Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani leading MLB in WAR and the number of times his hitting has leapfrogged his pitching or vice versa, the EW audience’s verdict on who won the pod’s recent 26-under-25 draft, the suddenly-quite-competitive A’s-Royals race for the worst record in baseball, a painful ending to a college playoff game and the evolving conversation about pitch counts for college starters, the pitch clock’s impact on performance and injuries, one potential downside to the pitch clock reaching NPB, the Diamondbacks’ “victory vest,” and The Athletic’s layoffs and the state of sports media, plus a Past Blast from 2019. Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Ohtani’s first homer Link to Ohtani’s second homer Link to MLB.com on tired Ohtani Link to The Athletic on tired Ohtani Link to FG WAR leaderboard Link to B-Ref WAR leaderboard Link to 26-under-25 draft Link to draft voting results Link to Carroll/Henderson awards Link to Royals/A’s post Link to Rob Mains on mobility Link to tweet about college game ending Link to college TOOTBLAN Link to college dropped ball Link to Cooper on pitch counts Link to Jake on Mathews Link to longer thread on Mathews Link to Romano’s quote tweet Link to 2016 study on college workloads Link to 2018 college workloads study Link to Dan S. on the pitch clock Link to Jim Allen on the NPB clock Link to report on the NPB clock Link to victory vest story Link to MLB’s Realmuto tweet Link to “cyclone” tweet Link to hockey’s “three stars” Link to FG’s three players of the game Link to WaPo’s The Athletic report Link to FOS The Athletic report Link to 2017 story about The Athletic Link to Axios media newsletter Link to 2019 Past Blast source Link to 2015 robot-ump game Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to MLBTR on the Nevada vote Link to Pujols hiring post  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 Reggie Deal banter about Reggie’s background as a baseball fan and Effectively Wild listener, his email correspondence with MLB and Rob Manfred, accessibility issues he’s encountered while following baseball as a blind person, and A’s fans’ upcoming “reverse boycott” event, then (22:25) answer listener emails about angry Aaron Boone earning the Yankees more favorable calls, MLB players providing in-game entertainment, how different baseball would be if it were more like Wii Sports, Esteury Ruiz, Luis Arraez, and riding a single standout skill to award consideration, ridiculously large batting helmets, and which .500-ish team is most likely to make the playoffs. Then (1:19:51) they Stat Blast about players who hit home runs of dramatically differing lengths on the same day, the longest team streaks without a left-on-left homer, and Anthony Rendon and other players whose teams hit better with runners in scoring position when they were in the lineup, plus a Past Blast (1:40:44) from 2018. Audio intro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to story about radio and Audacy Link to Reggie’s Manfred letter Link to National Beep Baseball Association Link to EW Beep Baseball interview Link to Rooted in Oakland website Link to Rooted in Oakland tweet Link to thread on Yankees calls Link to story on Boone’s ejections Link to ejection rates over time Link to manager ejection totals Link to manager ejection rates Link to EW Episode 1855 Link to Wii Sports baseball footage Link to Robert Orr on Arraez Link to Arraez at Baseball Savant Link to AVG+ leaders Link to Sam on Hamilton Link to FG playoff odds Link to listener emails database Link to FG playoff odds Link to Topps Now Cards Link to Zavala’s two homers Link to Aquino’s three homers Link to Jay Cuda tweet Link to L-L/R-R HR spreadsheet Link to Nevin/Rendon article Link to BA w/RISP spreadsheet Link to Hulse’s fouls Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter Link to 2018 Past Blast source Link to Nathanson’s website Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to Billy Joel’s “Pressure”  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 Mets, the Padres, and the AL Central, Jacob deGrom’s UCL, Mike Trout’s slow (by his standards) start, and a Phillies pitch-clock controversy, then (23:32), in honor of Elly De La Cruz, draft the 26 best MLB players under 25 years old (see link below to vote!), followed by a Past Blast from 2017 (1:13:54), closing banter about the Blue Jays and Red Sox DFAing Anthony Bass and Matt Dermody, respectively (1:17:22), and updates. Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Rosenthal on the Mets Link to story on Phillies pitch clock Link to Sam Blum on Trout Link to Jay on Trout Link to Ben on deGrom Link to Baby Gronk explainer Link to giant baby meme Link to Elly’s prediction Link to Statcast on Elly Link to EW drafts/competitions Link to listener voting form Link to MLBTR on Bass Link to Toronto Star on Bass Link to The Athletic on Dermody Link to Bloom on Dermody Link to Dermody’s Twitter likes Link to 2017 Past Blast source Link to other Past Blast source Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to Blaseball EW episode Link to article on end of Blaseball Link to Greinke EW episode Link to new Greinke stories Link to Diekman EW episode Link to BP on Diekman Link to Judge fence article Link to Yankees super-error Link to Ohtani vs. RHP sweepers Link to Ohtani vs. LHP sweepers  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 Ben’s voice, the arrival of Elly De La Cruz, the similarities between the up-and-coming Reds and Pirates, whether we need a “super-error,” Aaron Judge’s ball- and wall-smashing abilities, the plights of Alek Manoah and Stephen Strasburg, the wonder of Luis Arraez, whether this year’s trade deadline will be dead, follow-ups on the Angels’ catchers, Ben Joyce’s fastball, and Albert Pujols’s employment, how the pitch clock could affect players’ stamina in the second half, and more, plus a Past Blast from 2016 (1:34:00) and a few updates (1:38:25), including thoughts on Jacob deGrom’s diagnosis. Audio intro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Alex Eichler, “Wild Shift” Link to MLBTR on Elly Link to Rosenthal/Judge interview Link to Red Sox/Rays play Link to Sox errors montage Link to FARTSLAM post Link to Knoblauch FARTSLAM Link to Stark on Judge Link to story on Judge and the wall Link to McCray catch video Link to Judge dachshund video Link to Judge/Rizzo doxie article Link to Judge/Rizzo doxie shirt tweet Link to Judge/Rizzo doxie shirt photo Link to Manoah gamer Link to MLBTR on Manoah Link to Dan S. on Manoah Link to Halladay’s rebuild Link to Strasburg article Link to Baumann on Arraez Link to B-Ref baserunning page Link to xWOBA overperformers Link to xBA overperformers Link to Arraez’s 2019-22 BA-xBA Link to Arraez fun fact 1 Link to Arraez fun fact 2 Link to Arraez fun fact 3 Link to Arraez fun fact 4 Link to Young on the deadline Link to MLB.com on the deadline Link to team catcher offense Link to highest-FA% pitchers Link to BP on Joyce Link to MLBTR on Pujols Link to Blum on Pujols Link to 2016 Past Blast source Link to MLB committee report Link to early-2016 Ben article Link to mid-2016 Ben article Link to baseball drag values Link to De La Cruz gamer Link to Clemens on HFA Link to Judge fence article Link to MLBTR on deGrom Link to deGrom interview video  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 Shohei Ohtani is throwing too many sweepers to opposite-handed hitters, the MLB debut of flamethrowing Ben Joyce, the extreme walk/strikeout stylings of George Kirby and Spencer Strider, the states of the Central divisions, the offense and defense of Ke’Bryan Hayes, the return of Jon Singleton, whether the pitch clock is responsible for this season’s uptick in attendance, and the taken-for-granted greatness of Mookie Betts, answer listener emails about baseball’s version of a hockey goon, players singing during the seventh-inning stretch, and whether it would make umpires more accurate to give them a PitchCom device, plus a Past Blast (1:18:33) from 2015. Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Ohtani sweeper RV vs. RHB Link to Ohtani sweeper RV vs. LHB Link to sweeper leaderboard Link to Ohtani pitch usage Link to SP sweeper usage Link to Ben C. on sweepers Link to Ohtani sweeper HR vs. LHB Link to Joyce’s debut Link to Joyce pitch speeds Link to story on Joyce’s record pitch Link to Strider/Kirby spreadsheet Link to Kirby command plot Link to Kirby fun fact Link to Strider fun fact Link to Herbstreit Reds Twitter war Link to Hayes’s defensive ratings Link to MLBTR on Singleton Link to annual attendance Link to 2023 team attendance Link to spring ratings story Link to early-season ratings story Link to Ben on the pitch clock Link to Mookie gamer Link to FG WAR leaderboard Link to hockey enforcer wiki Link to Brault EW episode Link to Jeff on Brault Link to