Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about walk-off balks, a Zack Greinke oral history, and how teams will use the new 26th roster spot, break down the responses to a Jayson Stark survey of baseball insiders about the winter and upcoming season, and answer listener emails about players’ outspoken criticisms of the Astros’ sign-stealing and Rob Manfred’s response, and which transgressions might merit vacating a team’s title, plus a Stat Blast about the ultra-rare walk-off catcher’s interference. Audio intro: Clem Snide, "Don’t Be Afraid of Your Anger" Audio outro: Neil Young, "Speakin’ Out" Link to post about walk-off balks Link to Greinke oral history Link to Schoenfield on the 26th roster spot Link to Stark’s survey Link to Ben on the endless sign-stealing scandal Link to story about players speaking out Link to story about Astros immunity Link to Olney on Manfred protecting the Astros Link to Emma on players’ use of social media Link to order The MVP Machine  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 latest developments in the escalating player war of words over the Astros sign-stealing scandal, José Altuve‘s alleged unfinished tattoo, Rob Manfred’s roundly criticized comments, Shohei Ohtani’s new driver’s license, and a modest pay hike for minor leaguers. Then they preview the 2020 Braves (34:29) with From the Diamond host Grant McAuley, and the 2020 Phillies (1:13:37) with The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro. 2020 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: The Who, "Tattoo" Audio interstitial 1: The Replacements, "Someone Take the Wheel" Audio interstitial 2: Cayetana, "South Philly" Audio outro: Bud Light, "Mr. Fake Tattoo Inventor" Link to story about Correa, Altuve, and Bellinger Link to story about minor league pay hike Link to possible Altuve tattoo sighting Link to Darvish tweet Link to Ben on the Braves rebuild Link to post about Ozuna Link to Grant’s Braves positional previews Link to story on the Phillies’ spending Link to story on the Phillies’ bullpen usage Link to story on the Phillies’ sports science department Link to Ben on the Phillies’ framing turnarounds Link to Roger Angell interview Link to order The MVP Machine  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

In the third incarnation of a time-honored tradition that recurs every 500-ish episodes, Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley are joined by The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee and ex-EW cohost (and current Tampa Bay Rays “Analyst, Baseball Development”) Jeff Sullivan to draft assorted things that they like about baseball. Audio intro: Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack, "Something There" Audio outro: Jefferson Airplane, "And I Like It" Link to first draft episode Link to second draft episode Link to article on baseball, sex, and sheet music Link to article about Quadruple-A players Link to article about Craig’s daughter’s tweet Link to Bregman popup play Link to second Bregman walkoff Link to article about Bo card Link to order The MVP Machine  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 banter about why the Astros sign-stealing scandal won’t go away, and the reception to the team’s first attempts to apologize. Then they preview the 2020 Angels (28:13) with The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, and the 2020 Cardinals (1:03:49) with MLB.com’s Will Leitch. Lastly (1:37:15), Ben talks to FanGraphs’ Craig Edwards about Boston’s Mookie Betts Competitive Balance Tax myth, MLB’s reported 14-team playoff format idea, and the new three-batter-minimum rule (plus a postscript about the Mets’ new big-leaguers-only clubhouse). 2020 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Queen, "Scandal" Audio interstitial 1: Teenage Fanclub, "Ain’t That Enough" Audio interstitial 2: The Association, "Standing Still" Audio interstitial 3: The Delgados, "Ballad of Accounting" Audio outro: Isotopes, "Poison in the Clubhouse" Link to story on Astros apologies Link to The Athletic story on 2017 Astros clubhouse Link to latest WSJ story on the Astros’ sign stealing Link to Washington Post story on sign-stealing suspicions Link to Bauer’s story on sign stealing Link to Craig on Boston’s savings Link to Zach Kram on Boston’s savings Link to Rob Arthur on payroll flexibility Link to story about MLB’s proposed playoff format Link to Ben Clemens on the playoff format Link to Cliff Corcoran on the three-batter minimum Link to order The MVP Machine  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 remade Mookie Betts trade, the latest revelations about the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal (including “Codebreaker” and “the dark arts”), and the Mets’ failed sale to hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen. Then they preview the 2020 Cubs (46:13) with The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma, and the 2020 Diamondbacks (1:20:08) with The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro. 2020 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: No-Fi Soul Rebellion, "Dark Arts" Audio interstitial 1: Of Montreal, "Doing Nothing" Audio interstitial 2: Ultrababyfat, "Diamondback" Audio outro: Tunng, "Code Breaker" Link to Astros WSJ report Link to Travis on the Cubs’ pitching development problems Link to Sahadev on the Cubs’ player development overhaul Link to order The MVP Machine  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 banter about probability, the baseball significance of a Super Bowl comeback, and whether win expectancy stats are more useful for fans during or after a game (featuring a cameo from Meg Rowley, who sort of settles the debate). Then Ben and Sam preview the 2020 Padres with MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (23:47), and the 2020 White Sox (58:32) with The Athletic’s James Fegan. 