Introduction and #31-32
#30 – #21

Roughly four years ago now, the present author facilitated a crowdsourcing project designed to place a “grade” on each of the league’s television and radio broadcast teams. The results weren’t intended to represent the objective quality or skill of the relevant announcers, but rather to provide a clue as to which broadcast teams are likely to appeal most (or least) to the readers of this site.

The results of that original exercise have been useful as a complement to the dumb NERD scores published by the author in these pages. Four years later, however, they’ve become much less useful. In the meantime, a number of the broadcast teams cited in that original effort have changed personnel. It’s possible that the tastes of this site’s readers have changed, also.

About a month ago, the present author began the process of reproducing that original crowdsourcing effort, facilitating a ballots for this site’s readers. This post represents the third installment of the corresponding results.

Below are the 20th- through 11th-ranked television broadcast teams, per the FanGraphs readership.

But first, three notes:

• Teams are ranked in ascending order of Overall rating. Overall ratings are not merely averages of Charisma and Analysis.
• The author has attempted to choose reader comments that are either (a) illustrative of the team’s place in the rankings or (b) conspicuously amusing.
• A complete table of ratings cast will appear in these pages Friday.

20. Texas Rangers
Main Broadcasters: Steve Busby and Tom Grieve
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 2.9, 2.6, 2.9

Three Reader Comments
• “Busby’s main entertainment value comes from his apparent lack of awareness of obvious double entendre. He has provided many superb sound bites since taking over in the booth, such as the time he described David Murphy’s run of success in the second spot of the lineup as ‘eating that number two hole up.’ A favorite of his is the term ‘fisted;’ when L.J. Hoes fouled a ball off the handle of the bat one day, he said, incredibly, ‘And Hoes got fisted.'”
• “[Grieve] is usually quite likable, and his broadcasting feels a bit like you’re talking to a grandfather about baseball (in the good way). At the same time, though, his analysis and traditional views in regard to numbers feel a bit like you’re talking to your grandfather (in the bad way).”
• “I was spoiled with Josh Lewin for all those years.”

Notes
A number of the broacast teams in this middle range seem to share a certainly quality — namely, that they neither add nor subtract much from the experience of the game. For certain broadcasters, this might actually be regarded as an ideal outcome. Others likely would prefer to curate the viewer’s experience a bit. Whatever the case, the general sentiment among respondents regarding Busby and Grieve is that they do no harm.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Tampa Bay at Toronto | 19:07 ET
Odorizzi (44.2 IP, 99 xFIP-) vs. Dickey (48.0 IP, 104 xFIP-)
Apart from whatever merits he possesses as a ballplayer, Jake Odorizzi has this other virtue, too — namely, that his name facilitates a brief, phonetics-based Italian lesson. In the States, Odorizzi is the name of a right-handed pitcher. This is self-evident. In Italy, however, “Odorizzi” is something different. Regard: odiare is the verb “to hate.” Riso, meanwhile, is the singular form of the noun signifying either “laughter” or “rice.” Put together, odio risi (OH-dee-oh REETS-ee) means “I hate rices” or “I hate laughters.” The two sentiments are more useful than one might suppose: the average American tourist finds that communicating his or her distaste for rice and laughter composes about 40% of all conversations.

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Introduction and #31-32

Roughly four years ago now, the present author facilitated a crowdsourcing project designed to place a “grade” on each of the league’s television and radio broadcast teams. The results weren’t intended to represent the objective quality or skill of the relevant announcers, but rather to provide a clue as to which broadcast teams are likely to appeal most (or least) to the readers of this site.

The results of that original exercise have been useful as a complement to the dumb NERD scores published by the author in these pages. Four years later, however, they’ve become much less useful. In the meantime, a number of the broadcast teams cited in that original effort have changed personnel. It’s possible that the tastes of this site’s readers have changed, also.

About a month ago, the present author began the process of reproducing that original crowdsourcing effort, facilitating a ballots for this site’s readers. This post represents the second installment of the corresponding results.

Below are the 30th- through 21st-ranked television broadcast teams, per the FanGraphs readership.

But first, three notes:

• Teams are ranked in ascending order of Overall rating. Overall ratings are not merely averages of Charisma and Analysis.
• The author has attempted to choose reader comments that are either (a) illustrative of the team’s place in the rankings or (b) conspicuously amusing.
• A complete table of ratings cast will appear in these pages Friday.

30. Philadelphia Phillies
Main Broadcasters: Tom McCarthy and Ben Davis/Matt Stairs.
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 2.3, 2.2, 2.2

Three Reader Comments
• “McCarthy routinely sounds more excited hawking WB Mason products than when the Phillies do something. Of course, the last couple of seasons, the Phillies are roughly as exciting as office supplies.”
• “Weekends with Schmidt are solid.”
• “RIP Harry Kalas.”

