Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s experiences at the Futures Game, the draft, and the Home Run Derby, Derby highlights, the Derby on TV vs. in person, Elly De La Cruz’s mad dash, and the Yankees switching hitting coaches, plus a Future Blast (49:12) from 2031. Then (54:25) Ben talks to FanGraphs lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen about the draft and other topics, including the strength of the draft pool, the Pirates picking a pitcher (Paul Skenes) first, the effect of the top two picks being LSU players, the mostly predictable top of the draft, the draft’s two-way prospects and the potential for more two-way players, the wisdom of drafting for need, the teams that had the most commendable and perplexing drafts, the Marlins demoting Eury Pérez, the Rockies’ sparsely populated draft room, how visual machine learning and artificial intelligence are affecting scouting, and more.

Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild theme”
Audio interstitial: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild theme”
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild theme”

Link to article on Rutschman
Link to 1960 Derby article
Link to 1990 Derby retrospective
Link to Derby homer totals
Link to tweet about Derby spectating
Link to more on Derby spectating
Link to Elly’s steals
Link to tweets about Elly/Carew/Faber
Link to Elly’s Baseball Savant page
Link to MLBTR on the Casey hiring
Link to Jon Heyman on Casey
Link to Lawson quote
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to MLB draft tracker
Link to Eric’s last mock
Link to Eric’s Day 1 recap
Link to CBS on draft winners/losers
Link to USA Today draft takeaways
Link to Baumann on Waldrep
Link to Ben on pitching prospects
Link to Schifman on pitcher workloads
Link to MLBTR on Pérez
Link to Joe Sheehan on Pérez
Link to Ben on draft rooms
Link to Kyle’s Rockies tweet
Link to KG on draft rooms
Link to Tommy John spreadsheet
Link to WSJ on scouting and AI
Link to The Athletic on tech spending
Link to BA on college offense
Link to Stanton’s long homer
Link to Stanton’s short homer

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s All-Star Week plans, play “Would you rather?” with the White Sox and Cardinals, the Padres and Mets, Carlos Rodón and Alek Manoah, and the Rangers and Diamondbacks, compare the values of Pablo López and Luis Arraez (26:25), discuss starting pitchers who might be available at the trade deadline (29:33), run down the dilemmas facing a few teams on the border between buying and selling, and use projections (44:06) to identify the positions on contending teams that are most in need of an upgrade. Then (1:05:15) they Stat Blast about the most baserunners allowed while facing the minimum, low-scoring division leaders, the Nationals’ odd home/away split, Chris Vallimont and players traded right after debuting, the all-time leaders in up-and-down seasons, pitchers’ error-prone throwing, whether an official-scoring conspiracy is boosting batting averages, and Shohei Ohtani with and without Mike Trout batting behind him, plus (1:50:21) a Future Blast from 2030 and a few follow-ups.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild theme”
Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild theme”

Link to FG playoff odds
Link to combined WAR leaderboard
Link to team SP WAR leaders
Link to team wRC+ leaderboard
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to article on Carroll’s shoulder
Link to Rosenthal on available SP
Link to Rosenthal on Stroman
Link to positional projections
Link to contenders’ top needs
Link to “facing the minimum” games
Link to Nats split 1
Link to Nats split 2
Link to MLBTR on Vallimont
Link to previous traded players
Link to up-and-down leaders
Link to Kenny Jackelen on Twitter
Link to Ben on the fake to 3rd
Link to Hicks walk-off
Link to Woodpeckers game story
Link to FB thread on game endings
Link to 2005 K-Rod ending
Link to 1995 Dodgers ending
Link to Castillo pop-up play
Link to error-rates-by-position sheet
Link to pitcher-error data
Link to Laurila on errors
Link to yearly fielding per-game rates
Link to yearly hitting per-game rates
Link to error/BIP stats/graphs
Link to Chow test wiki
Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter
Link to Ben on Ohtani after 2021
Link to research on lineup protection
Link to Ohtani with/without Trout
Link to plate discipline with/without
Link to hitters behind Ohtani
Link to Lucas Apostoleris on Twitter
Link to Sean Dolinar on Twitter
Link to listener emails database
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to 1978 Parker article
Link to later 1978 Parker article
Link to Parker’s SABR bio
Link to 2009 Parker article
Link to 2022 Parker post
Link to MLBTR on Pérez

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Mike Trout‘s injury makes the Angels more likely to trade birthday boy Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ rotation depth without Dustin May and Clayton Kershaw, bad news for Thairo Estrada and oldsters Nelson Cruz and Adam Wainwright (and the Cruz/Joe Ryan trade revisited), James Paxton‘s comeback, Mariners All-Star additions, Jordan Walker’s strange season, the arrival of the latest Orioles prospect, Colton Cowser, and more. Then (47:53) they answer listener emails about Triston Casas and assessing player development, a Jack in the Box baseball offer, a silly ending to a minor league game, baseball references (or the lack thereof) in Fall Out Boy’s version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” a ball that would be conducive to singles, a genie that grants baseball wishes, a simultaneous doubleheader, Ohtani fun facts, and softball-style helmets, plus a Future Blast (1:45:15) from 2029 and postscript follow-ups.

