Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s daughter coining a baseball term, how the on-screen strike-zone plot (slightly) delays the rest of the broadcast, Jose Miranda and the surprising 12-consecutive-hits club, David Robertson’s elite relief career, whether Shohei Ohtani should stop pitching, an attempt to quantify players’ smiles, how this season stacks up in terms of total team days at .500, and the latest player to break a bone punching a wall, followed (1:31:24) by Ben and Jessie Barbour performing the song, “Will the Bird Bones Be Unbroken?” Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to DeMarsico episode Link to DeMarsico episode wiki Link to pickoff attempt 1 Link to pickoff attempt 2 Link to Miranda hit Link to MLB.com on Miranda Link to Episode 1964 wiki Link to Dropo SABR bio Link to Higgins SABR bio Link to SABR on Higgins streak Link to streaks wiki Link to Twins Miranda tweet Link to FG Plus stats Link to Robertson ERA+ Link to reliever FIP- Link to Lindsey on Ohtani Link to Betteridge’s Law Link to smiles study Link to SMILE+ leaderboard Link to facial-recognition bias Link to .500 percentage graph Link to story about Brewer Link to Brewer photo Link to list of fractures Link to Ben and Jessie’s song Link to song lyrics Link to original song wiki Link to Carter Family variant 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 a genuine, no-foolin’ instance of “Strategy” (aka a mid-PA pitching change), Christian Walker’s affinity for Dodger Stadium, a Triple-A Waxahachie Swap, the Nationals optioning EW legend Joey Meneses, the Marlins DFA’ing Tim Anderson, and the latest Royce Lewis injury, plus follow-ups about bullpen-cart-driver tipping and fan catches. Then (36:10) they bring on Patreon supporter Wayne Teeger to discuss responses to recent discussions about K-Zone, ABS, and the challenge system and answer emails about ABS at lower levels, broadcasts missing pickoff attempts, green-screen issues (and other ad problems) on broadcasts, whether the path a champion takes through the playoffs matters to fans, pinch-hitting to negate a mound visit, and tracking 10K games for pitchers. Next, they Stat Blast (1:41:13) about the most major leaguers ever to play for a non-major-league team, followed by (1:48:53) a Future Blast from 2187. Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to “Strategy” game Link to Banda pitch Link to Lovullo clip Link to Ben on “Strategy” Link to Girardi on “Strategy” Link to Walker article Link to Twins Triple-A Swap Link to Ben on the Swap Link to MLBTR on Meneses Link to Ben on Meneses Link to Wood’s number tweet Link to MLBTR on Anderson Link to lowest wRC+ since 2023 Link to Ottavino video Link to bullpen-cart driver EW Link to O’s fan catch Link to O’s fan pitch Link to Lewis clip Link to Lewis quote Link to MLBTR on Lewis/Lee Link to Twins prospect list Link to Wayne’s LinkedIn Link to KBO ABS article Link to baserunning leaderboard Link to Giamatti Rhino scene Link to pitcher wins article Link to Stat Blast cover Link to 2024 Mexican League Link to 2024 Diablos Rojos Link to 2022 River Cats Link to 2013-14 Tigres del Licey Link to 2009 Bears Link to Kenny Jackelen’s Twitter Link to listener emails database Link to Future Blast wiki Link to Future Blast text Link to Rick Wilber’s site Link to Alan Smale’s site Link to Episode 2074 Future Blast Link to Episode 2093 Future Blast Link to Updike article Link to Williams HR video 1 Link to Williams HR video 2 Link to Gowdy call Link to Mays catch video Link to Future Blast sound samples 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 Phillies reliever José Ruiz threatening Ryan Webb’s career record for games finished without a save, Aaron Judge’s Hall of Fame case, the Mariners having a .540 winning percentage, just as Jerry Dipoto foretold (sort of), Dallas Keuchel being back in the big leagues, the White Sox, weirdly, dictating the trade deadline, and the collective performance of the Boras Four (or Five), then (54:27) answer a listener email about catchers fooling pitchers into issuing bad challenges under the challenge system, and (1:01:13) meet major leaguers Spencer Bivens, Jake