles | AL East | Paul Sporer | Brittany Ghiroli |
| 387 | White Sox | AL Central | Ken Funck | Dan Hayes |
| 388 | Phillies | NL East | Bill Baer | Matt Gelb |
| 389 | Pirates | NL Central | Michael Clair | Travis Sawchik |
| 390 | Rockies | NL West | Russell A. Carleton | Troy Renck |
| 392 | Blue Jays | AL East | Adam Sobsey | Shi Davidi |
| 393 | Royals | AL Central | Craig Brown | Andy McCullough |
| 394 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro | Steve Berthiaume |
| 395 | Indians | AL Central | Susan Petrone | Jordan Bastian |
| 397 | Padres | NL West | Geoff Young | Corey Brock |
| 398 | Brewers | NL Central | Jack Moore | (none) |
| 399 | Mariners | AL West | Mike Curto | Ryan Divish |
| 400 | Yankees | AL East | Emma Span | Daniel Barbarisi |
| 402 | Reds | NL Central | Craig Fehrman | John Fay |
| 403 | Rangers | AL West | Lana Berry | Jeff Wilson |
| 404 | Braves | NL East | Mark Smith | Mark Bradley |
| 405 | Angels | AL West | Matt Welch | Mike DiGiovanna |
| 407 | Cardinals | NL Central | Will Leitch | Kevin Wheeler |
| 408 | A's | AL West | Ken Arneson | Susan Slusser |
| 409 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee | Dave Flemming |
| 410 | Red Sox | AL East | Marc Normandin | Alex Speier |
| 412 | Tigers | AL Central | Paul Sporer | Jason Beck |
| 413 | Nationals | NL East | Craig Goldstein | Adam Kilgore |
| 414 | Rays | AL East | Tommy Rancel | Andrew Astleford |
| 415 | Dodgers | NL West | Doug Thorburn | Dylan Hernandez |
2015 Season Preview[]
- 30 episodes, one team per episode.
- Four episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Two interviews per team.
- Ben and Sam interview a writer from that team's entry in the 2015 BP Annual.
- BP writer Sahadev Sharma interviews a writer or broadcaster from outside the Baseball Prospectus family.
- Episode order: PECOTA projected win total, lowest first.
- Banished to the Pen evaluates the 2015 predictions
For the Yankees, Ben and Sam conducted the preview without a guest.
2015 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | First Guest | Second Guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 610 | Phillies | NL East | Michael Baumann | Meghan Montemurro |
| 611 | Twins | AL Central | Steve Neuman | Mike Berardino |
| 613 | Rockies | NL West | David Roth and Andrew Koo | Nick Groke |
| 614 | Royals | AL Central | Andy McCullough | Sam Mellinger |
| 615 | Braves | NL East | Alex Remington | Mark Bowman |
| 616 | Diamondbacks | NL West | David Raposa | Nick Piecoro |
| 618 | Astros | AL West | Ted Walker | Evan Drellich |
| 619 | Orioles | AL East | Jeff Long | Roch Kubatko |
| 620 | White Sox | AL Central | Tim Marchman | Dan Hayes |
| 622 | Brewers | NL Central | J.P. Breen | Joe Block |
| 623 | Reds | NL Central | R.J. Anderson | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 624 | Pirates | NL Central | Sarah Sprague | Travis Sawchik |
| 625 | Yankees | AL East | Chad Jennings | |
| 626 | Indians | AL Central | Bryan Joiner | Jordan Bastian |
| 628 | Marlins | NL East | Bryan Grosnick | Joe Frisaro |
| 629 | Blue Jays | AL East | Andrew Stoeten | Shi Davidi |
| 630 | Mets | NL East | Ted Berg | Marc Carig |
| 631 | Cubs | NL Central | Chris Crawford | Bruce Miles |
| 633 | Tigers | AL Central | Ken Funck | Jason Beck |
| 634 | Padres | NL West | Miles Wray | Corey Brock |
| 635 | Rangers | AL West | Russell Carleton | Anthony Andro |
| 636 | A's | AL West | Philip Michaels | John Hickey |
| 638 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee | Alex Pavlovic |
| 639 | Rays | AL East | Adam Sobsey | Andrew Astleford |
| 640 | Red Sox | AL East | Tim Britton | Alex Speier |
| 641 | Mariners | AL West | Patrick Dubuque | Mike Curto |
| 643 | Cardinals | NL Central | Howard Megdal | Derrick Goold |
| 644 | Angels | AL West | Dan Volmar | Pedro Moura |
| 645 | Nationals | NL East | Chris Cwik | James Wagner |
| 646 | Dodgers | NL West | Molly Knight | Eric Stephen |
2016 Season Preview[]
- 30 episodes, one team per episode
- Four episodes per week, with one email episode on Wednesdays.
