Off the Bench is exactly what the subtitle says it is: A Mostly Baseball Blog. We try to publish daily concerning the goings on in the baseball world. When there is less going on than usual, our contributors sometimes branch into other sports–sometimes they depart from sports altogether. We’ve been known to delve into the likes of fantasy football, the tyranny of the NCAA, and even politics. But mostly, we cover all things baseball.
We started in the college dorm room of two NCAA baseball players who had no idea what they were doing, and have grown from there. Whether or not we know what we’re doing now is up for debate, but you can listen to our Off The Bench Radio Interview for the full story.
Off the Bench is owned and operated by Sean Morash, Max Frankel, and Ari Glantz.
Contact Off the Bench at offthebench@offthebenchbaseball.com
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Sean Morash
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Max Frankel
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Ari Glantz
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James Weisser
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Jon Rimmer
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Joe Mangano
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John Madsen
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Bryan Armetta
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Off The Bench’s Oddball Crew
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Trey Gonsalez
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Mike Milius
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Daniel R. Epstein
Founder
Sean is a former outfielder for the Vassar College Brewers, a Division III program in upstate New York. After the Brewers, Sean shifted focus from attempting to dominate the blog and D3 opponents to attempting to dominate international baseball as he became the head coach and number 2 hitter for the Erbach Grasshoppers, a semi-professional team competing in Germany’s Regionalliga Südwest.
Sean’s commentary usually errs on the side of the statistical analysis. He has developed his own sabermetric, revised it, and then developed another one. And he does offer more general opinion pieces as well.
Sean’s “real world” career is as an electric power research consultant in grid modernization, based in Knoxville, TN.
His work in renewable energy examines the political, regulatory, engineering factors associated with the advancement of modern electricity technologies.
Founder
Max was a back to back state champion in high school baseball at Mamaroneck High School before becoming a pitcher at Vassar College in New York. He is currently an outfielder and number 2 hitter on a variety of beer league softball teams in and around the Washington, DC area.
Max was a Political Science major at Vassar and after graduating worked as a 5th and 6th grade Science and Social Studies teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma as part of Teach for America. After as stint working on climate change issues at World Resources Institute, a global environmental non-profit, Max is now a Legislative Assistant for a member of Congress covering energy, environment, transportation, and housing issues, among others. When it comes to baseball, Max focuses on opinion, analysis, and observation more heavily than statistical studies. He is more than willing to talk baseball, any time and any place.
Questions or comments can be sent to max(AT)offthebenchbaseball.com. Follow him on twitter at @otbb_max
Chief Editor
Ari is a Red Sox fan, born and raised within view of the Fenway lights. He shared the field with Sean and Max during his senior season, their freshman campaign, at Vassar College. For the Brewers, Ari batted third and played a different position each of his four years– beginning behind the plate, moving to the keystone, shortstop as a junior, and was finally relegated to left field in his final go around. He holds Vassar’s career triples record, and better players continue to bump him off various top ten lists. After Vassar, Ari won his first championship since little league playing shortstop for the BreakThrough Bandits of the Cairns Baseball League in Queensland, Australia, and though the dream has long since died, he continues to chase its ghost with the Brighton Braves of the Yawkey Baseball League.
Ari edits the Off The Bench for content and copy, and adds opinion pieces when the mood strikes.
James Weisser
Contributor
James Weisser has been following prospects since 2003, joining the Off The Bench Baseball team in 2019. He has seen MVP’s, Cy Young Winners, and All-Stars before they ever played in the majors. He is an avid college baseball fan who enjoys watching the SEC and ACC, when often times the cold, wet weather of his hometown Midwest allows him to follow some of the top players in both conferences. He also enjoys following/covering the Midwest League, which is often the level at which a player’s competes for his first full professional season. He also seeks out top amateur talent that comes through the Chicago area in other forms, including the Under Armour All-America game held annually at Wrigley Field. He currently resides in McHenry, Illinois which is located within an hour from the Beloit Snappers and Kane County Cougars. A White Sox fan growing up, a few of his all-time favorite players to watch are Frank Thomas, Albert Pujols, Derek
Jeter, Ryan Howard, Clayton Kershaw, Barry Bonds, Mike Trout, and Ken Griffey Jr.
