Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about what would happen if top prospects could promote themselves, the Mariners-Twins trade involving Jorge Polanco, Photoshop mockups of players in their new teams’ uniforms, Byron Buxton returning to center field, the Blue Jays signing Justin Turner, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as an MLB The Show cover model, the surprising aspects of the Hector Neris and Adam Ottavino signings, the Tigers’ Colt Keith extension, follow-ups on the death ball and a Dick Monfort body swap, and whether we need a central sports history authority to provide perspective on every sports controversy. Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Morosi tweet Link to marshmallow test article 1 Link to marshmallow test article 2 Link to marshmallow test article 2 Link to FG on the Polanco trade Link to Twins depth chart Link to Mariners depth chart Link to Mariners’ Polanco tweet Link to Mariners’ Taylor tweet Link to Mariners’ Voth tweet Link to Twins’ trade tweet Link to Rosenthal on the Mariners Link to airbrushed baseball cards Link to Gleeman on the trade Link to Falvey comments Link to FG post on Julien Link to Davy’s Julien song Link to MLBTR on Buxton Link to FG post on Turner Link to ESPN on Vlad’s cover Link to Sportsnet Vlad story Link to FG post on Keith Link to Tigers’ Keith tweet Link to Sam on “seeking” Link to tweet about Neris Link to FG post on Neris Link to Rosenthal on Neris Link to MLBTR on Ottavino Link to Becker tweet about Ottavino Link to Seidler tweet about Ottavino Link to Monfort email episode Link to Barnwell on Campbell Link to Florio on Campbell Link to Kram on NBA scoring Link to EW on running backs Link to “arrow in the knee” Link to Ben’s TLOU podcast Link to Ben’s Palworld podcast Link to MLBTR on the Orioles Link to Rosenthal on the Orioles  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 unleash another rant about the Orioles’ inaction (prompted by Mike Elias quotes about their aggressiveness) and banter about the David Robertson and Joc Pederson signings and baseball in Masters of the Air, then (33:51) answer listener emails about whether the Diamondbacks still qualify as a young franchise, injury stoppage time in baseball, director’s cuts of baseball broadcasts, how baseball would be different if teams had to leave a player with the other team at the end of each series, and fixing the Rockies (plus a few follow-ups). Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Elias quotes Link to FG SP projections Link to Roster Resource payrolls Link to earlier Orioles rant Link to 30 Rock Sports Shouting clip Link to Costanza clip Link to MLBTR on Robertson Link to MLBTR on Pederson Link to EW Episode 2105 Link to Pederson poker article Link to EW Episode 1856 Link to slap explainer Link to Ben on Masters of the Air Link to bowhead whale wiki Link to Yankees on Kissinger Link to EW Episode 2108 Link to EW Episode 2097 Link to Little Free Library Link to Sam on the Rockies Link to listener emails database Link to Solak Stathead Link to Orr on Abrams Link to Abrams SB leaderboard Link to EW Episode 1397 Link to Stripling clip Link to Battleground wiki Link to Ben on Palworld  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 follow up on the contract over/unders draft and the “death ball,” banter about the signings of Rhys Hoskins and Matt Moore, weigh their current confidence levels in the A’s actually moving to Las Vegas, and consider a suggestion for a “pulling the goalie”-style tweak to baseball. Then (35:44) they talk to leading Hall of Fame election forecaster Jason Sardell about how and why he developed his probabilistic Cooperstown projection model, how it works, this year’s results and surprises, the public-private ballot split, the toughest players to project, his Hall of Fame philosophy, the shrinking of the Hall of Fame backlog, upcoming candidates and ballots, his non-baseball scientific pursuits, and much more. Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to over/under draft results Link to MLBTR FA top 50 Link to death ball BP article Link to Leo on average fastballs Link to post on unique pitches Link to Dead Man’s Curve wiki Link to Davy Andrews on Hoskins Link to Brewers offseason additions Link to MLBTR on Moore Link to BP’s 2012 Top 101 Link to Ben on pitching prospects Link to 2023 team RP ranks Link to A’s update Link to A’s payments Link to Vegas event video Link to MLBTR on the A’s ballpark Link to “consequences” tweet Link to Meg on the penalty box Link to Beltré video Link to Mauer video Link to Helton video Link to Jason’s final projections Link to 2024 projections roundup Link to 2023 projections roundup Link to voting results Link to Jay’s ballot breakdown Link to Lewie Pollis on the voting Link to Wagner interview Link to Stark on Wright Link to Posnanski suggestion Link to SIS on Sabathia Link to ballot tracker Link to Thibodaux on EW Link to Jason on MLB Network Link to Ben on Mauer in 2018 Link to Ben on Beltré in 2017 Link to Ben on Hall of Framers  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

The podcast explores the concept of the 'death ball,' a new curveball variant in baseball. They discuss the importance of terminology in describing pitches and the controversy around pitch classification. The hosts also delve into the evolution of baseball analysis and the importance of player recognition. They analyze the signings of Aroldis Chapman, John Brebbia, James Paxton, and Joey Gallo. They also discuss the potential posting of Roki Sasaki to MLB and various player experiences and grudges.

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the offseason doldrums and this winter’s free-agent activity compared to last year’s, the Josh Hader and Robert Stephenson signings (with a contract over/under draft update), a bleak week in sports (and non-sports) media, pitcher/catcher technique and the automated strike zone, and the invasion of players named Jackson, followed by Stat Blasts (1:14:48) about Hader’s strikeout splits by out count, “minimum journeymen,” the longest palindromic win-loss sequences, and the most consecutive games started at catcher. Audio intro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Lobner Facebook post Link to Jake/Jordan FA tweet Link to MLBTR on Graveman Link to MLBTR on Hader Link to MLBTR on Uwasawa Link to MLBTR on Stephenson Link to RP K% post-6/2 Link to over/under draft results Link to The Ringer on SI Link to apocalypse sign article Link to The Atlantic on Pitchfork Link to L.A. Times layoffs story Link to Axios on media layoffs Link to Defector on VC greed Link to The Nation on ESPN/NFL Link to Tango on intended location Link to Ben on Lincecum in 2014 Link to Eno on command in 2018 Link to Tango on catcher location Link to Tango on catcher lunges Link to Tango on framing Link to EW Episode 2054 Link to EW Episode 1851 Link to BA on Jacksons Link to Jackson baby name data Link to strikeout splits Stathead Link to leaguewide strikeout splits Link to minimum journeymen sheet Link to palindrome Reddit question Link to palindromic records sheet Link to C start streak sheet Link to C start % averages Link to catcher ironmen page Link to FG post on qualified catchers Link to Ben on catcher fatigue Link to study on player rest Link to FG post on qualified catchers Link to Stat Blast on qualified hitters Link to Frankie Hayes SABR bio Link to Young Sheldon spinoff story Link to Stat Blast song cover Link to all Stat Blast covers  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, Meg Rowley, and Patreon supporter Nick Taber banter about Nick’s baseball background and MLB’s most hated teams, then (19:41) answer listener emails about baseball’s newsbreakers as secret newsmakers, a baseball mercenary who plays for multiple teams in the same city (or who has it out for one particular opponent), whether we would remember the year with the last perfect game, making early playoff rounds longer than late rounds, a player whose stats improve depending on how much money he’s paid, allowing teams to choose the number of defenders in the field, picking the preferred way for Shohei Ohtani to specialize (if he had to choose one), a super-philanthropic free agent, and more. Audio intro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Cowboys collapse article Link to Coover book wiki Link to “sports are rigged” account Link to Shams/Woj moves Link to EW Episode 2109 Link to Germán perfecto wiki Link to more on Germán Link to EW Episode 2108 Link to Neil Paine research Link to Ben on innings eating Link to Kershaw perfecto game Link to Boras World Series proposal Link to Jeff on baseball LeBron Link to 1892 pitching proposal Link to Ohtani donation Link to 2020 donations