Effectively Wild Episode 1916: The Walk-Off Talk-Off

EWFI
With Meg Rowley on the road, Ben Lindbergh reunites with his former Ringer MLB Show colleagues Michael Baumann, Zach Kram, and Bobby Wagner to discuss the moods of Mets and Phillies fans and catch up on the first few days of Division Series action, touching on Yordan Alvarez, Robbie Ray, a playoff walk-off oddity, Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Phil Maton, Max Fried, Jeremy Peña, geese, soup, and much more, plus a Past Blast from 1916 and a postscript.

Audio intro: Mark Lanegan, “Together Again
Audio outro: Dead Kennedys, “Soup is Good Food

Link to Jake Mailhot on Ray/Alvarez
Link to MLB.com on Ray/Alvarez
Link to The Athletic on Ray/Alvarez
Link to Eno on Ray/Alvarez
Link to Zach’s walk-off data
Link to Stark on the Alvarez homer
Link to Petriello on the Alvarez homer
Link to Davy Andrews on ALDS G2
Link to Ben Clemens on Alvarez
Link to Ben L. on Alvarez in 2019
Link to Ben on playoff second-guessing
Link to Ben on playoff rookies
Link to info on Peña adjustment
Link to story on Maton
Link to story on Plesac
Link to Eno on Fried
Link to Ben on the Castellanos meme
Link to article on the goose
Link to 1916 story source
Link to SABR on the Giants’ streak
Link to Perritt’s SABR bio
Link to Jacob Pomrenke’s website
Link to Jacob Pomrenke on Twitter
Link to Correa TV segment
Link to Correa opt-out news
Link to Correa baby news
Link to goose email episode
Link to Sutter SABR bio

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
Subscribe to Stathead (Code: WILD20)
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com


Yordan Alvarez, Baseball’s Kobayashi Maru

Yordan Alvarez
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Every time Yordan Alvarez has stepped to the plate against the Mariners this week, I’m reminded of Star Trek. There’s an in-show famous training exercise known as the Kobayashi Maru, one every single officer candidate tries. The goal is to rescue a ship named, you guessed it, Kobayashi Maru. It’s famous because you can’t beat it. No matter what you try, you fail. The test isn’t about succeeding; it’s about how you handle failure.

That’s the energy Alvarez is bringing to the plate in the ALDS right now. He always seems to step into big spots — Jeremy Peña has done a great job getting on base in front of him — and delivers runs in droves. He’s 4–8 with two homers and a double and has accounted for seven RBI on those hits. Bring in Robbie Ray to face him? He doesn’t care. Refuse to enter the strike zone? He doesn’t care.

In the bottom of the eighth inning last night, Scott Servais attempted a new Kobayashi Maru solution. With Peña on first base and two outs in a one-run game, he chose to walk Alvarez intentionally. That put a runner in scoring position for Alex Bregman, hardly a weak hitter. Bregman singled home that insurance run the Astros were aiming for, the Mariners didn’t score in the ninth, and that was that. Read the rest of this entry »


José Alvarado Is Finally Taking Control

Jose Alvarado
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, José Alvarado asked the Truist Park grounds crew to make some adjustments to the mound, waving off the ensuing chirps from the Braves’ dugout. According to him, Max Fried, the Game 1 starter, had dug out a small pocket at the front of the hill with his delivery; the Phillies’ lefty wanted to avoid tripping over the hole and injuring himself.

Explained in such a way, it sounds like a reasonable thing to ask for. It would be hard to pitch if you’re constantly worried about stumbling and breaking an ankle; it would be much harder to pitch with a broken ankle. Yet even so, it’s not that often you see a reliever ask the grounds crew to touch up the mound. Alvarado, however, has developed a habit of making such a request. Clearly, he is someone who likes to feel in complete control.

It’s hard to blame him for feeling that way. Control is the one thing that has eluded Alvarado throughout his career — he’s consistently inconsistent, you might say. But when he does have proper control of his pitches, he can be an elite bullpen arm. That’s been the case for a long time. Back in 2017, when FanGraphs ranked him as the no. 28 prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays system, Eric Longenhagen praised his “monster stuff” but warned of his “potentially fatal command issues.” Four seasons later, when Alvarado was traded to Philadelphia, Eric once again remarked on his “elite-level stuff” but “frustrating control.” Read the rest of this entry »


Andrés Giménez’s Breakout Has Softened the Blow of the Francisco Lindor Trade

Andres Gimenez
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

A flourishing youth movement was the major reason why Cleveland went from sub-.500 also-rans in 2021 to runaway division winners in ’22. By Baseball-Reference’s measures, the Guardians were the youngest team in the majors, with a weighted average age of 25.9 years old for their position players and 26.3 years old for their pitchers. But while rookies Steven Kwan and Oscar Gonzalez played significant roles in their turnaround, the biggest surprise on the team was second baseman Andrés Giménez, who after a rough 2021 season broke out and became an All-Star. He not only edged out José Ramírez for the team lead with a 140 wRC+ but also finished a whisker behind him with 6.1 WAR, good for fifth in the AL.