Jon Rimmer
Contributor
Born and raised in New Jersey as a lifelong baseball fan who roots for the Yankees, Jon Rimmer, MS Exercise Science, is the author of “Iron: Kettlebell and Body Weight Training 101”, and “The Push-Up: Your Secret Weapon in Attaining Total Body Functional Strength”. He has published multiple peer-reviewed articles in the fields of biomechanics and physiology, as well as appeared on News 12 NJ to discuss modern exercise techniques. After tackling the written field of health and fitness, Jon moved on to writing about baseball. In addition to contributing to Off the Bench, his words have appeared on Pinstripe Alley, The Hardball Times, and My Baseball Page. His first baseball-themed book, “Minorball” was published in November of 2020. When he isn’t droning on or being overly officious about exercise and baseball, he’s hanging out with his wife and dogs at the Jersey Shore.
Joseph Mangano has been blogging for over 10 years in various forms. He once interned for Xanga as an editor and writer. He graduated with a BA in Psychology from Rutgers University, and an MBA in Accounting from William Paterson University. He resides in northern New Jersey, and has only once pumped his own gas. When not writing, he enjoys being part of an acoustic rock duo that never actually plays any shows, watching sports, and chasing Pokémon. He can be reached at jfmangano@gmail.com or on Twitter at @JFMangano.
John Madsen
John is a 2018 graduate of Vassar College where he was a member of the Varsity Men’s Baseball team as a relief pitcher. He currently works in New York City as a research associate for NERA Economic Consulting in the securities and finance practice. John grew up in the suburbs of Boston and is a die-hard Red Sox fan. (Editor’s note: He’s also tall)
Bryan Armetta
Bryan is a lifelong Yankees fan, who grew up in New York City. He played tons of sports as a kid, and although he was captain of the basketball team in high school, baseball has always remained his favorite sport (by a wide margin). He is currently pursuing a career in Journalism, preferably in the world of sports. Passions include a love for music, literature, and anything outdoors. Although the majority of my content is opinionated, I make a strong effort to blend old-school statistics with sabermetrics and advanced statistics. He tends to focus on teams and players who are often underrepresented by most media outlets, all as part of an effort to be a more knowledgable fan and writer.
Oddball Crew
We also take posts from various friends, family, and internet strangers with good ideas. Some of our folks who contribute regularly didn’t turn in a headshot or bio, so they get called oddballs, too. If you’ve got a good idea, send us an email at offthebench@offthebenchbaseball.com and you could end up here too!
It’s a very inexact science how one goes from Oddball Crew to full-tilt contributor, but there are rules.
Contributor
Trey is a former pitcher from New Mexico State University. He is a big Arizona Diamondbacks fan with an obvious passion for the sport of baseball. Trey created All Sports Best which now has a radio show, podcast, blog, and its own website. He would love to answer any questions or chat with sports fans like himself. Make sure to give AllSportsBest.com a visit!
Contributor
Mike is a Red Sox fan from Thomaston, Connecticut. He’s currently a junior at UConn studying communication, but also has a passion for journalism. He was a two-time All-State shortstop for Thomaston High School, and finished his career as the program’s all-time hits leader. Mike continued playing at the Division II level, as a middle infielder at UConn’s Avery Point campus in Groton, Connecticut. During the summer, Mike spends his time instructing youth baseball players, and became the head coach of a 13U AAU team, winning a league championship in his first season at the helm. When it comes to writing, he will use statistics when necessary, but tries to not let them clutter his work. He will cover just about any topic, and loves to hear what others have to say about his writing. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeMilius.
Contributor
Daniel R. Epstein is an elementary special education teacher in New Jersey and president of the Somerset County Education Association. He is also a political organizer, drummer, and general louse. In addition to Off the Bench, he has contributed to BP Bronx, The Hardball Times, Banished to the Pen, and Call to the Pen. He also writes at Beyond The Box Score and tweets @depstein1983. Dan has moved on from Off The Bench to a regular spot at THT, but we like him and he’ll always be part of the team so here he is.
