Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the Orioles’ Andrew Cashner signing, recent “super-teams” that missed the playoffs, and Marcus Stroman’s arbitration tweets, then preview the 2018 Cubs (16:27) with The Athletic Chicago’s Sahadev Sharma, and the 2018 Padres (46:43) with The Athletic San Diego’s Dennis Lin. 2018 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: The Thrills, "Nothing Changes Around Here" Audio interstitial 1: Neil Young, "Say Hello to Chicago" Audio interstitial 2: Passion Pit, "Better Things" Audio outro: Math and Physics Club, "Weekends Away" Link to Ben’s arbitration research Link to Banished To The Pen season preview posts  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 the installation of a humidor at Chase Field, how peak Ichiro would have hit at Coors Field, and what to make of reports about players in the best shape of their lives, then answer emails about which team performances would qualify as surprising in 2018, projecting players who’ve had hard times off the field, evaluating launch angles, how much better teams get when they go for broke, NPB teams poaching unsigned free agents, how many non-athletes a team of the best players in baseball could carry without being bad, and how to define a platoon, plus a Stat Blast on post-humidor Coors, a meditation on the free-agent market, and an update on Jose Ramirez’s mysterious Twitter handle. Audio intro: Sparks, "Instant Weight Loss" Audio outro: Yo La Tengo, "Is That Enough" Link to Alan Nathan’s humidor research Link to Ben’s BSOHL research Link to Mike Trout Pecos League hypothetical  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 Esteban Loaiza’s drug bust and the Cubs’ Yu Darvish signing, then preview the 2018 Indians (15:31) with writer/editor Pete Beatty, and the 2018 Royals (44:16) with Kansas City Star Royals beat writer Rustin Dodd. 2018 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Robyn Hitchcock, "Tell Me About Your Drugs" Audio interstitial 1: Yoko Ono, "Peter the Dealer" Audio interstitial 2: Beulah, "Rust With Me" Audio outro: Johnny Flynn, "Brown Trout Blues" Link to Mike Trout Pecos League hypothetical Link to Banished To The Pen season preview posts  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 the new spring training camp for free agents, return to the topic of why so many high-profile free agents remain unsigned, discuss Todd Frazier’s contract with the Mets, and talk about whether a proposed “Tank Tax” is a solution in search of a problem. Then they preview the 2018 Dodgers (19:54) with LA Times Dodgers beat writer Andy McCullough, and the 2018 Marlins (1:02:11) with Miami Herald reporter Barry Jackson. 2018 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: The High Water Marks, "Second Time" Audio interstitial 1: The Rolling Stones, "Luxury" Audio interstitial 2: The Left Banke, "Men Are Building Sand" Audio outro: MGMT, "Weekend Wars" Link to “Tank Tax” article Link to Banished To The Pen season preview posts Link to Effectively Wild Wiki Link to Effectively Wild Wiki crowdsourcing sign-up sheet  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 two reports citing anonymous sources, Scott Boras’ boat metaphor, “Memento Mori” as a motivational tool, a John Jaso update, and a Patreon plug, then bring on the FanGraphs prospect team (Kiley McDaniel, Eric Longenhagen, and Chris Mitchell) to talk prospect-ranking philosophies, scouting-the-stat-line successes, how record home run rates affect scouting, the Ronald Acuna consensus and the Brendan McKay controversy, and the 10 biggest disagreements between FanGraphs’ stats-based and scouting-based prospect lists. Audio intro: John Frusciante, "The Will to Death" Audio interstitial: The Tragically Hip, "Inevitability of Death" Audio outro: The Kinks, "Till Death Us Do Part" Link to “reminders of death” study Link to Fernando Perez John Jaso tweet Link to scouting-based top 100 prospects list Link to stats-based top 100 prospects list Link to Effectively Wild Wiki Link to Effectively Wild Wiki crowdsourcing sign-up sheet Link to SABR Analytics Awards voting page  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 February rituals and the start and format of the sixth annual EW season preview series, as well as transaction inactivity and another player trampoline sighting. Then they preview the 2018 Astros (9:43) with The Ringer’s Michael Baumann, and the 2018 White Sox (40:45) with White Sox and ESPN broadcaster Jason Benetti. 