Audio intro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild theme”
Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild theme”

Link to Dan S. on the Angels
Link to hamate study 1
Link to hamate study 2
Link to hamate study 3
Link to Rosenthal on an Ohtani trade
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to Angels depth chart
Link to Dan’s Adell MLE
Link to Clay Davenport’s Adell MLE
Link to Hill EW episode
Link to Ben C. on the Dodgers
Link to Dodgers depth chart
Link to BP IL Ledger
Link to Fabian on Kershaw
Link to Fabian on May
Link to MLBTR on Estrada
Link to MLBTR on Cruz
Link to FG on Cruz/Ryan trade
Link to FG Ryan interview
Link to Ryan deception article
Link to other Ryan deception article
Link to info on Cruz’s eyes
Link to LASIK/baseball study
Link to MLBTR on Wainwright
Link to K-BB% leaderboard
Link to Mariners WAR leaderboard
Link to Jay Jaffe on Walker
Link to MLBTR on Cowser
Link to Down on the Farm Substack
Link to Jack in the Box offer
Link to Woodpeckers game story
Link to THT on worst endings
Link to THT on worst playoff endings
Link to high school game ending
Link to Fall Out Boy song
Link to Fall Out Boy lyrics
Link to Billy Joel lyrics
Link to thread on Joel’s fandom
Link to L.A. Times on Fall Out Boy
Link to Pesca on Fall Out Boy
Link to Bad Bunny song
Link to The Bear episode transcript
Link to Power Rankings leaderboard
Link to FG’s The Board
Link to The Bear episode transcript
Link to mitt in Catcher in the Rye
Link to Red Sox prospect list
Link to Schumaker/Arraez clip
Link to Ben on Ohtani
Link to softball mask EW episode
Link to listener emails database
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Derby field
Link to Odor profile
Link to Ross complaint
Link to Schifman on shadows
Link to Schifman on EW
Link to La Russa complaint
Link to 2003 Metrodome story
Link to 2004 Metrodome story

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about All-Star-roster minimums and maximums, what the Aroldis Chapman trade tells us about the how teams value prospects, Jake Diekman’s exploits with the Rays, Evan Longoria’s late-career contributions, and the same-named siblings of Carlos Pérez, Carlos Pérez, Wilmer Flores, Wilmer Flores, Wander Franco, Wander Franco, and Wander Franco. Then (45:59) they talk to Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon of The Baseball Project about the band’s origins and longevity, its new album, the inspiration for its songs, its songwriting and recording process, its historical accuracy, ensuring that multiple eras are represented, being musical super-utility players, the band’s audience and place in its members’ musical careers, the musicians they’d want to recruit, and more, plus a Future Blast (1:35:36) from 2028.

Audio intro: The Baseball Project, “New Oh in Town”
Audio interstitial: The Baseball Project, “The All or Nothings”
Audio outro: The Baseball Project, “Screwball”

Link to All-Star rosters
Link to All-Star-selection fun facts
Link to Jay Jaffe on the Chapman trade
Link to Sheehan on the Chapman trade
Link to Meg on Chapman in 2015
Link to FG’s 2016 Chapman breakdown
Link to Diekman projection episode
Link to Ben on Longoria in 2015
Link to 2021-23 3B offense leaderboard
Link to Octavio Hernández Pernía
Link to FG name-linker pop-up
Link to story on Flores brothers
Link to Franco family photo
Link to Franco profile
Link to other Franco profile
Link to story on Pérez brothers
Link to Foreman quote
Link to stream Grand Salami Time!
Link to buy Grand Salami Time!
Link to The Baseball Project website
Link to upcoming tour dates
Link to Steve Wynn’s website
Link to Spin musician baseball preview
Link to The Dream Syndicate reissue
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Ellis LSD no-no video
Link to Emma B. on Ohtani’s June
Link to Dan S. on Ohtani projections

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley attempt to create a hierarchy of highlights, then (21:36) mark the midpoint of the regular season by reviewing the most salient storylines of the first half, the teams and players who’ve most underperformed or overperformed their preseason projections, and what they’re most looking forward to in the second half, plus a follow-up (1:12:25) on the evolution of official scoring and a Future Blast (1:23:00) from 2026.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ramírez steal
Link to Vierling slide
Link to Naylor throw
Link to Ben Clemens on those plays
Link to Sam on HR highlights
Link to preseason player projections
Link to projected-wins changes
Link to Chris Gilligan on the second half
Link to Paine on payroll and wins
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to FG combined WAR leaderboard
Link to under/overperformers sheet
Link to Ben on Ohtani
Link to Robert Orr on Acuña
Link to story on Carroll’s shoulder
Link to All-Star starters
Link to Kimbrel violations
Link to violations leaderboard
Link to MLB.com on first-half highlights
Link to Leitch on first-half surprises
Link to 2012 scoring appeals process
Link to scoring changes website
Link to listener emails database
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to MLBTR on the Chapman trade
Link to info on new uniforms