- Two interviews per team.
- Ben and Sam interview a writer from that team's entry in the 2016 BP Annual.
- BP writer Jeffrey Paternostro (NL teams) or George Bissell (AL teams) interviews a writer from outside the Baseball Prospectus family.
- Episode order: Worst to best by PECOTA projection.
- Banished to the Pen analyzes the 2016 predictions
- Banished to the Pen evaluates the 2016 predictions
2016 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | First Guest | Second Guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 816 | Phillies | NL East | Holly M. Wendt | Meghan Montemurro |
| 817 | Braves | NL East | Mark Bradley | Garrett Spain |
| 818 | Reds | NL Central | Russell Carleton | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 819 | Orioles | AL East | Jon Bernhardt | Roch Kubatko |
| 821 | Rockies | NL West | Tom Ley | Jen Mac Ramos |
| 822 | A's | AL West | Claire McNear | Susan Sluser |
| 823 | Marlins | NL East | Matt Trueblood | Eduardo Perez |
| 824 | Angels | AL West | David Roth | Pedro Moura |
| 826 | Royals | AL Central | Sam Mellinger | Rustin Dodd |
| 827 | Brewers | NL Central | Ryan Romano | Jack Moore |
| 828 | Padres | NL West | Michael Clair | Corey Brock |
| 829 | Twins | AL Central | Ken Funck | Mike Berardino |
| 831 | Tigers | AL Central | Rob Arthur | Jason Beck |
| 832 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Zachary Levine | Mike Ferrin |
| 833 | Rangers | AL West | Kate Morrison | Jeff Wilson |
| 834 | White Sox | AL Central | R.J. Anderson | Dan Hayes |
| 836 | Cardinals | NL Central | Dayn Perry | Howard Megdal |
| 837 | Pirates | NL Central | Travis Sawchik | Pat Lackey |
| 838 | Mariners | AL West | Meg Rowley | Mike Curto |
| 839 | Yankees | AL East | Kenny Ducey | Chad Jennings |
| 841 | Blue Jays | AL East | Joshua Howsam | Shi Davidi |
| 842 | Astros | AL West | Evan Drellich | Jesus Ortiz |
| 844 | Nationals | NL East | Chelsea Janes | James Wagner |
| 845 | Giants | NL West | Erik Malinkowski | Grant Brisbee |
| 847 | Red Sox | AL East | Brian MacPherson | Tim Britton |
| 848 | Rays | AL East | Tommy Rancel | Marc Topkin |
| 849 | Mets | NL East | Mike Vorkunov | Toby Hyde |
| 850 | Indians | AL Central | Pete Beatty | Jordan Bastian |
| 852 | Cubs | NL Central | Mark Armour and Dan Levitt | John Darnielle |
| 853 | Dodgers | NL West | Eric Nusbaum | Andy McCullough |
2017 Season Preview[]
- 15 episodes, two teams per episode.
- Two episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Ben and Jeff conduct one interview per team.
- Episode order: Outside in by FanGraphs projection.