Bloss, and Jacob Bosiokovic. Audio intro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to GF with no saves leaders Link to Webb/Albers wiki Link to Ben on Webb/Albers Link to Webb/Albers on EW Link to Triple Crown redundancy EW Link to EW on Dipoto and .540 Link to Dipoto clip Link to Dipoto follow-up Link to .540 spreadsheet Link to MLBTR on Montgomery Link to MLBTR on Luzardo Link to MLBTR on Flaherty Link to 2023 ABS article 1 Link to 2023 ABS article 2 Link to 2024 ABS article Link to MaML wiki Link to B-Ref’s new debuts Link to Buchanan on Bivens Link to Bivens on Twitter Link to Bivens on Insta Link to Bloss call-up article Link to Eric’s Astros prospects Link to Georgetown major leaguers Link to “The” OSU explainer Link to “Hoya Saxa” explainer Link to Cronin on EW Link to MLBTR on Bosiokovic Link to MLB.com on Bosiokovic Link to Dispatch on Bosiokovic 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 one (and only one) case where the zombie runner was warranted, why pitchers throw strikes to Aaron Judge (10:00), and MLB’s new Home Run Derby rules (21:11), then answer listener emails about how different baseball would be if runners didn’t have to tag up (34:49), the best arguments for full ABS over the challenge system (49:56), and what would happen if ejected players couldn’t be replaced (1:11:16), plus a few follow-ups (1:22:57). Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Rockies-Sox game Link to Doyle’s catch Link to zone rate leaderboard Link to Judge’s zone rates Link to Petriello on Judge Link to Judge’s 40-game streak Link to Judge’s 50-game streak Link to lineup-protection explainer Link to new Derby rules Link to Calcaterra on the HRD Link to Levi on the HRD Link to Judge’s Derby victory Link to Strike Four Link to Sheehan on ABS 1 Link to Sheehan on ABS 2 Link to strike zone changes Link to Triple-A ABS change Link to Ben on ABS Link to Meg on the penalty box Link to listener emails database Link to John Poff’s fundraiser 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 a player/league/umpire spat over on-screen strike-zone plots, whether “K-Zone” and its ilk have had a harmful effect on the game, where they stand on a hitter vs. pitcher dispute about the mid-game use of advanced pitching machines, the promotion of Nationals top prospect James Wood (and the future of Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday), and Byron Buxton’s recent success. Then (59:08) they identify and discuss the teams, hitters, and pitchers that have most surpassed or fallen short of their preseason projections halfway through the regular season. Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Drellich on zone plots Link to Reddit thread on plots Link to BP piece on plots Link to ESPN on pitching machines Link to Ben on pitching machines Link to Ben on moving the mound Link to Ben on roster limits Link to MLBTR on Wood Link to Nationals depth chart Link to FG’s The Board Link to MLB Pipeline top 100 Link to AAA wRC+ leaders Link to Holliday’s game logs Link to O’s prospect list Link to Orioles depth chart Link to Buxton’s sprint speeds Link to sprint speed leaderboard Link to team projections sheets Link to hitter projections sheets Link to pitcher projections sheets Link to preseason team projections Link to preseason hitter projections Link to preseason pitcher projections Link to MLBTR on Phils injuries Link to Sam on Duran Link to Laurila on Hauck Link to Sox pitching piece 1 Link to Sox pitching piece 2 Link to Sox pitching piece 3 Link to Sox pitching piece 4 Link to team DRS leaderboard Link to Paine on the Cubs Link to McKenzie feature Link to Peña interview clip Link to Ben on in-game interviews 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 Nolan Schanuel’s aversion to day games, the Astros reaching .500 and coming for the Mariners, Houston’s weekend opponent (the Mets) making it back to .500 and nearing a playoff spot, the success (and good fortune) of Reynaldo López, the bad fortune of Adam Duvall, and how “expected” stats have changed perceptions of performance, Hunter Greene and vomiting on the mound, a Dodgers bat…man’s clutch catch, Shohei Ohtani’s RBI streak, Ohtani’s dog’s backpack, and pedantic questions (1:20:55) about leaving the bases loaded, when a game is “all” one team, and how umpires signal a full count. Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Washington quote Link to Schanuel splits Link to Sam on Schanuel power Link to FG playoff odds Link to ESPN SoS Link to BaseRuns standings Link to Winker video Link to BP on Brown’s sinker Link to Mets Grimace story Link to McDonald’s wiki Link to Grimace wiki Link to pitcher wOBA-xWOBA Link to hitter wOBA-xWOBA Link to lowest ERAs Link to xERA-ERA sheet Link to xHR-HR Link to Duvall on cans of poop Link to CBS on Greene Link to Reynolds video Link to BP on Reynolds Link to Greene water tweets Link to Ben on sick starters Link to Herrera’s play Link to Dodgers batmen story Link to Ohtani RBI story Link to SABR on longest streaks Link to longest streaks wiki Link to Ohtani and dog pic Link to pet Randoseru Link to Randoseru video Link to Randoseru article Link to Randoseru Reddit thread Link to listener emails database Link to Montgomery PitchCom clip Link to O’s fan interview 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 Edwin Díaz’s sticky-stuff suspension, a new name for the internal brace alternative to Tommy John surgery, Blake Snell’s latest setback, the success and extension of Cristopher Sánchez (and the Phillies’ excellence), Shota Imanaga’s regression and Meg’s preseason prediction about Imanaga vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kyle Finnegan’s first-of-its-kind clockoff, the respective impressiveness of starts by Bailey Ober and Pablo López, a follow-up Steven Kwan-versation, the much-improved Guardians offense, an incredible catch by a Baltimore fan, the latest slow start by Julio Rodríguez, and (1:27:17) Ben’s pedantic report about brand-new baseball movie Ultraman: Rising. Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Díaz incident Link to X-Files episode Link to UCL surgery sheet Link to internal brace explainer Link to Snell comments Link to “slapdick” story Link to Giants depth chart Link to P fWAR since 5/11 Link to Dombrowski comments Link to Dan S. on the extension Link to MLBTR on the extension Link to preseason predictions pods Link to Finnegan play Link to Finnegans Wake wiki Link to violations leaderboard Link to clockoff game log Link to clockoff gamer Link to shrimp post Link to Sam on walk-off errors Link to Sam on walk-off strikeouts Link to Langs pitch-count stat Link to Stathead on Ober games Link to first Kwanconversation Link to article on Guardians whiffs Link to recent Kwan profile Link to Cleveland wind tunnel Link to fan’s catch Link to Julio’s splits Link to Julio’s swing changes Link to Neil on Julio’s starts Link to wOBA-xWOBA Link to Ultraman wiki Link to Ultraman: Rising wiki Link to Ken’s stats screenshot Link to 400+ HR sheet Link to .500-est teams Link to Turner’s helmet play Link to Sam on helmets 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 highlights of the MLB at Rickwood Field game and broadcast, Mike Trout’s unsurprisingly slow return from knee surgery, Matt Waldron’s sustained success, the incredible Royce Lewis, the challenge system’s continued ascendance over full ABS, Barry Bonds as a baseball ambassador, Elly De La Cruz’s stolen-base slump, the Yankees-Orioles AL East race, Michael Jordan and subjective stats, Buck Showalter’s scouting criteria at the MLB Draft Combine, and Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge as MVP candidates. Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Jackson clip Link to full Jackson appearance Link to retro broadcast clip Link to Smoltz-Alexander trade Link to Trout update Link to EW 2158 Trout intro Link to BP IL Ledger Link to Waldron leaderboard Link to Lewis leaderboard Link to Lewis WAR/600 Link to ABS/challenge story Link to Bonds/Griffey clip Link to Bonds allegations Link to EW 2165 on Elly Link to Sam on Elly Link to Trueblood on Elly Link to Becker on the Reds Link to Becker on Yanks-Orioles Link to FG playoff odds Link to team SP projections Link to Haberstroh on Jordan Link to DiMaggio streak scoring Link to HR rules changes