Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Mike Trout‘s injury makes the Angels more likely to trade birthday boy Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ rotation depth without Dustin May and Clayton Kershaw, bad news for Thairo Estrada and oldsters Nelson Cruz and Adam Wainwright (and the Cruz/Joe Ryan trade revisited), James Paxton‘s comeback, Mariners All-Star additions, Jordan Walker’s strange season, the arrival of the latest Orioles prospect, Colton Cowser, and more. Then (47:53) they answer listener emails about Triston Casas and assessing player development, a Jack in the Box baseball offer, a silly ending to a minor league game, baseball references (or the lack thereof) in Fall Out Boy’s version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” a ball that would be conducive to singles, a genie that grants baseball wishes, a simultaneous doubleheader, Ohtani fun facts, and softball-style helmets, plus a Future Blast (1:45:15) from 2029 and postscript follow-ups. Audio intro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild theme” Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild theme” Link to Dan S. on the Angels Link to hamate study 1 Link to hamate study 2 Link to hamate study 3 Link to Rosenthal on an Ohtani trade Link to FG playoff odds Link to Angels depth chart Link to Dan’s Adell MLE Link to Clay Davenport’s Adell MLE Link to Hill EW episode Link to Ben C. on the Dodgers Link to Dodgers depth chart Link to BP IL Ledger Link to Fabian on Kershaw Link to Fabian on May Link to MLBTR on Estrada Link to MLBTR on Cruz Link to FG on Cruz/Ryan trade Link to FG Ryan interview Link to Ryan deception article Link to other Ryan deception article Link to info on Cruz’s eyes Link to LASIK/baseball study Link to MLBTR on Wainwright Link to K-BB% leaderboard Link to Mariners WAR leaderboard Link to Jay Jaffe on Walker Link to MLBTR on Cowser Link to Down on the Farm Substack Link to Jack in the Box offer Link to Woodpeckers game story Link to THT on worst endings Link to THT on worst playoff endings Link to high school game ending Link to Fall Out Boy song Link to Fall Out Boy lyrics Link to Billy Joel lyrics Link to thread on Joel’s fandom Link to L.A. Times on Fall Out Boy Link to Pesca on Fall Out Boy Link to Bad Bunny song Link to The Bear episode transcript Link to Power Rankings leaderboard Link to FG’s The Board Link to The Bear episode transcript Link to mitt in Catcher in the Rye Link to Red Sox prospect list Link to Schumaker/Arraez clip Link to Ben on Ohtani Link to softball mask EW episode Link to listener emails database Link to Rick Wilber’s website Link to Derby field Link to Odor profile Link to Ross complaint Link to Schifman on shadows Link to Schifman on EW Link to La Russa complaint Link to 2003 Metrodome story Link to 2004 Metrodome story  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 All-Star-roster minimums and maximums, what the Aroldis Chapman trade tells us about the how teams value prospects, Jake Diekman’s exploits with the Rays, Evan Longoria’s late-career contributions, and the same-named siblings of Carlos Pérez, Carlos Pérez, Wilmer Flores, Wilmer Flores, Wander Franco, Wander Franco, and Wander Franco. Then (45:59) they talk to Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon of The Baseball Project about the band’s origins and longevity, its new album, the inspiration for its songs, its songwriting and recording process, its historical accuracy, ensuring that multiple eras are represented, being musical super-utility players, the band’s audience and place in its members’ musical careers, the musicians they’d want to recruit, and more, plus a Future Blast (1:35:36) from 2028. Audio intro: The Baseball Project, “New Oh in Town” Audio interstitial: The Baseball Project, “The All or Nothings” Audio outro: The Baseball Project, “Screwball” Link to All-Star rosters Link to All-Star-selection fun facts Link to Jay Jaffe on the Chapman trade Link to Sheehan on the Chapman trade Link to Meg on Chapman in 2015 Link to FG’s 2016 Chapman breakdown Link to Diekman projection episode Link to Ben on Longoria in 2015 Link to 2021-23 3B offense leaderboard Link to Octavio Hernández Pernía Link to FG name-linker pop-up Link to story on Flores brothers Link to Franco family photo Link to Franco profile