2018 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Big Star, "February’s Quiet" Audio interstitial 1: Wire, "Champs" Audio interstitial 2: Boat, "(I’m a) Donkey for Your Love" Audio outro: The Avett Brothers, "February Seven" Link to Banished To The Pen season preview posts Link to Effectively Wild Wiki Link to Effectively Wild Wiki crowdsourcing sign-up sheet Link to Effectively Wild Wiki crowdsourcing Facebook thread  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 bullpen-cart feasibility, a listener crowdsourcing project to fill out the Effectively Wild Wiki, and the effect of starting an inning with a runner on second, then follow up on player volatility and knuckleball hits and answer listener emails about the historical significance of the Marlins’ latest firesale, the respective offensive ceilings of Didi Gregorius and Andrelton Simmons, the effect of this winter’s slow market on future extensions and high-profile free agents, the “Steroid Era” and aging patterns, and optimizing a legendary lineup. Plus a Stat Blast on low payrolls and a teaser for the sixth annual EW season preview series. Audio intro: Eric B. & Rakim, "Move the Crowd" Audio outro: The Jam, "In the Crowd" Link to Effectively Wild Wiki Link to Effectively Wild Wiki crowdsourcing sign-up sheet Link to Effectively Wild Wiki crowdsourcing Facebook thread Link to Mark’s extra-inning probabilities spreadsheet Link to Kevin’s thesis on player volatility Link to Ben’s article on the history of firesales  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 Nori Aoki’s return to Japan, Vladimir Guerrero’s swing rate, Franchy Cordero’s power/speed skills, spring training for free agents (again), and Melky Cabrera, then bring on Baseball Prospectus Director of Technology Harry Pavlidis to explain BP’s latest pitching-themed analysis, featuring robot umpires’ feasibility, desirability, and potential effects on offense; classifying pitchers and measuring stamina and command; and tunneling and deception. Audio intro: Unlikely Friends, "All the Cameras in Japan" Audio interstitial: Andrew Bird, "Not a Robot, But a Ghost" Audio interstitial 2: Damon Albarn, "Everyday Robots" Audio outro: Super Furry Animals, "Sex, War, and Robots" Link to Jeff’s Vladimir Guerrero Post Link to Jeff’s Franchy Cordero post Link to BP’s robot umps article Link to BP’s pitcher-classification article Link to BP’s pitch-tunneling article  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Get Our Merch!  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Mike Trout’s trampoline encounter, a Matt Albers update, Ryan Braun’s rumored move to second base, the belated demise of Chief Wahoo, and Ben’s article about the 1995 Homestead spring training camp for free agents. Then they talk to Hardball Times author Stephanie Springer about cupping, magnetic chairs, cryotherapy, and other examples of baseball pseudoscience before bringing on listener Michael Mountain to discuss his planned 35-day, 30-ballpark baseball road trip. Audio intro: Neil Young, "The Old Homestead" Audio interstitial: Slothrust, "Pseudo Culture" Audio interstitial 2: Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Road Trippin’" Audio outro: The Sadies, "Song of the Chief Musician, Pt. 2" Link to Mike Trout trampoline photo Link to Ben’s Homestead spring training article Link to Stephanie’s baseball pseudoscience article Link to Michael’s road-trip Facebook group post  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Get Our Merch!  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan talk about the Brewers’ trade for Christian Yelich and signing of Lorenzo Cain, how the Brewers stack up in the NL Central, whether they’re the new model for a rebuilding team, how Yelich and Cain could perform in their new park, what the Cain contract says about the slow-moving market, and where the Yelich move leaves the Marlins. Then they talk to Patrick Dubuque of Baseball Prospectus about how moving away from a “winning is everything” mindset can make baseball better for fans. Audio intro: Flogging Molly, "What Made Milwaukee Famous (Made a Loser Out of Me)" Audio interstitial: The Avett Brothers, "My Losing Bet" Audio outro: John Lennon, "I’m Losing You" Link to Patrick’s article about fans not needing their teams to win Link to Short Relief archives at BP  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Get Our Merch!  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source