Link to book on Babe’s HR Link to errors/scoring Stat Blast Link to Draft Combine page Link to Showalter clip Link to Jim’s Dwight impression Link to FG WAR leaders Link to Petriello on Judge 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, Rany Jazayerli, and Neil Paine discuss the death of Willie Mays, Mays as the last legendary link to an earlier era, the statistical cases for Mays as the greatest all-around player and greatest player, period in major league history, and (36:45) baseball’s new greatest living player, plus (46:02) banter about Kansas courting the Royals with public funding and (50:38) the competitive trajectories of the Royals and Mets. Then (1:01:08) Ben brings on frequent Stat Blast correspondent Ryan Nelson for Blasts about teams that hover near .500, pitchers replacing same-surnamed pitchers, prolific umpire-player ejection combos, the most players with the same first name in the same game, and Alex Verdugo’s grounders. Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Rany’s Mays article Link to Neil’s Mays article Link to FG’s Mays obit Link to Mays statement Link to Manfred statement on Mays Link to Carig on Mays Link to Mays fielding slump Link to EW 1927 on Mays Link to Mays stumble story 1 Link to Mays stumble story 2 Link to B-Ref career WAR leaders Link to Ben on quality of competition Link to Posnanski on the GLP Link to EW 2161 on public funding Link to Kansas funding details Link to deMause on Kansas funding Link to race to the bottom wiki Link to FG playoff odds Link to BP playoff odds Link to BaseRuns standings Link to Grimace explainer Link to Neil on team true talent Link to Neil on Witt and Brett Link to Neil’s Substack Link to Podracing podcast Link to Kauffman Corner podcast Link to Mike Conte’s Stat Blast cover Link to Wolf of Wall Street quote Link to Langs on .500 teams Link to Ben on .500 teams Link to .500 teams/Ryne Stat Blast Link to Kelly/Alexander game Link to Retrosheet ejections data Link to ejections Stat Blast data Link to ejections-per-G graph Link to SABR on ejections Link to Evers wiki Link to “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon” Link to “Luis” game Link to The Bob Emergency Link to same-names data Link to swimmer David Young Link to 2024 grounder leaders Link to 2021-4 grounder leaders Link to 2019-24 grounder leaders 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 Nike’s City Connect uniforms have run their course, the Dodgers’ double whammy of injuries to Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (and Kyle Bradish going back on the IL), the approaching returns of Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Correa’s hot streak, Elly De La Cruz and the excitement of scoring unexpectedly, a better way to handle a hypothetical hitter who only hits grand slams, David Fletcher’s strange season and transition to true two-way play, the potential fallout from umpire Pat Hoberg’s gambling scandal, a dead ball in NPB, and how pitching phenom Roki Sasaki’s lack of durability could affect his future free agency. Audio intro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Meg’s tweet Link to Facebook post Link to Dodgers uni Link to Mets uni explainer Link to City Connect wiki Link to new FG player pages Link to FG post on the Dodgers Link to MLBTR on Mookie Link to combined WAR leaders Link to hamate study 1 Link to hamate study 2 Link to MLBTR on Yamamoto Link to Passan on Yamamoto Link to MLBTR on Bradish Link to MLBTR on Cole Link to MLBTR on Scherzer Link to MLBTR on Miller/Kershaw Link to EW on Kershaw book Link to Elly play Link to slams hypothetical Link to Vieira intentional balk Link to Jansen intentional balk Link to Sam on balks Link to Bois on balks Link to WaPo on Fletcher Link to Fletcher batting game log Link to Fletcher pitching game log Link to Cosart fine info Link to MLBTR on Waldrep Link to MLBTR on Hoberg Link to EW episode on Hoberg Link to NPB ball scandal Link to Allen on old ball scandal Link to Allen on Sasaki Link to Allen’s tweet Link to Ben on NPB pitchers Link to WaPo on Sasaki Link to MLBTR on Sasaki Link to JPPL offense 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