Episode 878

Rachael McDaniel, managing editor of The Hardball Times, joins the program. We discuss the Houston Astros, the ethics of cheating, our disappointment in the game’s recent scandals, and our somehow still persistent excitement for the season to come. 

To vote for Rachael’s SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards nominated piece “The Meaning of Ichiro,” click here.

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

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

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 44 min play time.)

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Here’s your chance to vote for the 2020 SABR Analytics Conference Research Award winners.

The SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards will recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year. Nominations were solicited by representatives from SABR, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, The Hardball Times, and Beyond the Box Score.

To read any of the finalists, click on the link below. Scroll down to cast your vote.

Contemporary Baseball Analysis

• Robert Arthur, “The Baseball is Juiced (Again),” Baseball Prospectus, April 5, 2019.
• Craig Edwards, “Baseball’s Competitive Balance Problem,” FanGraphs, November 18, 2019.
• Sam Miller, “How is WAR Calculated, Really? Breaking Down a Single Play to Find Out,” ESPN.com, December 5, 2019.
• Jason Themanson, “Psychology of Walks and Singles,” The Hardball Times, June 19, 2019.
• Meredith Wills, “Yes, the Baseball is Different — Again. An Astrophysicist Examines This Year’s Baseballs and Breaks Down the Changes,” The Athletic, June 25, 2019.

Contemporary Baseball Commentary

• Daniel R. Epstein, “Don’t Let MLB Insult You,” Beyond the Box Score, December 23, 2019.
• Craig Goldstein, “Deep, But Playable: The Moral Hazard of Playing it Safe,” Baseball Prospectus, August 6, 2019.
• David Roth, “The Smartest Guys in the Clubhouse,” The New Republic, December 3, 2019.
• Shakeia Taylor, “Loss, For Words,” Baseball Prospectus, April 24, 2019.
• Emily Waldon, “I Can’t Afford to Play This Game: Minor Leaguers Open Up About the Realities of Their Pay and the Impact on Their Lives,” The Athletic, March 15, 2019.

Historical Baseball Analysis/Commentary

• R.J. Anderson, “The Business Behind MLB Expansion: Portland, Montreal and Raleigh Taking Different Approaches to Landing a Team,” CBS Sports, July 17, 2019.
• Jay Jaffe, “Pitcher, Author, Everyman, Hero: Jim Bouton (1939-2019),” FanGraphs, July 11, 2019.
• Herm Krabbenhoft, “How Many Hits Did Ty Cobb Make in His Major League Career? What Is His Lifetime Batting Average?” SABR Baseball Research Journal, Spring 2019.
• Rachael McDaniel, “The Meaning of Ichiro,” FanGraphs, March 21, 2019.
• Marc Normandin, “MLB’s Luxury Tax Became A Salary Cap Because Of Decades Of Failures,” Deadspin, January 31, 2019.

Voting will be open through 11:59 p.m. MST on Monday, February 10, 2020. Details and criteria for each category can be found here. Only one work per author was considered as a finalist.

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Results will be announced and presented at the ninth annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 13-15, 2020, at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more or register for the conference at SABR.org/analytics.

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Episode 877

Jay and I discuss the Astros’ punishment for electronic sign-stealing, the dismissal of Jeff Luhnow, AJ Hinch, and Alex Cora, and what we want the punishment of teams, managers, and front office personnel to achieve in cases like this. We then turn our attention to how the Astros and Red Sox World Series teams (and the players who played for them) will be remembered decades from now, and what his association with the scandal might mean for Carlos Beltrán’s future Hall of Fame consideration.

Please note, this episode was recorded prior Beltrán stepping down as the Mets manager.

To read Jay’s piece on the parallels between the sign-stealing scandal and the steroid era, click here.
To read Jay’s piece on the Astros’ punishment, click here.
To read Jay’s piece on Carlos Beltrán, click here.
Update: Jay’s follow-up on Beltrán and the Mets’ mutual parting is available here.

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

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

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 44 min play time.)

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Episode 876

On this edition of FanGraphs Audio, Ben Clemens shares his impressions of the Winter Meetings, before we discuss a recent piece of his exploring free agency, and which types of teams are actually keeping the hot stove burning. Ben also shares which rosters have him the most excited for the 2020 season, and the answers may surprise you. Lastly, we discuss the latest updates from the realm of sign-stealing, and Ben discourages you from committing financial crime. 

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

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

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 44 min play time.)

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Episode 875

On this edition of FanGraphs Audio, I welcome senior writer Dan Szymborski back to the program. Dan and I discuss his favorite free agent signings of the offseason so far, the teams that have most altered their 2020 fortunes, and what a busy winter means for the overall health of free agency. I also force Dan to assign the remaining good free agents to new homes, lightening round style.

You can find all of Dan’s 2020 ZiPS projections here as they roll out.

Our RosterResource Free Agent tracker can be found here, and the Offseason Transaction Tracker can be found here.

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

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

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 53 min play time.)

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