The Yankees haven’t produced many successful homegrown starters, but they have been churning out a wave of cheap relief arms.
Ben and Sam answers listener questions about catcher framing, a very unusual reliever, and cautionary MRIs.
Ben and Sam discuss whether a pitcher’s body language can cost him strikes, whether it’s worth trading for relievers early in the season, a study about perceptions of steroid use, and whether a low BABIP is always unlucky.
Have hitters become too passive, or is there something else going on?
The Brewers fail to put their best foot forward.
Considering all the pros and cons of a revolutionary way to structure a roster.
Can the best reliever ever hold a candle to history’s strongest starters?
Providing every team’s bullpen picture at a glance.
Rafael Soriano is off the market, but there are still some potentially useful bullpen arms to be had.
Sure, there might be better ways to construct bullpens than the way teams do it now, but change might not be as easy as you think.
Ben and Sam catch up on the Yankees-Tigers ALCS and Ben’s beat-writing adventures, then talk about why players and stats disagree about the difficulty of pitching on short rest, and Jim Leyland’s comments about closers.
The Yankees pull off another exciting comeback behind Raul Ibanez, only to lose both Game One and Derek Jeter a few innings later.
If the Orioles want to extend their surprise season beyond the wild-card game, they should make the most of what got them there.
Which relievers were added to or removed from the managerial circle of trust between April and September?
Ben and Sam discuss whether the Phillies’ recent run of success should affect our expectations for the team in 2013, then talk about a potential scheme to get drafted pitchers into big-league bullpens quickly.
If the Nationals had handled their ace’s innings limit a little more like the Braves massaged Kris Medlen’s, they might not be facing a Strasless October.