Archive for Effectively Wild

Effectively Wild Episode 52: Oakland’s All-Rookie Rotation/Baseball’s Ever-Rising Strikeout Rate

Ben and Sam discuss whether the A’s all-rookie rotation bodes well for their future, then talk about whether the average strikeout rate has risen too high.


Effectively Wild Episode 51: What the Rockies Knew About Ubaldo/The Eternal Torii Hunter/Declining Dan Haren

Ben and Sam discuss the decline of Ubaldo Jimenez and whether the Rockies saw it coming when they sent him to Cleveland, then talk about the Angels’ off-season plans for Torii Hunter and Dan Haren.


Effectively Wild Episode 50: Travis Snider Tells All/Should the Giants Bring Melky Back in October?

Ben and Sam discuss what we can learn from Travis Snider’s revelations about his relationships with his former manager and hitting coach, then talk about whether they would bring Melky Cabrera back for the NLCS.


Effectively Wild Episode 49: Another Attempt to Explain Why You Don’t Need an Ace in October/The New Old Ichiro/The Steve Johnson Story

Ben and Sam revisit their discussion from last week on aces in October, talk about the new old Ichiro, and tell you more than you need to know about Orioles starter Steve Johnson.


Effectively Wild Episode 48: What We Would Pay James Loney/Are the Dodgers Trying Too Hard?

Ben and Sam size up this winter’s free-agent first basemen and estimate how much money James Loney will make, then talk about whether the Dodgers’ pursuit of a playoff spot is leading to dangerous decisions.


Effectively Wild Episode 47: Is the Alex Anthopoulos Honeymoon Over?/Why Can’t We Figure Out What Works in the Playoffs?

Ben and Sam discuss whether Alex Anthopoulos is taking too long to turn around Toronto, then talk about why we can’t find the secret to success in October. Also, Sam drops his wedding ring.


Effectively Wild Episode 46: The Meta-AL MVP Debate/Mike Trout’s In-Game Adjustments

Ben and Sam talk about how we talk about the AL MVP debate, then discuss Mike Trout’s ability to adjust from at-bat to at-bat.


Effectively Wild Episode 45: What the Wild Card Games Could Look Like/Miguel Cabrera and the Triple Crown

Ben and Sam discuss whether teams will get creative with their Wild Card rosters, then talk about Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown chances and why we should care if he wins.


Effectively Wild Episode 44: Sizing Up the Giants’ Starters/Rooting for Run Differential

Ben and Sam discuss the Giants’ starting rotation and decide what it would take to trust Barry Zito, then talk about how they decide which teams to root for.


Effectively Wild Episode 43: The Under-the-Radar Reds/Was Anthony Rizzo’s Scouting Report Wrong?

Ben and Sam talk about why they haven’t talked about the Reds more often, then discuss whether Anthony Rizzo has proved his critics wrong.