- Banished to the Pen evaluates the 2017 predictions
2017 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1016 | Dodgers | NL West | Andy McCullough |
| 1016 | Padres | NL West | Dennis Lin |
| 1018 | Cubs | NL Central | Sahadev Sharma |
| 1018 | Brewers | NL Central | Jack Moore |
| 1019 | Red Sox | AL East | Alex Speier |
| 1019 | Reds | NL Central | Zach Buchanan |
| 1021 | Indians | AL Central | Pete Beatty |
| 1021 | White Sox | AL Central | Cat Garcia |
| 1022 | Astros | AL West | Zachary Levine |
| 1022 | Phillies | NL East | Michael Baumann |
| 1024 | Nationals | NL East | Chelsea Janes |
| 1024 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman |
| 1025 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee |
| 1025 | Braves | NL East | Mark Bradley |
| 1027 | Cardinals | NL Central | Will Leitch |
| 1027 | Royals | AL Central | Rany Jazayerli |
| 1028 | Angels | AL West | Pedro Moura |
| 1028 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro |
| 1030 | Blue Jays | AL East | Joshua Howsam |
| 1030 | A's | AL West | Susan Slusser |
| 1031 | Mariners | AL West | Meg Rowley |
| 1031 | Rockies | NL West | Jen Mac Ramos |
| 1033 | Mets | NL East | Ted Berg |
| 1033 | Orioles | AL East | Jake Mintz |
| 1034 | Rangers | AL West | Levi Weaver |
| 1034 | Marlins | NL East | Tim Healey |
| 1036 | Tigers | AL Central | Jason Beck |
| 1036 | Rays | AL East | David Roth |
| 1037 | Pirates | NL Central | Travis Sawchik |
| 1037 | Yankees | AL East | Jared Diamond |
2018 Season Preview[]
- 15 episodes, two teams per episode.
- Two episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Ben and Jeff conduct one interview per team.
- Episode order: Outside in by ZiPS or Steamer projection, Ben doesn't remember which.
- Banished to the Pen analyzes the 2018 predictions
- Banished to the Pen evaluates the 2018 predictions
2018 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1172 | Astros | AL West | Michael Baumann |
| 1172 | White Sox | AL Central | Jason Benetti |
| 1174 | Dodgers | NL West | Andy McCullough |
| 1174 | Marlins | NL East | Barry Jackson |
| 1175 | Indians | AL Central | Pete Beatty |
| 1175 | Royals | AL Central | Rustin Dodd |
| 1177 | Cubs | NL Central | Sahadev Sharma |
| 1177 | Padres | NL West | Dennis Lin |
| 1178 | Nationals | NL East | Chelsea Janes |
| 1178 | Tigers | AL Central | Jason Beck |
| 1180 | Yankees | AL East | Marc Carig |
| 1180 | Orioles | AL East | Brittany Ghiroli |
| 1181 | Red Sox | AL East | Alex Speier |
| 1181 | Reds | NL Central | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 1185 | Cardinals | NL Central | Craig Edwards |
| 1185 | Braves | NL East | Grant McAuley |
| 1186 | Angels | AL West | Pedro Moura |
| 1186 | Phillies | NL East | Meghan Montemurro |
| 1188 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro |
| 1188 | Brewers | NL Central | Kyle Lobner |
| 1189 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee |
| 1189 | A's | AL West | Susan Slusser |
| 1191 | Blue Jays | AL East | Ben Nicholson-Smith |
| 1191 | Pirates | NL Central | Adam Berry |
| 1192 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman |
| 1192 | Rangers | AL West | Levi Weaver |
| 1194 | Mariners | AL West | Meg Rowley |
| 1194 | Rockies | NL West | Jesse Spector |
| 1195 | Mets | NL East | Anthony DiComo |
| 1195 | Rays | AL East | R.J. Anderson |
2019 Season Preview[]
- 15 episodes, two teams per episode.
- Two episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Ben and Jeff conduct one interview per team.
- Episode order: Middle out by Steamer projection. Ben put up a Facebook poll, and middle out was preferred by listeners.
- Banished to the Pen analyzes the 2019 predictions
- Banished to the Pen evaluates the 2019 predictions
Corey Sullivan made Ben and Jeff promise to make predictions before he gave his own.
