Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Meg Rowley is joined by guest co-host Mike Petriello of MLB.com. They discuss Mike’s role in the booth as a part of ESPN’s Statcast broadcasts, how what is affectionately referred to as the Nerdcast got started, how Mike prepares for games, how he balances being analytics-heavy while still appealing to a broad audience, how the Nerdcast has evolved along with Statcast, what makes for a fun booth, how he works with Jason Benetti and Eduardo Perez, and what might come next for the Nerdcast as more traditional broadcasts become more statistically savvy. Then they briefly contemplate the role of the manager in light of the news of Mike Shildt’s firing in St. Louis before turning their attention (31:19) to the Dodgers’ decision to start Corey Knebel as an opener for Game 5 of the NLDS, how the Giants might counter, what they like about Logan Webb, and what each of these teams needs to do to advance to the NLCS. Audio intro: Tokyo Police Club, “Listen to the Math” Audio outro: First Aid Kit, “Heaven Knows” Link to Mike’s podcast, Ballpark Dimensions Link to Ben Clemens’ piece on the Corey Knebel decision Link to Ben’s piece on ALDS managerial report cards Link to Dan Szymborski’s ALCS preview Link to Michael Ajeto’s piece on Logan Webb’s changeup  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Meg Rowley and guest co-host Bradford William Davis of Insider discuss his new job as an investigative features writer and what the shift from being a daily columnist has meant for how he engages with players, sources, and baseball, and the stories he’s able to tell. Then they turn their attention to the playoffs and discuss the White Sox/Astros series, how Chicago faltered and Houston triumphed, the Astros embracing their heel turn, how players and fans view guys like Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman, why Meg underestimated Boston, how the Astros and Red Sox match up, Christian Yelich, the Brewers’ rotation, the Braves’ fun lineup and bad ballpark traditions, who they expect to emerge out of tomorrow night’s NLDS Game 5 between the Dodgers and Giants, and which teams they think will square off in the World Series. Audio intro: The Hives, “Hate to Say I Told You So” Audio outro: The Beths, “You Wouldn’t Like Me” Link to Five and Dive, Bradford’s podcast Link to Bradford’s piece on who erased Devin Williams‘ tribute to Black Lives Matter Link to Matthew Roberson’s piece on Aaron Judge Link to Joon Lee’s piece on Alex Bregman Link to Jay Jaffe’s piece on Kiké Hernández Link to Luke Hooper’s Dodgers/Giants Game 4 recap Link to Brendan Gawlowski’s Braves/Brewers Game 4 recap Link to James Fegan’s piece on Ryan Tepera’s remarks about the Astros  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Meg Rowley and guest co-host Jon Tayler of FanGraphs banter about the Boston Red Sox’s victory over the Tampa Bay Rays to advance to the American League Championship Series, including Jon’s experience of the series as a Red Sox fan, Alex Cora’s managerial style, Boston’s particular brand of chaos ball, when Jon knew Garrett Whitlock was worth watching, Enrique Hernández’s incredible playoff run, the rule that robbed Tampa of a run in Game 3, and what Jon expects from Wander Franco in the years to come. Then they catch up on the Braves/Brewers and Dodgers/Giants action, look ahead to the Championship Series, re-predict the rest of the postseason, and analyze an ill-advised playoff promo. Audio intro: Sufjan Stevens, “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!” Audio outro: Fred Barton and Toni DiBuono, “Welcome to the Theatre” Link to David Laurila’s Red Sox/Rays Game 4 recap Link to David Laurila’s Red Sox/Rays Game 3 recap Link to Devan Fink’s White Sox/Astros Game 4 recap Link to Ben Clemens’ Dodgers/Giants Game 3 recap Link to Dan Szymborski on the decision to start Carlos Rodón in Game 4 Link to Jay Jaffe on Rodón’s comeback season  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Meg Rowley and guest co-host Mike Ferrin of MLB Network Radio discuss his recent trip to Monument Valley before recapping the weekend’s ALDS and NLDS action and looking ahead to what might come next, including thoughts on the Giants’ approach to platooning, Cody Bellinger‘s season-long slump, AJ Pollock‘s past postseason woes, the Brewers offense, Eduardo Escobar, Milwaukee’s bullpen, Atlanta’s starters, Houston’s bats, Craig Kimbrel‘s role, Wander Franco, the Rays’ young starters, J.D. Martinez and Kiké Hernández providing thump in Boston’s lineup, and Alex Cora’s strategy to contain Tampa’s offense. Then Meg and Mike listener emails on spitting, the