Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the fallout from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s oblique injury and the signings of Adam Jones and Martin Maldonado as referenda on free agency, then answer listener emails about whether the Indians and Astros could have significantly upped their playoff odds by making more moves (and fan bases that should be aggrieved about their teams’ winter inactivity), Craig Kimbrel’s in-season negotiating leverage, whether wearing or not wearing a uniform number is a more fitting tribute, the value of scouting strengths versus scouting weaknesses, and the effects of robo umps on offense, entertainment value, and chasing pitches outside the strike zone, plus a Stat Blast about manager height. Audio intro: The Glands, "Pie" Audio outro: Neuseiland, "Robots of Me" Link to Dan Szymborski on Jones and Maldonado Link to Sam on players seeking contracts Link to BP playoff odds Link to Sam’s article on manager height Link to article on the compassionate umpire Link to article on the Bayesian umpire Link to Baltimore/DC-area EW meetup Link to preorder 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 Max Scherzer’s supremacy and the changes coming to the Atlantic League in 2019 as part of its partnership with MLB, include an altered base size, mound distance, strike zone, and more, then preview the 2019 Nationals (29:00) with Washington Post columnist Barry Svrluga, and the 2019 Seattle Mariners (1:04:16) with Seattle Times Mariners beat writer Ryan Divish. 2019 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Pixies, "Debaser" Audio interstitial 1: Grateful Dead, "He’s Gone" Audio interstitial 2: The Baseball Project, "Ichiro Goes to the Moon" Audio outro: Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez, "Play it Again Sam" Link to Kershaw/Scherzer article Link to Atlantic League-MLB press release Link to Sam on Hamilton and Bolt Ben’s article on moving the mound Link to Cooper article about moving the mound Link to Jeff on banning the shift Link to Barry’s book, The Grind Link to preorder 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 (re)introduces new co-hosts Sam Miller of ESPN and Meg Rowley of FanGraphs. Together, they explain the show’s new format and schedule, pay tribute to departed co-host Jeff Sullivan, and answer listener emails about a team made of clones of Ken Griffey Jr., how to reacclimate to baseball after taking an offseason off, and what they’re most anticipating about the 2019 season. Audio intro: The Frames, "New Partner" Audio outro: The Lemon Twigs, "As Long As We’re Together" Link to Griffey clone commercial Link to Ben’s Griffey scouting report article Link to Sam’s Belt/beer vendor article Link to Sam on position players pitching Link to Sam’s Bartolo article Link to preorder 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 guest co-host Steven Goldman of The Infinite Inning banter about Luis Severino’s injury and the perils of spring training, Sonny Gray’s slider problem and the perils of player development, and Ben’s series at The Ringer about scouting past and present, then preview the 2019 Cubs (34:19) with The Athletic’s Cubs beat writer Sahadev Sharma, and the 2019 Texas Rangers (1:13:15) with The Athletic’s Rangers beat writer, Levi Weaver. 2019 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Slothrust, "Baby One More Time" Audio interstitial 1: The Bangles, "Under a Cloud" Audio interstitial 2: Hop Along, "Texas Funeral" Audio outro: Teenage Fanclub, "Live in the Moment" Link to article on Gray’s sliders Link to first part of Ben’s scouting series Link to second part of Ben’s scouting series Link to Ruffcorn reports Link to Levi’s story on Clyde and pensions Link to Infinite Inning podcast Link to preorder 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 guest co-host Emily Waldon of The Athletic banter about how Emily got into covering the minor leagues, the perils and rewards of minor-league coverage, the progress of player development, the benefits of speaking Spanish, prospects of particular interest, the growing media interest in minor-league pay, and more, then (27:18) discuss the future of the minor-league-pay problem with former Mets minor leaguer Jeremy Wolf and current Rays minor leaguer Simon Rosenblum-Larson, the executive director and director of player personnel, respectively, of More Than Baseball, a new organization dedicated to improving conditions for minor-league players. Audio intro: Billy Bragg & Wilco, "Way Over Yonder in a Minor Key" Audio interstitial: Beulah, "Cruel Minor Change" Audio outro: Roxy Music, "More Than This" Link to Emily’s Athletic archive Link to More Than Baseball’s website Link to Forbes article about More Than Baseball Link to preorder 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 guest co-host Jesse Thorn of Maximum Fun banter about Bryce Harper signing with the Phillies and the intriguing NL East, Jesse’s Giants fandom, being an ambassador of baseball to non-fans, and Jesse’s beliefs about baseball fashion, then preview the 2019 St. Louis Cardinals (30:00) with man of many outlets Will Leitch, and the 2019 San Francisco Giants (1:09:47) with SFBay News Giants beat writer Julie Parker. 