2019 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1331 | Reds | NL Central | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 1331 | A's | AL West | Susan Slusser |
| 1333 | Rockies | NL West | Corey Sullivan |
| 1333 | Pirates | NL Central | Steven Nesbitt |
| 1334 | Braves | NL East | Grant McAuley |
| 1334 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro |
| 1336 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman |
| 1336 | Phillies | NL East | Matt Gelb |
| 1337 | Angels | AL West | Fabian Ardaya |
| 1337 | Brewers | NL Central | Robert Murray |
| 1338 | Mets | NL East | Tim Britton |
| 1338 | Blue Jays | AL East | Ben Nicholson-Smith |
| 1340 | Rays | AL East | Josh Tolentino |
| 1340 | Padres | NL West | Dennis Lin |
| 1341 | Cardinals | NL Central | Will Leitch |
| 1341 | Giants | NL West | Julie Parker |
| 1343 | Cubs | NL Central | Sahadev Sharma |
| 1343 | Rangers | AL West | Levi Weaver |
| 1345 | Nationals | NL East | Barry Svrluga |
| 1345 | Mariners | AL West | Ryan Divish |
| 1347 | Dodgers | NL West | Andy McCullough |
| 1347 | Royals | AL Central | Rustin Dodd |
| 1348 | Indians | AL Central | Zach Meisel |
| 1348 | White Sox | AL Central | James Fegan |
| 1350 | Astros | AL West | Jake Kaplan |
| 1350 | Tigers | AL Central | Anthony Fenech |
| 1351 | Yankees | AL East | Lindsey Adler |
| 1351 | Marlins | NL East | Andre Fernandez |
| 1352 | Red Sox | AL East | Alex Speier |
| 1352 | Orioles | AL East | Joe Trezza |
2020 Season Preview[]
- 15 episodes, two teams per episode.
- Two episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Ben and Meg conduct one interview per team.
- Episode order: Middle out by FanGraphs projection.
- Banished to the Pen evaluates the 2020 predictions
The series paused when MLB announced (Episode 1513) that the season was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The series resumed in Episode 1561 after a shortened season was approved.
Grant Brisbee offered two predictions, one for a full season and jokingly one for a shortened 88-game season.
After the resumption of the Season Preview Series, guests were invited to predict wins for a hypothetical full season as well as for the shortened season.
2020 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1495 | Reds | NL Central | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 1495 | Brewers | NL Central | Derek VanRiper |
| 1497 | Padres | NL West | AJ Cassavell |
| 1497 | White Sox | AL Central | James Fegan |
| 1498 | Cubs | NL Central | Sahadev Sharma |
| 1498 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro |
| 1499 | Angels | AL West | Fabian Ardaya |
| 1499 | Cardinals | NL Central | Will Leitch |
| 1501 | Braves | NL East | Grant McAuley |
| 1501 | Phillies | NL East | Meghan Montemurro |
| 1503 | Indians | AL Central | T.J. Zuppe |
| 1503 | Rangers | AL West | Levi Weaver |
| 1506 | A's | AL West | Susan Slusser |
| 1506 | Rockies | NL West | Nick Groke |
| 1507 | Mets | NL East | Tim Britton |
| 1507 | Blue Jays | AL East | Ben Nicholson-Smith |
| 1508 | Nationals | NL East | Sam Fortier |
| 1508 | Royals | AL Central | Alec Lewis |
| 1510 | Red Sox | AL East | Alex Speier |
| 1510 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee |
| 1511 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman |
| 1511 | Pirates | NL Central | Jason Mackey |
| 1561 | Rays | AL East | Josh Tolentino |
| 1561 | Marlins | NL East | Jordan McPherson |
| 1562 | Yankees | AL East | Lindsey Adler |
| 1562 | Tigers | AL Central | Anthony Fenech |
| 1564 | Astros | AL West | Chandler Rome |
| 1564 | Mariners | AL West | Ryan Divish |
| 1566 | Dodgers | NL West | Pedro Moura |
| 1566 | Orioles | AL East | Joe Trezza |
2021 Season Preview[]
- 15 episodes, two teams per episode.
- Two episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Ben and Meg conduct one interview per team
- Episode order: Inside out by FanGraphs projection.