strike zone, a robo ump compromise, a creative proposal to score series rather than games, and rookies adjusting to the big leagues. Plus, a Statblast/Meet a Major Leaguer combo on player debuts versus and for the Kansas City Royals. Audio intro: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, “Desert Song” Audio outro: Modest Mouse, “Spitting Venom” Link to Kevin Goldstein’s Red Sox/Rays ALDS Game 1 recap Link to Jay Jaffe’s White Sox/Astros ALDS Game 2 recap Link to Dan Szymborski’s Braves/Brewers NLDS Game 1 recap Link to Brendan Gawlowski’s Red Sox/Rays ALDS Game 2 recap Link to Eric Longenhagen’s Dodgers/Giants NLDS Game 1 recap Link to Jon Tayler’s Braves/Brewers NLDS Game 2 recap Link to Meg Rowley’s Dodgers/Giants NLDS Game 2 recap Link to Fabian Ardaya on Cody Bellinger and AJ Pollock’s big night Link to Michael Baumann on the Brewers rotation Link to the ZiPS Game-by-Game Playoff Odds Link to Player debut data  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Meg Rowley and guest co-host Eric Longenhagen banter about Walker Buehler’s unusual approach to opening beers and their own past dental emergencies before recapping the AL Wild Card game. They consider what went wrong for the Yankees, and assess the Red Sox’s good starters, potent lineup, and shaky defense, as well as Nick Pivetta and Garrett Richards. Next they shift to the Red Sox/Rays ALDS matchup and consider the state of Tampa Bay’s pitching, the Rays’ talented hitters, and whether playoff experience (or a lack thereof) will matter for Tampa’s young starters. After that it’s on to the Astros and White Sox, featuring an embarrassment of good hitters including Kyle Tucker and Luis Robert, plus Houston’s talented pitching and Chicago’s dominant bullpen. Then they wrap up with thoughts on the NL Wild Card and play a game of stumpo with Arizona Fall League rosters. Audio intro: Death Cab for Cutie, “Crooked Teeth” Audio outro: The Decemberists, “The Sporting Life” The FanGraphs Prospects twitter account Arizona Fall League rosters Link to Walker Buehler’s tweet about opening twist-off beers with his teeth Link to Ben Clemens’ NL Wild Card game recap Link to Dan Szymborski’s Red Sox/Rays ALDS Preview Link to Jake Mailhot’s White Sox/Astros ALDS Preview Link to Ben’s White Sox/Astros ALDS Game 1 Recap Link to Jay Jaffe’s piece on Gerrit Cole Link to Ben on the math behind pulling Nathan Eovaldi Link to the FanGraphs staff playoff predictions Link to Effectively Wild Episode 1454, Eddie Robinson’s first EW appearance Link to Effectively Wild Episode 1629, Eddie Robinson’s second EW appearance Link to Patrick Dubuque’s playoff proposal Claire Smith on Dusty Baker  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Meg Rowley and guest co-host Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus recap the final weekend of regular season baseball before previewing this week’s Wild Card games. They discuss the Mariners’ decision not to promote Julio Rodríguez, their disappointment at the lack of tiebreaker games, franchise player farewells, the current playoff format, what comes next for Seattle and Toronto, and what they’re most excited to watch in October. Then they turn their attention to the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Cardinals, offering their thoughts on what each squad should feel confident and nervous about going into the play-in games. Finally, they try to solve the mystery of Hunter Renfroe’s defense. Audio intro: The Strokes, “Why Are Sundays So Depressing” Audio outro: Lucy Dacus, “Troublemaker Doppelgänger“ Craig’s podcast, Five and Dive Patrick Dubuque’s piece on the Giants defying aging Patrick on Seattle’s farewell to Kyle Seager Chet Gutwein checks in on the aging curve Carmen Ciardiello on postseason pitch usage Kevin Goldstein on the weekend’s big news Jayson Stark on what we learned from this season  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

With the postseason around the corner, Meg Rowley and guest co-host Ben Clemens discuss the playoff picture, how the Seattle Mariners got where they are, which team Ben would prefer to see his Cardinals match up against in the NL Wild Card, and the biggest surprises of the season. Then they discuss Ben’s recent work assessing FanGraphs’ playoff odds, what the odds do well and less-well, what kinds of teams they tend to be too low on or overestimate, and how the model could improve. They also offer some theories about why we seem to struggle with probabilistic thinking, look back on what they’ll miss most about the 2021 regular season, and share some brief Cy Young thoughts. Audio intro: The White Stripes, “Black Math” Audio outro: The