Effectively Wild Episode 1717: The Bad Hatters

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rays’ combined seven-inning hitless game, knuckleballer Mickey Jannis as a secret weapon in MLB The Show, Jacob deGrom and the near-impossibility of breaking the ERA record, Billy Hamilton and players with the highest highlight-to-value ratios, a six-man outfield against Joey Gallo, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the retelling of player predictions, a first for Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera’s recent semi-resurgence, Pablo López and an (almost) unprecedented one-pitch loss, Sonny Gray getting naked, another Max Muncy, the hidden difficulties of Shohei Ohtani’s two-way season, Max Stassi and the virtues of a catcher who can frame, and the Angels without Mike Trout, plus a Stat Blast about Jake Arrieta and the fewest pitches before grand slams. Then (1:05:34) they talk to Hat Club community manager Benjamin Christensen about the online backlash to the New Era “Local Market” and “Mixed Font” caps, why those caps are more successful than they seem, the process of designing hats, the overlap (or lack thereof) between Baseball Twitter and baseball-cap buyers, baseball caps as fashion statements, the continued cap dominance of MLB, how caps can promote the sport, and his favorite baseball caps.

Audio intro: Oasis, "(Probably) All in the Mind"
Audio interstitial: The Rose Petals, "The Man Who Sold the Hats"
Audio outro: First Aid Kit, "Ugly"

Link to story about Rays’ “notable achievement”
Link to Jannis in MLB The Show 21
Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes
Link to video of Hamilton catch
Link to shift against Gallo
Link to Vlad prediction clip
Link to full mic’d up video
Link to Ben on in-game interviews
Link to BP on López and Cabrera
Link to story on López and Art Schallock
Link to story on Gray getting changed
Link to FanGraphs mock draft
Link to info on the new Muncy
Link to video of Ohtani at-bat and homer
Link to story on Ohtani and Stassi
Link to Ohtani curve/fastball overlay
Link to Ben on the .500-ish Angels
Link to tweet about economical grand slams
Link to Stat Blast spreadsheet
Link to WaPo on the “Local Market” caps
Link to BP on the “Mixed Font” caps
Link to Hat Club website
Link to story about Griffey’s backward cap
Link to Shakeia Taylor on hats and hip-hop culture

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