Episode 111
If you’re looking for full coverage of the Thursday trade that sent left-hander Dana Eveland from the Dodgers to the Orioles, you won’t find it in this edition of FanGraphs Audio, because it’s mostly managing editor Dave Cameron discussing the Angels’ twin signings of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson — and rhapsodizing on the virtues of brisket, too.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @cistulli on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximately 20 min. play time.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

UPDATE: Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson have both been signed by the Angels. Our writers are currently crafting crack analysis of both transactions.

What do you call a pitcher for the Pirates? Erik Bed-arrrrr-d.

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Offseason Notes.

1. Assorted Headlines
2. SCOUT Leaderboards: Dominican Winter League
3. Prospecting: BA Lists for Arizona, Colorado, and Los Angeles (NL)

Assorted Headlines
Pittsburgh Signs Bedard
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Erik Bedard to a one-year, $4.5 million deal on Wednesday, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports. The left-hander, who turns 32 this winter, has had injury problems basically every year since 2008, but has been above average when he has played, posting a career xFIP- of 88. This now gives the Pirates a starting rotation along these lines (2011 xFIP- in parentheses): 1. Bedard (88) / 2. Charlie Morton (106) / 3. James McDonald (116) / 4. Jeff Karstens (104) / 5. Kevin Correia (114). Hrm.

Read the rest of this entry »

On Tuesday’s edition of our award-winning, critically acclaimed podcast, managing editor Dave Cameron suggested that Aaron Harang should donate a portion of his new $12 million contract (courtesy of the Dodgers) to the San Diego Padres. It was, after all, San Diego’s cavernous Petco Park that aided Harang in recording a career-best 3.64 ERA, even while posting an xFIP- (109) considerably worse than his career average (95 xFIP-).

While it’s unlikely that Harang will be making any sort of financial contribution to his former team’s coffers, it’s very possible that the new Padres front office has plans to leverage the effects of its pitcher-friendly ballpark to its benefit with the news today that they’ve acquired closer Huston Street from Colorado for a player to be named later.

Read the rest of this entry »

Episode 110
Managing editor — and now real-live baseballing journalist — Dave Cameron joins us once again from the bowels of Dallas’s Hilton Anatole to discuss the goings-on of this year’s Winter Meetings. Among the topics considered: the Albert Pujols Situation, the Mets and all their new relief pitchers, and a bunch of other relief pitchers.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @cistulli on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximately 21 min. play time.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Offseason Notes.

1. Graph: Vertical Fastball Movement Vs. Ground-Ball Percentage
2. Projecting: ZiPS for Minnesota
3. Crowdsourcing Broadcasters: Chicago (AL) Television

Graph: Vertical Fastball Movement Vs. Ground-Ball Percentage
Yesterday (Tuesday), site founder David Appelman added Pitch Fx leaderboards to the site. I’m not lying when I say I wanna make, like, a thousand graphs of that data and then take each one of those graphs out individually to a romantic dinner or Will Smith concert.

As mystic philosopher Lao Tzu once said, though, “A journey of a thousand graphs starts with one, uh, graph.” So we’re starting with this one graph right here.

For this one, I made a sweet custom report including the vertical movement (or, z-movement) for two-seamers (FT) and sinkers (SI) — along with the overall ground-ball percentages — for every starter from 2011 (with more than 10 innings). I was curious as to how well vertical movement on those pitches correlates with ground-ball percentages.

In fact, the correlation was much higher than I anticipated. There’s probably some confirmation bias here — that is, pitchers with betters sinkers or two-seamers probably throw those pitches more often — but, speaking anecdotally, there seemed to be a pretty reasonable spread in usage.

Read the rest of this entry »

Episode 109
The most exciting news from the Winter Meetings in Dallas is not, as it turns out, the Dodgers’ signing of Aaron Harang, but rumors that both Managing Editor Dave Cameron and David Laurila (curator of the FanGraphs Q&A series) have been accepted into the BBWAA (or, in the case of Laurila, re-accepted). Also discussed: the Neyer Situation; the Dodgers, generally; Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson rumors.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @cistulli on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximately 22 min. play time.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Dmitri Young + Japan = Not an Actual Math Problem

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Offseason Notes.

1. Assorted Headlines
2. SCOUT Leaderboards: Venezuelan Winter League
3. Prospecting: John Sickels’ Top-20 List for Los Angeles (NL)

Assorted Headlines
Minnesota Claims Shortstop Florimon from Baltimore
The Twins claimed shortstop Pedro Florimon from the Orioles on Monday and placed him on the 40-man roster, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports. Florimon, who turns 25 on December 10th, slashed .267/.344/.396 (.336 BABIP) in 520 plate appearances at Double-A Bowie this year. The internet indicates that he profiles as above-average defender at short, but also that he’s mistake-prone.

Read the rest of this entry »

Episode 108
Managing Editor Dave Cameron is a guest both (a) at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX, where this year’s Winter Meetings are taking place and (b) on this edition of FanGraphs Audio. Among the topics covered: the Marlins’ signing of Jose Reyes and pursuit of Albert Pujols. The actual Rob Neyer also makes a brief appearance, which is made entirely awkward by the host.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @cistulli on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximately 17 min. play time.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Hilton Anatole, site of this year’s Winter Meetings, has gargoyles on the inside.

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Offseason Notes.

1. Assorted Headlines
2. SCOUT Leaderboards: Australian Baseball League
3. Crowdsourcing Broadcasters: Boston Television

Assorted Headlines
Winter Meetings Begin in Dallas
If, for instance, you’d lost power, like, three weeks ago and have just now gotten it back and the first site to which you pointed your browser is FanGraphs, then allow me to inform you that (a) Jose Reyes signed with the Marlins and (b) the Winter Meetings begin today at Dallas’s Hilton Anatole.

Read the rest of this entry »

Who’s the rat, you guys?

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Offseason Notes.

1. A Brief Note re: the Tardiness of Offseason Notes
2. SCOUT Leaderboards: Dominican Winter League
3. Projecting: ZiPS for San Francisco

A Brief Note re: the Tardiness of Offseason Notes
Offseason Notes is available each morning at approximately 10am ET — which is why it’s entirely understandable if (that?) the reader has spent much of the day wringing his hands anxiously, curious about the whereabouts of said Notes.

Let it be known, first of all, that the author is in good health. Let it be known, secondly, that he (i.e. the author) has recently made an actual friend in his new-ish hometown of Madison, WI, and stayed up later than usual Thursday night watching a Blue-ray edition of The Departed — that is, a film I had never previously seen on a format I had never previously utilized.

In conclusion, a question: who and/or what is the rat?

Read the rest of this entry »