Baseball’s Analytics Revolution: What the Yankees’ Struggles Reveal About the Modern Game
Episode Description
ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode of Wharton Moneyball, Professors Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, and Adi Wyner explore the latest stories through the lens of sports analytics. They discuss the Patriots’ resurgence with Drake Maye and what it means for Bill Belichick’s legacy, the Yankees’ playoff struggles and Aaron Judge’s MVP case, and how analytics are shaping modern baseball strategy. Guest Dan Szymborski from FanGraphs joins to explain how the ZiPS projection system works, what it got right and wrong this season, and how to think about playoff probabilities. The show wraps up with an incredible tennis story—a player ranked 204th in the world winning a Masters 1000 tournament—showing how data can help make sense of even the most surprising results.
ABOUT THE PODCAST Sports is a game of numbers. Wharton experts Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, Cade Massey, and Adi Wyner team up to tackle the world of sports, from current events to longstanding issues such as: What sports streaks are the most impressive? How do you rank the best players? Can athletes be compared across sports? The Moneyball podcast explains how decision-makers in the game can avoid the common mistakes and embrace the data. Episodes are recorded at the Wharton School.
#BaseballStats #Sabermetrics #BaseballAnalytics #AnalyticsInSports #SportsAnalytics ----- The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is committed to sharing its intellectual capital through Knowledge at Wharton, the school’s online business analysis journal.
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Brief Summary
The episode discusses NFL analytics, MLB playoffs, and a surprising tennis tournament outcome with guest Dan Savoroski from FanGraphs.
Key points
- Drake May's Impact on the Patriots. Shane Jensen expresses excitement over Drake May's performance and potential as a franchise quarterback.
- Tom Brady's Legacy. A debate on the contributions of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to the Patriots' success.
- Aaron Judge's MVP Candidacy. Discussion on Aaron Judge's impressive season and his chances of winning the MVP award.
- Uncertainty in Projections. The discussion highlights the challenges in accurately predicting player performance and team standings.
- ZIPS Projection System Explained. The ZIPS projection system uses predictive algorithms to forecast player performance, akin to weather forecasting.
- Trent Gisham's Surprising Season. Gisham hit 34 home runs this year, a significant increase from his previous performance.
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Episode highlights
- Drake May's Impact on the PatriotsShane Jensen expresses excitement over Drake May's performance and potential as a franchise quarterback.“Drake May was absolutely incredible.”1:08Oct 23, 2025
- Tom Brady's LegacyA debate on the contributions of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to the Patriots' success.“I’ve always given a lot of credit to Tom Brady.”3:01Oct 23, 2025
- Aaron Judge's MVP CandidacyDiscussion on Aaron Judge's impressive season and his chances of winning the MVP award.“Aaron Judge is about the two to one favorite in the betting markets to win the MVP.”11:11Oct 23, 2025
- Uncertainty in ProjectionsThe discussion highlights the challenges in accurately predicting player performance and team standings.“The future is very uncertain.”17:46Oct 23, 2025
- ZIPS Projection System ExplainedThe ZIPS projection system uses predictive algorithms to forecast player performance, akin to weather forecasting.“It’s just to kind of peer through the fog a bit.”18:57Oct 23, 2025
- Trent Gisham's Surprising SeasonGisham hit 34 home runs this year, a significant increase from his previous performance.“ZIPS projected Gisham at the 87th percentile.”20:07Oct 23, 2025
- Brewers' Projection ChallengesThe Brewers have had the least accurate projections over the last five years, complicating forecasts.“The biggest problem with projecting team standings with the Brewers...”27:41Oct 23, 2025
- Model Limitations in SportsDiscussion on how models can't always capture the nuances of player performance.“There’s just some little nudge here and there that models can’t really pick up.”36:35Oct 23, 2025
