Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about family members not attending big league debuts and how teams and broadcasts could make better use of empty ballparks, audible profanity on the field, the rapid change in public opinion of the extra-innings automatic-runner rule, why the rule works as well as it does, the magnitude and causes of the pitcher injury spike through the first week of the season, the desirability of TV cameras mounted on drones, the difficulty of walking straight while blindfolded, and more, plus a Stat Blast about expectant parent Mike Trout’s reputed penchant for leading the league in a variety of statistical categories. Audio intro: The Rolling Stones, "This Place is Empty" Audio outro: The White Stripes, "Expecting" Link to report about new sign-stealing punishments Link to Zach Buchanan on debuts without family or fans Link to Marc Carig on baseball broadcast profanity Link to clip of Reddick cursing Link to Astros-Dodgers dust-up video Link to Sam on the automatic-runner rule Link to Anthony Castrovince on the automatic-runner rule Link to the new rule’s actual game-shortening results Link to the new rule’s theoretical game-shortening results Link to Theodor Bierhoff’s second Stat Blast song cover Link to Ben on Trout’s bold ink  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 Sam Miller discuss several takeaways from the first weekend of the MLB regular season, starting with the COVID-19 outbreak among the Miami Marlins, the apparent inadequacy of MLB’s health and safety protocols, and the season’s tenuous state, before segueing into game action including sac bunts, pitcher usage, parity, the pace of games, masks, the ways they’re watching, and much more. Audio intro: Eric Matthews, "Start of the Meltdown" Audio outro: Fleetwood Mac, "Keep on Going" Link to Rosenthal and Stark on the Marlins Link to Joel Sherman on the Marlins Link to Mike Petriello on bunting in extra innings Link to Ben Clemens on bunting in extra innings Link to You Must Remember This episode Link to Alibi Ike trailer Link to Alibi Ike short story Link to BP on Bard and Choi Link to Shakeia Taylor on MLB’s tepid embrace of BLM  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, Meg Rowley, and Sam Miller banter about Sam’s cricket home invasion, then discuss Opening Day, the experience of spectating games without fans, the merits and drawbacks of MLB’s last-second expanded playoff format, Mookie Betts’ surprise contract extension and how and why the Dodgers (and not the Red Sox) made the deal, the new temporary home of the Blue Jays, and more. Audio intro: The New Pornographers, "Opening Ceremony" Audio outro: John K. Samson, "Fantasy Baseball at the End of the World" Link to FanGraphs staff predictions Link to Craig Edwards on the expanded playoffs Link to Morning Consult poll Link to The Athletic on Soto’s positive test Link to Ben on the Betts deal  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, Meg Rowley, and Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Craig Goldstein banter about whether official scorers will be more or less accurate when they’re working from home. Then they conduct the second of two drafts that have been presented on back-to-back episodes, completing the set by selecting five things apiece that they’re excited to see (or not see) during the shortened 2020 season. (On the preceding episode, they drafted five things apiece that they’ll miss this season.) Audio intro: White Denim, "Good News" Audio outro: Paul Weller, "Here’s the Good News" Link to article about official scorers Link to Scherzer photo tweet Link to Chris Taylor’s satisfying-sounding home run Link to Ben on the strikeout-rate increase streak Link to Ben on sabermetrics meeting the 60-game season Link to Ben on embracing small-sample randomness Link to photo of masked pitching coach covering mouth Link to Rob Arthur on bat cracks in 2014 Link to Rob Arthur on bat cracks in 2020 Link to Ben Clemens on non-playoff teams improving Link to Hawk-Eye intro Link to Alyssa Nakken video Link to Five and Dive podcast archive  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, Meg Rowley, and Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Craig Goldstein banter about Ben’s latest bad dream about baseball writing and the Toronto (or Pittsburgh?) Blue