The 24-year-old Giménez was one of four players acquired from the Mets in the January 2021 blockbuster that sent Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Big Apple, along with current shortstop Amed Rosario (who himself had a very solid season), and two lower-level prospects (outfielder Isaiah Greene and righty Josh Wolf). Even for a franchise that had endured the departures of All-Stars such as Michael Brantley (free agency in October 2018), Trevor Bauer (traded to Cincinnati in July 2019), and two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber (traded to Texas in December 2019) as ownership slashed payroll, the Lindor trade was a bitter pill to swallow. He had been drafted and developed by the team, becoming a perennial All-Star who was already laying tracks toward Cooperstown.

Lindor, who would have been a free agent following the 2021 season, agreed to a 10-year, $341 million extension with the Mets just before Opening Day, but followed up with a modest-by-his-high-standards 4.2-WAR season, during which he was limited to 125 games by injuries. If that was a bit disappointing — and in the context of the Mets’ 77–85 season, it was, particularly when paired with Carrasco’s 12-start, 6.04 ERA slog — then the other side of the deal wasn’t much to write home about, either. Read the rest of this entry »


Job Posting: Detroit Tigers – Product Manager, UI/UX Engineer

Additional Detroit Tigers job openings (Multiple Analyst Positions) are available here.

Product Manager

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a Product Manager, Baseball Operations. This role will be responsible for owning the product roadmap for internal baseball systems. This position will report to the Director, Software Engineering, Baseball Operations.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Deliver products and features that drive baseball decisions
  • Work with baseball stakeholders to understand and document user needs
  • Work with software engineering team to implement software solutions
  • Prioritize the roadmap for proprietary software systems
  • Maximize product value

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • 3+ years of software product experience (Product Manager, Product Owner, Business Analyst, or similar title)
  • Track record of delivering product value
  • Ability to turn user stories into actionable technical requirements
  • Ability to coordinate between technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Strong organization and planning skills
  • Ability to take initiative and make decisions
  • Understanding of the complete software development lifecycle
  • Passion for baseball and robust understanding of current baseball research

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • General familiarity with data, databases, data analytics, data science, and data modeling – SQL experience preferred
  • Background in software development, understanding of technical design considerations and tradeoffs
  • Experience creating feature mock-ups or wireframes
  • Familiarity with issue tracking systems and workflows
  • Experience with software testing or quality assurance
  • Experience with technical project management and agile methodologies
  • Experience in sports or supporting sports personnel – softball or baseball preferred

Working Conditions:

  • Office environment
  • Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.


UI/UX Engineer

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a UI/UX Engineer, Baseball Operations. This role will be responsible for optimizing the user experience for internal baseball applications. This position will report to the Director, Software Engineering, Baseball Operations.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Implement consistent, easy-to-use interfaces for internal software systems
  • Maximize user productivity using modern web design concepts
  • Design web applications that work well for various users, in various scenarios, on various devices
  • Conduct user behavior research and create usability metrics to help inform product decisions
  • Communicate complex data concepts with intuitive, aesthetic designs

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • 2+ years of UI/UX experience on interactive web applications
  • Demonstrated ability to implement web front ends in HTML/CSS/JavaScript
  • Understanding of user interface design principles with ability to implement those principles in real-world applications
  • Experience with responsive web design for multiple form factors and layouts, including mobile devices
  • Creative problem-solving ability in an agile team environment
  • Ability to own user experience, make decisions, and write clear documentation for both technical and non-technical users
  • Ability to collect usability metrics and use data to drive decision-making
  • Ability to balance design considerations for a wide range of users with different needs, workflows, and configurations
  • Passion for baseball and robust understanding of current baseball research

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • Experience working with modern JavaScript frameworks such as React or Angular
  • Familiarity with data and statistics, especially visualization libraries such as D3
  • Experience working on a cross-functional software development team using standard tools for source control, issue tracking, documentation, etc.
  • Experience with databases and data concepts, especially SQL
  • Ability to create reusable components or libraries and maintain style guidelines
  • Familiarity with design tools for rapid prototyping
  • Familiarity with public baseball websites, terminology, statistics, and visualizations
  • Experience in sports and/or working with sports data, especially softball or baseball

Working Conditions:

  • Office environment
  • Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

em>The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Detroit Tigers.


Job Posting: Detroit Tigers – Multiple Analyst Positions

Additional Detroit Tigers job openings (Product Manager, UI/UX Engineer) are available here.