article 1 Link to 2020 donations article 2 Link to 2020 donations article 3 Link to 2020 donations article 4 Link to 2020 donations article 5 Link to listener emails database Link to Mario Superstar Baseball info Link to Mario Superstar Baseball Discord  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 where Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger should/will sign, excoriate the Orioles for their offseason inaction, marvel at Alex Anthopoulos’s lengthy extension, discuss the Giants’ Jordan Hicks signing as part of a trend toward reliever-starter reverse conversions, consider the etymology of “innings eater” and how pitcher usage is like scripted TV, and reflect on the decline of foreign hitters in NPB, Naoyuki Uwasawa and the recruiting advantage of teams that excel at player development, and a quirk of contract milestones. Audio intro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Geddy Lee baseball wiki Link to 2112 wiki Link to MLBTR on Snell Link to over/under draft results Link to Sam on contract-seeking Link to Heyman report Link to MLBTR on the O’s Link to Roster Resource payrolls Link to team SP projections Link to O’s lease extension Link to O’s contract commitments Link to Angelos/MLK Day post Link to O’s DR academy Link to BaseRuns standings Link to Anthopolous extension news Link to Atlanta’s long-term contracts Link to MLBTR on Rodríguez Link to Stat Blast on innings eating Link to Ben’s article on innings eating Link to Young Sheldon ratings Link to Suits article Link to TV procedurals article Link to Daniel Okrent wiki Link to Okrent EW appearance Link to 1884 article Link to Lucas Borja tweet Link to Yakyu Cosmopolitan tweet Link to Ben on NPB import scouting Link to MLBTR on Uwasawa signing Link to Uwasawa report Link to Ben on the Dodgers advantage Link to Dodgers pitching lab article Link to Trueblood tweet  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, Meg Rowley, and listener Michael Mountain banter about Michael’s proposal for Effectively Wild listener ballpark meetups during the 2024 MLB season, followed by (7:24) Michael’s guest Stat Blasts about the best non-award-winning players, his all-time player tiers, and Hall of Famers (and HoF candidates) who excelled or flopped at leading their leagues at their respective positions. Then (36:17) Ben and Meg talk to Brian Moritz about his prediction/warning that a major sports-betting journalism scandal could be coming. Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to listener-meetup form Link to Michael on Episode 1263 Link to undecorated players sheet Link to EW Episode 964 Link to Bill James proposal Link to reworked tiers Link to league leaders sheet Link to Hall of Stats shutdown Link to Eight Men Out wiki Link to Brian’s Nieman Lab piece Link to Brian’s 2022 piece Link to Brian at St. Bonaventure Link to Sports Media Guy Link to WSJ on journalist inside info Link to story on BBWAA rules Link to story on ESPN rules Link to story on Chams Link to newsroom betting policies Link to tweet about Curb betting Link to “fading” definition Link to MLBTR on Stroman Link to over/under draft results Link to Ben on arbitration Link to Stat Blast song cover Link to all Stat Blast covers  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

In this episode, the hosts cover a range of interesting topics including Meg's recovery in the contracts draft, the signing of pitcher Shota Imanaga by the Cubs, the trailblazing career of Rachel Balkovec, and whether the horror film Night Swim can be considered a baseball movie. They also interview Oakland A's player Brent Rooker and discuss breakfast foods, advanced stats, player perceptions of luck, and funny athletes on Twitter. Other topics include DH penalties, unusual meals, recalling pitch sequences, and the aesthetics of baseball players.

Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers player who recently signed with the team, discusses his one-year deal with the Dodgers and its impact on his future earnings. The podcast also explores the challenges teams face in competing with the dominant Los Angeles Dodgers. Other interesting topics include strategies for pitching to ownership groups and free agents, the offseason moves of the Royals and Tigers, a hypothetical scenario of playing multiple games simultaneously, and the concept of K-pop style communication for MLB players.