Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s airport problems, discuss the All-Star Game (touching on mic’d up and profane players, unsightly uniforms, All-Stars being friendly on the field, and MLB embracing the game’s lack of stakes), lament that the zombie-runner rule may not be (un)dead after all, follow up on more players with high highlight-to-value ratios, reflect on Will Craig seeking solace in the KBO, celebrate David Fletcher’s 24-game hitting streak and unique offensive profile, examine some entertaining pettiness between Aaron Judge and Jose Altuve, and assess the state of the standings, focusing on teams that may make a late-season charge. Then they wrap up with a Stat Blast about the underperforming (but opponent-outscoring) Marlins and note some news about Roy Campanella. Audio intro: The Byrds, "The Airport Song" Audio outro: Beady Eye, "Back After the Break" Link to mic’d up Ohtani and Soto Link to mic’d up Tatis Link to mic’d up Hendriks Link to Ben on mic’d up players Link to Rovell’s first Derby tweet Link to Rovell’s second Derby tweet Link to Manfred’s comments Link to article about Craig Link to Fletcher leaderboard Link to Fletcher’s Baseball Savant page Link to Fletcher hitting head-high pitch Link to BP on the Yanks-Astros beef Link to the Chronicle on the Yanks-Astros beef Link to the Post on the Yanks-Astros beef Link to FanGraphs playoff odds Link to FanGraphs BaseRuns standings Link to FanGraphs team pitching Clutch scores Link to B-Ref team pitching high-leverage splits Link to Craig R. Wright on Campanella  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 Rob Manfred teasing a possible permanent reprieve from zombie runners and seven-inning doubleheaders, react to Monday’s Home Run Derby and outpouring of appreciation for Shohei Ohtani, and lament Ronald Acuña Jr.’s season-ending injury (and assess the state of the Braves). Then (45:46) they bring on FanGraphs Lead Prospect Analyst Eric Longenhagen and National Writer Kevin Goldstein to break down the amateur draft, touching on the Pirates’ surprising first-overall pick, the best player picked, draft-day maneuvering, players who fell further than expected, how to break news about the next players picked, teams with “types,” the best and most eyebrow-raising team approaches, the Angels’ no-hitter draft, the draftees who’ll make the majors fastest, the potential two-way players, the oldest player ever drafted, the impact of the late draft date, the future of the draft, standouts at the Futures Game, and more. Audio intro: Willie Nelson, "Denver" Audio interstitial: Eli “Paperboy” Reed, "Pick a Number" Audio outro: Bob Seger, "Get Out of Denver" Link to story about Manfred’s comments Link to story about Players Alliance donation Link to story about Ohtani ASG rules Link to Ben on the Derby Link to MLB The Show Tatis promo Link to MLB Network Ohtani interview Link to players’ reactions to Ohtani Link to amateur draft results Link to Eric and Kevin’s last mock draft Link to Eric and Kevin’s Day 1 draft recap Link to story on the Angels’ draft Link to list of oldest players drafted Link to Ben on Ohtani’s origin story  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 10th anniversary of Mike Trout’s promotion to the majors, Rey Ordóñez and other players with high highlights-to-value ratios, opting against an Albert Pujols pun, MLB wisely forgoing the humidor for the Home Run Derby, and a quibble with the Derby bracket, then follow up on a discussion of mid-inning coaching visits for hitters and answer listener emails about the value of an above-average broadcast crew, letting All-Stars wear a special patch on their regular jerseys, how baseball would be different in a multiverse scenario, the differing levels of outrage that resulted from MLB’s assorted cheating scandals, and when rooting for individual players crosses over into rooting for teams. Audio intro: Earlimart, "10 Years" Audio outro: The Big Bopper, "Bopper’s Boogie Woogie" Link to MLB.com on Trout’s 10-year anniversary Link to Ben on Trout’s rookie year Link to Michael Baumann on Lindor and the Mariners Link to Ordóñez defensive highlights video Link to story on Vieira’s debut Link to story on the humidor and the Derby Link to FanGraphs TV broadcaster crowdsourcing Link to FanGraphs radio broadcaster crowdsourcing  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 Rays’ combined seven-inning hitless game, knuckleballer Mickey Jannis as a secret weapon in MLB The Show, Jacob deGrom and the near-impossibility of breaking the ERA record, Billy Hamilton and players with the highest highlight-to-value ratios, a six-man outfield against Joey Gallo, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the retelling of player predictions, a first for Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera’s recent semi-resurgence, Pablo