Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about umpire crew chiefs getting microphones for the 2020 season, the Reds signing Nick Castellanos and the small gaps between the top four teams in the NL Central, the Diamondbacks trading for Starling Marte and whether the Dodgers can be beaten in the NL West, and MLB getting sued over sign stealing, and then Sam makes the case for Andy Pettitte as a deserving Hall of Famer, prompting a discussion of the most challenging era in which to develop pitchers and how we assess players’ Cooperstown qualifications. Audio intro: Soul Position, "Mic Control" Audio outro: The Cranberries, "Desperate Andy" Link to Sam on balks Link to Craig Edwards on the Castellanos signing Link to story about sign stealing and fantasy baseball Link to SI story on sign-stealing lawsuits Link to Ben on Reds scouting reports Link to Jay Jaffe’s latest breakdown of Pettitte’s Hall of Fame case Link to Sam on Colon and the Hall of Fame 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 Mitch Haniger’s excruciating-sounding injuries, how Mariners fans may feel about the Braves signing Félix Hernández, the winter of Nolan Arenado’s discontent, where the Rockies went wrong, the oddness of being a baseball player, why Scott Boras believes Astros players shouldn’t apologize for stealing signs (and why he’s wrong), whether baseball could benefit from appointing an ombudsperson, and Rob Manfred’s recent comments about his second term as commissioner and the future of the sport. Audio intro: The Cranberries, "Rupture" Audio outro: 23frames, "The Ombudsman" Link to article about Boras Link to Manfred’s comments Link to Rob Arthur on tanking and attendance Link to Rob Arthur on ticket prices and attendance 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 do a brief, spoiler-free followup on their Knives Out banter from the previous episode, then break down the elections of Derek Jeter and Larry Walker to the Hall of Fame, touching on the contrast between their voting trajectories, how and why Walker made it, the lone Jeter ballot holdout, the next sabermetric Cooperstown Cause célèbre, Scott Rolen vs. Omar Vizquel, the next few Hall of Fame ballots, and more. Then they banter about the Braves signing Marcell Ozuna and answer listener emails about the possibility of a player blackmailing a cheating team, whether sign stealing is more powerful than PEDs, when baseball becomes “history,” and why politicians so often bring up baseball, plus a Stat Blast about the Rockies’ pre-Walker Hall of Fame shutout. Audio intro: The Spinanes, "Fame and Fortune" Audio outro: Silver Jews, "Pet Politics" Link to Hall of Fame voting results Link to Baumann on Jeter and Walker Link to Stark on the Hall of Fame results Link to Ben Clemens on the Ozuna signing Link to Jay Jaffe on the sign-stealing and PED scandals Link to Ben on the statistical effects of steroids Link to story on when history ends Link to Bryan Curtis on baseball metaphors in politics 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 symbolism of the baseball in Knives Out (beware of slight spoilers from 4:17 to 10:32), follow up on a few reader suggestions about outside hires who could clean up the Astros, and discuss the latest developments in the sign-stealing scandal, then try to invent a new end-of-season baseball award that could catch on in an era of advanced stats and award saturation, plus a postscript on a baseball reference in an episode of Sex and the City. Audio intro: Radiohead, "Knives Out" Audio outro: Fabolous (Feat. Pusha T), "Life is so Exciting" Link to info on the baseball in Knives Out Link to Sam’s article about the most exciting players Link to paper on WAR and MVP voting Link to Sam on WAR and Hall of Fame voting Link to article about advanced stats and Gold Glove voting Link to video of Sex and the City scene 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 review a wild, rumor-filled Thursday in baseball, touching on Jessica Mendoza’s comments about Mike Fiers, the end of Carlos Beltrán’s brief tenure as Mets manager, the Mets’ handling of his exit, the saga of not-Beltrán’s-niece, Twitter detectives following alleged leads about buzzers, Alex Bregman, and José Altuve, how efforts to document the banging scheme fueled the search for suspicious jerseys, MLB losing control of the sign-stealing narrative, comments on sign stealing by non-Astros players, how bad the scandal will be for baseball, and (on a happier note) the Giants’ hiring of Alyssa Nakken, the first female major league coach, then answer listener emails about how the Astros’ performance in 2020 will affect perceptions of sign stealing’s effectiveness, how many games the Astros would win if they were barred from the playoffs, the baseball equivalent of Ed “Straight Arrow” Gennero from Necessary Roughness, and Beltrán’s chances of making the Hall of Fame, plus a Stat Blast on striking out every hitter in a game. Audio