Link to other Franco profile Link to story on Pérez brothers Link to Foreman quote Link to stream Grand Salami Time! Link to buy Grand Salami Time! Link to The Baseball Project website Link to upcoming tour dates Link to Steve Wynn’s website Link to Spin musician baseball preview Link to The Dream Syndicate reissue Link to Rick Wilber’s website Link to Ellis LSD no-no video Link to Emma B. on Ohtani’s June Link to Dan S. on Ohtani projections  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 attempt to create a hierarchy of highlights, then (21:36) mark the midpoint of the regular season by reviewing the most salient storylines of the first half, the teams and players who’ve most underperformed or overperformed their preseason projections, and what they’re most looking forward to in the second half, plus a follow-up (1:12:25) on the evolution of official scoring and a Future Blast (1:23:00) from 2026. Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Ramírez steal Link to Vierling slide Link to Naylor throw Link to Ben Clemens on those plays Link to Sam on HR highlights Link to preseason player projections Link to projected-wins changes Link to Chris Gilligan on the second half Link to Paine on payroll and wins Link to FG playoff odds Link to FG combined WAR leaderboard Link to under/overperformers sheet Link to Ben on Ohtani Link to Robert Orr on Acuña Link to story on Carroll’s shoulder Link to All-Star starters Link to Kimbrel violations Link to violations leaderboard Link to MLB.com on first-half highlights Link to Leitch on first-half surprises Link to 2012 scoring appeals process Link to scoring changes website Link to listener emails database Link to Rick Wilber’s website Link to MLBTR on the Chapman trade Link to info on new uniforms  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 Andrew McCutchen’s latest “furries” tweet, the Pirates playing through a high AQI and the need for a safety standard, Domingo Germán’s perfect game and the state of the Yankees, Yandy Díaz turning back into Ground Beef, Shohei Ohtani lapping his league and strangely struggling at the plate with two strikes, and the Orioles’ Pride Night, then (1:02:25) answer listener emails about pointing giant fans at the field, an official scoring decision on a Luis Arraez single, whether the Reds should have called up Elly De La Cruz sooner, whether contending teams should aim for playoff matchups with the Central division winners, and whether playing MLB The Show could affect a player’s IRL performance, plus (1:34:46) a Future Blast from 2026. Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to latest “furries” tweet Link to McCutchen “furries” explainer Link to info on fursuit protectiveness Link to AQI concerns Link to Pirates’ game-delay tweet Link to Sheehan on Germán Link to Paine on the perfecto Link to “Her?” montage Link to Yankees offense post-Judge Link to FG playoff odds Link to xBAs from the perfecto Link to longest sub-100-pitch-GS streaks Link to list of perfectos Link to perfecto pitch counts Link to Félix-meme tweet Link to Germán apology article Link to other Germán apology article Link to MLBTR on O’Hearn Link to story about O’s Pride Night Link to O’s Pride Night tweet Link to O’s Pride Night montage Link to The Athletic on the Rangers Link to Yandy’s monthy splits Link to Ben’s Ohtani article Link to MLBTR’s Ohtani job listing Link to combined WAR leaderboard Link to wOBA with <2 strikes Link to wOBA with 2 strikes Link to story about Cameron and Félix Link to info on Félix and fastballs Link to more on Félix and fastballs Link to even more on Félix and fastballs Link to Passan on Pedro and Elly Link to story about Metrodome fans Link to Arraez play Link to info on DiMaggio streak scoring Link to MLB.com on Elly’s call-up Link to MLBTR on Elly’s call-up Link to Harris II’s Real 99 card Link to listener emails database Link to Rick Wilber’s website  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 three Taylor Wards, the truth and multiple untruths about Elly De La Cruz’s twin brother, the dominance of 20-year-old Eury Pérez and the Marlins’ usage dilemma, Luis Arraez’s plate predictions, MVP odds, and underestimation as a prospect, the Mets’ struggles and Buck Showalter’s morbid mind, the Orioles’ prospect cornucopia, the debut of part-time knuckleballer Matt Waldron, the Angels’ odd series loss and infield trades, how Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are like Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, why the anti-shift rules are increasing strikeouts, whether it’s bad for baseball that Rob Manfred acknowledged regret about his handling of the sign-stealing scandal, and the latest sign of the sports-betting apocalypse, plus a Future Blast from 2025. Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Ward scoreboard image Link to Ward/Wade wiki Link to tweet about Elly’s brother Link to photo of Elly’s brother Link to misinfo about Elly’s brother Link to Elly’s “fastest man” quote Link to Sam on Hamilton’s speed Link to Ben Clemens on Pérez Link to best 9-start starts Link to clip of Schumaker Link to player predictions wiki Link to 2019 Twins top prospects Link to Ben on HUaL Link to Showalter quote Link to rigor mortis quote Link to Cohen tweet Link to playoff odds Link to tweet about Orioles prospects Link to Jay on Waldron Link to Waldron GIF Link to Jannis on EW Link to Ben on the knuckleball Link to Langs tweet Link to Dan S. on Angels trades Link to Escobar citizenship Link to episode on Escobar and Fogo Link to Rob on the shift ban Link to Lewie on the shift ban Link to Manfred’s Time interview Link to the WSJ on Shams Link to Awful Announcing on Shams Link to WaPo on gambling/sports media Link to stretching article Link to other stretching article Link to Rick Wilber’s website Link to Sam on single-game WAR  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 are joined by FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Michael Baumann to banter about the Phillies’ outlier legal name, Dave Martinez and the dying art of the theatrical managerial ejection, the benching of Wander Franco, whether the Diamondbacks’, Reds’, and Orioles’ surprising seasons are attributable to MLB’s new rules, and whether bad bullpens are good for baseball, then (59:48) discuss a classic College World Series pitcher’s duel, the College World Series final, whether the Shohei Ohtani comps for Florida’s Jac Caglianone are warranted, college pitch-count controversies, Eric and Michael’s takeaways from the MLB Draft Combine, whether there are indications of a baseball bounceback among young Black athletes, whether the scouts suing MLB over age discrimination are likely to succeed (1:40:57), and more, plus (1:54:05) a Future Blast from 2024. Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Cuda tweet Link to latest Martinez ejection Link to Martinez photo printout Link to Martinez World Series ejection Link to Wellman ejection Link to NYT on ejections Link to article on Nevin ejections Link to article on Boone ejection Link to article on Franco benching Link to Freeman/Acuña comments Link to story on Franco’s safe Link to Stark on surprise teams Link to FG BsR data Link to BP BRR data Link to BP BRR allowed data Link to Patrick on bad bullpens Link to Sam on the Royals’ pen Link to BP on the Mariners’ pen Link to Paine on payroll and standings Link to Paine’s MANFRED scores Link to pre-Skenes/Lowder story Link to post-Skenes/Lowder story Link to Betteridge’s law Link to more on Skenes/Lowder Link to Passan on Caglianone Link to WSJ pitch-counts article Link to Eric’s latest draft rankings Link to ESPN on Black amateur players Link to Eric’s Draft Combine footage Link to scout lawsuit article Link to other scout lawsuit article Link to Regan lawsuit article Link to squatting article Link to stretching article Link to other stretching article Link to Rick Wilber’s website Link to article on Elly’s cycle Link to MLBTR on Waldron Link to article on qualified catchers  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 addresses an interview upgrade on the preceding episode, chats with FanGraphs’ Dan Szymborski about Luis Arraez’s chances of batting .400, Stat Blasts (22:36) about extremes in team winning and losing streaks, welcomes in David Lewis (28:00) for the final Past Blast, and talks to prolific science fiction (and baseball science fiction) author Rick Wilber (44:48) about being the son of big leaguer Del Wilber, his career and love for baseball and sci-fi, and the podcast’s forthcoming Future Blast series, plus a postscript (1:26:00) about Tyler Wells and Taylor Walls, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, Rob Manfred and public ballpark funding, contentious plays at the plate, and a new walk-up-music database. Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Carleton interview episode Link to MLB.com on Arraez Link to Dan on Arraez Link to Statcast park factors Link to Foolish thread on AVG+ Link to AVG+ leaderboard Link to story about Reds’ latest win Link to Reds streak fun fact Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter Link to longest in-season-streaks sheet Link to more streaks data Link to Past Blast EW wiki page Link to 2023 Past Blast source Link to Ben on the pitch clock Link to Ben on the pitch clock again Link to B-Ref’s new rules page Link to Rickwood Field story Link to Hinchliffe Stadium story Link to first Dick Trueman episode Link to second Dick Trueman episode Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to Rick Wilber’s website Link to Wilber’s baseball works Link to My Father’s Game Link to Del Wilber’s SABR bio Link to Lucky Starr wiki Link to Wade/Ward wiki Link to Trout/Betts interview Link to Trout/Ohtani at-bat Link to Bochy ejection video Link to Melvin ejection video Link to the NYT on plate-blocking Link to Heim’s replay-review gesture Link to Manfred’s Time interview Link to scholars survey on funding Link to story on the Astros comment Link to trade trees site Link to trade values site Link to thread on walk-up-songs site Link to MLB walk-up-songs site Link to The Walk-Up Database Link to walk-up-site requests thread  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 Russell Carleton of Baseball Prospectus banter about the return of Joey Votto, the suddenly exciting Cincinnati Reds, the NL Central and NL West races, and more, then (25:45) discuss several of the developments chronicled in Russell’s new book, The New Ballgame: The Not-So-Hidden Forces Shaping Modern Baseball, including the impact of the one-inning reliever, the expansion of baseball’s talent pool, the redefinition of positions, the strikeout conundrum, and the role of analytics in shaping the sport. After that (1:23:27), Ben honors the promotions of Votto and Bo Naylor by talking to Scott Crawford, director of operations for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, about the Hall’s latest induction weekend, its election process and criteria, the history of the Hall and baseball in Canada, the Hall’s collection and relationships with other Halls of Fame, the baseball landscape in Canada, and more, followed by a Past Blast (1:54:16) from 2022. Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio interstitial: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to record of EW guests Link to video of Votto’s return Link to Votto’s postgame interview Link to MLBTR on Votto Link to Krall comment Link to Reds playoff appearances Link to Reds depth chart Link to team batting ages Link to team pitching ages Link to BaseRuns standings Link to FG playoff odds Link to Russell’s book Link to Arraez/Nomar fun fact Link to Freeway Series fun fact Link to Verducci on pitch-tipping Link to Ben on bullpenning Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes Link to Ben on strikeouts Link to Russell on strikeouts Link to Eno Sarris on strikeouts Link to Bill James on strikeouts Link to Lewie Pollis on strikeouts Link to Ben on super-utility players Link to Ben on Dodgers positional fluidity Link to Russell on position switches Link to Russell on the invasive reliever Link to Russell on reliever-like starters Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits Link to The Athletic player survey Link to Dan S. on Naylor Link to Canadian Baseball HoF website Link to Canadian Baseball HoF wiki Link to Walker’s photos Link to Jenkins tweet about Votto Link to French baseball glossary Link to 2005 article on Doucet Link to info on Chatham team Link to info on class of 2023 Link to induction weekend account Link to 2022 Past Blast source Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to Rickwood Field story  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 Shohei Ohtani’s latest exploits and career-best WAR pace, the Angels’ playoff hopes, Corbin Carroll’s physique, and Mickey Moniak’s fluky-but-fun hot streak, then (20:55) answer listener emails about how big a scandal it would be if Ohtani turned out to be two twins, when managers would choose to take in-game mulligans, and which stat should replace errors in the traditional line score, followed by a Meet a Major Leaguer segment (54:00) featuring Keaton Winn and Ricky Karcher (as well as Joe Jacques and Stan Musial), Stat Blasts (1:18:45) about Zack Greinke and the widest pitch-speed spreads and Jo Adell and the players with the biggest career gaps between their Triple-A and MLB production, plus a Past Blast (1:39:30) from 2021. Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Ohtani’s oppo homers Link to Ohtani oppo graphic Link to Ohtani’s Statcast record Link to story on Ohtani’s series Link to Ohtani’s HR lead Link to Blum’s bat tweet Link to Ohtani’s streak Link to Neil Paine on Ohtani Link to Ohtani sweepers by start Link to Ohtani sweepers vs. LHB Link to FG playoff odds Link to Angels wRC+ leaders Link to The Athletic on Moniak Link to minor league chase leaders Link to MLB swing-rate leaders Link to article on Carroll Link to Dan Bern’s Ohtani song Link to Canseco conspiracy Link to Atlantic League EW episode Link to Craig/Báez play Link to Minor’s 200th strikeout story Link to other Ben on line scores Link to modern box score story Link to EW emails database Link to list of saves in debuts Link to MLB.com on Winn’s debut Link to McCovey Chronicles on Winn Link to story on Giants bullpen WAR Link to toothpaste/Sriracha tweet Link to Karcher interview Link to Karcher pitch plot Link to Karcher article 1 Link to Karcher article 2 Link to Karcher article 3 Link to Karcher article 4 Link to Jacques call-up article 1 Link to Jacques call-up article 2 Link to Jacques debut play Link to Jacques interview Link to Jacques other interview Link to Musial/Jacques query Link to Musial story Link to 2023 new debuts Link to Topps Now cards Link to pitch-speed-spread leaders Link to new Greinke stories article Link to EW episode on Greinke stories Link to active-pitcher spreads Link to Simon pitch spreads Link to Padilla pitch spreads Link to consecutive-pitches Stat Blast Link to Lucas Apostoleris on Twitter Link to Triple-A/MLB gaps spreadsheet Link to Triple-A/MLB hypothetical email Link to intra-season AAA/MLB gap Blast Link to Ben on the majors/minors gap Link to Kenny Jackelen on Twitter Link to Home Run Challenge press release Link to Home Run Challenge leaderboard Link to donate to Home Run Challenge Link to 2021 Past Blast source Link to Ben on moving the mound Link to Ben/Rob on the results Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack  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 review the most disappointing teams of 2023, ultimately anointing one team as the most disappointing and trying to identify which of the contenders for the “most disappointing” title is most likely to turn things around by the end of the season. Then (32:21) they discuss A’s fans’ reverse boycott, the seemingly sealed deal for the A’s to move to Las Vegas, the viability of Vegas as an MLB market, commissioner Rob Manfred’s maddening comments about all of the above, the 20th anniversary of Moneyball coinciding with the A’s ugly exit from Oakland, the legacy of the book, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:17:56) from 2020. Audio intro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to preseason playoff odds Link to preseason playoff odds changes Link to Sheehan’s run differential tweet Link to Sheehan on the Jays Link to Petriello on Kiermaier Link to A’s winning streak story Link to MLBTR on Nevada votes Link to FG on the reverse boycott Link to The Athletic on the reverse boycott Link to BP on the reverse boycott Link to Manfred’s comments Link to Oakland mayor’s response Link to Tim Kawakami on Manfred Link to Defector on Las Vegas Link to Sheehan on Las Vegas Link to Ken/Evan on front-office spending Link to Sam Schultz thread Link to Sam Schultz EW episode Link to R.J. on front office unionization Link to Ben/Rob’s 2016 study Link to 2020 follow-up study Link to Moneyball Act info Link to info on Kotick cameo Link to Michael Lewis on SABRcast Link to 2020 Past Blast source Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to MLBTR on the governor signing Link to Manfred’s Pride Night comments Link to SABRcast book episode Link to Ringer-Verse gaming episode  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