FanGraphs Audio: Kris Atteberry and Jared Sandler Issue Grades

Episode 924 This week on FanGraphs Audio, we ask a pair of broadcasters to evaluate the performance of their clubs before welcoming a new contributor to the pod. To start things off, David Laurila welcomes Kris Atteberry, broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins, and Jared Sandler, broadcaster for the Texas Rangers. David asks Kris and Jared to judge their teams based on how they’ve done this year, keeping in mind that preseason expectations certainly affect the grading curve. They talk about Franmil Reyes’s batting line vs. Kenta Maeda, Adolis García’s wrestling career in Cuba, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa playing with motivation — and backing it up. They also discuss how easy it is to root for Kyle Gibson before considering the problems created by Willians Astudillo’s incredible contact skills and if it is possible to not strike out enough as a batter. [2:39] In the second segment, Ben Clemens is joined by Justin Choi to discuss some of their recent articles at FanGraphs. Ben keeps researching sliders in The Shadow Zone, while Justin has taken a closer look at Bryan Shaw‘s pitch mix. Also, what is fueling Adrian Houser’s success? And what is Hyun Jin Ryu doing differently this year? Finally, Ben and Justin consider the merits of a pitcher having a velocity differential versus a variety of velocities. [36:28] To purchase a FanGraphs membership for yourself or as a gift, click here. To donate to FanGraphs and help us keep things running, click here. Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @dhhiggins on Twitter. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things. Audio after the jump. (Approximate 59 minutes play time.) var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source