Posts Tagged ‘ Seattle Mariners ’

Episode 37: Baseball in Darkness and in Light

June 6, 2013
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In Episode 37, Brock & Ben begin by discussing the news of the day, starting with the latest developments in the Biogenesis scandal.  Turning their attention to happier topics, they discuss the rise of Domonic Brown and the 2013 Rule 4 Draft.  In the episode’s educational segment, the guys turn their attention to batted ball statistics – ground ball, fly ball and line drive rates (GB%, FB% & LD%).  Episode 37′s discussion segment spotlights the major movers and shakers of the 2012-13 offseason and how the signings and trades have worked out so far for the offseason’s more active clubs.

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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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The 5×20 Club

September 19, 2012
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David Freese, Yadier Molina

Congratulations to Yadier Molina and David Freese, who reached the 20-HR plateau within 2 innings of each other tonight (Freese with a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 2nd and Yadi a solo number in the bottom of the 4th, both off Astro’s starter Lucas Harrell).  This marks the first time in team history…

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Updating Baseball’s Musical Canon

July 24, 2012
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Ben Gibbard

Although we may be living in Bud Selig’s Golden Age of Baseball (trademark pending), there is one area of our culture baseball has not pervaded in some time: music.  Try and think of a song about baseball that has come out in the last 20 years.  You can’t do it.  Sure “Take Me Out to…

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Beautiful Predictability

July 23, 2012
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Sayonara, Seattle

  I am still mildly in shock about the news that Ichiro Suzuki is now a Yankee.  I said to Dan, my co-host on The Baseball Diaspora Podcast “It’s more than just a trade, it’s a cultural moment.”  I think what I meant by that is that it’s a baseball cultural moment.  One of the…

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Episode 14: Opening Day Omnibus

April 7, 2012
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In Episode 14, Brock and Dan record in person – a first for The Baseball Diaspora Podcast!  The guys cover baseball’s multiple opening days and discuss insights from the young 2012 season, including:

- Brock and Dan’s attendance at Opening Night at the new Marlins Park in Miami and their impressions of the new stadium

- The Miami Marlins and whether the team’s lack of offense two games in is cause for concern

- The St. Louis Cardinals and if their early success portends good things in 2012

- Yoenis Cespedes, his power and defense, and what he means for baseball in Oakland during the rebuild

- Tim Lincecum’s troubling first start and whether it points to greater concerns for the San Francisco Giants this season

- The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees and how tight the race for the AL East may become this year

- The “year of the pitcher” trope and whether 2012 projects to continue in the tradition of the last two as more pitching-dominated

- The Dodgers sale, the rise of regional TV revenue and what the new baseball economic landscape means for fans

- The Great Dodger Panic of 2012 – how the Joey Votto and Matt Cain extensions impact the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants, respectively, and what these contracts mean for baseball generally

 

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Baseball fan, this is Manny Ramirez…

March 30, 2012
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Manny Ramirez

Last night I was googling Manny Ramirez, as one does.  My primary motivation for checking in on the dreaded one was this: with the A’s-Mariners 2-game Japan Series on Wednesday and Thursday, the baseball season has officially begun.  So too, has Manny’s 50-game suspension.  I was looking to confirm that Manny would be serving the…

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Episode 10: AL West Preview

March 4, 2012
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In Episode 10, Brock and Dan preview the AL West.  Dan stands in for an outside expert since his knowledge of the division runs deep.  After reviewing Dan’s application for Citizen of the Diaspora, the guys discuss:

- The Yoenis Cespedes signing and whether it makes sense for the A’s

- The Manny Ramirez pick-up and whether Manny will be a factor for the A’s this season or not

- The A’s third base situation and who replaces the injured Scott Sizemore

- Brandon McCarthy and what he means to A’s fans

- Whether the Texas Rangers remain the team to beat in the AL West in spite of the Angels’ offseason moves

- If they expect the Rangers to three-peat as AL Champions

- How the Los Angeles Angels will perform given their new additions – Pujols, Wilson, etc.

- Whether the Angels will make the playoffs

- How the Angels handle the Mike Trout situation with an overstocked outfield

- Whether the Seattle Mariners will surprise people and be more competitive than expected

- How the – now confirmed – additional Wild Card impacts the AL West both this season and in the next few

and

- Predictions for who will win the AL West and one of the AL Wild Cards in 2012

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Episode 4: The Offseason Continues

January 18, 2012
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In Episode 4, Brock and Dan avoid a holiday time warp and traverse the entire baseball continent to discuss:

- The Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero trade between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees and what it means for the Yankees rotation

- The Gio Gonzalez contract and whether Bryce Harper will start the season with the Washington Nationals

- The Ryan Madson and Ryan Ludwick signings and how they strengthen the Cincinnati Reds into serious contenders in the NL Central

- Theo Epstein’s offseason moves and how they position the Chicago Cubs for the future

- Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants’ arbitration bids and whether the Giants will be able to retain both Lincecum and Matt Cain

- The Coco Crisp and Bartolo Colon signings, the Seth Smith trade and the continuing disappointment of the Oakland A’s offseason

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