Principal Quantitative Analyst

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a full-time Principal Quantitative Analyst in the Baseball Operations Department. This role will be responsible for performing analyses and conducting research within Baseball Operations. This position will report to the Director, Baseball Research & Development.

Key Responsibilities:

  1. Develop and productionize Bayesian models to support Baseball Operations decision-making.
  2. Assist with the integration of baseball analysis into our proprietary tools and applications.
  3. Provide technical guidance to Analysts and Analytics Associates.
  4. Complete ad hoc data queries and effectively present analysis through the use of written reports and data visualizations.
  5. Monitor, identify and recommend new or emerging techniques, technologies, models and algorithms.
  6. Other projects as directed by Baseball Operations leadership team.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  1. Ph.D. in statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a related quantitative field or equivalent professional experience (3-5 years).
  2. Experience applying Bayesian statistical techniques (e.g. Bayesian hierarchical models) to real-world problems.
  3. Demonstrated expert-level knowledge of baseball-specific data and sabermetric analysis.
  4. Relevant work experience with statistical software (R, STATA, SPSS, SAS, or similar) and scripting languages such as Python.
  5. Expertise with SQL and relational databases is required.
  6. Experience with cloud computing preferred.
  7. Self-starter.
  8. Team player.
  9. Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays as dictated by the baseball calendar.

Working Conditions:

  1. Office environment
  2. Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.


Analyst

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a full-time Analyst in the Baseball Operations Department. This role will be responsible for performing analyses and conducting research within Baseball Operations. This position will report to the Director, Baseball Research & Development.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Perform advanced quantitative analysis to support Baseball Operations decision-making, including predictive modeling and player projection systems.
  • Complete ad hoc data queries and effectively present analysis using written reports and data visualizations.
  • Assist with the integration of baseball analysis into our proprietary tools and applications.
  • Contribute to baseball decision-making by generating ideas for player acquisition, roster construction and in-game strategies.
  • Support the current data warehousing process within Baseball Operations.
  • Monitor, identify and recommend new or emerging techniques, technologies, models, and algorithms.
  • Other projects as directed by Baseball Operations leadership team.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • Demonstrated expert-level knowledge of baseball-specific data, modern statistical techniques, and sabermetric analysis.
  • Expertise with SQL and relational databases is required.
  • Relevant work experience with statistical software (R, STATA, SPSS, SAS, or similar) and scripting languages such as Python.
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate difficult and complex concepts to colleagues possessing a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
  • Degree or equivalent experience in statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a related quantitative field.
  • Self-starter.
  • Team player.
  • Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays as dictated by the baseball calendar.

Working Conditions:

  • Office environment
  • Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.


Biomechanist

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Performance Science, Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
This role will assist with the delivery of performance science solutions within Baseball Operations. The biomechanist will be responsible for translating biomechanical data into applied, actionable outcomes to be used by staffs to optimize performance. This role will work closely with Baseball Analytics, Player Development, Strength and Conditioning, Sports Medicine and Coaching staffs.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Collect, analyze, and report on data from various performance science sources, including in-game biomechanical data.
  • Maintain data quality and integrity for all biomechanical data.
  • Collaborate with coaching staffs and external consultants to design and develop metrics and reports aimed at maximizing player performance.
  • Work closely with the Director, Performance Science to develop and disseminate information from performance science initiatives.
  • Assist with data management, organization, and integration into the organization’s databases and athlete management system.
  • Assist with implementation and maintenance of existing performance science initiatives across the organization, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
  • Assist with the design, development, testing and support of new performance science initiatives.
  • Effectively collaborate and communicate with player development, coaching, sports medicine, strength and conditioning and front office staff.
  • Review research and technology updates relevant to baseball performance.
  • Perform exploratory performance science research projects and analysis as directed.
  • Assist with the maintenance, calibration, and upkeep of performance science related equipment.
  • Other duties as directed by Director, Performance Science

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • A graduate level degree or 3+ years of experience in biomechanics or performance science is required.
  • Demonstrated experience with the following technologies preferred: Force plates, IMUs, and motion capture.
  • Demonstrated experience with modeling and analyzing 3D motion capture data required.
  • Research or applied experience in professional sport strongly preferred.
  • Experience using an athlete management system.
  • The ideal candidate must have excellent computer skills. Proficiency in R highly desirable.
  • The ideal candidate must have excellent communication skills. Candidate must be able to convey complex performance science findings to relevant staffs.
  • The ideal candidate must have excellent attention to detail.
  • The ideal candidate must have excellent organizational skills.
  • Previous experience working with professional athletes and coaches a plus.
  • The ideal candidate must be willing to work longs hours, including days, nights, weekends and holidays.
  • The candidate must be available full-time.
  • Willing and able to relocate to the Lakeland, FL area or Detroit metro area.