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Andrew McCutchen’s latest “furries” tweet, the Pirates playing through a high AQI and the need for a safety standard, Domingo Germán’s perfect game and the state of the Yankees, Yandy Díaz turning back into Ground Beef, Shohei Ohtani lapping his league and strangely struggling at the plate with two strikes, and the Orioles’ Pride Night, then (1:02:25) answer listener emails about pointing giant fans at the field, an official scoring decision on a Luis Arraez single, whether the Reds should have called up Elly De La Cruz sooner, whether contending teams should aim for playoff matchups with the Central division winners, and whether playing MLB The Show could affect a player’s IRL performance, plus (1:34:46) a Future Blast from 2026.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to latest “furries” tweet
Link to McCutchen “furries” explainer
Link to info on fursuit protectiveness
Link to AQI concerns
Link to Pirates’ game-delay tweet
Link to Sheehan on Germán
Link to Paine on the perfecto
Link to “Her?” montage
Link to Yankees offense post-Judge
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to xBAs from the perfecto
Link to longest sub-100-pitch-GS streaks
Link to list of perfectos
Link to perfecto pitch counts
Link to Félix-meme tweet
Link to Germán apology article
Link to other Germán apology article
Link to MLBTR on O’Hearn
Link to story about O’s Pride Night
Link to O’s Pride Night tweet
Link to O’s Pride Night montage
Link to The Athletic on the Rangers
Link to Yandy’s monthy splits
Link to Ben’s Ohtani article
Link to MLBTR’s Ohtani job listing
Link to combined WAR leaderboard
Link to wOBA with <2 strikes
Link to wOBA with 2 strikes
Link to story about Cameron and Félix
Link to info on Félix and fastballs
Link to more on Félix and fastballs
Link to even more on Félix and fastballs
Link to Passan on Pedro and Elly
Link to story about Metrodome fans
Link to Arraez play
Link to info on DiMaggio streak scoring
Link to MLB.com on Elly’s call-up
Link to MLBTR on Elly’s call-up
Link to Harris II’s Real 99 card
Link to listener emails database
Link to Rick Wilber’s website

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the three Taylor Wards, the truth and multiple untruths about Elly De La Cruz’s twin brother, the dominance of 20-year-old Eury Pérez and the Marlins’ usage dilemma, Luis Arraez’s plate predictions, MVP odds, and underestimation as a prospect, the Mets’ struggles and Buck Showalter’s morbid mind, the Orioles’ prospect cornucopia, the debut of part-time knuckleballer Matt Waldron, the Angels’ odd series loss and infield trades, how Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are like Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, why the anti-shift rules are increasing strikeouts, whether it’s bad for baseball that Rob Manfred acknowledged regret about his handling of the sign-stealing scandal, and the latest sign of the sports-betting apocalypse, plus a Future Blast from 2025.

Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ward scoreboard image
Link to Ward/Wade wiki
Link to tweet about Elly’s brother
Link to photo of Elly’s brother
Link to misinfo about Elly’s brother
Link to Elly’s “fastest man” quote
Link to Sam on Hamilton’s speed
Link to Ben Clemens on Pérez
Link to best 9-start starts
Link to clip of Schumaker
Link to player predictions wiki
Link to 2019 Twins top prospects
Link to Ben on HUaL
Link to Showalter quote
Link to rigor mortis quote
Link to Cohen tweet
Link to playoff odds
Link to tweet about Orioles prospects
Link to Jay on Waldron
Link to Waldron GIF
Link to Jannis on EW
Link to Ben on the knuckleball
Link to Langs tweet
Link to Dan S. on Angels trades
Link to Escobar citizenship
Link to episode on Escobar and Fogo
Link to Rob on the shift ban
Link to Lewie on the shift ban
Link to Manfred’s Time interview
Link to the WSJ on Shams
Link to Awful Announcing on Shams
Link to WaPo on gambling/sports media
Link to stretching article
Link to other stretching article
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Sam on single-game WAR

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley are joined by FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Michael Baumann to banter about the Phillies’ outlier legal name, Dave Martinez and the dying art of the theatrical managerial ejection, the benching of Wander Franco, whether the Diamondbacks’, Reds’, and Orioles’ surprising seasons are attributable to MLB’s new rules, and whether bad bullpens are good for baseball, then (59:48) discuss a classic College World Series pitcher’s duel, the College World Series final, whether the Shohei Ohtani comps for Florida’s Jac Caglianone are warranted, college pitch-count controversies, Eric and Michael’s takeaways from the MLB Draft Combine, whether there are indications of a baseball bounceback among young Black athletes, whether the scouts suing MLB over age discrimination are likely to succeed (1:40:57), and more, plus (1:54:05) a Future Blast from 2024.

Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Cuda tweet
Link to latest Martinez ejection
Link to Martinez photo printout
Link to Martinez World Series ejection
Link to Wellman ejection
Link to NYT on ejections
Link to article on Nevin ejections
Link to article on Boone ejection
Link to article on Franco benching
Link to Freeman/Acuña comments
Link to story on Franco’s safe
Link to Stark on surprise teams
Link to FG BsR data
Link to BP BRR data
Link to BP BRR allowed data
Link to Patrick on bad bullpens
Link to Sam on the Royals’ pen
Link to BP on the Mariners’ pen
Link to Paine on payroll and standings
Link to Paine’s MANFRED scores
Link to pre-Skenes/Lowder story
Link to post-Skenes/Lowder story
Link to Betteridge’s law
Link to more on Skenes/Lowder
Link to Passan on Caglianone
Link to WSJ pitch-counts article
Link to Eric’s latest draft rankings
Link to ESPN on Black amateur players
Link to Eric’s Draft Combine footage
Link to scout lawsuit article
Link to other scout lawsuit article
Link to Regan lawsuit article
Link to squatting article
Link to stretching article
Link to other stretching article
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to article on Elly’s cycle
Link to MLBTR on Waldron
Link to article on qualified catchers

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Ben Lindbergh addresses an interview upgrade on the preceding episode, chats with FanGraphs’ Dan Szymborski about Luis Arraez’s chances of batting .400, Stat Blasts (22:36) about extremes in team winning and losing streaks, welcomes in David Lewis (28:00) for the final Past Blast, and talks to prolific science fiction (and baseball science fiction) author Rick Wilber (44:48) about being the son of big leaguer Del Wilber, his career and love for baseball and sci-fi, and the podcast’s forthcoming Future Blast series, plus a postscript (1:26:00) about Tyler Wells and Taylor Walls, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, Rob Manfred and public ballpark funding, contentious plays at the plate, and a new walk-up-music database.

Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Carleton interview episode
Link to MLB.com on Arraez
Link to Dan on Arraez
Link to Statcast park factors
Link to Foolish thread on AVG+
Link to AVG+ leaderboard
Link to story about Reds’ latest win
Link to Reds streak fun fact
Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter
Link to longest in-season-streaks sheet
Link to more streaks data
Link to Past Blast EW wiki page
Link to 2023 Past Blast source
Link to Ben on the pitch clock
Link to Ben on the pitch clock again
Link to B-Ref’s new rules page
Link to Rickwood Field story
Link to Hinchliffe Stadium story
Link to first Dick Trueman episode
Link to second Dick Trueman episode
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Wilber’s baseball works
Link to My Father’s Game
Link to Del Wilber’s SABR bio
Link to Lucky Starr wiki
Link to Wade/Ward wiki
Link to Trout/Betts interview
Link to Trout/Ohtani at-bat
Link to Bochy ejection video
Link to Melvin ejection video
Link to the NYT on plate-blocking
Link to Heim’s replay-review gesture
Link to Manfred’s Time interview
Link to scholars survey on funding
Link to story on the Astros comment
Link to trade trees site
Link to trade values site
Link to thread on walk-up-songs site
Link to MLB walk-up-songs site
Link to The Walk-Up Database
Link to walk-up-site requests thread

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Ben Lindbergh and Russell Carleton of Baseball Prospectus banter about the return of Joey Votto, the suddenly exciting Cincinnati Reds, the NL Central and NL West races, and more, then (25:45) discuss several of the developments chronicled in Russell’s new book, The New Ballgame: The Not-So-Hidden Forces Shaping Modern Baseball, including the impact of the one-inning reliever, the expansion of baseball’s talent pool, the redefinition of positions, the strikeout conundrum, and the role of analytics in shaping the sport. After that (1:23:27), Ben honors the promotions of Votto and Bo Naylor by talking to Scott Crawford, director of operations for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, about the Hall’s latest induction weekend, its election process and criteria, the history of the Hall and baseball in Canada, the Hall’s collection and relationships with other Halls of Fame, the baseball landscape in Canada, and more, followed by a Past Blast (1:54:16) from 2022.

Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to record of EW guests
Link to video of Votto’s return
Link to Votto’s postgame interview
Link to MLBTR on Votto
Link to Krall comment
Link to Reds playoff appearances
Link to Reds depth chart
Link to team batting ages
Link to team pitching ages
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to Russell’s book
Link to Arraez/Nomar fun fact
Link to Freeway Series fun fact
Link to Verducci on pitch-tipping
Link to Ben on bullpenning
Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes
Link to Ben on strikeouts
Link to Russell on strikeouts
Link to Eno Sarris on strikeouts
Link to Bill James on strikeouts
Link to Lewie Pollis on strikeouts
Link to Ben on super-utility players
Link to Ben on Dodgers positional fluidity
Link to Russell on position switches
Link to Russell on the invasive reliever
Link to Russell on reliever-like starters
Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits
Link to The Athletic player survey
Link to Dan S. on Naylor
Link to Canadian Baseball HoF website
Link to Canadian Baseball HoF wiki
Link to Walker’s photos
Link to Jenkins tweet about Votto
Link to French baseball glossary
Link to 2005 article on Doucet
Link to info on Chatham team
Link to info on class of 2023
Link to induction weekend account
Link to 2022 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Rickwood Field story

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani’s latest exploits and career-best WAR pace, the Angels’ playoff hopes, Corbin Carroll’s physique, and Mickey Moniak’s fluky-but-fun hot streak, then (20:55) answer listener emails about how big a scandal it would be if Ohtani turned out to be two twins, when managers would choose to take in-game mulligans, and which stat should replace errors in the traditional line score, followed by a Meet a Major Leaguer segment (54:00) featuring Keaton Winn and Ricky Karcher (as well as Joe Jacques and Stan Musial), Stat Blasts (1:18:45) about Zack Greinke and the widest pitch-speed spreads and Jo Adell and the players with the biggest career gaps between their Triple-A and MLB production, plus a Past Blast (1:39:30) from 2021.

Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ohtani’s oppo homers
Link to Ohtani oppo graphic
Link to Ohtani’s Statcast record
Link to story on Ohtani’s series
Link to Ohtani’s HR lead
Link to Blum’s bat tweet
Link to Ohtani’s streak
Link to Neil Paine on Ohtani
Link to Ohtani sweepers by start
Link to Ohtani sweepers vs. LHB
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to Angels wRC+ leaders
Link to The Athletic on Moniak
Link to minor league chase leaders
Link to MLB swing-rate leaders
Link to article on Carroll
Link to Dan Bern’s Ohtani song
Link to Canseco conspiracy
Link to Atlantic League EW episode
Link to Craig/Báez play
Link to Minor’s 200th strikeout story
Link to other Ben on line scores
Link to modern box score story
Link to EW emails database
Link to list of saves in debuts
Link to MLB.com on Winn’s debut
Link to McCovey Chronicles on Winn
Link to story on Giants bullpen WAR
Link to toothpaste/Sriracha tweet
Link to Karcher interview
Link to Karcher pitch plot
Link to Karcher article 1
Link to Karcher article 2
Link to Karcher article 3
Link to Karcher article 4
Link to Jacques call-up article 1
Link to Jacques call-up article 2
Link to Jacques debut play
Link to Jacques interview
Link to Jacques other interview
Link to Musial/Jacques query
Link to Musial story
Link to 2023 new debuts
Link to Topps Now cards
Link to pitch-speed-spread leaders
Link to new Greinke stories article
Link to EW episode on Greinke stories
Link to active-pitcher spreads
Link to Simon pitch spreads
Link to Padilla pitch spreads
Link to consecutive-pitches Stat Blast
Link to Lucas Apostoleris on Twitter
Link to Triple-A/MLB gaps spreadsheet
Link to Triple-A/MLB hypothetical email
Link to intra-season AAA/MLB gap Blast
Link to Ben on the majors/minors gap
Link to Kenny Jackelen on Twitter
Link to Home Run Challenge press release
Link to Home Run Challenge leaderboard
Link to donate to Home Run Challenge
Link to 2021 Past Blast source
Link to Ben on moving the mound
Link to Ben/Rob on the results
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley review the most disappointing teams of 2023, ultimately anointing one team as the most disappointing and trying to identify which of the contenders for the “most disappointing” title is most likely to turn things around by the end of the season. Then (32:21) they discuss A’s fans’ reverse boycott, the seemingly sealed deal for the A’s to move to Las Vegas, the viability of Vegas as an MLB market, commissioner Rob Manfred’s maddening comments about all of the above, the 20th anniversary of Moneyball coinciding with the A’s ugly exit from Oakland, the legacy of the book, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:17:56) from 2020.

Audio intro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to preseason playoff odds
Link to preseason playoff odds changes
Link to Sheehan’s run differential tweet
Link to Sheehan on the Jays
Link to Petriello on Kiermaier
Link to A’s winning streak story
Link to MLBTR on Nevada votes
Link to FG on the reverse boycott
Link to The Athletic on the reverse boycott
Link to BP on the reverse boycott
Link to Manfred’s comments
Link to Oakland mayor’s response
Link to Tim Kawakami on Manfred
Link to Defector on Las Vegas
Link to Sheehan on Las Vegas
Link to Ken/Evan on front-office spending
Link to Sam Schultz thread
Link to Sam Schultz EW episode
Link to R.J. on front office unionization
Link to Ben/Rob’s 2016 study
Link to 2020 follow-up study
Link to Moneyball Act info
Link to info on Kotick cameo
Link to Michael Lewis on SABRcast
Link to 2020 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to MLBTR on the governor signing
Link to Manfred’s Pride Night comments
Link to SABRcast book episode
Link to Ringer-Verse gaming episode

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani leading MLB in WAR and the number of times his hitting has leapfrogged his pitching or vice versa, the EW audience’s verdict on who won the pod’s recent 26-under-25 draft, the suddenly-quite-competitive A’s-Royals race for the worst record in baseball, a painful ending to a college playoff game and the evolving conversation about pitch counts for college starters, the pitch clock’s impact on performance and injuries, one potential downside to the pitch clock reaching NPB, the Diamondbacks’ “victory vest,” and The Athletic’s layoffs and the state of sports media, plus a Past Blast from 2019.

Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ohtani’s first homer
Link to Ohtani’s second homer
Link to MLB.com on tired Ohtani
Link to The Athletic on tired Ohtani
Link to FG WAR leaderboard
Link to B-Ref WAR leaderboard
Link to 26-under-25 draft
Link to draft voting results
Link to Carroll/Henderson awards
Link to Royals/A’s post
Link to Rob Mains on mobility
Link to tweet about college game ending
Link to college TOOTBLAN
Link to college dropped ball
Link to Cooper on pitch counts
Link to Jake on Mathews
Link to longer thread on Mathews
Link to Romano’s quote tweet
Link to 2016 study on college workloads
Link to 2018 college workloads study
Link to Dan S. on the pitch clock
Link to Jim Allen on the NPB clock
Link to report on the NPB clock
Link to victory vest story
Link to MLB’s Realmuto tweet
Link to “cyclone” tweet
Link to hockey’s “three stars”
Link to FG’s three players of the game
Link to WaPo’s The Athletic report
Link to FOS The Athletic report
Link to 2017 story about The Athletic
Link to Axios media newsletter
Link to 2019 Past Blast source
Link to 2015 robot-ump game
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to MLBTR on the Nevada vote
Link to Pujols hiring post

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Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Patreon supporter Reggie Deal banter about Reggie’s background as a baseball fan and Effectively Wild listener, his email correspondence with MLB and Rob Manfred, accessibility issues he’s encountered while following baseball as a blind person, and A’s fans’ upcoming “reverse boycott” event, then (22:25) answer listener emails about angry Aaron Boone earning the Yankees more favorable calls, MLB players providing in-game entertainment, how different baseball would be if it were more like Wii Sports, Esteury Ruiz, Luis Arraez, and riding a single standout skill to award consideration, ridiculously large batting helmets, and which .500-ish team is most likely to make the playoffs. Then (1:19:51) they Stat Blast about players who hit home runs of dramatically differing lengths on the same day, the longest team streaks without a left-on-left homer, and Anthony Rendon and other players whose teams hit better with runners in scoring position when they were in the lineup, plus a Past Blast (1:40:44) from 2018.

