Episode 2068: More Like Mild Card

Summary[]

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their takeaways from sweeps week in the wild card round (how sweep it is!) and pick the division series they're most excited about, then examine Mariners POBO Jerry Dipoto's comments about aspiring to win 54 percent of games over a decade (46:04) and provide updates on the results of two Effectively Wild drafts (1:23:37).

Topics[]

Reviewing the all-sweeps Wild Card round
Overall poor offense from the defeated teams
Corbin Carroll and the Diamondbacks defeat the Brewers
Twins advancing over the Blue Jays
Marlins fall to Phillies, who are operating on talent plus vibes
Rangers defeat Rays
Poor attendance at Rays games
Blue Jays pulling José Berríos early
Assessing the idea that you shouldn't stack your lineup with right-handed hitters when facing a lefty, to prevent the pitcher from settling into a groove
Second-round matchups they are most excited about
Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto's remarks about aiming to win 54% of their games over a decade
Brewers poor offense in Wild Card
Reviewing the results of the 2023 Minor League Free Agent Draft
Checking in on The 26-Under-25 Draft

Final Notes[]

Mets GM Billy Eppler resigns, apparently due to MLB investigation into Mets use of "phantom injuries".

Notes[]

Zach Kram noted that during the regular season, the Braves' starters produced a collective wRC+ of 132 compared to a 76 wRC+ from the bench players, an MLB-leading 56-point gap for 2023. Conversely, the nine batters with the most plate appearances for the Twins had a collective wRC+ that was 8 points lower than those of the remaining players. (Which is why you're seeing Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, and Alex Kiriloff in the playoffs.)
The Braves tied the 1927 "Murderer's Row" Yankees for best team wRC+. (Ben notes that the 1927 Yankees didn't have the DH.)
Meg: "The vibes of that Phillies team are just so perfect."
Ben, on Jordan Montgomery's performance in critical games: "He's gonna make a lot of money. He's about to be a free agent. I think he has he has raised himself into a higher salary class with the the last season-and-a-half, at least, that he's had."
Both Ben and Meg are looking forward to the Phillies/Braves series in the NL and the Rangers/Orioles series in the AL.
Meg acknowledges that Jerry Dipoto's remarks may have had some truth to them, but they were not what fans wanted to hear.
Ben notes that you have to aim higher than 54%, because you will naturally fall short of you aim due to injuries and other setbacks.
Only five teams have played above 54% for the past decade: Cardinals (54.22%), Guardians (54.68%), Yankees (56%), Astros (57%), and Dodgers (61%). Aside from the Guardians, the other teams are big spenders, and the Mariners are not. Dipoto could have said that he aims to be a top-five team, and fans would have loved that.
A 54% winning percentage is 88 games a season, which is not going to be good enough to win the AL West. It'll get you an occasional wild card spot.
Listener Logan Davis tweeted a list of every 10-year span in the division era in which a team has won at least 54% of their games. (Linked below.)
Meg had a decisive victory in the 2023 Minor League Free Agent Draft, with 504 points, compared to Ben Lindbergh's 352 and Ben Clemens's 320. Five of Ben Clemens's players saw time, compared to four of Meg's and three of Ben Lindbergh's. Meg's most successful pick was Brent Honeywell, Jr. with 235 batters faced.
In the 26-Under-25 Draft, Ben currently holds a small lead of 25.8 fWAR to Meg's 22. We are only a half-year into a ten-year competition.

Episode 2068: More Like Mild Card

Summary[]

Topics[]

Final Notes[]

Notes[]

Links[]

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