Author Archive

Effectively Wild Episode 79: Are Teams Becoming More Willing to Trade Their Young Players?

Ben and Sam discuss whether recent events and rumors portend more young players on the move, and why.


Effectively Wild Episode 78: Quantifying Coaches/Why Some Fielders Look Better Than They Are/How Do We Know What Pitchers Should Weigh?

Ben and Sam answer listener emails about the importance of coaches, defensive stats, and how we know whether pitchers should gain or lose weight, with guest appearances by Colin Wyers and Doug Thorburn.


Effectively Wild Episode 77: The Teams in the Winter Spending Sweet Spot

Ben and Sam discuss which teams might benefit most from adding a few wins this winter.


Effectively Wild Episode 76: The Free Agents the Internet Can’t Agree On

Ben and Sam discuss the discrepancies between lists of the top free agents this offseason.


Effectively Wild Episode 75: The David Ortiz Decision and the Offseason Outlook for the Red Sox

Ben and Sam welcome Matthew Kory to the podcast to discuss the David Ortiz contract negotiations and the outlook for the Red Sox this winter.


Effectively Wild Episode 74: The Ervin Santana Trade, the Royals’ Rotation, and the Pitching Market/Rick Hahn and the Future of Front Offices

Ben and Sam discuss what the Ervin Santana trade says about the Royals’ rotation and the pitching market, then talk about what Rick Hahn’s ascension to the GM role in Chicago means for the future of front offices.


Effectively Wild Episode 73: Did the Dodgers Overpay for Brandon League?/Are Gold Glove Voters and Defensive Stats Learning to get Along?

Ben and Sam discuss the three-year deal the Dodgers gave Brandon League and reliever salaries in general, then talk about whether Gold Glove voters and advanced defensive stats agree more often than they used to.


Effectively Wild Episode 72: How Many Members of the Angels’ Rotation Will Be Back?/Predicting the First- and Last-Place Teams of 2013

Ben and Sam discuss the decisions the Angels are about to make concerning Dan Haren and Ervin Santana and talk about what their 2013 rotation will look like, then predict 2013’s division/World Series winners and last-place teams.


Effectively Wild Episode 71: The Giants Win the World Series/Assessing Brian Sabean

Ben and Sam discuss the start of the offseason and what the Giants’ second World Series win in three seasons says about GM Brian Sabean.


Effectively Wild Episode 70: World Series Game Two/Protective Gear for Pitchers

Ben and Sam discuss all the notable events from World Series Game Two, including Madison Bumgarner’s impressive outing, the line drive off of Doug Fister’s head, and Jim Leyland’s decision to play the infield back in the seventh, then assess the odds of a comeback by the Tigers.