Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman of Céspedes Family BBQ banter about Jake’s baseball bike trip (and Jordan’s accompanying car ride) from New York to Chicago. Then, in honor of Mike Trout’s 30th birthday, they draft their favorite things about Trout and his incredible career. Audio intro: Jay-Z, "30 Something" Audio outro: Smash Mouth, "You Are My Number One" Link to Jake’s fundraising site Link to Jake’s trip stats Link to Episode 762 Link to Sam on Trout and Grichuk Link to Sam on Trout’s 2012 season Link to story on Trout’s no. 1 jersey Link to post about Trout’s August 2015 Link to video of Trout’s left-handed BP Link to Pedro Moura on Trout’s future Link to Ben on Trout’s rookie year Link to Ben on Trout’s dad Link to Trout’s spring training stats Link to Trout’s Hardy homer robbery Link to 2009 draft video Link to Trout Weather Channel video Link to 2012 SuperPretzel press release Link to 2016 SuperPretzel ad Link to SuperPretzel website Link to list of Trout hypotheticals  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 baseball (and steeplechase?) at the Olympics, then answer listener emails about teams intentionally drafting players they don’t intend to sign, Willy Adames as an NL MVP candidate, Dominic Smith and reverse platoon splits, secret ball-strike counts, and which is better (or worse), position-player pitchers or pitcher hitters, then meet major leaguers Shea Spitzbarth and Stephen Ridings and do a Stat Blast about Flood v. Kuhn and Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, the original Rememberer of Some Guys (plus a postscript about the life and death of legendary Astros ace J.R. Richard). Audio intro: The Baseball Project, "Gratitude (For Curt Flood)" Audio outro: Joni Mitchell, "The Last Time I Saw Richard" Link to story about Olympic baseball Link to Tess Taruskin on prospects at the Olympics Link to steeplechase wiki Link to Devan Fink on the NL MVP race Link to research on reverse platoon splits Link to Sam Miller on abolishing the strike zone Link to Ben on pitcher hitters/position-player pitchers Link to Tribune-Review on Spitzbarth Link to Post-Gazette on Spitzbarth Link to Newsday on Ridings in 2021 Link to Newsday on Ridings in 2016 Link to WFAN on Ridings Link to story on Yankees’ three debuts Link to Ridings press conference video Link to story about Haverford’s baseball execs Link to Flood v. Kuhn wiki Link to Flood v. Kuhn opinion Link to SABR research on Flood v. Kuhn Link to Blackmun Stat Blast data Link to Cabell’s comments about Richard Link to MLB.com on Richard Link to Allen Barra on Richard  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 the Mets not signing first-round pick Kumar Rocker, owner Steve Cohen’s comment about the decision, and the amateur draft as a salary-suppressing institution, then discuss how injuries have destabilized some of the major end-of-season awards races. After that (31:51), they talk to Cleveland native (and Baseball Prospectus writer) Russell Carleton about his history as a fan of the team soon to be known as the Cleveland Guardians, when he changed his mind about changing its name, the real history of the old name, what he and other Clevelanders think of the new name, the potential for a rechristening in Atlanta, and more (plus a postscript on a record streak of alternating wins/losses). Audio intro: Bruce Springsteen, "I’m a Rocker" Audio interstitial: Blind Melon, "Change" Audio outro: Jackson Browne, "My Cleveland Heart" Link to report about the Mets and Rocker Link to story on Rocker’s future Link to story about later Mets selections Link to Steve Cohen tweet Link to Brendan Gawlowski on the draft Link to Joon Lee on Angels minor leaguers Link to Russell on minor league housing Link to stream Stove League Link to Russell on the Guardians Link to Joe Posnanski on the Guardians Link to Nancy Kelsey-Carroll on the Guardians Link to academic paper on Sockalexis Link to pictorial history of Chief Wahoo Link to the “Curse of Rocky Colavito” Link to the “Curse of Chief Wahoo” Link to story on “racist uncles” Link to Patrick Dubuque’s Guardians sketch Link to Guardians of Traffic history Link to story about the roller derby team Link to story about an Atlanta name change Link to longest alternating W-L streaks  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 recap the busiest trade deadline ever, first examining why it was so frantic and then going division by division to analyze the actions or inaction of every team that made a trade (which was, well, every team). Audio intro: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, "Heard You’re Moving" Audio outro: Vanessa Peters, "Moving Day" Link to FanGraphs