Decemberists, “The Mariner’s Revenge Song“ Ben Lindbergh’s baby announcement Link to Ben’s piece assessing FanGraphs’ playoff odds Link to Ben Clemens’s follow-up playoff odds piece Link to Jay Jaffe’s Mariners-themed Team Entropy update Link to Jake Mailhot on the performances behind the Mariners’ success Link to Dan Szymborski’s latest ZiPS stretch run projections Link to Corey Brock at The Athletic’s piece on whether the Mariners are good or lucky  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about what Shohei Ohtani might mean for the Mariners’ slight playoff chances and Riley O’Brien’s recent debut, before Ben shares some (good) personal news. Then (17:33) they bring on Will Leitch to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals. Will shares what it has been like to root for the team during its win streak, when he realized they were playoff bound, what has gone into this incredible run, and which Cardinals are candidates for some postseason devil magic. Plus, Will makes the case for this year’s version of the team actually being fun before predicting just how deep into October the Cardinals might play. Note: Since recording this episode, Joe Maddon has confirmed that Ohtani is done pitching for the season, though he will continue to hit. Audio intro: Buck Meek, “Dream Daughter” Audio interstitial: Kelley Stoltz, “Cardinal Body” Audio outro: Of Montreal, “Baby“ Link to Will’s Substack Link to Will’s book, How Lucky Link to Will and Bernie Miklasz’s Cardinals podcast, Seeing Red Link to Jay Jaffe on the Cardinals’ win streak Link to Jay on Jon Lester Link to Kevin Goldstein on St. Louis’ resurgence Link to Ben Clemens on Adam Wainwright Like to piece on Riley O’Brien’s call-up Link to episode 1153 with Johnny O’Brien  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Giancarlo Stanton’s awe-inspiring weekend at Fenway, the most aesthetically pleasing home run hitters, what the Cardinals’ 16-game winning streak portends (or doesn’t portend) for their playoff hopes, and the last week in the remaining playoff races. Then (26:32) they bring on Patreon supporter Dylan Buell to talk about his career as a professional sports photographer and answer listener emails about setting a winning-percentage cutoff for admission to the postseason, subtracting a strike for each pitch thrown outside the strike zone, a baseball equivalent of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, other baseball occupations that should be eligible for the Hall of Fame, how players’ appearances can affect fandom, baseball players sneaking onto Survivor, and the problems with plate-discipline highlights, plus Stat Blasts about precedents for the MVPs in both leagues coming from non-playoff teams, and the Rangers’ possibly unparalleled streak of innings without a lead. Audio intro: The Glands, "So High" Audio interstitial: The Pretty Things, "Photographer" Audio outro: Bill Jr. Jr., "Run Home" Link to Stanton homer against Chicago Link to longest Stanton homer against Boston Link to Ben on a Stanton homer from 2014 Link to video of that Stanton 2014 homer Link to Strawberry dinger videos Link to 1986 NLCS G3 homer Link to 1986 World Series G7 homer Link to Lindsey’s tweet about Stanton Link to Lindsey on Stanton and Judge Link to Glenallen Hill homer Link to Sam on home run highlights Link to Jay Jaffe on September records Link to study on playoff randomness by sport Link to Dylan Buell’s Instagram Link to Nav Bhatia article Link to 2016 article on Blue Jays scarf fan Link to 2020 article on Blue Jays scarf fan Link to article about Loretta’s Lounge Link to article on Pros vs. Joes Link to video of Jeff Kent on Survivor Link to Ben on the Soto Shuffle Link to article on the Rangers’ streak Link to second article on the Rangers’ streak Link to leadless streaks data Link to 1916 Pirates/1932 Sox streaks data Link to end-of-inning losing streaks data Link to info on non-playoff MVPs  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about teams pitching around Shohei Ohtani and a second conspiracy theory about Rays/Jays Cardgate, then rank the fun quotient of potential playoff teams and draft their preferred playoff matchups. Audio intro: Steve Gunn, "Protection" Audio outro: Frankie Siragusa, "I Don’t Want to See You Again" Link to article about Ohtani’s walks Link to lineup protection explainer Link to Tom Tango on lineup protection Link to Davis-West card article Link to current playoff bracket Link to White Sox playoff rate Link to Ben on Foundation Link to past SP waiver acquisitions (before) Link to past SP waiver acquisitions (after)  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source