Notes
It might be difficult for those who’ve watched Phillies broadcasts in recent years to separate the quality of the club from the appeal of the broadcasters. Certainly, it must be difficult for the broadcasters themselves to muster enthusiasm for a poor team. In any case, if there’s a uniform criticism here, it regards McCarthy and the sort of “professional distance” he maintains, if that makes sense.

Read the rest of this entry »

Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Washington at New York NL | 19:10 ET
Scherzer (52.0 IP, 78 xFIP-) vs. Syndergaard (46.1 IP, 60 xFIP-)
One doesn’t require an unusually complex and only modestly useful algorithm to identify this evening’s encounter between Max Scherzer and Noah Syndergaard as the day’s most compelling. That said, the world is populated by a number of things one doesn’t expressly require — and which persist nevertheless. Like an attractive Jøtul-brand cast-iron stove in the corner of the living room, for example. Or like a table constructed from gas pipe and reclaimed pallet wood that you bought on Etsy and really brings the kitchen together. In conclusion: industrial-chic mailbox, brushed-nickel floating house numbers, strikeouts, average fastball velocity, and primitive entry door with strap hinges.

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Episode 653
Dave Cameron is the managing editor of FanGraphs. During this edition of FanGraphs Audio he examines what the data reveal about slumps, injuries, etc — specifically looking at Yordano Ventura‘s fastball velocity and release point, and then Troy Tulowitzki’s contact rate on pitches in the zone and also exit velocity.

This episode of the program is sponsored by SeatGeek, which site removes both the work and also the hassle from the process of shopping for tickets.

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 45 min play time.)

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Read the rest of this entry »

Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
New York AL at Arizona | 21:40 ET
Green (MLB Debut) vs. Ray (35.1 IP, 100 xFIP-)
“Who is Chad Green?” is a question likely being asked today by the American public and also periodically by Chad Green himself. The deeper, ontological implications of the question reside outside the scope of this brief entry. What follows, however, are five statements regarding who Chad Green is.

• An 11th-round selection (in 2013) by the Tigers out of Louisville.
• A piece in the trade that sent Justin Wilson to Detroit in December.
• The author of impressive strikeout and walk rates as a professional.
• The owner of a fastball that reaches the mid-90s.
• The owner of maybe less impressive secondary pitches.

Read the rest of this entry »

Roughly four years ago now, the present author facilitated a crowdsourcing project designed to place a “grade” on each of the league’s television and radio broadcast teams. The results weren’t intended to represent the objective quality or skill of the relevant announcers, but rather to provide a clue as to which broadcast teams are likely to appeal most (or least) to the readers of this site. Consider: the average telecast of a major-league game offers four distinct audio feeds — which is to say, the radio and television commentary both for the home and road clubs. The idea of these broadcast rankings was to give readers an opportunity to make an informed decision about how they consume a telecast.

The results of that original exercise have been useful as a complement to the dumb NERD scores published by the author in these pages. Four years later, however, they’ve become much less useful. In the meantime, a number of the broadcast teams cited in that original effort have changed personnel. It’s possible that the tastes of this site’s readers have changed, also.

About a month ago, the present author began the process of reproducing that original crowdsourcing effort, facilitating a ballots for this site’s readers. This post represents the first installment of the corresponding results.

Before examining the rankings in earnest, three observations of varying merit:

Broadcasting Is Difficult
Assuming a roughly average time of game (about three hours each) and full major-league season (162 games), it’s probably not incorrect to say that a club typically plays about 500 hours of baseball each year. Broadcasters are tasked with providing some manner of spoken content for the duration of those 500 hours. Radio announcers are compelled to relay the sport’s sometimes complex machinations in real time — while also supplementing their narratives with analysis. Television commentary might actually pose a greater challenge. As the well-respected radio voice of the Rangers, Eric Nadel, suggested on this site’s podcast, the relative freedom provided by video — which renders much descriptive activity moot — conspires only to facilitate more opportunities for a broadcaster to embarrass himself. For the endurance required of the job alone, broadcasting is difficult.

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Episode 652
Dayn Perry is a contributor to CBS Sports’ Eye on Baseball and the author of three books — one of them not very miserable. He’s also the fetid creature on this edition of FanGraphs Audio.

This episode of the program is sponsored by SeatGeek, which site removes both the work and also the hassle from the process of shopping for tickets.

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 1 hr 12 min play time.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Detroit at Baltimore | 13:35 ET
Fulmer (15.0 IP, 83 xFIP-) vs. Gausman (25.0 IP, 88 xFIP-)
Over the first three years and nearly 300 innings of his career, Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman produced better-than-average fielding-independent numbers while conceding actual runs at a worse-than-average rate. Over the first three starts and 15 innings of his career, Detroit’s Michael Fulmer has endured the precise same outcome. Now in his fourth season, Gausman has retained the same basic peripherals — but is preventing runs at a rate roughly 50% better than league average. Is it possible that one, observing Gausman, is observing Michael Fulmer’s future self? And if that is the case, is it dangerous for him to operate in such close proximity to Michael Fulmer’s present self? The answers are to be revealed!

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