Editor’s Note: Please help me welcome Joseph Egoian to The Baseball Diaspora. This is Joseph’s first post, but we hope he will be a regular around here going forward, offering insight into the Oakland A’s, the business of baseball, advanced statistics and a variety of other baseball-related topics, both weighty and whimsical. Hi Y’all! Before…
In Episode 36, Brock & Ben celebrate America’s new favorite holiday, Michael Wacha Day! The guys kick off the podcast with a look around the league, discussing Michael Wacha’s debut for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Oakland A’s defense of the Oakland Coliseum against the villain Jon Heyman and George Brett taking over as the Kansas City Royals hitting coach. The guys also share TBD superfan Bob in Taiwan’s update on Manny Ramirez and the CPBL.
In the episode’s educational segment, Brock & Ben check in on building block offensive state the triple slash (Batting Average/On Base Percentage/Slugging Average), then turn their attention to the upcoming Rule 4 Draft. The guys discuss the changes to the draft implemented by the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement and their potential impact on competitive balance and baseball getting the best domestic athletes. The conversation then turns to a potential international draft, how it might impact baseball’s international development and what factors MLB should consider in structuring it if they do decide on a more formal approach to international talent acquisition.
Here’s the link for Manny Does Taiwan. Enjoy!
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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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As a general rule, I tend to avoid watching bad teams (that aren’t my teams) play. When watching on TV it’s a good rule, but when attending a game in person it’s close to black letter…or so I formerly believed. The case against watching bad teams is a sensible one, one that essentially comes down…
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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In Episode 20, Brock & Dan look back at the memorable 2012 Division Series, then turn their attention to the League Championship Series currently in progress. In typical TBD fashion, the topics of discussion hew closely to the teams closest to the guys’ hearts. Topics include: - The impressive showing by the Oakland crowd in…
One last strike. That’s the refrain that kept running through my head last night as the St. Louis Cardinals stepped to the brink of elimination. Twice. Again. I may even have spoken the words out loud once or twice, an idle prayer for reprise to fill the tense seconds. “And a foul ball out of…
In Episode 19, Brock & Dan turn their attention to the 2012 postseason, breaking down each postseason matchup from the Wild Card round and the Division Series, discussing:
- Will the Texas Rangers be able to bounce back for the shock and deflation of being overtaken in the AL West on the final day of the season?
- Does the Baltimore Orioles offense, MIA as of late, show up for Friday’s Wild Card game?
- Whose advantage trumps: the Rangers offense and starter Yu Darvish or Baltimore’s bullpen and Buck Showalter?
- Can the St. Louis Cardinals end the Atlanta Braves record win-streak of 23 in games started by Kris Medlen?
- Can the Cardinals bullpen control the Braves’ lefthanded power bats?
- Which of the two teams (the San Francisco Giants & Cincinnati Reds) who put up gaudy records in weak divisions by way of solid starting pitching, reliable bullpens and offenses able to make up for the loss of marquee names (Melky Cabrera, Joey Votto) will prevail?
- Which Tim Lincecum and which Mat Latos will we see in the playoffs?
- Will the Detroit Tigers’ poor defense catch up with them in this round?
- Which Justin Verlander will we see this October, the Cy Young-caliber pitcher of the 2011 & 2012 regular season, or the more erratic model from the 2011 postseason?
- Will the A’s bullpen be rested and ready to go for Saturday?
- Will Brett Anderson return in time to contribute to a postseason run?
- Will either Wild Card be able to beat the New York Yankees or the Washington Nationals?
The guys conclude by making their playoff predictions for each series, all the way through to a world champion. Listen and then go place your bets!
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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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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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