Archive for Effectively Wild

Effectively Wild Episode 289: From Our Inboxes to Your Ears

Ben and Sam answer listener emails about extreme tiebreak scenarios, home run robberies, the winningest and losingest players, Mike Trout, and more.


Effectively Wild Episode 288: The Appeal of Year-to-Year Contracts/Ranking Contenders By Rootability

Ben and Sam discuss why players don’t choose year-to-year contracts, then rank contending teams by rootability.


Effectively Wild Episode 287: Preparing for Postseason Narrative-Building/Guerrero, Helton, and the Hall of Fame

Ben and Sam discuss the onslaught of articles about which teams are best-suited for October, then talk about the Cooperstown cases of Vladimir Guerrero and Todd Helton.


Effectively Wild Episode 286: Picking Comeback Players for 2014/Top Team Improvements of the Past Decade

Ben and Sam pick potential comeback players for next season, then discuss Bill James’ list of the ways in which teams have improved over the last 10 years.


Effectively Wild Episode 285: Was the Marlins’ Season a Success?/Finessing Derek Jeter’s Final(?) Season

Ben and Sam discuss whether 2013 was a success or failure for the Marlins relative to expectations, then talk about how the Yankees should approach Derek Jeter’s age-40 season.


Effectively Wild Episode 284: The Best Damn Listener Email Show Period

Ben and Sam answer listener emails about Mariano Rivera’s workload, rarely applied rules, FIELDf/x and shifts, quality starts, and more.


Effectively Wild Episode 283: An Upper-Minors Inefficiency/The Slippery Definition of Performance Enhancement

Ben and Sam talk about whether teams should step up advance scouting in the upper minors, then discuss the difference (or lack thereof) between the PEDs MLB bans and the procedures it allows.


Effectively Wild Episode 282: Reassessing Trout vs. Harper/Top Pitchers Versus Top Position Players

Ben and Sam discuss (again) whether Mike Trout or Bryce Harper will have the better career, then talk about where they would rank today’s top pitchers and position players for the future.


Effectively Wild Episode 281: The Soft-Tossing Starter Draft/Harry Pavlidis Explains All PITCHf/x

Ben, Sam, and guest Harry Pavlidis draft slow-throwing starters, and Harry explains the intricacies of classifying pitches and scouting pitchers from PITCHf/x.


Effectively Wild Episode 280: Is Billy Hamilton Worth a Roster Spot?/Five Free Agents Finishing Make-or-Break Years

Ben and Sam discuss the debatable value of Billy Hamilton, then forecast the free agencies of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Phil Hughes and others.