trade reactions Link to FanGraphs deadline roundup Link to Ben on the busy deadline Link to Ken Rosenthal on the busy deadline Link to MLB.com on the busy deadline Link to trade activity graph Link to “All-Stars traded in a day” data Link to Zach Kram on trading top prospects Link to Baumann on deadline returns Link to Ben on the Scherzer/Turner trade Link to Baumann on the giant Yankees Link to Mike Petriello on Gallo and Rizzo Link to story on outfielder Randy Johnson Link to C. Trent on Votto  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 the one-for-one A’s-Marlins swap involving Starling Marte and Jesús Luzardo, Marte’s underrated career, and Miami’s enviable pitching stockpile, then discuss the circumstances surrounding a potential trade of Max Scherzer. After that (35:21), they talk to FiveThirtyEight senior writer Neil Paine about the factors that affect whether teams add or subtract at the trade deadline, Neil’s “Doyle Number” metric for assessing trade-season incentives, how this year’s unusual playoff picture has created unusual deadline conditions, and specific teams that should or shouldn’t be motivated to make moves. Audio intro: Guided By Voices, "Bellicose Starling" Audio interstitial: Modest Mouse, "Bankrupt on Selling" Audio outro: Arthur Brown, "Come and Buy" Link to Marte WAR comparison Link to Zach Kram on trading top prospects Link to Ken Rosenthal on the Scherzer talks Link to Jay Jaffe on the Nationals Link to story on Scherzer’s contract Link to “Doyle Number” articles Link to Jayson Stark on execs at the deadline Link to 2021 “Doyle Number” data Link to Rob Arthur on the playoff picture Link to Neil’s “Hall of Good” series Link to FiveThirtyEight’s forecast history Link to Neil’s research on true talent Link to Hot Takedown podcast  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 the Padres trading for Adam Frazier and other pre-deadline activity, Joey Votto’s offensive resurgence, Shohei Ohtani’s dirty uniform, and more, then react in real time to the Mariners surprisingly trading Kendall Graveman to the Astros for Abraham Toro. They also answer listener emails about adding a pitcher/DH position, bringing back unlimited two-strike foul bunts to combat the shift, trading catchers at the deadline, the possibility of pitchers, not catchers, calling pitches, and enjoying baseball via stats alone. After that, they do a “Meet a Major Leaguer” on two rookies recently traded to the Pirates, Hoy Park and Tucupita Marcano, and share a Stat Blast on Merrill Kelly and the longest team streaks in which the only wins were in starts by one pitcher (plus postscripts on trades, “pulling the goalie,” cycles, and more). Audio intro: The Pretty Things, "Joey" Audio outro: Lana Del Rey, "Mariners Apartment Complex" Link to Dan Szymborski on the Frazier trade Link to latest Ohtani two-way outing Link to story on the “phantom DH” Link to story on electronic pitch-calling Link to The Hidden Language of Baseball Link to story on Maddux pitch-calling Link to Gallo shift before two strikes Link to Gallo shift with two strikes Link to story on the two-strike-bunt rule Link to Travis Sawchik on foul balls Link to story on Marcano Link to Stat Blast data Link to Ryan Divish on the Mariners’ reaction Link to story on Piniella’s “cycle” Link to tweet about Kepler Link to Facebook thread on cycles and no-nos Link to Mary Shane podcast  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 the new name and look of Cleveland’s MLB team, the Guardians, then react to the Rays trading for Nelson Cruz and dealing away Rich Hill, analyze a new electronic system for sending signs from catchers to pitchers that’s about to be tested in A ball, and salute Juan Soto’s post-Home Run Derby hot streak. Then (38:42) they bring on FanGraphs writers Ben Clemens and Kevin Goldstein to talk about their just-completed ranking of the 50 players with the most trade value, touching on how the series’ sausage was made, the most divisive players, the toughest omissions, valuing pitchers vs. hitters, evaluating Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Max Kepler, Ramón Laureano, and other players, synthesizing stats and scouting info (and production and pay), what they expect at this year’s trade deadline, and how teams’ behavior at the deadline has changed (plus a postscript on historic pitching matchups and more alternate cycles). Audio intro: Lou Reed, "Guardian Angel" Audio interstitial: The Bats, "Trade in Silence" Audio outro: Sloan, "I Can Feel It" Link to Guardians announcement video Link to Guardians logo and lettering Link to Guardians uniforms Link to story on Tom Hanks and Cleveland Link to article about the Guardians