2019 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: The Smiths, "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side" Audio interstitial 1: Camera Obscura, "William’s Heart" Audio interstitial 2: The Mountain Goats, "Pink and Blue" Audio outro: Julian Lennon, "Jesse" Link to Ben’s Harper article Link to Put This On Link to Jordan, Jesse, Go! Link to Bullseye Link to Go Fact Yourself Link to Will’s newsletter Link to preorder 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 guest co-host Zach Kram of The Ringer banter about Clayton Kershaw’s bum arm, a rash of semi-suspiciously-timed signings, the Atlantic League as a testing ground for MLB rules changes, the latest Bryce Harper rumors, extensions for Nolan Arenado, Miles Mikolas, and Aaron Hicks, the Marwin Gonzalez signing and its implications for Willians Astudillo, and Matt Wieters joining the Cardinals, then preview the 2019 Tampa Bay Rays (36:44) with The Athletic’s Rays beat writer Josh Tolentino, and the 2019 San Diego Padres (1:03:53) with The Athletic’s Padres beat writer, Dennis Lin. 2019 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Aaron Lee Tasjan, "The Rest is Yet to Come" Audio interstitial 1: Frank Sinatra, "South – To A Warmer Place" Audio interstitial 2: Sloan, "Have Faith" Audio outro: Wilco, "Please Be Patient With Me" Link to Atlantic League report Link to Zach’s Arenado post Link to Wieters projection article Link to Josh on the pitch clock Link to Ben on the Padres Link to Dennis on Stock Link to Passan report Link to preorder 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 Jeff Sullivan’s final episode as the co-host of Effectively Wild (but not the podcast’s final episode), he and Ben Lindbergh discuss his new job as an analyst for the Tampa Bay Rays, what it was like to be courted by teams, why he decided to depart FanGraphs and why he feels guilty about it, why teams wanted him this winter, his hopes and fears as he enters a new phase of his career, his evolution and voice as a writer, his affection for Mike Trout, his personal and professional relationship with Ben, what the podcast meant to him, and more. Audio intro: Guided By Voices, "Goodbye Note" Audio outro: My Morning Jacket, "Thank You Too" Link to Jeff’s first baseball blog post Link to EW live episode Link to Jeff’s last Trout post Link to Jeff’s farewell post Link to preorder 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 Jeff Sullivan banter about whether contract extensions are actually on the rise, the increasingly curious career of Rinku Singh, and Pirates owner Bob Nutting’s confusing comments about payroll, then preview the 2019 New York Mets (14:07) with The Athletic’s Mets beat writer Tim Britton, and the 2019 Toronto Blue Jays (45:22) with Sportsnet’s baseball editor, Ben Nicholson-Smith. 2019 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Travis, "Sing" Audio interstitial 1: The Magnetic Fields, "In My Car" Audio interstitial 2: Humble The Poet, "Iam Toronto" Audio outro: Joel Plaskett, "A Million Dollars" Link to Jeff’s extensions research Link to Singh interview Link to Vlad ETA FAQ Link to preorder 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 Jeff Sullivan banter about Manny Machado signing with the Padres and what the news means for the free-agent market and the futures of the NL West, the Phillies, and Bryce Harper, then preview the 2019 Los Angeles Angels (31:34) with The Athletic’s Angels beat writer, Fabian Ardaya, and the 2019 Milwaukee Brewers (1:02:42) with The Athletic’s Brewers beat writer, Robert Murray, plus a postscript on Machado and Don Newcombe. 2019 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: The Frames, "Finally" Audio interstitial 1: The Minus 5 (Feat. Ben Gibbard), "I See Angels" Audio interstitial 2: Chip Taylor, "Why Milwaukee" Audio outro: Led Zeppelin, "Ten Years Gone" Link to Ben’s Machado piece Link to Jeff’s Machado piece Link to Padres celebration thread Link to Ben’s Calhoun article Link to Baseball Mogul offer Link to preorder 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