Working Conditions:

  • Office environment
  • Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Detroit Tigers.


Once a Young Gun, Triston McKenzie Is Now a Top-Notch Starter

Triston McKenzie
Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Triston McKenzie was 19 years old and pitching for High-A Lynchburg when he was first featured here at FanGraphs in May 2017. Five years later, he’s one of the top starters on a talented Cleveland Guardians staff. In 31 appearances this season, the lanky right-hander logged a 2.96 ERA and a 3.59 FIP with 190 strikeouts in 181.1 innings. Last week, he tossed six scoreless frames and allowed just two hits in Cleveland’s Wild Card Series-clinching win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

McKenzie, the scheduled starter for ALDS Game 3 versus the New York Yankees on Saturday, discussed his evolution as a pitcher and the mindset he takes with him to the mound during the Guardians’ final home stand of the regular season.

———

David Laurila: We first talked five years ago. What have you learned about pitching since that time?

Triston McKenzie: “The biggest difference is that I’m in the big leagues. Mindset-wise, how I attack hitters hasn’t changed much outside of adapting to this level and understanding that guys are more disciplined in what they do in their approach. I’ve figured out that you can’t always be the the young gun, the kid who is going to throw his best stuff over the heart of the plate. These guys can hit that. So I’d say it’s a mix of finding my identity as a pitcher, figuring out what my strengths are and where I can beat guys, but not getting so headstrong that it’s to my detriment.”

Laurila: How much better do you understand how, and why, your stuff works? You’re obviously working with smart coaches and seeing a lot of data. Read the rest of this entry »


Yordan Alvarez Continues Campaign of Terror Against Mariners in Game 2 Win

Yordan Alvarez Jeremy Peña
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

There were two big stories coming into Game 2 between the Astros and Mariners. The first was Yordan Alvarez, hero of Game 1, destroyer of both baseballs and worlds. Before the game, TBS reported that Scott Servais had borrowed a line from Ted Lasso, encouraging his players to be goldfish and forget Tuesday’s heartbreaking defeat. Goldfish or no, the Mariners definitely remembered to be terrified of Alvarez. They also continued their strategy of throwing him sinkers, failing to understand that there is no such thing as the right pitch to throw Yordan Alvarez.

The second story was the pitching matchup. Luis Castillo was coming off a masterful start against Toronto in the Wild Card Series. Framber Valdez had a breakout 2022, including 25 consecutive quality starts. Weak pulled contact is his strength; per the broadcast, the Mariners spent batting practice working on shooting the ball the other way in preparation.

The matchup lived up to the hype. Together, Castillo and Valdez set down the first 10 batters of the game, though the former had a couple of bad misses in the first inning, yanking two pitches in a row against Jeremy Peña and sailing a four-seamer up and away against Alvarez. None of the rest of his pitches to the latter that at-bat touched the strike zone, but that was by design. Here’s what he saw in all three of his plate appearances:

Kyle Tucker kicked off the scoring in the second inning, pulling a slider that caught too much of the plate for a 370-foot home run to right. The solo shot had a launch angle of 43 degrees, which would’ve tied for the 18th-steepest regular-season homer of 2022. Read the rest of this entry »


Taylor Walls, Pinch-Hitter

Taylor Walls
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Taylor Walls, pinch-hitter. Pinch-hitter Taylor Walls. I keep turning the words around in my head, like a mantra. Taylor Walls, pinch-hitter. Walls, Taylor: hitter, pinch. Sometimes it makes more sense to me, sometimes less; over enough time, anything you repeat enough seems to lose all meaning. It’s called semantic satiation: your brain starts to perceive anything as gibberish if it’s repeated frequently enough.

In this case, I’m not even sure the phrase made sense in the first place. Taylor Walls, pinch-hitter? This guy? The one who hit .172/.268/.285 this year? In the game to hit? It sounds strange right from the jump. Maybe I started from a faulty premise somewhere. Maybe pinch-hitter Taylor Walls only exists in my head. Maybe this is all a strange fever dream.

Only, it’s not. There’s box score evidence of it, right on MLB.com:

There he is, pinch-hitting in a playoff game. He’s hitting for Isaac Paredes, a right-hander, which gives us our first piece of evidence. Walls is a switch-hitter. Surely, then he came into the game to bat left-handed. Indeed he did: he faced off against Nick Sandlin, a right-handed reliever, in that initial plate appearance. Read the rest of this entry »


FanGraphs Audio: AL East Chats With Eve Rosenbaum, David Cone, and Julian McWilliams

Episode 996

We bring you a trio of AL East-flavored interviews this week as we find ourselves in the middle of the divisional playoff round.

To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here.

To donate to FanGraphs and help us keep things running, click here.

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

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

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 78-minute play time.)