Date
July 25, 2012
Summary
Ben and Sam discuss the fallout from the Ryan Dempster debacle and a fascinating factoid about the Phillies' staff.
Topics
- Ryan Dempster
- Information leaking before trades are finalized
- Philadelphia Phillies
Intro
Door Bell Sound Clip
Banter
Sam intros the episode and remarks that Ben had recently attended a Wilco concert in Brooklyn, and Sam claims Ben's voice was more hoarse than usual because he had been singing along. Sam requests him to give us a sample of his singing but he denies the request.
Notes
The first topic at hand was the "Ryan Dempster debacle" in which they wrote a transaction analysis for a transaction that never happened. Dempster apparently did not want to go to the Braves. Fortunately for Dempster, he had 10-5 rights which allowed him to veto the trade. Dempster seemed to also be upset because the deal leaked before it was official. Ben tries to recall a trade that was called off because the details got out before the trade was finalized. Sam cannot think of any either. They consider the idea that teams may be leaking information so they can get an idea about how a fan base would react to a deal.
Sam's Phillies' factoid is that since Cy Young in 1906 posted an 5.6 strikeout/walk ratio and ERA+ of 86, and since then no player had a strikeout to walk ratio of greater than 5 and an ERA that was worse than league average. This year at that point Joe Blanton and Cliff Lee both fit that criteria. The Phillies staff also leads the league in strikeout to walk ratio but have a poor ERA. Sam wonders if the catcher is the problem.
(Joe Blanton would finish the season with a strikeout/walk ratio of 4.88 and an ERA+ of 84, and Cliff Lee would finish with a 7.39 strikeout/walk ratio but an ERA+ of 128.)
Links
- Effectively Wild Episode 6: Doorbell
- EW Rewind: Episodes 5 and 6 by Matthew Trueblood at Banished to the Pen