Jays’ last-minute relocation. Then they conduct the first of two drafts that will be presented on back-to-back episodes, beginning by selecting five things apiece that they’ll miss about “normal” baseball during the shortened 2020 season. (Next time, they’ll draft five things apiece that they’re excited to see.) Audio intro: Pulp, "You’re a Nightmare" Audio outro: The Black Keys, "Sit Around and Miss You" Link to the large baby Link to Sam on booing the Astros Link to Ben on the best and worst 60-game spans Link to FanGraphs 60-game leaderboards Link to Zach Kram on WAR in 2020 Link to Ben Clemens on Chico  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 Mariners prospect Julio Rodriguez’s broken wrist, Meg’s all-time most disappointing Mariners, the Rays’ five-man infield, listener responses to two emails from the previous episode, and news about Freddie Freeman and Yasiel Puig, then complete the 2020 season preview series by (16:23) previewing the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers with The Athletic’s Pedro Moura, and the 2020 Baltimore Orioles (53:26) with MLB.com’s Joe Trezza. 2020 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: The Replacements, "The Last" Audio interstitial 1: Haim, "Los Angeles" Audio interstitial 2: Blur, "This is a Low" Audio outro: RJD2 (Feat. Blueprint), "Final Frontier" Link to story about the Rays’ five-man infield Link to listener Austin’s boost zone graphic Link to Ben on Dave Roberts in 2019 Link to Pedro on Pollock and COVID-19 Link to Pedro on the legend of Chico Link to FanGraphs post on Orioles fan event Link to Ben on MLB’s 2020 strikeout rate Link to Ben on sabermetrics in the 60-game season Link to The MVP Machine with Orioles afterword  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 2020 season predictions, picking (and pricing) blueberries, and a cardboard cutout of Meg at T-Mobile Park, then open up the pre-pandemic mailbag and answer old but evergreen listener emails about the best type of game for a first-time baseball viewer to attend, whether the Cubs’ 2016 title came too soon, whether hitters should have to finish plate appearances with broken bats, how managers should handle players who are having good or bad days, which players would benefit most from a third arm, where to place a boost zone on the field, comparing the careers of Carlos Peña and Paul Konerko, whether Mike Trout could make the Hall of Fame twice, a parable about rooting for personal success versus rooting for a rival’s failure, and more. Audio intro: Louis Prima, "Three-Handed Woman" Audio outro: The Everly Brothers, "Three-Armed Poker-Playin’ River Rat" Link to Meg’s blueberries tweet Link to purchase a cardboard cutout Link to the game the family from New Zealand saw Link to article about reducing broken bats Link to analysis of managers pulling pitchers Link to analysis of game-to-game spin-rate variability Link to FiveThirtyEight hot hand analysis Link to article about Formula E attack mode Link to video explainer of Formula E attack mode Link to Formula E attack mode highlights video Link to listener email archive Link to stream Stove League  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 James Paxton’s unappetizing approach to chili, Atlanta signing Yasiel Puig, weirdness and whimsy in Summer Camp intrasquad games, the history of the catcher (and umpire) mask camera, odd-sounding fake crowd noise, players planning to wear masks in regular-season games, umpires opting out of the season, and a potential five-man infield, then (22:56) preview the 2020 Houston Astros with the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome, and the 2020 Seattle Mariners (1:09:35) with the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish. 2020 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Hinds, "Chili Town" Audio interstitial 1: The Jazz Butcher, "Bath of Bacon" Audio interstitial 2: The Hold Steady, "Banging Camp" Audio outro: Levon and the Hawks, "Bacon Fat" Link to Lindor somersault video Link to story about “Chico” Link to photos of Harper at third base Link to video of early 2000s catcher/ump mask footage Link to new catcher mask cam footage Link to more new catcher mask cam footage Link to new ump mask cam footage Link to Chandler on the Astros questioning MLB’s testing process Link to