Effectively Wild Episode 1443: Managing, Fast and Slow
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller break down the latest ALCS and NLCS action, touching on the Cardinals’ offensive outage, Mike Shildt’s old-school managing, the Nationals’ pitching, the Astros’ purported pitch-tipping and sign-stealing, Aaron Boone’s quick hooks, and the de-juiced ball, plus a Stat Blast about this October’s anomalous bullpen usage.
Audio intro: Neil Young, "Wolf Moon"
Audio outro: The Flaming Lips, "Hit Me Like You Did the First Time"
Link to story on Paxton’s pitch-tipping in April
Link to story on Paxton’s latest purported pitch-tipping
Link to post on pitcher usage and the home run rate
Link to story on Correa’s home run dedication
Link to order The MVP Machine
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So the bullpen strategy Sam suggests — use your best reliever first for as long as he’s your best, and then move on to the next-best — is kind of the “Opener” mindset applied to relievers. In the same way the “Opener” turns the “Starter+middle-innings-relief+closer” on its head, this essentially does that to the string of relievers after your starter. And so, like the “Opener,” it’s not surprising the team implementing it is the Rays.