Wharton Moneyball

Theo Epstein, Senior Advisor and part owner of Fenway Sports Group and former executive with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, explains how integrating analytics with scouting built championship organizations, how reforms like the pitch timer reshaped the pace of play, and how Major League Baseball can reenergize its national appeal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, joins Eric, Shane, and Cade to explore how Cooperstown preserves baseball history, adapts to analytics and evolving standards of excellence, and prepares for America’s 250th anniversary while shaping the future of the game’s most iconic institution. Plus, the Moneyball team analyzes standout moments from the Winter Olympics—including three-on-three hockey and mixed doubles curling—while also examining NHL goaltending streaks and Major League Baseball preseason projections that raise broader questions about league parity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Alamar—former NBA analytics executive with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, and author of Sports Analytics: A Guide for Coaches, Managers, and Other Decision Makers—joins Wharton Moneyball to break down emerging NBA storylines, the unintended consequences of draft lottery reform, bold alternatives to tanking, and the case for analytics trailblazer Dean Oliver’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Cade, Eric, and Adi also explore statistical evidence of Olympic figure skating bias, debate event proliferation in skiing and speed skating, unpack the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pythagorean paradox, and assess historic performance runs by athletes such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Scottie Scheffler. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Craig O'Shannessy, tennis strategist, analyst for multiple Grand Slams, and New York Times contributor, joins the show to discusses how data-driven decision-making, underused tactics like serve-and-volley, and coachability separate today’s champions from the rest of the field. Cade, Eric, and Shane also analyze Seattle’s defensive-driven win in Super Bowl LX, reassess quarterback ceilings under pressure, and connect those insights to Olympic tournament design and the role of randomness in elite sports outcomes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Lopez, Senior Director of Football Data and Analytics at the NFL, joins the Moneyball team to explain the use of causal inference and drive simulations in shaping the modern game of football. Plus, Eric and Adi explore the mathematical phenomenon of regression to the mean and how it applies to the unprecedented career trajectories of athletes like Carlos Alcaraz and Shohei Ohtani. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.