Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners firing Scott Servais, the Angels not firing Perry Minasian, Joey Votto’s career and retirement, the continued collapse of Craig Kimbrel, NPB players pushing for a faster path to domestic and international free agency, and the NWSL abolishing its draft. Then (42:45) they’re joined by Patreon supporter Sam Horton to answer listener emails about active future Hall of Fame pitchers, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, major and minor leaguers swapping parks, a desperate outfield tactic, penalizing catcher glove movement, and the ethics of returning milestone homers to hitters, followed (1:48:30) by a postscript Stat Blast about scoring at least 11 unanswered runs. Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio interstitial: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme 2” Audio outro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)” Link to MLBTR on Servais Link to The Athletic on Servais Link to MLBTR on Minasian Link to MLBTR on Votto Link to Dan S. on Votto Link to C. Trent on Votto Link to Votto’s retirement post Link to McGrath on Votto Link to Votto quotes Link to Buchanan on Votto Link to 2016 Votto story Link to Votto in the booth Link to Votto on media offers Link to Baltimore Sun on Kimbrel Link to post-ASB RP WAR Link to post-ASB RP WPA Link to RP WPA since 2019 Link to Drellich on NPB players Link to NWSL news Link to Sam on HoF players Link to Petriello on HoF pitchers Link to Jaffe on HoF pitchers Link to SP JAWS Link to highest career K rates Link to EW Episode 282 Link to EW Episode 771 Link to EW Episode 867 Link to EW Episode 2159 Link to Kiermaier deke play Link to Tango on glove movement 1 Link to Tango on glove movement 2 Link to Tango on glove movement 3 Link to story on Santana’s HR Link to tweet about Santana’s HR Link to listener emails database Link to story on Ohtani HR ball Link to Ohtani bobblehead Link to MLBTR on Waldron Link to Reds-Jays game Link to Stephenson quote Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter Link to 2006 game Link to 1922 game Link to Stat Blast data 1 Link to Stat Blast data 2 Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the stretch run, the “championship season,” the surprising solidity of the playoff picture, and how the playoff field could change before the end of the season. They also discuss the turnarounds of Jeff McNeil and Corbin Carroll, the return on the Rangers’ pitching blueprint, and whether A’s fans should consider supporting other MLB teams. Then (1:02:30) they Stat Blast about hitters who hogged pitches in an inning, Kris Bryant’s Colorado decline, and a claim about catchers and infield hits, with diversions into whether HR-reliant lineups are inconsistent scorers, whether Bryant or Anthony Rendon has been the bigger disappointment, and why broadcasters say the darndest things. Audio intro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to “championship season” Link to FG playoff odds Link to BaseRuns standings Link to Baumann on the M’s Link to O’s hydration station Link to Clemens on Carroll Link to JJH episode Link to Stat Blast song cover Link to Russell on HR reliance Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter Link to pitch-count % data Link to Rockies/Bryant data Link to Blum on Bryant Link to FB Bryant/Rendon post Link to Sam’s Bryant tweet Link to Casali play Link to Krukow clip Link to Jason Bernard’s Twitter Link to sprint speed table Link to study on bad-team hitters Link to Ben on hustle singles Link to Ben on catcher fatigue Link to Tim Kniker on catcher fatigue Link to 2023 C IFH total Link to all IFH% early Link to all IFH% late Link to C IFH% early Link to C IFH% late Link to non-C IFH% early Link to non-C IFH% late Link to Casali IFH% early Link to Casali IFH% late Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether the custom-painted bats featured during Players’ Weekend should be usable all season, Alex Verdugo’s batting-glove allergy, Rich Hill’s predictable-yet-curious choice of team, where the Rookie of the Year races stand, how the Pirates should handle Paul Skenes down the stretch, the magnitude of the Skenes Day attendance boost, the active player who possibly best embodies replacement level, a (slightly) better proposal to promote pitcher’s duels, the unsung skills of Carlos Santana and José Soriano, the pros and cons of this season’s post-superteam standings, and more, plus a postscript. Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to custom bats roundup Link to another bats roundup Link to bat company article Link to Players’ Weekend explainer Link to Players’ Weekend wiki Link to Verdugo article Link to compression neuropathy Link to Trumbo bathtub post Link to Ringer on Caped Crusader Link to MLBTR on Hill Link to Episode 1780 Stat Blast Link to rookie hitter WAR leaders Link to rookie pitcher WAR leaders Link to pitcher WAR since 5/11 Link to Dunne’s Skenes cosplay Link to Rosenthal on Skenes Link to Skubal usage info Link to team SP WAR Link to Ben on pitcher draws Link to FG on Merrill Link to MLBTR on McKinney Link to Tango on Bloomquist Link to Jeff on Bloomquist Link to ESPN on six-inning starts Link to Sheehan on six-inning starts Link to Sheehan on pitcher’s duels Link to Santana’s Savant page Link to 1B OAA leaders Link to end of end of Pujols SB streak Link to projected team wins Link to Neil’s Substack Link to Passan’s tweet Link to Jaffe on struggling top teams Link to MLBTR on Freeman Link to MLBTR on Riley Link to prior plaque talk Link to Beltré Rangers event Link to Wade/Ward wiki Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the White Sox walking Juan Soto to face Aaron Judge, how Judge’s season could’ve been even better, the world’s untapped baseball talent, Shohei Ohtani’s run at a 50-50 season, ways to discourage intentional walks, a proposal to mandate six-inning outings for starting pitchers, a changing of the guard atop the FanGraphs farm system rankings, the extraordinary defense of Austin Hedges, and the nature vs. nurture debate about MLB fathers and sons. Then (1:10:07) they meet major leaguers Daniel Robert, Yilber Diaz, and Michael Petersen, plus (1:34:35) several postscript updates. Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Judge/Soto article 1 Link to Judge/Soto article 2 Link to Judge/Soto article 3 Link to Davy Andrews on the IBB Link to Judge mechanical changes Link to Ben/Sam on global talent Link to Ohtani splits by month Link to Ohtani pitching progress Link to listener emails database Link to six-inning-starts article Link to tweet about six-inning starts Link to would-be-disqualified starts Link to Ben on bullpenning Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits Link to FG farm rankings Link to Pipeline farm rankings Link to Baez homer Link to Trueblood on Hedges Link to Hedges BP player card Link to BP catcher defense leaderboard Link to “framing chances” definition Link to Hedges PitchCom article Link to Ben on Hedges in 2015 Link to BP C defense since 2015 Link to Molina framing montage Link to Yadi running-game graph Link to Ben on framing improvements Link to fathers/sons data Link to LaRoche retrospective Link to B-Ref new debuts Link to Kenny Jackelen’s Twitter Link to Robert article 1 Link to Robert article 2 Link to Diaz article 1 Link to Diaz article 2 Link to Diaz strawberries photo Link to Petersen article 1 Link to Petersen article 2 Link to Petersen debut game log Link to Petersen interview clip Link to Petersen UK tweet Link to MLBTR on Hill Link to EW 1780 Stat Blast Link to Hill on EW Link to Hill/Anthony tweet Link to Fitzgerald play Link to Fitzgerald/Bonds stat Link to Fitzgerald article 1 Link to Fitzgerald article 2 Link to Fitzgerald plays data Link to RE charts Link to Melvin clip Link to Ben C. on the play Link to Ben C. on bunt math Link to Rob Mains on zombie bunts Link to Rob on bunts again Link to The Sandlot audio clip Link to The Sandlot video clip Link to Space Jam clip Link to The Benchwarmers video clip Link to 1955 newspaper clip Link to Torgeson vs. Spahn Link to Wade/Ward wiki Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how Jorge López has done since his release from the Mets, Juan Soto‘s underrated dominance, George Springer’s post-replay rage, whether the Rangers are a candidate for Angels-esque August waiver shenanigans, whether Dodgers pitchers are particularly prone to Tommy John surgeries, and the divisive value of Salvador Perez. Then (41:56) they welcome high-school student Bailey Hall, who won an award for the best poster presentation at SABR 52, for a guest Stat Blast about scoring after leadoff walks vs. leadoff singles, followed by (1:10:19) a postscript on recent team TJ totals. Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Lopez EW episode Link to Lopez ERA leaderboard Link to team RP WAR Link to Judge on Soto Link to best post-Bonds seasons Link to WAR through age 25 Link to Springer clip Link to MLB.com on Springer Link to BP piece on HBP replays Link to Becker on the Rangers Link to Rosenthal on the Rangers Link to MLBTR on Ryan Link to Dodgers thread Link to TJ data Link to Baumann on Perez Link to Jaffe on Perez Link to Perez Reddit post Link to Ben on HoF framing Link to Stat Blast song cover Link to SABR 52 info Link to SABR post on Bailey Link to Bailey’s poster Link to tweet about Bailey Link to Tango on Bailey Link to past research 1 Link to past research 2 Link to