Audio intro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to story about radio and Audacy
Link to Reggie’s Manfred letter
Link to National Beep Baseball Association
Link to EW Beep Baseball interview
Link to Rooted in Oakland website
Link to Rooted in Oakland tweet
Link to thread on Yankees calls
Link to story on Boone’s ejections
Link to ejection rates over time
Link to manager ejection totals
Link to manager ejection rates
Link to EW Episode 1855
Link to Wii Sports baseball footage
Link to Robert Orr on Arraez
Link to Arraez at Baseball Savant
Link to AVG+ leaders
Link to Sam on Hamilton
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to listener emails database
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to Topps Now Cards
Link to Zavala’s two homers
Link to Aquino’s three homers
Link to Jay Cuda tweet
Link to L-L/R-R HR spreadsheet
Link to Nevin/Rendon article
Link to BA w/RISP spreadsheet
Link to Hulse’s fouls
Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter
Link to 2018 Past Blast source
Link to Nathanson’s website
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Billy Joel’s “Pressure”

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mets, the Padres, and the AL Central, Jacob deGrom’s UCL, Mike Trout’s slow (by his standards) start, and a Phillies pitch-clock controversy, then (23:32), in honor of Elly De La Cruz, draft the 26 best MLB players under 25 years old (see link below to vote!), followed by a Past Blast from 2017 (1:13:54), closing banter about the Blue Jays and Red Sox DFAing Anthony Bass and Matt Dermody, respectively (1:17:22), and updates.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Rosenthal on the Mets
Link to story on Phillies pitch clock
Link to Sam Blum on Trout
Link to Jay on Trout
Link to Ben on deGrom
Link to Baby Gronk explainer
Link to giant baby meme
Link to Elly’s prediction
Link to Statcast on Elly
Link to EW drafts/competitions
Link to listener voting form
Link to MLBTR on Bass
Link to Toronto Star on Bass
Link to The Athletic on Dermody
Link to Bloom on Dermody
Link to Dermody’s Twitter likes
Link to 2017 Past Blast source
Link to other Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Blaseball EW episode
Link to article on end of Blaseball
Link to Greinke EW episode
Link to new Greinke stories
Link to Diekman EW episode
Link to BP on Diekman
Link to Judge fence article
Link to Yankees super-error
Link to Ohtani vs. RHP sweepers
Link to Ohtani vs. LHP sweepers

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s voice, the arrival of Elly De La Cruz, the similarities between the up-and-coming Reds and Pirates, whether we need a “super-error,” Aaron Judge’s ball- and wall-smashing abilities, the plights of Alek Manoah and Stephen Strasburg, the wonder of Luis Arraez, whether this year’s trade deadline will be dead, follow-ups on the Angels’ catchers, Ben Joyce’s fastball, and Albert Pujols’s employment, how the pitch clock could affect players’ stamina in the second half, and more, plus a Past Blast from 2016 (1:34:00) and a few updates (1:38:25), including thoughts on Jacob deGrom’s diagnosis.

Audio intro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Eichler, “Wild Shift”

Link to MLBTR on Elly
Link to Rosenthal/Judge interview
Link to Red Sox/Rays play
Link to Sox errors montage
Link to FARTSLAM post
Link to Knoblauch FARTSLAM
Link to Stark on Judge
Link to story on Judge and the wall
Link to McCray catch video
Link to Judge dachshund video
Link to Judge/Rizzo doxie article
Link to Judge/Rizzo doxie shirt tweet
Link to Judge/Rizzo doxie shirt photo
Link to Manoah gamer
Link to MLBTR on Manoah
Link to Dan S. on Manoah
Link to Halladay’s rebuild
Link to Strasburg article
Link to Baumann on Arraez
Link to B-Ref baserunning page
Link to xWOBA overperformers
Link to xBA overperformers
Link to Arraez’s 2019-22 BA-xBA
Link to Arraez fun fact 1
Link to Arraez fun fact 2
Link to Arraez fun fact 3
Link to Arraez fun fact 4
Link to Young on the deadline
Link to MLB.com on the deadline
Link to team catcher offense
Link to highest-FA% pitchers
Link to BP on Joyce
Link to MLBTR on Pujols
Link to Blum on Pujols
Link to 2016 Past Blast source
Link to MLB committee report
Link to early-2016 Ben article
Link to mid-2016 Ben article
Link to baseball drag values
Link to De La Cruz gamer
Link to Clemens on HFA
Link to Judge fence article
Link to MLBTR on deGrom
Link to deGrom interview video

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Shohei Ohtani is throwing too many sweepers to opposite-handed hitters, the MLB debut of flamethrowing Ben Joyce, the extreme walk/strikeout stylings of George Kirby and Spencer Strider, the states of the Central divisions, the offense and defense of Ke’Bryan Hayes, the return of Jon Singleton, whether the pitch clock is responsible for this season’s uptick in attendance, and the taken-for-granted greatness of Mookie Betts, answer listener emails about baseball’s version of a hockey goon, players singing during the seventh-inning stretch, and whether it would make umpires more accurate to give them a PitchCom device, plus a Past Blast (1:18:33) from 2015.