intro: Dr. Dog, "Buzzing in the Light" Audio outro: Donovan, "Jersey Thursday" Link to Mendoza comments Link to Michael Baumann on the spread of sign-stealing rumors Link to Jeff Passan’s recap of Thursday Link to Alyssa Nakken story Link to Bregman’s 2018 comments about Beltrán Link to Cora’s 2018 comments about Beltrán Link to Verlander’s 2017 comments about sign stealing Link to Jay Jaffe on Beltrán’s Hall of Fame chances Link to Will Leitch on the sign-stealing scandal Link to Congressional letter 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 Red Sox firing Alex Cora, the Twins signing Josh Donaldson, an uptick in online player pettiness, fans taunting the visiting Astros, and a baseball-themed Jeopardy! clue. Then (22:30) Ben and Sam Miller banter about baseball fandom as a form of family bonding and the appeal of Remembering Some Guys and conclude by remembering something about each of the players who just appeared for the first time on the Hall of Fame ballot. Audio intro: The Walkmen, "Another One Goes By" Audio interstitial: Jenny Lewis, "Just One of the Guys" Audio outro: Chance The Rapper (Feat. Death Cab for Cutie), "Do You Remember" Link to Red Sox announcement Link to post about Minor Link to Jay’s ballot breakdowns Link to David’s video series 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 discuss MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s report about the findings of the league’s investigation into the Astros’ sign-stealing activities and the firings of Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch, touching on the appropriateness of the punishments, the new details revealed in the report, where the report fell short, why players weren’t suspended, the futures of the suspended personnel, the culpability of Luhnow, Hinch, Alex Cora, and Carlos Beltrán, when and why the sign stealing (supposedly) stopped, the future of the Astros, whether other teams will be implicated, permanent solutions to sign stealing, and more. Audio intro: Queen, "Hammer to Fall" Audio outro: Justin Townes Earle, "Someone Will Pay" Link to MLB report Link to Hinch statement Link to Luhnow statement Link to Ben on the report’s ripple effects Link to Verducci report 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 2019’s non-playoff teams actually being the big buyers this winter, the six-player Rays-Cardinals trade involving Matthew Liberatore and José Martínez, working with friends, and the Mariners not making trades, then answer emails about what constitutes a blockbuster trade, the worst go-for-it trades, and whether it’s better for the fans of a losing World Series team to know that the victorious team illegally stole signs. Audio intro: Sister Sledge, "Blockbuster Boy" Audio outro: Tame Impala, "The Less I Know the Better" Link to latest Ben Clemens research on signings Link to Craig Edwards on winning and free-agent spending Link to Ben Clemens breakdown of the Cardinals-Rays trade Link to Sam’s famous Rays trade tweet Link to list of disastrous deadline deals Link to video of Smith’s homer 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 latest revelations about Red Sox sign-stealing, MLB’s impending punishment of the Astros, and long-term sign-stealing solutions, then answer listener emails about banning executives, the offseason coverage of the Cubs and White Sox and what it means to win the winter, why bench players aren’t displayed in box scores, the merits of MLB’s approach to instituting an automated strike zone, and what makes errors and misplays memorable, plus a Stat Blast about the positional patterns of multi-position players. Audio intro: Uncle Tupelo, "Steal the Crumbs" Audio outro: Otis Redding, "Everybody Makes a Mistake" Link to The Athletic’s report on Red Sox sign-stealing Link to Verducci on Boston’s sign-stealing Link to Venezuelan Winter League brawl video Link to Tropeano strikeout story 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 a slightly light-headed Sam Miller banter about baseball and vomit and 2019 World Series Game 7 losing pitcher Will Harris signing with the Nationals, then attempt to predict what baseball will look like in the 2020s, touching on the most celebrated retirements, how high the strikeout rate will rise, how many games will be played, which tactics will come to the fore, what the most notable trends of the decade may be, whether baseball will get better or worse, and more. Audio intro: The Verve, "A New Decade" Audio outro: Koufax, "Going to Happen" Link to Ben on sick pitchers Link to Sam’s end of the decade awards Link to story on Harris’ Game 6 home run allowed Link to story on Harris’ Game 7 home run allowed Link to the history of rising strikeout rates Link to Ben on the mid-plate-appearance pitching change Link to Ben on trends that could define baseball’s future Link to ESPN broadcast featuring Bat Track Link to ESPN Bat Track data 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