Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about multiple Mariners trades and follow up on a previous conversation about teams with the most work to do before Opening Day, then (21:07) talk to Pebble Hunting author (and former host) Sam Miller about what (if anything!) will be best remembered about the 2023 baseball season. Audio intro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to first Mariners trade Link to second Mariners trade Link to WWJDD song (short) Link to WWJDD song (long) Link to Pebble Hunting Link to Sam on 2023 Link to Sam on past years Link to Sam on 2017 Link to New Yorker cover Link to New Yorker yips story Link to HUaL on 2023 Link to Paul vs. Diaz wiki Link to Sam on Turner Link to FG on October SB Link to Lewie Pollis on Counsell Link to Dolly wiki Link to Renfroe catch Link to Sam on that catch Link to Sam on the Mitchell catch Link to Giants-Dodgers play Link to Raley play Link to Trout hypotheticals  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 cruelty of the gift Ben gave his Effectively Wild Secret Santa recipient, which MLB team has the most pressure on it to finish the offseason strong (15:23), Chris Sale’s extension, and the Mets signing Harrison Bader. Then (36:36) they answer listener emails about which mascots would be the tastiest to eat, the NPB spectator experience, whether Shohei Ohtani could get hurt in a way that would prevent him from hitting but not from pitching, eliminating guaranteed playoff berths for division winners, and removing fielders as a penalty for pulling starting pitchers. Audio intro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to gift Ben received Link to gift Ben gave Link to N616RH story Link to Imanaga rumors Link to Snell rumor Link to Atkins comments Link to Baumann on the Cubs Link to Red Sox offseason story Link to BaseRuns standings Link to Eric André meme Link to Sale extension details Link to Bader signing details Link to FanGraphs editor listing Link to MLB mascots page Link to mascots wiki Link to Pop-Tarts Bowl meme Link to Seinfeld clip Link to NPB fan cheering Link to Sam on Gsellman Link to EW Episode 2093 Link to Sheehan on the AL Central Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits Link to listener emails database  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 recap news and transactions from over the holidays, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s thoughts on San Francisco and Yu Darvish’s thoughts on the Dodgers signing his WBC teammates, the Mariners signing Mitch Garver, the Reds signing Frankie Montas, a smattering of Blue Jays and White Sox signings, the Estevan Florial trade, and the retirement of Andrelton Simmons. Then (49:19) they discuss the Lucas Giolito signing and the Chris Sale trade before segueing into a Stat Blast (1:07:05) about the evolution of starting-pitcher workloads, volume vs. efficiency, and what an “innings eater” is in 2024. Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)” Audio outro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to EW Episode 2102 Link to Yamamoto comment Link to story about sad Darvish Link to Garver FG post Link to Krall comment Link to offseason spending leaders Link to Jays signings FG post Link to Florial FG post Link to Simmons Stathead query Link to Simmons highlights video Link to DRS leaders Link to Sale FG post Link to Sale BP post Link to Baumann on Braves trades Link to Nightengale tweet Link to FG SP depth charts Link to Cora on Sale Link to Sox spending report Link to Ben on Sale in 2018 Link to 2023 IP leaders Link to Passan Civale tweet Link to Dan S. tweet Link to Trueblood on volume Link to Tango on quantity/quality Link to Mains on pitching/payrolls Link to Jennings on innings eaters Link to Ben’s Stat Blast exhibits Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits Link to Sale 2022 meltdown Link to punching bag video Link to Sale scissors incident Link to 1996 Park story Link to EW Episode 2104 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

Sports journalist Hannah Keyser and The Bandwagon podcast co-host Zach Crizer join Ben Lindbergh to discuss overlooked topics from 2023 for each MLB team. Topics include two brothers facing off at the major league level, Charlie Culberson's career shift to pitching, controversy surrounding the robo zone, Tigers claiming Tyler Holton, a friendship leading to a drunken tattoo offer, breakout performances in baseball, Giants players' obsession with a Filipino card game, and reflecting on the podcasting time. Happy New Year!

Guests: Jeeho Yoo discusses the response in South Korea to Jung Hoo Lee 이정후’s signing and Shin-Soo Choo 추신수’s retirement. Rob Fitts talks about trailblazing Japanese pitchers and the impact of Japanese players entering MLB earlier. The Last Out director, Sami Khan, shares the harrowing defections of three Cuban players and their effect on Cuban baseball.

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Ben Clemens conduct the 11th annual minor league free agent draft, selecting players for their rosters based on potential and past performance. They analyze the return of Joe Ross, Ricky Vinesco's development, and Ben Lively's signing. The hosts discuss their picks, highlighting players like Austin Adams and Armando Alvarez. They also discuss scouting reports, recent baseball news, and thank their Patreon supporters.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers' record-breaking signing, is discussed in this podcast. Topics include the impact on fan perceptions, the contract terms, and expectations for Yamamoto. The Dodgers' signing strategy, payroll decisions, and their approach to signing players are also explored. The podcast concludes with speculation on potential moves and future plans for the Dodgers.

The hosts discuss implementing a transaction freeze in MLB, answer listener emails about Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, and more. They explore tampering violations and the impact of switching fandom. The value of pep talks in baseball, Bobo Newsom's career, and the impact of the balanced schedule on attendance are also discussed.

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, Michael Baumann, Ben Clemens, and Chris Hanel discuss their bold preseason predictions from March, playing a fun game of 'College Baseball Player or U.S. Space Shuttle Astronaut' and bantering about the Braves' trades and the Diamondbacks re-signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. They reflect on the accuracy of their predictions and make plans for even more daring ones in the future.

Shohei Ohtani's introductory press conference, Dodgers-Rays trade, Royals signings, Tigers adding Jack Flaherty, Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, Rangers rotation, Buster Posey's comments, Stat Blast about minor league teammates, Andre Braugher baseball rec