name selection Link to Dan Szymborski on the Cruz trade Link to BP IL Ledger Link to report on electronic signs system Link to story on Soto and the Derby Link to story about the Derby “curse” Link to Trade Value series  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 the return of the debate about batting around and other unending debates they do or don’t care about, whether MLB should borrow the NFL’s plan to make clubs forfeit games that can’t be played because of unvaccinated players, Willians Astudillo being back in the big leagues, and listeners’ suggestions for alternate cycles, then answer listener emails about Zack Greinke and the Expos, turning the zombie runner into a ghost runner, beliefs about baseball that they have changed their minds about or will change their minds about, a baseball equivalent of pulling the goalie, and how long it would take aging former stars’ career WARs to hit zero, plus a Stat Blast about the Mariners and teams with the longest droughts since their last sweep of a homestand or road trip. Audio intro: Lou Reed, "Endless Cycle" Audio outro: Death Cab for Cutie, "Debate Exposes Doubt" Link to WSJ batting around article Link to Deadspin batting around article Link to 2019 batting around video Link to 2021 batting around video Link to “triple short of cycle” games Link to “Miggy cycle” games Link to story about NFL forfeits Link to post about pulling the goalie Link to post about civilian WAR Link to post about potato WAR Link to Stat Blast 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

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the length of the baseball season (and postseason) compared to other sports’, whether Shohei Ohtani ever grows frustrated with his mere-mortal teammates, the prolific predictions of the Rockies’ Mike Redmond, a possible modification to the zombie-runner rule, an update on the Marlins’ run differential, a story about a broadcaster bet gone wrong, a listener report on Tony La Russa, Willie Stargell’s stars, an Ohtani playing-time fun fact, the AL MVP race, the Blue Jays returning to Toronto (and a hat tip to John McDonald), a few potential variations on the cycle, and when MLB will welcome its first active, openly gay player, then close with a discussion of MLB’s first month sans sticky stuff, focusing on the offensive effects and whether cheating is overrated. Audio intro: Vetiver, "Been So Long" Audio outro: The Posies, "Flavor of the Month" Link to study on postseason randomness Link to Neil Paine on MLB vs. the NBA Link to Ohtani’s postgame comments Link to The Onion on Ohtani Link to Ohtani Week intro Link to Redmond predictions story Link to Nightengale on the zombie-runner rule Link to The Athletic on the zombie-runner rule Link to Jim Rooker story Link to Jake Mintz’s ride Link to Buster Olney on Stargell’s stars Link to Engadget on Stargell’s stars Link to cycle tweet Link to story on Ron Wright Link to story on the “Saint Cycle” Link to Ben on sticky-stuff effects  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 the conditions David Fletcher has faced during his hitting streak compared to those Joe DiMaggio faced, follow up on a discussion of baseball in a multiverse scenario, discuss the difficulty of extending (or trading) Byron Buxton, mention a quest to collect Willians Astudillo cards, puzzle over the stagnation of former top prospect Nomar Mazara, and marvel at Padres rookie reliever Daniel Camarena’s improbable grand slam. Then (32:53) they talk to Jake Mintz of Cespedes Family BBQ about his All-Star week experience, his upcoming baseball bike ride from New York City to Chicago, the teams he’ll see along the way, his fateful bet about the White Sox not hiring Tony La Russa, how La Russa has handled the job in Chicago, the challenge of gauging how effective any manager is, Jake’s friendship with Jordan Shusterman, and more. Audio intro: Billy Bragg & Wilco, "Joe DiMaggio Done it Again" Audio interstitial: 2nd Grade, "My Bike" Audio outro: The Dukes of Stratosphear, "Bike Ride to the Moon" Link to Stats about DiMaggio’s streak Link to story about official scorers and DiMaggio Link to list of pitchers Fletcher faced Link to Larry Niven story Link to Buxton extension story Link to Astudillo card collector Link to Wallach card blog Link to Sam on the Wallach card collector Link to one million Cubs cards account Link to 2019 Mazara moonshot Link to Camarena homer Link to Camarena backstory Link to Camarena high-school stats Link to story about Duggleby Link to Andy McCullough on La Russa Link to 2014 Cespedes BBQ road trip Link to Jake’s 2021 trip website Link to Lost Boyz Inc.  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