Posts Tagged ‘ Los Angeles Angels ’

Episode 35: Getting the Calls Right

May 16, 2013
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In Episode 35, Brock & Ben debut the new, more sectionalized format of the podcast, beginning with observations on Brandon Belt’s improvement and the impressive pitching performances of the last week.  The guys then debut a new recurring segment designed to unpack and discuss the myriad advanced statistics that inform modern baseball.  This week’s focus is on pitcher strikeouts, specifically the evolution from strikeout rate (K/9) to strikeout percentage (K/PA).  While discussing strikeouts, Brock & Ben explore the recent league-wide spike in strikeouts and strikeout % and what factors might be contributing to this trend.  The guys round out the podcast with a discussion of umpire accountability and expanded replay and how MLB moves closer to what everyone wants: getting the calls right.

For further reading, here are the New York Times and Fangraphs articles referenced during the discussion on the recent rise in strikeouts/K %.

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Episode 33: L.A. Story

April 18, 2013
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In Episode 33, Brock & Ben are joined by Jeff James to discuss the early season storylines for both L.A. teams.  Jeff provides some SoCal perspective on the Carlos Quentin-Zack Greinke brawl, the impact of the Greinke injury on the NL West race and the Dodger offense’s early season woes.  The guys then turn their focus south, discussing another slow start for the Los Angeles Angels.  The episode concludes with Brock & Jeff sharing their impressions of the new film 42 and the guys discussing Jackie Robinson’s career and legacy.

NOTE: The article Brock references in the discussion of 42 can be found here.

 

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Episode 32: T’is the Season for Overreaction!

April 11, 2013
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In Episode 32, with divisional previews complete, Brock & Ben turn their attention to the young 2013 season.  After leading off the podcast with the first ever TBD listener email, the guys recap the weekend’s Cardinals-Giants series in San Francisco. The guys them move on to discuss the Jason Motte, Jered Weaver and Jeff Niemann injuries and their impact, then close by running a number of opening week  storylines through the lens of early season confirmation bias and overreaction.

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Episode 29: AL Central Preview

March 26, 2013
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In Episode 29, Brock & Ben discuss the Brewers signing Kyle Lohse, the Yankees trading for Vernon Wells and preview the American League Central.

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Episode 26: AL West Preview

March 11, 2013
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In a very special episode, Dan returns to The Baseball Diaspora Podcast to break down the American League West with Brock & Ben.  The guys discuss the latest developments from the World Baseball Classic, including Team USA’s outlook, the Canada-Mexico brawl and Samurai Japan’s offensive awakening.  The discussion then turns to the AL West, where the guys ask & answer:

- Will the Oakland A’s build upon their 2012 success & return to the playoffs?

- How does Bob Melvin find handle the positional surplus the A’s project at catcher, in the outfield and at 2B, 3B & SS?

- Will the Houston Astros be an historically bad team in 2013?

- Is the Astros’ complete rebuilding a positive or negative for the young players on the team?

- How do the Texas Rangers replace the production they lose with the departure of Josh Hamilton?

- Where does Jurickson Profar fit on the Rangers this year and how will they get him into the lineup?

- Have the Seattle Mariners’ modest upgrades moved them into contention in the AL West?

- Did the Mariners make the right decision in extending Felix Hernandez with a record-setting contract?

- Have the Los Angeles Angels misstepped in handling Mike Trout’s salary and position this offseason?

- How will Josh Hamilton fit with the Angels and will he prove the missing piece that gets the Angels to the playoffs after falling short last season?

- Is it possible that 3 AL West teams make the playoffs this year?

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Episode 22: The Baseball Diaspora 2.0

February 13, 2013
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In Episode 22, Brock bids a heartfelt farewell to Dan’s regular involvement with the podcast and welcomes new co-host Ben Stein.  After establishing Ben’s diaspora credentials, the guys turn their attention to the concluding offseason, focusing specifically on issues of baseball economics, injuries and medical advances and the impending World Baseball Classic.  Topics include:

- How the big pitching deals of the offseason stack up both against past long-term, high-dollar pitching contracts and the mega-contracts given to hitters in recent years in terms of advisability and value

- Whether the rising cost of quality pitching will result in teams locking up their young aces (or potential aces) long-term early in their careers (a la Evan Longoria, Troy Tulowitzki and a slew of other young position players)

- If the rising cost of pitching is responsible for a recent willingness to deal top prospects (Wil Myers, Travis D’Arnaud) to net quality starters on team-friendly contracts (James Shields, R.A. Dickey)

- What the Myers, D’Arnaud and Trevor Bauer trades mean for the recent standard practice of holding onto top prospects and whether we will see more major league-ready prospects traded in the near future

