Posts Tagged ‘ Texas Rangers ’

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 27: Samurai Japan and the World Baseball Classic

March 14, 2013
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In Episode 27, Brock & Ben are joined by international Citizen of the Diaspora Glen Tsurudome to talk Japanese baseball.  The guys discuss the latest World Baseball Classic action before turning their attention to Japan.  Glen illuminates the Japanese perspective on baseball, the World Baseball Classic and the relationship between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball.  The guys then identify Japanese players to watch, both in the 2013 WBC Championship Round and as potential cross-overs to MLB.  The conversation closes with Glen discussing the identity conflict the WBC raises for a Japanese American, particularly when Japan and the USA meet head-to-head.

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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 24: The World Baseball Classic

February 27, 2013
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In Episode 24, Brock & Ben turn their attention to the upcoming World Baseball Classic.  After briefly discussing the Curtis Granderson injury and what it means for the Yankees in 2013 and beyond, it’s 100% WBC!  The guys provide a brief primer of the history, rules and format of the tournament, then break down the rosters pool by pool.  To wrap up, Brock & Ben put their reputations on the line, predicting the 2013 World Baseball Classic from the First Round to the Championship game.

For more on the World Baseball Classic, check out the WBC’s website.

Special thanks goes to Yahoo! Sports’ Big League Stew.  Their team-by-team WBC previews were indispensable in preparing us for this episode.

 

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Episode 21: The Baseball Diaspora Eats Crow with the Best of ‘Em

November 1, 2012
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In Episode 21, things are curious and unnatural on The Baseball Diaspora.  Due to the lingering effects of the sinister confluence of Halloween and a San Francisco Giants World Series Parade, Brock is joined not by Dan, the ardent anti-Giant, but bizarro Dan – Dan Lerner – a lifelong diaspora Giants fan.  San Fran Dan takes Brock through the 2012 Postseason experience before the two look ahead to the Giants’ offseason and the NL MVP race.  Topics include:

- Which component of the Giants’ winning formula was most indispensable to the team’s success in the postseason.

- The Giants player most deserving of the MVP award for the entire postseason.

- What play or moment stood out as the most memorable for Giants fans from an October full of remarkable games?

- Dan’s road warrior experience in the 2010 and 2012 playoffs, following the Giants to Atlanta, Texas and St. Louis, and favorite memories from those trips.

- How the 2012 World Series compared to 2010 for Giants fans and, from a more general perspective, can you ever top the first World Series your team wins in your lifetime?

- The 2012 Giants team compared to the 2010 team and which will be remembered more fondly.

- What the future holds for the Giants: continued playoff success or a drop-off due to stiffer competition within the division?

- The Giants’ fan’s wishlist for the offseason: does the team build upon its success by keeping the team largely intact?  Add outside talent through free agency or trade?  Both?  Neither?

The guys close out the podcast by discussing the NL MVP race between Buster Posey and Yadier Molina, whether the race is closer than most people think and how to adequately factor defense and base running into the MVP calculus.

While the focus is on the 2012 World Champs, Brock is able to work the St. Louis Cardinals into the conversation at regular intervals.

This episode goes out to Dan (the original), his wife Rachel and the certain A’s fan daughter who they should be welcoming very soon!

NOTES:

The Bill James book Brock completely blanked on the name of is The Politics of Glory: How Baseball’s Hall of Fame Really Works

The ESPN article Brock & Dan discuss during the brief discussion of the AL MVP race is this one by Peter Keating (sorry, it’s an Insider piece)…

…and here is an evisceration of Keating’s argument that I found when searching for the original article

 

 

 

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Episode 19: The 2012 Playoffs – Wacky Wild Cards and the Division Series

October 4, 2012
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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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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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All-Star Hits & Misses

July 11, 2012
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AP Photo/Chris Lee, Post-Dispatch

  How could I not love the MLB All-Star Game?  It is a living, breathing embodiment of the baseball diaspora.   More than most anything else MLB does, the All-Star experience is about the fans.  Fan voting, fan fest and programming designed to entice every type of fan, from the most casual (Derek Jeter! Celebrities…

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