2020 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Tall Tall Trees, "Expectations" Audio interstitial 1: The Cranberries, "Chocolate Brown" Audio interstitial 2: Bombadil, "Goodwill Socks" Audio outro: Super Furry Animals, "White Socks/Flip Flops" Link to FiveThirtyEight tweet Link to ESPN’s Super Bowl win probability graph Link to Ben Clemens on Tatis’ defense Link to James on the evolution of White Sox player development Link to BP roundtable on Madrigal Link to order The MVP Machine  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 break down the three-team Mookie Betts blockbuster, analyzing the historic strangeness of a player as good and young as Mookie being moved, what it means for the Red Sox and Dodgers competitively and financially, how Red Sox fans must feel about Betts (and David Price) being traded, why the Red Sox wanted to move Mookie and whether their reasons are sound, and what the Sox got back in Brusdar Graterol and Alex Verdugo (plus banter about the Twins’ acquisition of Kenta Maeda, the corresponding Dodgers-Angels trade involving Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling, and Luis Rengifo, the Astros hiring James Click as their new GM, and Rays execs and internet nerds taking over teams). Audio intro: Grateful Dead, "He’s Gone" Audio outro: Brian Eno, "Here He Comes" Link to Ben on the Betts trade Link to Dan’s Mookie post Link to order The MVP Machine  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

In the first installment of the eighth annual Effectively Wild season preview series, Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller preview the 2020 Reds with The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans, and the 2020 Brewers (40:26) with The Athletic’s Derek VanRiper. 2020 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG Audio intro: Dispatch, "Begin Again" Audio interstitial: The Decemberists, "A Beginning Song" Audio outro: Imperial Teen, "The Beginning" Link to order The MVP Machine  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 and consider the implications of the latest and greatest analyses of the Astros’ banging scheme, which appear to show that the team’s cheating didn’t increase its offensive production in the aggregate. Then (20:08) they talk to the man who made that research possible, longtime Astros fan Tony Adams, about his epic effort to document the extent of the Astros’ banging scheme, what motivated him to spend weeks watching and listening to pitches from 2017 Astros games, how he felt about the revelation that the Astros had illegally stolen signs, what the 2017 title meant to him at the time, what it means to him now, and the 2020 team. Lastly (53:56), they bring on Professor Woody Studenmund to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the pioneering North East League, the oldest APBA league in existence, and explain the appeal of baseball simulation games, the highlights of the league’s history, and the value of having a lifelong hobby. Audio intro: Galactic (Feat. Mavis Staples), "Does it Really Make a Difference" Audio interstitial 1: Johnny Flynn, "Been Listening" Audio interstitial 2: The Coasters, "Keep on Rolling" Audio outro: Lee Graves, "Sixty Years and a Day" Link to SignStealingScandal.com Link to Rob Arthur’s article Link to Bill Petti’s thread Link to Ben on sign stealing’s effectiveness Link to The Athletic article about Tony Link to info on APBA Link to article on the NEL Link to The APBA Blog Link to order The MVP Machine  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 banter about the “vibrathrob” episode, the Astros hiring Dusty Baker, Kris Bryant reportedly losing his service-time grievance, and Delmon Young raking in Australia, then answer listener emails about a disrespectful intro for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, teams patenting tactics, and the enduring legacy of Carlos Beltrán’s NLCS-ending strikeout, plus Stat Blasts about intentional leadoff walks, plate appearances by Hall of Famers by franchise, and whether managers call for replay reviews more often on good teams than bad teams. Audio intro: Outkast, "Vibrate" Audio outro: The Go-Betweens, "Dusty in Here" Link to passage about the “vibrathrob” episode Link to Craig Edwards on Bryant losing his grievance Link to the legal argument against service-time manipulation Link to Craig’s proposal for ending service-time manipulation Link to Jayson Stark’s suggestions for ending service-time manipulation Link to Sam in 2015 on shaming the Cubs about Bryant Link to the ABL batter leaderboard Link to Kiner-Falefa video Link to video of the Boggs knuckler Link to video of the Canseco knuckler Link to Russell on the spread of ideas Link to order The MVP Machine  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