Brault’s album Link to Brault’s OF conversion Link to Alberto singing Link to EW emails database Link to 2015 Past Blast source Link to other 2015 source Link to TORIIHTW book website Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to Dan S. on pitcher zStats  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 Meg’s 500th EW episode, the architectural concept of the “Thomasson,” a forthcoming HBO documentary about Barry Bonds, the rebound of Juan Soto, common misconceptions about WAR, the declines of Noah Syndergaard and Kris Bryant, the NL West, MLB broadcasting Padres games, an MLB-MLBPA ad deal, a rules update, Francisco Álvarez’s defense, the return of Jordan Walker, Shohei Ohtani’s bat grip, a slowdown in injuries, and a D-III team that wins with HBPs, plus a Past Blast from 2014 (1:32:52), player responses to the Dodgers’ Pride Night, and follow-ups. Audio intro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Thomasson thread Link to Thomasson wiki Link to Thomasson at B-Ref Bullpen Link to Thomasson podcast episode Link to Bonds doc info Link to A-Rod doc story Link to A-Rod gum disease segment Link to Trout/Griffey FB thread Link to FG’s WAR explainer Link to Syndergaard quote Link to Syndergaard hypnosis story Link to December Syndergaard story Link to FG on Syndergaard’s 2022 Link to Rumpelstiltskin wiki Link to MLBTR on Bryant Link to Ben C. on MLB/DSG Link to Sheehan on MLB/DSG Link to Ginny Searle on MLB/DSG Link to MLB-MLBPA partnership Link to more info on partnership Link to Ben C. on new rules Link to Sheehan on new rules Link to Jay on Álvarez Link to MLBTR on Walker Link to Ohtani tweet Link to injuries tweet Link to Jake on Misericordia Link to 2014 Past Blast source Link to other 2014 source Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to story about Pride Night Link to story about player comments Link to Buckley column Link to “allies” lineup Link to Abreu/Acton tweet Link to hot mic video  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 Pete Alonso‘s, um, emergency swing, the activations (6:25) of four players (Liam Hendriks, Michael Soroka, Paul Blackburn, and Royce Lewis), the small leads in most divisions (12:03) and the leveling out of the league (A’s aside), José Abreu‘s first homer “trot” of the season, and an umpire comment caught on a hot mic. Then (40:15) they answer a listener email about the ball’s liveliness and follow up on a few other email answers, bring on Rob Mains (57:35) of Baseball Prospectus to Stat Blast about the zombie runner’s impact on home field advantage and discuss the origins of the DL’s rechristening to “injured list” (1:18:45), and follow a Past Blast from 2013 (1:27:27) with banter about Andrew McCutchen’s request for a new rule, plus a postscript (1:37:58). Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Alonso clip Link to Meg on Bradley Link to Meg on Lind Link to EW on Hernández Link to Passan on Hendriks Link to MLBTR on McCullers Link to Rob Mains on 2022 inequality Link to Rob Arthur on 2022 balance Link to story on the Reds Link to EW Wiki on the Reds Link to FG playoff odds Link to preseason predictions pod Link to Abreu’s “trot” Link to ump video Link to ump post Link to Marte’s homer Link to HR/Contact graph Link to ball-drag dashboard Link to last email show Link to Lemon on “prime” Link to listener emails database Link to Topps Now cards Link to Rob on HFA Link to HFA across sports Link to HFA research Link to more HFA research Link to Ben on HFA Link to Rob on the DL/IL Link to 2013 Past Blast source Link to another 2013 source Link to Grant on catcher collisions Link to EW Stanky Draft Link to McCutchen article Link to positional aging curves Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to 2016 sliding changes Link to Hendriks gamer Link to Soroka gamer Link to Lewis gamer Link to EW on TV exit speeds Link to Fatsis on Wambsgans(s) Link to Sam on Succession  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 Ben’s prediction concerning the Padres’ and Rangers’ rest-of-season performance with runners in scoring position, then (14:08) answer listener emails about the ultimate Quadruple-A player, leaving runners on base for the opposing team, immaculate-inning edge cases, tanking for Shohei Ohtani, setting up a lifelong Google Alert for a player, the 2020 season’s impact on Hall of Fame cases, and Barry Bonds with an extra-short bat, followed by (1:12:43) Stat Blasts about the frequency of in-game position switches and the most players on a team who had previously played on the same former team, plus (1:40:06) a Past Blast from 2012 and a few follow-ups. Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to lowest tOPS+ w/RISP Link to lowest OPS w/RISP Link to highest tOPS+ w/RISP Link to highest OPS w/RISP Link to OPS w/bases empty Link to Petriello on the Rangers Link to Odor HR Link to preseason predictions pod Link to latest MiLB FA draft Link to Gonny Jomes wiki Link to old EW on immaculate innings Link to Oviedo’s inning Link to info on Mavs tanking Link to article on Wemby tanking Link to Waddell SABR bio Link to McLaughlin wiki Link to McLaughlin feature Link to Posnanski on DiMaggio Link to Jay on missed time Link to Jay on missed time again Link to Bois on Bonds Link to listener emails database Link to Topps Now cards Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter Link to positional permutations Link to position-switch sheet Link to second Stat Blast doc Link to 2012 Past Blast source Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to America Magazine article Link to other Dodgers/SPI links Link to Calcaterra newsletter Link to Alonso clip Link to Sabathia periods source Link to more on C.C./CC  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 major leagues’ sudden influx of 24-year-old right-handed pitchers with the surname “Miller,” the Rays’ surprisingly precarious position in the AL East (7:48), and the Cubs, the Brewers, and the state of the NL Central (12:45), before focusing their bat-resuscitating powers on Trea Turner (17:22), with almost immediate effect. Then they talk to David Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic performer, Gritty co-conceiver, frequent team mascot consultant, and founder of the Mascot Boot Camp and Mascot Hall of Fame, about all of their mascot questions, the mascot design process, and what it’s like to be inside a mascot costume, plus updates and a Past Blast from 2011 (1:26:54). Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio interstitial: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to FG preseason top prospects Link to The Board Link to article about Bryce Miller Link to LPGA naming convention Link to FG playoff odds Link to BP on the Rays-Jays blowout Link to BaseRuns standings Link to high-leverage pitching splits Link to FG pitching clutch Link to pitching LOB% Link to Turner quote Link to Meg’s mascot rant Link to NYTM on Raymond Link to Gritty on Twitter Link to info on Slider Link to Dinger assault story Link to Dandy wiki Link to Mascot HoF wiki Link to Mascot HoF ballot Link to Raymond Entertainment site Link to David’s speaking site Link to David’s book Link to 2011 Past Blast source Link to 2012 HS bat change Link to more info on bat change Link to latest college HR uptick Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to Turner’s homer  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 Yordan Alvarez kissing Martín Maldonado, Will Brennan’s birdslaughter (12:33), the Guardians’ slow start (23:12), Madison Bumgarner’s reported reluctance to alter his pitching approach (32:49), Mike Trout passing Ken Griffey Jr. in career Baseball-Reference WAR (45:56), whether the A’s will end up historically bad or rebound to being merely abysmal (1:03:38), the firing of A’s broadcaster Glen Kuiper (1:21:17), and the Dodgers’ Pride Night debacle (1:40:34), plus a Past Blast from 2010 (1:48:05). Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Yordan kiss image Link to Yordan kiss video Link to Pudge kiss image Link to Brennan bird video Link to other Brennan bird clip Link to Brennan tweet Link to baby pigeons info Link to Gomes story Link to playoff odds changes Link to Buchanan on Bumgarner Link to Mason Saunders story Link to Trout/Griffey thread Link to B-Ref career WAR leaders Link to Dan S. on the A’s Link to Tango on the A’s Link to Sheehan on the A’s Link to tremendous content meme Link to Kuiper firing story Link to other Kuiper story Link to 2023 Kuiper clip Link to 2020 Kuiper clip Link to first Kuiper apology Link to Braden explanation Link to Pride Night story Link to 2010 Past Blast source Link to David Lewis’s Twitter Link to David Lewis’s Substack Link to Mets lasagna story Link to Brennan’s bird gesture Link to Brennan press conference Link to A’s stadium update  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