Effectively Wild Episode 1685: Too Close to Call

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley offer a few updates on the first subject of their “Meet a Major Leaguer” segment, Zach Pop, banter about Corey Dickerson’s impending 200th career double, and answer listener emails about weather-based scheduling, giving umpires the option of not making close calls and deferring to replay reviewers instead, the strange statistics of Javier Báez, enforcing parity (but also mediocrity), whether baseball fans could channel the collective action of the soccer fans who sank the Super League, bringing the chess clock to baseball and improving pace, and the easiest role on the roster in which to collect low-effort, low-pressure paychecks, plus a Stat Blast about Bill Buckner and the overrated or underrated players whose Black/Gray Ink scores differ most from their career WAR.

Audio intro: Cat Stevens, "Pop Star"
Audio outro: Blind Melon, "So High"

Link to Kevin Goldstein on Báez
Link to Michael Baumann on the Super League’s demise
Link to Grant Brisbee on what makes games long
Link to Ben in 2014 on the least-used players
Link to B-Ref Black/Gray Ink glossary
Link to giant Stat Blast spreadsheet
Link to Meg on Hamels
Link to video of Astudillo saying “gasolina”
Link to video of Astudillo taking cover
Link to video of Astudillo’s homer
Link to postgame video of Astudillo

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