Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the podcast’s seventh birthday, the end of an impressive streak by the Twins, what to think of Aaron Boone‘s tirade against rookie umpire Brennan Miller (and Brett Gardner’s odd dugout anger), Mike Trout and the FanGraphs Trade Value series, an Atlantic League player revolt, and five trends taking over the game, including the shift, relievers, and fewer fastballs. Audio intro: Destroyer, "Savage Night at the Opera" Audio outro: John Mellencamp, "I’m Not Running Anymore" Link to Boone/Gardner video Link to Lindsey Adler on the players’ reaction to Boone Link to Marc Carig on Boone’s reputation Link to Trade Value top 10 Link to Meg/Kiley Trade Value podcast Link to Atlantic League video Link to Ben’s trends piece Link to Ben’s bullpenning piece Link to Sam’s flames piece Link to Sam’s piece on the first pitches of games Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s visit to Cleveland, the Giants’ perplexing situation heading into the trade deadline, Edwin Jackson’s next destination, and the approaching addition of ads to MLB jerseys. Then they answer listener emails about whether Mike Trout’s popularity among stat-savvy fans stems from his lack of playoff appearances, the “strikeout player of the game,” whether clutch matters more at lower levels, whether players or coaches could try to doctor data in the age of tech-driven development, a Dallas Keuchel postgame comment, and showing sympathy for injured players, plus bat-dog discussion, a Stat Blast on pitchers who’ve thrown both immaculate innings and three-pitch innings, and a tribute to the late, great Rob McQuown, beloved Baseball Prospectus stat wizard. Audio intro: Juliana Hatfield, "Everything’s for Sale" Audio outro: The Coral, "Answer Me" Link to Trout promo Link to Zooperstars! mascot characters Link to story about 1988 Cone column Link to Keuchel’s “so-so” pitch Link to video of Piscotty/Rengifo play Link to picture of Rookie the bat dog Link to list of immaculate innings Link to list of three-pitch innings Link to Rob McQuown’s BP article archive Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and professional player (and former Sonoma Stompers coach, catcher, and first baseman) Tommy Lyons discuss the different types of hustle in baseball, deciding what level of hustle is acceptable in a variety of situations and examining how the fan perspective on hustle differs from the player perspective on hustle, plus a postscript (1:14:40) on two Atlantic League plays, the Angels’ combined no-hitter in tribute to Tyler Skaggs, and Bob Gibson’s health. Audio intro: The Dead Weather, "Hustle and Cuss" Audio outro: Shinedown, "45 (Acoustic)" Link to EW Facebook group’s hustle-play suggestions Link to Ben on hustling to first base Link to Sport Science segment on diving into first base Link to THT on diving into first base Link to FanGraphs on diving into first base Link to Russell Carleton on trying too hard Link to video of Upton/Longoria lollygagging argument Link to video of Atlantic League sprint to first Link to video of Atlantic League ejection Link to video of Angels no-hitter Link to Fabian Ardaya’s story on the Angels’ combined no-hitter Link to Roger Angell’s Gibson story Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Ball Four and Jim Bouton, Million Dollar Coin Flip, Christian Yelich’s pursuit of the first 50-30 season and which combination of power and speed would be most impressive, a baseball scene on Cheers, how the MLB All-Star Game differs from other sports’ all-star games, Bubba Starling and the incredible first round of the 2011 draft, the latest Atlantic League experiments and a new rule that isn’t really about stealing first base, the effect of the unified trade deadline and the strange state of the standings, and more. Audio intro: Lizzo, "Juice" Audio outro: Tommy James and the Shondells, "Ball of Fire" Link to Jay on Bouton Link to Yelich 50-30 article Link to THT article on Cheers Link to Bob Costas Cheers video Link to Ben on the baseball scene in Elementary Link to article about all-star game ridiculousness Link to Rany’s draft age study Link to recap of Portland Pickles’ Future of Baseball Night Link to Sam on the most watchable players Link to Ben on busy trade deadlines Link to Ben on this year’s unified deadline and strange standings Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, Justin Verlander’s and Rob Manfred’s comments about the juiced ball, the recent rapid turnover among elite hitters, and an instance of premature celebration featuring Fernando Rodney, then answer listener emails about Verlander’s on-pace-to-be-historic strand rate, whether we should have recognized that Verlander’s decline in Detroit wasn’t permanent, whether we should redefine “scoring position,” whether it’s harder to make the majors or to stay there, and what would happen if strikeouts triggered ejections, plus a Stat Blast about a showdown (Sho-down?) between Shohei Ohtani the hitter and Shohei Ohtani the pitcher. Audio intro: Paul McCartney and Wings, "Arrow Through Me" Audio outro: Jonathan Coulton, "Sticking it to Myself" Link to Baseball Savant Derby home-run tracker Link to Zach Crizer on Verlander Link to Jayson Stark on Verlander Link to Ben on hitter turnover Link to story about Rodney’s blown save Link to video of Rodney’s blown save Link to Stat Blast song Link to Log5 explanation Link to Sam on theoretical batter-pitcher matchups Link to Rob Arthur on batter-pitcher matchups and exit velocity Link to Mike Fast on batter-pitcher matchups and quality of contact Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Colin Poche, the “Is This Guy Good?” game for relievers, Mike Trout entering the All-Star break as baseball’s best hitter and player, whether Trout could ever have his number retired league-wide, the rate at which Trout is surpassing Hall of Famers in WAR, an old discussion about Derek Jeter jerseys and the popularity of Aaron Judge, whether catcher collisions and concussions could play a