past research 3 Link to past research 4 Link to past research 5 Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the 30th anniversary of the 1994 strike and how nice it is not to have the season end in August, the unusual extension of Victor Robles, Tanner Rainey, Patrick Corbin, and the remnants of the 2019 Nationals, Will Wagner and whether the debuts of sons of big leaguers make us feel old partly because big leaguers have kids earlier than average, how MLB could accommodate the 2028 Olympics, changes in BBWAA awards voting patterns and the suddenly competitive MVP races, the return of Mookie Betts, whether the end of pitcher hitting affects pitcher pitching, Seth Lugo vs. Tarik Skubal, Jarren Duran’s suspension, his heckler, and how well one could hit a baseball with a tennis racket, and listener-suggested additions to the Hierarchy of Versatility. Audio intro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Craig C. on the strike Link to Rosenthal on Robles Link to MLBTR on Robles Link to Robles mic’d up Link to FG on Rainey Link to Sam on Corbin Link to Wagner debut video Link to Craig on Wagner Link to MLB father/son data Link to story on eldest sons Link to dad age 1 Link to dad age 2 Link to dad age 3 Link to dad age 4 Link to dad age 5 Link to dad age 6 Link to dad age 7 Link to dad age 8 Link to ESPN on the Olympics Link to Passan tweet Link to WNBA break Link to NHL break Link to World Cup of Hockey Link to Olympics transportation Link to Ben on the WBC Link to Mookie HR Link to Dan S. on MVP races Link to FIP-based WAR leaderboard Link to RA/9-based WAR leaderboard Link to Lugo comments Link to DH and HBP research Link to Duran story Link to more on Duran Link to heckle Link to Heart & Hustle Award Link to tennis racket question Link to tennis baseball video Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the appeal of deflected balls caught on the fly, the lack of variety in MLB.TV highlights, Aaron Judge’s bases-empty intentional walks, the Braves falling out of playoff position (for now), and the surprising team with a trio of young, above-average, qualified hitters. Then (40:44) they rank the types of baseball versatility and Stat Blast (56:18) about the decline of switch-hitting, Maury Wills and switch-hitter slumps, how often managers are fired following a loss, and whether intra-division trades are getting more common. Audio intro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Rockies-Mets play Link to Bogaerts/Kelly play Link to Stark on Judge Link to Tango on Judge Link to Jaffe on the Braves Link to Ben C. on depth Link to Ben C. on depth 2 Link to Ben C. on depth on EW Link to preseason playoff odds Link to BP IL Ledger Link to young hitters query Link to query without minimums Link to Ben on Twins.com Link to Twins.com sale news Link to Venditte rule article Link to Mike Temple Stat Blast cover Link to Athletic SH article Link to Fox Sports SH article Link to WSJ SH article Link to LAT SH article Link to youth sports specialization Link to switch-hitting data Link to SH graph 1 Link to SH graph 2 Link to Ben on bad switch-hitters Link to FG on bad switch-hitters Link to Mullins article 1 Link to Mullins article 2 Link to Mullins article 3 Link to Victorino article 1 Link to Victorino article 2 Link to Victorino article 3 Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter Link to Steiner/Wills clip Link to Wills SH OPS graph Link to switch-hitter correlations Link to stat stabilization points Link to Dr. Dog album Link to Ferguson SABR bio Link to Ferguson wiki Link to “Death to Flying Things” Link to “Death to Flying Things” 2 Link to SH origin story 1 Link to SH origin story 2 Link to previous SH Stat Blast Link to 2024 switch-hitters Link to Twins Daily on SH Link to Crashfish Boxes on SH Link to 1985 LAT article on SH Link to Year of the Balk article Link to Berkman/Jones SH quotes Link to MLB Showalter ad Link to Ben on caliber of play Link to managerial firings data Link to manager data by decade Link to managers fired after Ws Link to trades data Link to interleague trades data Link to interleague trading history Link to trades graph 1 Link to trades graph 2 Link to Betances injury article Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the White Sox and the etiquette and timing of firing the manager of one of the worst teams of all time, Logan O’Hoppe and performance anxiety, Brusdar Graterol and the most demoralizing kind of injury, the return of Anthony Gose, next season’s scheduled game at Bristol Motor Speedway, other unorthodox potential locations for MLB games, and why baseball fields are deepest in center, Aroldis Chapman’s freakish velocity and durability, Craig Kimbrel, Grayson Rodriguez, and the outlook for