- Banished to the Pen analyzes the 2021 predictions
- Banished to the Pen evaluates the 2021 predictions
2021 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1656 | Rays | AL East | Adam Berry |
| 1656 | Brewers | NL Central | Will Sammon |
| 1658 | Cardinals | NL Central | Will Leitch |
| 1658 | Indians | AL Central | Zack Meisel |
| 1660 | A's | AL West | Alex Coffey |
| 1660 | Phillies | NL East | Matt Gelb |
| 1661 | Nationals | NL East | Jesse Dougherty |
| 1661 | Cubs | NL Central | Sahadev Sharma |
| 1662 | Angels | AL West | Fabian Ardaya |
| 1662 | Royals | AL Central | Lynn Worthy |
| 1664 | Red Sox | AL East | Alex Speier |
| 1664 | Reds | NL Central | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 1665 | Blue Jays | AL East | Kaitlyn McGrath |
| 1665 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee |
| 1667 | White Sox | AL Central | James Fegan |
| 1667 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro |
| 1668 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman |
| 1668 | Tigers | AL Central | Evan Woodbery |
| 1669 | Braves | NL East | Grant McAuley |
| 1669 | Mariners | AL West | Ryan Divish |
| 1670 | Astros | AL West | Chandler Rome |
| 1670 | Rangers | AL West | Levi Weaver |
| 1671 | Mets | NL East | Deesha Thosar |
| 1671 | Marlins | NL East | Jordan McPherson |
| 1673 | Padres | NL West | Dennis Lin |
| 1673 | Rockies | NL West | Nick Groke |
| 1674 | Yankees | AL East | Lindsey Adler |
| 1674 | Pirates | NL Central | Jason Mackey |
| 1675 | Dodgers | NL West | Pedro Moura |
| 1675 | Orioles | AL East | Joe Trezza |
2022 Season Preview[]
- 6 episodes, one division per episode. The non-traditional format was due to the short time between the lifting of the lockout and the start of the season.
- Consecutive episodes, with a one-episode break.
- Ben and Meg conduct one interview per division.
- Episode order: No special order. Ben starts with the AL Central because "no one starts with the AL Central."
- Within a division, they generally cover the teams in descending order of playoff likelihood.
| Ep. | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|
| 1827 | AL Central | R.J. Anderson |
| 1828 | NL West | Craig Goldstein |
| 1829 | NL Central | Ben Clemens |
| 1830 | AL West | Pedro Moura |
| 1832 | AL East | Zach Kram and Bobby Wagner |
| 1833 | NL East | Emma Baccellieri |
2023 Season Preview[]
- 15 episodes, two teams per episode.
- Two episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Ben and Meg conduct one interview per team.
- Episode order: Middle out by FanGraphs projection.
- Starting in Episode 1977, Ben challenges the listeners with three trivia questions about the pair of teams being previewed
- Which of the two teams leads the franchise head-to-head record?
- Of the players who have played for both teams, which position player and pitcher have the highest career WAR? (This includes WAR accumulated when playing for other teams.)
- Who were the first position player and pitcher to play for both teams?
- Episode 2061: Ben and Meg assess whether each team met the writers' success criteria.
2023 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee |
| 1965 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman |
| 1967 | Angels | AL West | Sam Blum |
| 1967 | Red Sox | AL East | Alex Speier |
| 1968 | Guardians | AL Center | Mandy Bell |
| 1968 | Rangers | AL West | Levi Weaver |
| 1970 | Mariners | AL West | Ryan Divish |
| 1970 | White Sox | AL Central | James Fegan |
| 1971 | Brewers | NL Central | Todd Rosiak |
| 1971 | Marlins | NL East | Jordan McPherson |
| 1973 | Phillies | NL East | Matt Gelb |
| 1973 | Orioles | AL East | Nathan Ruiz |
| 1974 | Cardinals | NL Central | Katie Woo |
| 1974 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro |
| 1976 | Dodgers | NL West | Fabian Ardaya |
| 1976 | Cubs | NL Central | Sahadev Sharma |
| 1977 | Blue Jays | AL East | Kaitlyn McGrath |
| 1977 | Royals | AL Central | Anne Rogers |
| 1979 | Astros | AL West | Chandler Rome |
| 1979 | Pirates | NL Central | Jason Mackey |
| 1980 | Rays | AL East | Adam Berry |
| 1980 | Tigers | AL Central | Cody Stavenhagen |
| 1982 | Mets | NL East | Deesha Thosar |
| 1982 | A's | AL West | Matt Kawahara |
| 1983 | Yankees | AL East | Brendan Kuty |
| 1983 | Nationals | NL East | Jesse Dougherty |
| 1985 | Padres | NL West | AJ Cassavell |
| 1985 | Reds | NL Central | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 1986 | Braves | NL East | Grant McAuley |
| 1986 | Rockies | NL West | Danielle Allentuck |
2024 Season Preview[]
- 15 episodes, two teams per episode.
- Two episodes per week, with one non-preview episode per week.