López and an (almost) unprecedented one-pitch loss, Sonny Gray getting naked, another Max Muncy, the hidden difficulties of Shohei Ohtani’s two-way season, Max Stassi and the virtues of a catcher who can frame, and the Angels without Mike Trout, plus a Stat Blast about Jake Arrieta and the fewest pitches before grand slams. Then (1:05:34) they talk to Hat Club community manager Benjamin Christensen about the online backlash to the New Era “Local Market” and “Mixed Font” caps, why those caps are more successful than they seem, the process of designing hats, the overlap (or lack thereof) between Baseball Twitter and baseball-cap buyers, baseball caps as fashion statements, the continued cap dominance of MLB, how caps can promote the sport, and his favorite baseball caps. Audio intro: Oasis, "(Probably) All in the Mind" Audio interstitial: The Rose Petals, "The Man Who Sold the Hats" Audio outro: First Aid Kit, "Ugly" Link to story about Rays’ “notable achievement” Link to Jannis in MLB The Show 21 Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes Link to video of Hamilton catch Link to shift against Gallo Link to Vlad prediction clip Link to full mic’d up video Link to Ben on in-game interviews Link to BP on López and Cabrera Link to story on López and Art Schallock Link to story on Gray getting changed Link to FanGraphs mock draft Link to info on the new Muncy Link to video of Ohtani at-bat and homer Link to story on Ohtani and Stassi Link to Ohtani curve/fastball overlay Link to Ben on the .500-ish Angels Link to tweet about economical grand slams Link to Stat Blast spreadsheet Link to WaPo on the “Local Market” caps Link to BP on the “Mixed Font” caps Link to Hat Club website Link to story about Griffey’s backward cap Link to Shakeia Taylor on hats and hip-hop culture  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 their long weekends, birthday boy (and two-way All-Star) Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s perplexing timing when it comes to announcing awards and All-Star honors and scheduling special events such as the Futures Game and the amateur draft, the Yankees’ continuing troubles, pitchers who’ve struggled since the sticky stuff crackdown began, and Kyle Schwarber falling prey to the hamstring-injury epidemic. Then (35:34) they “Meet a Major Leaguer” up close by bringing on Mickey Jannis, right-handed knuckleball pitcher for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, who discusses making his major league debut for the Baltimore Orioles last month, his journey from the 44th round to indy ball to the O’s, how he learned the knuckleball, how high-speed video has helped him refine his unusual pitch, being inspected for sticky stuff, the future of the knuckler, and more. Audio intro: The Decemberists, "Down on the Knuckle" Audio outro: Hinds, "Finally Floating" Link to story about all-Star Ohtani Link to video of Ohtani steal/walkoff Link to video of Walsh/Ohtani hug Link to video of Ohtani whiff Link to story about the Yankees and analytics Link to Lindsey Adler on Cole and Chapman Link to video on Cortes Link to video of Cortes vs. Ohtani Link to Devan Fink on Richards Link to BP article on hamstring strains Link to Derek’s hamstring injury visualization Link to Ben on Jannis and the knuckleball Link to Jannis’ Twitter account Link to Jannis’ first MLB out (and K) Link to Jannis’ spring training knuckler Link to Jannis’ knuckler grip Link to Jannis’ knuckler on high-speed video Link to story on Jannis’ “perfect” loss Link to Ben on the Castellanos meme Link to new Castellanos clip  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 passing the halfway point of the regular season, the early effects of the sticky-stuff crackdown, a historically high-scoring day, the white-hot Brewers (and Willy Adames) and the red-hot Nationals (and Kyle Schwarber), a Germán Márquez gem, and a study on how kids become fans that helps explain how Ben and Meg became co-hosts. Then they talk to two academics who have used baseball data to study psychology: Professor James Archsmith of the University of Maryland (33:37) on umpires and decision fatigue, and Professor Hengchen Dai of the UCLA Anderson School of Management (56:33) on midseason trades and performance resets (plus a postscript about foreign-substance beef between Josh Donaldson and Lucas Giolito). Audio intro: Cheap Trick, "Hard to Tell" Audio interstitial 1: Kelley Stoltz, "Decisions, Decisions" Audio interstitial 2: Tri-State, "Start Again" Audio outro: Lucy Dacus, "Going Going Gone" Link to Jeff Sullivan on preseason projections Link to Jeff on predicting second-half records Link to Eno Sarris on sticky stuff Link to Rob Arthur on sticky stuff and the Dodgers Link to Ben on the PED era Link to Will Sammon on the Brewers Link to Brewers predicting a home run Link to Brewers predicting a comeback