- What role personality plays in organizational thinking with respect to its players and prospects and whether Arizona mishandled its unloading of Bauer, Justin Upton and Chris Young

- The advance of medical technology and how it is impacting baseball contracts, making the “pending physical” much more than a mere formality

- Whether the use of enhanced medical capabilities to not only spot current injuries but to project future risk may present a future labor problem as more players have the experience shared by Mike Napoli and Francisco Liriano and lose guaranteed money and guaranteed years as a result of more heightened medical scrutiny

- Injuries and the World Baseball Classic and whether it’s time for MLB to step in to remove some of the barriers to the participation of some of the game’s top talents

- What it will take for the WBC to rise to the level of prestige and participation of the World Cup

and

- Who is missing from Team USA that would most enhance the team in terms of both quality on the field and star quality?

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Episode 18: The Final Days of the 2012 Season

October 4, 2012
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In Episode 18, Brock & Dan start off with the subject on every baseball fan’s mind: the World Baseball Classic qualifiers!  After briefly discussing baseball and identity, Dan’s inaugural WBC experience and the state of WBC swag, the guys move on to take a look back at the end of the 2012 season, reliving the excitement (or lack thereof) of some of baseball’s major storylines, including:

- What to make of the expanded playoffs and the one-game Wild Card playoff series

- The Oakland A’s dramatic overtaking of the Texas Rangers for the AL West crown, including man-on-the-ground reports from Brock on the scene at the Coliseum for Monday’s playoff clincher and Wednesday’s division clincher

- The Baltimore Orioles and what their improbable playoff berth means to baseball fans

- Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown and why we aren’t more excited about it (Hint: it has something to do with Mike Trout and the AL MVP)

The guys then break to return immediately in Episode 19 for a more in depth discussion of the 2012 postseason.

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Episode 17: Baseball in Vegas & the Trade Deadline

July 28, 2012
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In Episode 17, Brock & Dan discuss Dan throwing out the first pitch before a Triple A Las Vegas 51′s game, then turn their attention to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline, specifically:

- The Miami Marlins’ mini-fire sale and whether the new era of baseball in South Florida is already over

- The Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez/Omar Infante trades and how they grade out for the teams involved

- The Cole Hamels contract, what it means for the Philadelphia Phillies and whether the aging Phillies have one more run in them

- The Zack Greinke trade and how it impacts the tight race in the AL West

- What moves the Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s might make before the deadline to counter the Angels’ acquisition of Greinke

- Whether the St. Louis Cardinals will make a move before Tuesday and if so, for what

and

- If and where the remaining names on the trade block – Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Josh Johnson, James Shields, Cliff Lee, Francisco Liriano, Chase Headly, Hunter Pence – will move

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Episode 16: Looking Forward, Looking Back

July 14, 2012
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In Episode 16, baseball is back and so is The Baseball Diaspora!  Brock & Dan look back at the first half of the 2012 season and look forward to the July 31st trade deadline, focusing specifically on the A’s and the Cardinals.  Topics of discussion include:

- How the A’s have defied predictions to finish above .500 in the first half and just 1.5 games out of the AL Wild Cards

- Revisiting the A’s offseason in light of the production the team has received from Josh Reddick, Jarrod Parker, Tom Milone, Ryan Cook and Derek Norris

- The manner in which the Cardinals have overcome the losses of Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa, Dave Duncan and Chris Carpenter to contend in 2012

- How injuries have impacted the Cardinals, but not in the ways everyone expected

- Assigning 1st half MVP, Cy Young, Rookie and “Thanks for Nothing” honors for both the A’s and the Cardinals

- What direction each of the two teams will go at the trade deadline, buyer or seller

- Whether the playoffs are in reach for either the A’s or the Cards and where each team figures to end up at season’s end

- Which of baseball’s major potential trade pieces – Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, Justin Upton – will move before the deadline and where

 

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Episode 15: April in Review

May 3, 2012
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In Episode 15, the Diaspora returns.  Brock and Dan apologize for their extended absence, then turn their attention to the first month of the season, including:

- Albert Pujols’ struggles and whether they are cause for concern

- The Los Angeles Angels’ slow start and whether they remain in the AL playoff picture

- The view from St. Louis on Pujols’ slow start and whether Cardinals fans feel like they dodged a bullet by not signing him

- The difficult Aprils of Adam Wainwright, Tim Lincecum and Josh Johnson and the level of concern associated with each pitcher’s struggles

The guys  then discuss their impressions of ballparks they have recently visited, including Marlins Park, Tropicana Field, Nationals Park and Camden Yards before wrapping the podcast with an update on the Oakland A’s stadium situation

 

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