The Beginner's Dugout
Welcome to Beginner’s Dugout! If you’re new to baseball—or baseball-curious—this is the show for you.
Each episode focuses on one key part of the game, breaking it down in simple, beginner-friendly language so you can stop feeling lost and start enjoying baseball with confidence. Whether you’re picking your first team or trying to understand what everyone’s yelling about, we’ve got you covered.
New to baseball? Start here:
EP1: How to Pick Your Team
S2:EP1: How to Watch Baseball (Updated for 2026)
EP3: Pitching Basic
EP6: Batting Basics
EP8: Stats for Beginners
Follow the path, and the game will start to click fast.
The game is complicated. We make it make sense.
The Beginner's Dugout
S2: EP5: Defensive Shifts
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Why are there three infielders on one side of second base? What exactly is a defensive shift, and why do baseball fans argue about it so much? In this beginner-friendly episode, we break down how defensive shifts work, why teams started using them so heavily, and the surprising ways they changed the game. We’ll also cover famous examples of shifts working perfectly—and moments when they completely backfired. Whether you’re brand new to baseball or just want to understand the strategy behind the weird positioning, this episode has you covered.
New to baseball? Start with Beginner’s Dugout — the podcast that makes the game finally make sense.