Wharton Moneyball

Hosted by The Wharton School

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Episodes

638

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

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? Moneyball explains how decision-makers in the game can avoid the common mistakes and embrace the data. Episodes are recorded at the Wharton School. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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60 recent

October 14, 202653 min

The Analytics Behind Baseball's Small-Market Success

Baseball's biggest advantages are not always bought with the biggest payroll. Mike Petriello, Major League Baseball's Director of Stats and Research, explains how teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers use Statcast, plate discipline, player development, and tailored matchups to compete with the sport's biggest spenders. He also examines the data behind Shohei Ohtani's postseason struggles, what swing path and pitch shape reveal about hitters, and why analytics only matter when coaches and players can put them into action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October 7, 20261 hr 9 min

The Data Behind College Football's New Era

The transfer portal has changed how quickly a college football team can change. The data used to evaluate players, forecast seasons, and inform fans has to keep up. Ron Yurko, Director of the Carnegie Mellon Sports Analytics Center, explores how analytics are helping modernize the Heisman race and make player evaluation more inclusive across positions. He discusses why transfer activity makes college football harder to predict, how uncertainty should shape team forecasts, and what students need to understand about sports betting and prediction markets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

September 30, 20261 hr 7 min

The NHL Salary Cap Surge Is Changing Team Building

The NHL's salary cap is set to rise dramatically. For front offices, that means a new set of decisions about contracts, free agency, draft picks, and where to find an edge. Samuel Ventura, Vice President of Hockey Strategy and Research for the Buffalo Sabres, explains how teams are modeling the effects of more cap space and adjusting the way they value players and build rosters. He also discusses how analytics has become more collaborative across hockey, from player evaluation to strategic decisions. Ventura examines the potential of new player and puck tracking data, including how computer vision could help teams understand shooting mechanics, puck battles, and other previously hard-to-measure parts of the game. He also shares what NHL teams are learning about hiring analysts in the age of AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

September 23, 20261 hr 4 min

Why NFL Teams Need a Better Backup Plan

In a league built around star quarterbacks, the ability to survive an injury can decide a season. Neil Paine, sports writer and data analyst, explores how NFL teams can build a more resilient formula when their starting quarterback is unavailable. He examines why defenses, coaching, and the gap between a starter and backup can determine whether a team stays competitive, along with the strategic question of when to play a rookie quarterback. Paine also breaks down Major League Baseball's playoff-seeding problem, where weak division winners can receive advantages over stronger wild card teams. The conversation closes with a look at the Florida Panthers and why an injury-plagued "gap year" does not always mean a championship window has closed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

September 16, 20261 hr 14 min

The Signals That Matter After NFL Week 1

The first week of the NFL season creates more opinions than answers. Tej Seth, data scientist, breaks down how analysts can distinguish meaningful early-season signals from misleading results. He explains why offensive scheme changes can matter more than raw Week 1 statistics, why turnovers and late-down performance should be treated carefully, and how models should update after surprising games. The conversation examines the Baltimore Ravens' evolving offense, the Kansas City Chiefs' new running game, San Francisco's edge over the Rams, and the matchups worth watching as the NFL season takes shape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

September 9, 202658 min

Is this NFL season more wide open than it appears?

Is this NFL season more wide open than it appears? Brian Burke, Sports Data Scientist at ESPN, and Kevin Cole, Data Scientist at PFF, use football analytics to examine the season ahead. Burke explains how tracking data is changing the way teams measure pass protection and pressure, while Cole breaks down quarterback projections, team strength, and why the league's top contenders may be closer together than expected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

September 2, 20261 hr 6 min

What Analytics Reveal About College Football's Top Teams

The road to the College Football Playoff is not as straightforward as a preseason ranking suggests. Bill Connelly, ESPN staff writer and creator of SP+, breaks down the analytics shaping the college football season. He examines why roster turnover creates a wider range of outcomes, how schedule strength affects playoff chances, the difference between the SEC and Big Ten, and the teams best positioned to contend. He also shares what his season simulations reveal about the title race and why a few unexpected teams could break through. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 26, 20261 hr 6 min

College Football's New Power Structure

What happens when college football players can make more money by staying in school than by entering the NFL? Steven Godfrey, college football journalist and co-host of Yahoo's College Football Enquirer, examines the financial incentives reshaping college football. He discusses NIL deals, transfer rules, eligibility loopholes, and why former NFL players attempting to return to college football could test the sport's limits. Godfrey also breaks down the Big Ten and SEC, coaching pressure at USC and Michigan, conference depth, playoff paths, and why Notre Dame and Ohio State stand out in the national championship picture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 19, 20261 hr 8 min

How Data Changed MLB Pitching

Why are today's MLB pitchers harder to hit than ever? Adam Ottavino, former 15-year MLB reliever and current ESPN analyst, explains how pitch-tracking data, high-speed cameras, and personalized pitching labs reshaped his own career and changed player development across baseball. He breaks down how pitchers design new pitches, use bat-tracking data to attack hitters, and adapt their strategy from pitch to pitch. Ottavino also examines why pitching may have gained an edge over hitting, how teams use data to plan pitch selection, the limits of velocity, automated ball-strike challenges, and what a temporary velocity drop can mean for a pitcher such as Paul Skenes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 12, 20261 hr 9 min

The NFL's Biggest 2026 Questions

Which NFL teams are the numbers backing before the 2026 season begins? Aaron Schatz, National NFL Analyst at ESPN and Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Fantasy, explains why the Houston Texans stand out in the AFC and why the Seattle Seahawks project as one of the league's strongest teams. He breaks down the Rams' Super Bowl outlook, the Bills' defense, the Eagles' path through the NFC East, and the teams that could surprise or regress. Schatz also explores how DVOA-based forecasts account for quarterback performance, coaching changes, injuries, schedules, and the balance of offense, defense, and special teams. Plus, why even the best projections leave plenty of room for the chaos of an NFL season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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