part in bringing about robot umps, Howie Kendrick and a myth about bat-dropping, Max Scherzer’s premature celebration, and more. Then they discuss the past, present, and future of the Home Run Derby, why this year’s Derby could be pivotal, whether the Derby could ever become a major standalone sport, shagging flies during the Derby, and other Derby details. Audio intro: Prince and The New Power Generation, "The Max" Audio outro: The Glands, "Something in the Air" Link to Jeff’s Poche post Link to “Is This Guy Good?” Game Link to Ben on Trout’s 2019 Link to Sam on the Hall of Famers Trout passed in June Link to Judge jersey sales article Link to Russell Carleton on the value of clubhouse guys Link to Scherzer’s premature celebration Link to Sam on how to celebrate a game-ending error Link to Ben on protecting catchers from concussions Link to Sam on home run highlights being boring Link to Sam on the future of the Derby Link to July 4 Google Doodle Link to Sam on kids shagging flies during the Derby Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Sam Malone maligning the Mariners, the unlikely career of pinch-hitter extraordinaire Mark Sweeney, the joys of watching Fernando Tatis, Jr., Bryce Harper’s Amazon store, and the definition of “MLB legend.” Then (29:43) Ben talks to Hall of Famer Bud Selig, Commissioner Emeritus and author of the new memoir For the Good of the Game, about Selig’s career, how he built consensus, the mistakes owners made in the ’70s and ’80s, collusion, how MLB missed opportunities to promote itself, steroid testing and Barry Bonds, public ballpark funding, the rise of MLBAM and big broadcast contracts, the future of competitive balance and labor peace, and more. Lastly (56:13), Ben and Meg reconvene to discuss Selig’s comments and analyze his complex legacy. Audio intro: Rob Orbison, "(I’d Be) A Legend in My Time" Audio interstitial 1: Willie Nelson, "Buddy" Audio interstitial 2: Reba McEntire, "That’s What He Said" Audio outro: Superchunk, "I Guess I Remembered it Wrong" Link to Frasier clip Link to THT article about baseball on Cheers Link to SABRcast episode with Sweeney Link to Harper store Link to Harper hair products Link to Selig’s memoir Link to Ben on the baseball and the steroid era Link to Ben on Selig and Hall of Fame voting Link to Ben on Lords of the Realm Link to Brewers economic impact study Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley reflect on the passing of Tyler Skaggs. Then (9:57) Ben and Sam Miller banter about whether it’s better for a team to be in a division with a few good teams or a division with one great team and a few bad teams and answer listener emails about whether baseball is a strong-link sport or a weak-link sport, whether a team could benefit by tailoring its park and its roster to a homer-averse style of play, which teams they think it would have been better for baseball for Mike Trout to have been drafted by, plus Stat Blasts about Charlie Blackmon’s home/road splits and the return of vintage Coors Field, and Trout’s chances of setting the record for the longest-ever reign by an active WAR leader. Audio intro: Built to Spill, "So" Audio outro: Paul McCartney, "4th of July" Link to Fabian Ardaya on Skaggs Link to Stanton’s Instagram post Link to Trout and other teammates talking about Skaggs Link to Sam on Coors Field Link to active WAR leaders data Link to Sam on the Hall of Famers Trout passed in June Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

In a bonus episode about the London Series, Ben Lindbergh talks to Darius Austin and Russell Eassom, writers and podcasters for the UK baseball site Bat Flips and Nerds, about their experiences at both Yankees-Red Sox games, why they think there was so much scoring, whether that brand of baseball was a good advertisement for the sport, the energy in the crowd, MLB’s outreach to the UK community, what could have been better about the weekend, how they became baseball fans, the growth of the UK fan community, where the game is played in the UK, the hardest part of explaining baseball to non-fans, how they would feel about MLB rotating between juiced and non-juiced balls on a set schedule, and much more. Audio intro: The Magnetic Fields, "Swinging London" Audio outro: T. Rex, "London Boys" Link to Bat Flips and Nerds website Link to Bat Flips and Nerds podcast Link to MLB UK Community Twitter account Link to Absolute Bunts podcast Link to article at The Athletic about Baseball on Five Link to Q&A about the UK fan community Link to MLB.com article about the UK fan community Link to Cut4 piece about the history of baseball in England Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller talk to Ross Stripling, Los Angeles Dodgers starter and host of The Big Swing, about why he started and enjoys doing a podcast, how Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman influenced his pitching style, how he uses data to prepare for opponents, and how he feels about pitching in an era with the highest home-run rate ever. Then Stripling walks them through what he was thinking and why he threw what he threw in six memorable plate appearances from his career, including a showdown with his nemesis Mike Trout, the first and last batters he faced in his memorable, no-hit debut, his highest-leverage appearance, an 11-pitch PA, and a big moment from the 2017 World Series. Audio intro: Superchunk, "Throwing Things (Acoustic Version)" Audio outro: Buzzcocks, "Harmony in My Head" Link to Stripling’s podcast Link to Stripling’s Rich Hill episode Link to Stripling’s fastball height by month in 2016 Link to EW episode with Sam’s reaction to Stripling’s debut Link to Sam’s feature on Philip Humber Link to Russell Carleton on the benefits of fouling off two-strike pitches Link to Stripling PA 1 (vs. Trout) Link to Stripling PA 2 (vs. Span) Link to Stripling PA 3 (vs. Pagan) Link to Stripling PA 4 (vs. Moroff) Link to Stripling PA 5 (vs. Jay) Link to Stripling PA 6 (vs. Bregman) Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source