- Ben and Meg conduct one interview per team.
- Episode order: "Roughly" middle out by FanGraphs projection, according to Ben in 2121.
- The Giants preview was delayed due to scheduling issues, and the Yankees preview was delayed to wait for more information about Gerrit Cole.
- Episode 2264: Ben and Meg assess whether each team met the writers' success criteria
2024 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2121 | Marlins | NL East | Kevin Barral |
| 2121 | Mets | NL East | Tim Britton |
| 2123 | Red Sox | AL East | Alex Speier |
| 2123 | Padres | NL West | AJ Cassavell |
| 2124 | Rangers | AL West | Kennedi Landry |
| 2124 | Cubs | NL Central | Sahadev Sharma |
| 2126 | Cardinals | NL Central | Katie Woo |
| 2126 | Guardians | AL Central | Mandy Bell |
| 2128 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro |
| 2128 | Brewers | NL Central | Curt Hogg |
| 2129 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman |
| 2129 | Tigers | AL Central | Cody Staverhagen |
| 2131 | Phillies | NL East | Matt Gelb |
| 2131 | Angels | AL West | Sam Blum |
| 2132 | Blue Jays | AL East | Kaitlyn McGrath |
| 2132 | Reds | NL Central | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 2134 | Orioles | AL East | Danielle Allentuck |
| 2134 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee |
| 2135 | Rays | AL East | Adam Berry |
| 2135 | Pirates | NL Central | Alex Stumpf |
| 2136 | Mariners | AL West | Ryan Divish |
| 2136 | Royals | AL Central | Jaylon Thompson |
| 2137 | Astros | AL West | Chandler Rome |
| 2137 | A's | AL West | Melissa Lockard |
| 2139 | Braves | NL East | Grant McAuley |
| 2139 | White Sox | AL Central | James Fegan |
| 2142 | Yankees | AL East | Chris Kirschner |
| 2142 | Nationals | NL East | Andrew Golden |
| 2144 | Dodgers | NL West | Fabian Ardaya |
| 2144 | Rockies | NL West | Luke Zahlmann |
2025 Season Preview[]
- 15 episodes, two teams per episode.
- Consecutive episodes, with occasional break episodes.
- Ben and Meg conduct one interview per team.
- Episode order: Middle out by FanGraphs projection, with adjustments for guest availability.
2025 Season Preview Series Episode Table
| Ep. | Team | Division | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2279 | Blue Jays | AL East | Rob Longley |
| 2279 | Padres | NL West | AJ Cassavell |
| 2280 | Rays | AL East | Adam Berry |
| 2280 | Brewers | NL Central | Curt Hogg |
| 2281 | Orioles | AL East | Danielle Allentuck |
| 2281 | Royals | AL Central | Jaylon Thompson |
| 2282 | Twins | AL Central | Aaron Gleeman |
| 2282 | Tigers | AL Central | Cody Stavenhagen |
| 2283 | Cubs | NL Central | Sahadev Sharma |
| 2283 | Giants | NL West | Grant Brisbee |
| 2284 | Astros | AL West | Chandler Rome |
| 2284 | Cardinals | NL Central | Katie Woo |
| 2286 | Mariners | AL West | Ryan Divish |
| 2286 | Reds | NL Central | C. Trent Rosecrans |
| 2287 | Rangers | AL West | Kennedi Landry |
| 2287 | Pirates | NL Central | John Perrotto |
| 2288 | Red Sox | AL East | Alex Speier |
| 2288 | Athletics | AL West | Jason Burke |
| 2289 | Mets | NL East | Tim Britton |
| 2289 | Angels | AL West | Sam Blum |
| 2290 | Diamondbacks | NL West | Nick Piecoro |
| 2290 | Nationals | NL East | Andrew Golden |
| 2291 | Phillies | NL East | Matt Gelb |
| 2291 | Guardians | AL Central | Zack Meisel |
| 2292 | Braves | NL East | Grant McAuley |
| 2292 | Marlins | NL East | Kevin Barral |
| 2294 | Dodgers | NL West | Fabian Ardaya |
| 2294 | Rockies | NL West | Patrick Lyons |
| 2296 | Yankees | AL East | Gary Phillips |
| 2296 | White Sox | AL Central | James Fegan |