Chandler on Astros players’ coronavirus concerns Link to Chandler on Díaz’s mask wearing Link to Chandler on the Astros’ DH options Link to Chandler on Whitley Link to Chandler on Verlander Link to Ben on foreign substances and spin rates Link to Ryan on how the Mariners have avoided testing issues Link to Ryan on the Mariners’ youth movement timeline Link to Ryan on Seager’s mask wearing Link to Ryan on Kelenic Link to FanGraphs’ Mariners prospect rankings  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 Meg’s editing activities, MLB’s COVID-19 intake testing results, Buster Posey and Michael Kopech opting out of the season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. switching positions, and the Blue Jays’ quarantine conditions. Then (19:08) they bring on Baseball Prospectus writer Shakeia Taylor to follow up on the podcast’s recent Negro Leagues coverage by explaining how she researches stories about the Negro Leagues and ties them to current events, some of the underexposed eras and aspects of Black baseball history, the women of the Negro Leagues, the significance of Moses Fleetwood Walker, what she recommends reading, and more. After that (53:32), SABR director of editorial content Jacob Pomrenke joins to discuss how the 1918 flu pandemic affected baseball, his research into a 1919 California Winter League game in which players (including a number of big leaguers) wore masks on the field, and the parallels between past and present pandemic responses in the United States. Lastly (1:18:39), Ben talks to veteran relief pitcher Jerry Blevins about his evolution into a LOOGY, what he thinks of MLB’s new three-batter-minimum regulation, how the rule change has affected his prospects as a player, and why he decided to take this summer off. Audio intro: Guided By Voices, "Questions of the Test" Audio interstitial 1: Bill Withers, "Stories" Audio interstitial 2: Dawes, "Stories Don’t End" Audio interstitial 3: Olivia Jean, "Shut Your Mouth" Audio outro: Joseph Arthur, "Hold on Jerry" Link to article about COVID-19 test results Link to article about testing transparency Link to article about Kopech opting out Link to article about Posey opting out Link to article about missed time and the Hall of Fame Link to article about Guerrero’s position switch Link to Shakeia on Effa Manley Link to Shakeia on the Negro Leagues centennial Link to Shakeia on the Civil War and Black baseball Link to Shakeia on Tim Anderson Link to SABR’s guide to researching the Negro Leagues Link to SABR bio of Moses Fleetwood Walker Link to article about Black players and baseball cards Link to article about Hinchliffe Stadium Link to After Jackie Link to Shakeia’s website Link to Jacob on the flu mask game Link to article on Tatís and masks Link to masked Trout baseball card Link to article about McGwire’s mask comments Link to book excerpt about Babe Ruth and the 1918 flu Link to Jacob’s website Link to Tom Shieber interview episode Link to Ben on the the Waxahachie Swap  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 provide a brief update on the health of co-host Sam Miller (who’s on hiatus), then preview the 2020 New York Yankees with The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler, and the 2020 Detroit Tigers (46:57) with the Detroit Free Press’s Anthony Fenech. 2020 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Bombadil, "Binoculars" Audio interstitial: The Sadies, "Tiger Tiger" Audio outro: The Isley Brothers, "Hope You Feel Better Love" Link to Lindsey on the Yankees’ revamped pitching development Link to Lindsey’s Q&A with Matt Blake Link to Lindsey on Happ’s reinvention Link to article on Yankees’ overhauled training staff Link to Lindsey’s Q&A with Tanner Swanson Link to Lindsey on Sánchez’s new catching stance Link to Lindsey on Sabathia paying homage to the Negro Leagues Link to Lindsey on Gardner’s evolution Link to Dan’s 2020 breakdown candidates Link to photo of Lindsey’s binoculars Link to Fabian Ardaya’s binoculars photos Link to Fabian’s photo-taking technique Link to Anthony on Mize striking out Cabrera Link to Anthony’s Boras story Link to Anthony on the Tigers’ analytics investments Link to more recent story on the Tigers’ analytics upgrades Link to FanGraphs’ Tigers prospect rankings  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