Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Scooter Gennett and Cubs infield positioning, follow up on a Nelson Cruz question, and answer listener emails about defining “homegrown,” home-run league leaders, Liam Hendriks’ charity pledge, an official-scoring decision, the 40/40 club, the Cubs’ reputation, tracking warm-up pitches, the error-prone A’s, how to allocate extra runs, resting players, a baseball prophecy, the mysterious Sam Dyson, and more. Audio intro: The Stone Coyotes, "Four Times Gone" Audio outro: Neil Young, "Homegrown" Link to paperback edition of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work  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 another brawl involving a baseball, the still-sky-high home-run rate, and Jon Lester’s successful pickoff, then revisit their preseason playoff-team picks to decide which ones they would change. Audio intro: Sloan, "If I Could Change Your Mind" Audio outro: Elf Power, "Halloween Out Walking" Link to paperback edition of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work  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 teams and players of particular interest (including the Astros, Marwin Gonzalez, and Aaron Hicks), Scott Boras vs. Theo Epstein, the brawl battle between Eduardo Jimenez and Jesse Stallings, bat-boy uniforms, Corey Dickerson’s real name, pitcher hitting and Walter Johnson’s unsung skill, many a mascot, and more. Audio intro: Pete Townshend, "Uniforms (Corp D’Esprit) " Audio outro: The Kinks, "Do You Remember Walter?" Link to paperback edition of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work  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 mountain-climbing, Charlie Blackmon’s RBI barrage, starter-switching, the Reds’ still-lousy pitching, a bat-boning shoutout, and Ryan Raburn, then answer emails about Nolan Arenado, Ervin Santana, and Zack Cozart, Nelson Cruz clones, career longevity, gushing broadcasters, Albert Pujols and home runs, Cody Bellinger’s hot hitting, a Padres promotion, and more. Audio intro: Super Furry Animals, "Mountain People" Audio outro: The Strokes, "I Can’t Win" Link to paperback edition of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work  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 a Jeff Sullivan substitute banter about Clayton Kershaw, then discuss all of the fallout from Mike Trout’s surgery and Bryce Harper’s brawl. Audio intro: The Muppets Take Manhattan soundtrack, "Together Again" Audio outro: Paul McCartney, "Seems Like Old Times" Link to paperback edition of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work  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 Pokémon as a baseball show, Mike Montgomery’s workload, whether the Yankees are preparing to turn heel again, and the AL’s early interleague dominance, then discuss whether baseball fans are better off with or without an awareness of projections and playoff odds. Audio intro: Steely Dan, "Gaslighting Abbie" Audio outro: Harry Belafonte, "Jamaica Farewell" Link to Pokémon clips  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 answer listener emails about performance in interleague games, how rising strikeout rates affect defense, the “foul pole” vs. the “fair pole,” the worst best player on a major league team, Terry Collins’ injury gag order, the best control pitcher of our era, “doubles up the middle,” strikeout terminology, the worst pitchers ever, a Barry Bonds fun fact, what makes baseball leaderboards interesting, a starter bait-and-switch, and more. Audio intro: Yo La Tengo, "Don’t Say a Word" Audio outro: Led Zeppelin, "D’yer Mak’er"  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 the White Sox signing Luis Robert, the Twins’ turnaround, and small-sample successes such as Anthony Swarzak and Chad Pinder, then discuss Jonathan Lucroy’s perplexing defensive decline and the state of catcher framing in 2017. Audio intro: Of Montreal, "Rose Robert" Audio outro: Brian Eno & John Cale, "Empty Frame" Link to Ben’s Jonathan Lucroy 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 follow up on a few topics from their previous episode, including allowing first career hits, defining jams and, naturally, bat-boning, then banter about the Mets and Kenley Jansen and discuss why we’re seeing fewer fastballs and Clayton Kershaw vs. Chris Sale. Audio intro: Robyn Hitchcock, "The Bones in the Ground" Audio outro: Fastball, "Drifting Away" Link to Jerry Crasnick’s Mets 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 a mid-start adjustment by Clayton Kershaw and answer listener emails about what constitutes a “jam,” pitchers who’ve allowed the most first career hits, how to analyze player problems and improvements, team abbreviations, hitters who homer and bunt, left-handed infielders, whether bats could be causing the home-run surge, and more. Audio intro: Rage Against the Machine, "Sleep Now in the Fire" Audio outro: Soundgarden, "Bones of Birds" Link to Ben’s article about Kershaw’s slider  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Get Our Merch!  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source