Archive for Effectively Wild

Effectively Wild Episode 62: Yankees-Tigers ALCS Update/How Hard is Pitching on Short Rest?/October Bullpen Strategy

Ben and Sam catch up on the Yankees-Tigers ALCS and Ben’s beat-writing adventures, then talk about why players and stats disagree about the difficulty of pitching on short rest, and Jim Leyland’s comments about closers.


Effectively Wild Episode 61: Division Series Round-Up/Giving Darren O’Day His Due

Ben and Sam catch up with the latest action developments in each of the just-completed or still-in-progress playoff series, then discuss Darren O’Day in greater depth.


Effectively Wild Episode 60: Ibanez Pinch-Hits for A-Rod/The Strasburg Debate That Won’t Die

Ben and Sam discuss Game Three of the Yankees-Orioles ALDS, the decision to pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez, and A-Rod’s future in New York, then talk about why the Stephen Strasburg debate won’t go away.


Effectively Wild Episode 59: Does the 2-3 Playoff Format Affect Home Field Advantage?/Can the A’s Defeat Detroit?

Ben and Sam bring on Jason Wojciechowski to discuss whether the 2-3 playoff format is the abomination he makes it out to be, then talk about how the A’s Game Three victory changes (or doesn’t change) their odds of beating the Tigers.


Effectively Wild Episode 58: How Accurate Have the Postseason Narratives Been So Far?/Not Jim Tracy Returns

Ben and Sam talk to Not Jim Tracy about his resignation from the Rockies, then discuss how the narratives surrounding each playoff series have held up over the first few days of games.


Effectively Wild Episode 57: The Teams That Will Win a World Series in the Next Five Years/Are Beat Writers Becoming More or Less Important?/The O’s Start Saunders

Ben and Sam are joined by Marc Normandin, formerly of Baseball Prospectus and currently of SB Nation, to discuss which teams will win a World Series in the next five years, the changing role of beat writers, and Joe Saunders, the Orioles’ starter in tonight’s play-in game.


Effectively Wild Episode 56: A Very Special Simulpodcast with FanGraphs Audio

Ben and Sam join/are joined by Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs for a longest-ever episode about the worst predictions teams and players made about themselves, Bryce Harper’s historical significance, and the baseball players who led the league in our hearts in 2012. We talked for almost an hour, so adjust your commutes accordingly.


Effectively Wild Episode 55: Shrinking Safeco/The Unpredictability of Japanese Players

Ben and Sam discuss the Mariners’ decision to bring in (and lower) Safeco Field’s fences, then talk about what the seasons of Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Norichika Aoki say about the difficulty of projecting the performance of Japanese imports.


Effectively Wild Episode 54: Jeff Luhnow’s Season-Ending Interview Idea/Why Players and Executives Disagree About the AL MVP

Ben and Sam discuss Jeff Luhnow’s plan to interview his players at the end of each season, then talk about why players and front-office executives are backing different candidates for AL MVP.


Effectively Wild Episode 53: Is the Second Wild Card Working?/Explaining Mainstream Screeds Against Advanced Stats

Ben and Sam discuss whether the second wild card has made the stretch run more exciting, then talk about why papers publish columns that criticize advanced stats without making an effort to understand them.