the Orioles’ rotation, the recent performances of Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio, and Jackson Merrill, what Bobby Witt Jr.’s progression says about the aging curve, and more. Audio intro: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Fegan on the Grifol firing Link to MLBTR on the firing Link to Grifol record tweet Link to McCloskey wiki Link to O’Hoppe tweet Link to O’Hoppe article Link to Abreu article Link to Graterol injury story Link to Senga injury story Link to MLBTR on Marquez Link to Fowler injury article Link to Yount wiki Link to BP IL Ledger Link to article on Gose’s return Link to Motor Speedway game Link to aircraft carrier HR derby Link to Carrier Classic wiki Link to outdoor NHL games Link to Reddit thread on deeper CF Link to sidespin/spray graph Link to Polo Grounds wiki Link to track cycling wiki Link to velodrome wiki Link to Chapman velo article Link to pitcher aging curves Link to Sheehan on Kimbrel Link to MLBTR on Rodriguez Link to Holliday leaderboard Link to Sawchik on Holliday Link to EW preseason predictions Link to leaderboard since 6/1 Link to Holliday HR streak Link to B-Ref Jacksons tweet Link to Jacksons HR highlights Link to best age-20 seasons Link to best rookie age-20 seasons Link to FG combined WAR leaderboard Link to aging curve article Link to aging curve article 2 Link to Ohio Cup wiki Link to Be the Match website Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Jesús Sánchez and the (perhaps) surprising longest-homer hitters of the Statcast era, the hot hitting of Victor Robles, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Tyler Fitzgerald, the competitive race for the (nonexistent) utility player of the year award, what lessons should be learned from the 2024 Padres’ clutchness correction, whether the Guardians have a clutchness correction coming too, whether we could have seen this White Sox season coming (and the mood of Miguel Vargas), follow-ups on team rivalry trophies and Mike Trout’s durability, and a question about ways to disrupt a Patreon pattern. Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Sánchez homer Link to Marlins salaries Link to HR distance leaderboard Link to Mazara record HR Link to signature significance article Link to study on single batted ball Link to Statcast park factors Link to BP piece on Robles Link to wRC+ since 6/5 Link to wRC+ since 6/20 Link to Kikuchi changes article Link to Rogers O’s tweet Link to Castro positions tweet Link to Rafaela positions tweet Link to Ben on positional versatility Link to Russell on switching positions Link to wRC+ since 5/1 Link to wOBA-xWOBA since 6/20 Link to team wRC+ since 7/1 Link to World Series odds Link to BaseRuns records Link to Ben on the 2023 Padres Link to EW on Padres postmortems Link to Padres postmortem 1 Link to Padres postmortem 2 Link to FG Clutch stat Link to Russell on one-run records Link to Rob on one-run records Link to Rob on one-run records 2 Link to Neil on the Guardians Link to Vargas clip Link to preseason win projections Link to EW Sox team preview Link to playoff odds changes Link to Dan S. on the Sox Link to Lone Star Series wiki Link to Silver Boot press release Link to Crosstown Cup Trophy wiki Link to Pearson Cup wiki Link to more on Pearson Cup Link to Bay Bridge Series wiki Link to MLBTR on Bean Link to Bean EW episode Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Mike Trout’s latest season-ending injury, the Orioles’ latest top-prospect promotion, and a tweak to the postseason schedule, and answer listener emails (24:20) about ex-player umpires, eavesdropping on pitchers’ thoughts between pitches, whether and how they’d reintroduce baseball to a world without it, awarding belts or trophies for team rivalries, the viability of a pitcher who can’t field, how a player could win MVP in both leagues in the same season, how MLB would work if it were Patreon-supported, how international soccer’s transfer system would apply to MLB, and referring to a type of player by saying “a [player name]”, plus (1:29:48) a few follow-ups. Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Jim Downey meme Link to The Athletic on Trout Link to MLB.com on Trout Link to Trout’s tweet Link to SuperPretzel EW episode Link to EW Trout hypotheticals Link to MLBTR on Mayo Link to postseason schedule Link to ex-player umps Link to Scully movie clip Link to mic’d up Manoah Link to Ben on Yesterday Link to Vedder Cup article Link to Mayor’s Trophy wiki Link to Babe Ruth Award wiki Link to Gary’s Old Towne Tavern Link to Sam on playing in a game Link to listener emails database Link to Snell quote Link to White Sox streak tweet Link to playoff ratios tweet Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source