Link to Eric Cummings data on defensive turnarounds Link to Sam Miller on “True Wins” Link to study on age and fandom Link to Professor Archsmith’s website Link to paper on umpires and decision fatigue Link to study on umpires and air quality Link to article about umpires and air quality Link to study on umpires and racial discrimination Link to article about discriminatory umpires study Link to study on umpires and status bias Link to study on umpires and the Gambler’s Fallacy Link to Freakonomics on umps and the Gambler’s Fallacy Link to study on players and rational inattention Link to Rob on pitchers taking their time Link to Rob on hitters taking their time Link to Professor Dai’s website Link to study on trades and fresh starts Link to article about trades study Link to Donaldson/Giolito story  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 Ben’s experience attending the worst start of Shohei Ohtani’s MLB career, then (15:04) discuss the Dodgers’ and MLB’s response (and their own reactions to) this week’s serious assault allegations against Trevor Bauer. (Warning: This episode contains some swears, starting at 18:18.) Audio intro: Vanessa Peters, "Rather Bad Day" Audio outro: Teenage Fanclub, "Tears Are Cool" Link to Jay Jaffe on the Ohtani game Link to Twitter thread on traveling to see Ohtani Link to the RAINN hotline Link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline Content warning: Some of the links below include detailed descriptions of alleged sexual and physical assault. Link to TMZ report about Bauer Link to The Athletic on the restraining order Link to The Athletic on the Dodgers, MLB, and Bauer Link to The Athletic on Bauer’s scheduled Sunday start  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 Ben’s borderline excessive consumption of Angels games and the latest, greatest exploits of Shohei Ohtani, who and what is to blame for the Yankees’ ongoing struggles, Gerrit Cole’s performance post-sticky stuff, Hector Santiago becoming the first pitcher ejected for alleged foreign substance use, a Triple-A umpire’s broken-belt ejection, Zach McKinstry keeping his eye on the ball, the Tigers’ recent respectability, and more. Audio intro: Frank Sinatra, "Bewitched" Audio outro: Bombadil, "Leather Belt" Link to Ohtani homer on Friday Link to Ohtani homer on Sunday Link to Ben’s article on Ohtani Link to Ohtani Twitter stan account Link to Ohtani WAR pace graphic Link to Santiago article Link to second Santiago article Link to article on Ottavino trade Link to Lindsey on the Yankees’ offense Link to Lindsey on LeMahieu Link to belt/ejection video Link to belt/ejection blog post Link to Matsuda article Link to McKinstry quote Link to batter ball-tracking research  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 brief big league stay of knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, Joey Votto’s predictions, decline, and reminders of mortality, Greg Maddux forecasting foul balls, and the states of the Cubs and Dodgers post-combined no-hitter. Then they answer listener emails about whether MLB regrets making Statcast data publicly available in the wake of scandals about the ball and foreign substances, why coaches don’t visit hitters mid-inning the way they visit pitchers, why WAR isn’t tailored to individual teams, and how much worse rooting for a terrible team is than rooting for one that’s merely bad, with closing banter about Aaron Nola tying the consecutive-strikeout record and the potential for a seven-inning game to thwart a pitcher’s attempt to record a 21-strikeout outing. Audio intro: Tokyo Police Club, "Can’t Stay Here" Audio outro: Isotopes, "Rule 21" Link to Ben on Jannis and the knuckleball Link to Votto article Link to Maddux article Link to story about Nola Link to Sam on 21-strikeout games  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 MLB’s much-maligned All-Star Game uniforms and a pair of odd games, discuss the highs and lows of the first few days of MLB’s enforced foreign-substance ban (with special attention to Max Scherzer, Joe Girardi, and Sergio Romo), review Wander Franco’s debut and note the less-hyped arrivals of Lars Nootbaar and knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, relate a Jesse Winker home-run prediction, and close by exploring the ways in which the first-place Houston Astros, to the dismay of many Astros haters, are still very good. Audio intro: Slothrust, "New Red Pants" Audio outro: The Donnas, "Hot Pants" Link to ASG uniforms Link to Angels game story Link to Nats-Phillies game story Link to Manfred on sticky-stuff enforcement Link to Rizzo on Girardi Link to video of Scherzer and Romo Link to video of Ohtani inspection Link to Simpsons scene Link to Ben on Jannis and the knuckleball Link to Javier’s headshot Link to Zach Kram on 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