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ohtani sweeper RV vs. RHB
Link to Ohtani sweeper RV vs. LHB
Link to sweeper leaderboard
Link to Ohtani pitch usage
Link to SP sweeper usage
Link to Ben C. on sweepers
Link to Ohtani sweeper HR vs. LHB
Link to Joyce’s debut
Link to Joyce pitch speeds
Link to story on Joyce’s record pitch
Link to Strider/Kirby spreadsheet
Link to Kirby command plot
Link to Kirby fun fact
Link to Strider fun fact
Link to Herbstreit Reds Twitter war
Link to Hayes’s defensive ratings
Link to MLBTR on Singleton
Link to annual attendance
Link to 2023 team attendance
Link to spring ratings story
Link to early-season ratings story
Link to Ben on the pitch clock
Link to Mookie gamer
Link to FG WAR leaderboard
Link to hockey enforcer wiki
Link to Brault EW episode
Link to Jeff on Brault
Link to Brault’s album
Link to Brault’s OF conversion
Link to Alberto singing
Link to EW emails database
Link to 2015 Past Blast source
Link to other 2015 source
Link to TORIIHTW book website
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Dan S. on pitcher zStats

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s 500th EW episode, the architectural concept of the “Thomasson,” a forthcoming HBO documentary about Barry Bonds, the rebound of Juan Soto, common misconceptions about WAR, the declines of Noah Syndergaard and Kris Bryant, the NL West, MLB broadcasting Padres games, an MLB-MLBPA ad deal, a rules update, Francisco Álvarez’s defense, the return of Jordan Walker, Shohei Ohtani’s bat grip, a slowdown in injuries, and a D-III team that wins with HBPs, plus a Past Blast from 2014 (1:32:52), player responses to the Dodgers’ Pride Night, and follow-ups.

Audio intro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Thomasson thread
Link to Thomasson wiki
Link to Thomasson at B-Ref Bullpen
Link to Thomasson podcast episode
Link to Bonds doc info
Link to A-Rod doc story
Link to A-Rod gum disease segment
Link to Trout/Griffey FB thread
Link to FG’s WAR explainer
Link to Syndergaard quote
Link to Syndergaard hypnosis story
Link to December Syndergaard story
Link to FG on Syndergaard’s 2022
Link to Rumpelstiltskin wiki
Link to MLBTR on Bryant
Link to Ben C. on MLB/DSG
Link to Sheehan on MLB/DSG
Link to Ginny Searle on MLB/DSG
Link to MLB-MLBPA partnership
Link to more info on partnership
Link to Ben C. on new rules
Link to Sheehan on new rules
Link to Jay on Álvarez
Link to MLBTR on Walker
Link to Ohtani tweet
Link to injuries tweet
Link to Jake on Misericordia
Link to 2014 Past Blast source
Link to other 2014 source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to story about Pride Night
Link to story about player comments
Link to Buckley column
Link to “allies” lineup
Link to Abreu/Acton tweet
Link to hot mic video

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Pete Alonso‘s, um, emergency swing, the activations (6:25) of four players (Liam Hendriks, Michael Soroka, Paul Blackburn, and Royce Lewis), the small leads in most divisions (12:03) and the leveling out of the league (A’s aside), José Abreu‘s first homer “trot” of the season, and an umpire comment caught on a hot mic. Then (40:15) they answer a listener email about the ball’s liveliness and follow up on a few other email answers, bring on Rob Mains (57:35) of Baseball Prospectus to Stat Blast about the zombie runner’s impact on home field advantage and discuss the origins of the DL’s rechristening to “injured list” (1:18:45), and follow a Past Blast from 2013 (1:27:27) with banter about Andrew McCutchen’s request for a new rule, plus a postscript (1:37:58).

Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Alonso clip
Link to Meg on Bradley
Link to Meg on Lind
Link to EW on Hernández
Link to Passan on Hendriks
Link to MLBTR on McCullers
Link to Rob Mains on 2022 inequality
Link to Rob Arthur on 2022 balance
Link to story on the Reds
Link to EW Wiki on the Reds
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to preseason predictions pod
Link to Abreu’s “trot”
Link to ump video
Link to ump post
Link to Marte’s homer
Link to HR/Contact graph
Link to ball-drag dashboard
Link to last email show
Link to Lemon on “prime”
Link to listener emails database
Link to Topps Now cards
Link to Rob on HFA
Link to HFA across sports
Link to HFA research
Link to more HFA research
Link to Ben on HFA
Link to Rob on the DL/IL
Link to 2013 Past Blast source
Link to another 2013 source
Link to Grant on catcher collisions
Link to EW Stanky Draft
Link to McCutchen article
Link to positional aging curves
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to 2016 sliding changes
Link to Hendriks gamer
Link to Soroka gamer
Link to Lewis gamer
Link to EW on TV exit speeds
Link to Fatsis on Wambsgans(s)
Link to Sam on Succession

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s prediction concerning the Padres’ and Rangers’ rest-of-season performance with runners in scoring position, then (14:08) answer listener emails about the ultimate Quadruple-A player, leaving runners on base for the opposing team, immaculate-inning edge cases, tanking for Shohei Ohtani, setting up a lifelong Google Alert for a player, the 2020 season’s impact on Hall of Fame cases, and Barry Bonds with an extra-short bat, followed by (1:12:43) Stat Blasts about the frequency of in-game position switches and the most players on a team who had previously played on the same former team, plus (1:40:06) a Past Blast from 2012 and a few follow-ups.

Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to lowest tOPS+ w/RISP
Link to lowest OPS w/RISP
Link to highest tOPS+ w/RISP
Link to highest OPS w/RISP
Link to OPS w/bases empty
Link to Petriello on the Rangers
Link to Odor HR
Link to preseason predictions pod
Link to latest MiLB FA draft
Link to Gonny Jomes wiki
Link to old EW on immaculate innings
Link to Oviedo’s inning
Link to info on Mavs tanking
Link to article on Wemby tanking
Link to Waddell SABR bio
Link to McLaughlin wiki
Link to McLaughlin feature
Link to Posnanski on DiMaggio
Link to Jay on missed time
Link to Jay on missed time again
Link to Bois on Bonds
Link to listener emails database
Link to Topps Now cards
Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter
Link to positional permutations
Link to position-switch sheet
Link to second Stat Blast doc
Link to 2012 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to America Magazine article
Link to other Dodgers/SPI links
Link to Calcaterra newsletter
Link to Alonso clip
Link to Sabathia periods source
Link to more on C.C./CC

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the major leagues’ sudden influx of 24-year-old right-handed pitchers with the surname “Miller,” the Rays’ surprisingly precarious position in the AL East (7:48), and the Cubs, the Brewers, and the state of the NL Central (12:45), before focusing their bat-resuscitating powers on Trea Turner (17:22), with almost immediate effect. Then they talk to David Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic performer, Gritty co-conceiver, frequent team mascot consultant, and founder of the Mascot Boot Camp and Mascot Hall of Fame, about all of their mascot questions, the mascot design process, and what it’s like to be inside a mascot costume, plus updates and a Past Blast from 2011 (1:26:54).

Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG preseason top prospects
Link to The Board
Link to article about Bryce Miller
Link to LPGA naming convention
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to BP on the Rays-Jays blowout
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to high-leverage pitching splits
Link to FG pitching clutch
Link to pitching LOB%
Link to Turner quote
Link to Meg’s mascot rant
Link to NYTM on Raymond
Link to Gritty on Twitter
Link to info on Slider
Link to Dinger assault story
Link to Dandy wiki
Link to Mascot HoF wiki
Link to Mascot HoF ballot
Link to Raymond Entertainment site
Link to David’s speaking site
Link to David’s book
Link to 2011 Past Blast source
Link to 2012 HS bat change
Link to more info on bat change
Link to latest college HR uptick
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Turner’s homer

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Yordan Alvarez kissing Martín Maldonado, Will Brennan’s birdslaughter (12:33), the Guardians’ slow start (23:12), Madison Bumgarner’s reported reluctance to alter his pitching approach (32:49), Mike Trout passing Ken Griffey Jr. in career Baseball-Reference WAR (45:56), whether the A’s will end up historically bad or rebound to being merely abysmal (1:03:38), the firing of A’s broadcaster Glen Kuiper (1:21:17), and the Dodgers’ Pride Night debacle (1:40:34), plus a Past Blast from 2010 (1:48:05).

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Yordan kiss image
Link to Yordan kiss video
Link to Pudge kiss image
Link to Brennan bird video
Link to other Brennan bird clip
Link to Brennan tweet
Link to baby pigeons info
Link to Gomes story
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Buchanan on Bumgarner
Link to Mason Saunders story
Link to Trout/Griffey thread
Link to B-Ref career WAR leaders
Link to Dan S. on the A’s
Link to Tango on the A’s
Link to Sheehan on the A’s
Link to tremendous content meme
Link to Kuiper firing story
Link to other Kuiper story
Link to 2023 Kuiper clip
Link to 2020 Kuiper clip
Link to first Kuiper apology
Link to Braden explanation
Link to Pride Night story
Link to 2010 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Mets lasagna story
Link to Brennan’s bird gesture
Link to Brennan press conference
Link to A’s stadium update

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up with additional details about the Cardinals’ cheeseburger phone, banter about the hot hitting of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Aaron Judge, answer listener emails (31:13) about home run rituals and the unwritten rules, a prophylactic procedure to prevent Tommy John surgery, whether a runner could be safe because of his beard, the percentage of players who could be on the same statistical list as a Hall of Famer, whether pitchers fan batters or vice versa, a rapid player promotion, and making fan interference part of the game, react to a Luke Voit “beef” reference, meet Major Leaguers Josh Walker and Garrett Acton (1:13:46), Stat Blast about entire divisions being better than entire other divisions, players batting without a position, and streaks of starting pitchers with the same handedness (1:27:39), plus follow-ups and a Past Blast from 2009 (1:42:22).

Audio intro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Goold on phone details
Link to burger image
Link to burger GIF
Link to home run rituals
Link to Lawless bat flip
Link to “beanball” wiki
Link to FG WAR leaderboard
Link to xWOBA leaderboard
Link to other Ben on Acuña
Link to Sheehan on Acuña/Judge
Link to story about prophylactic TJ
Link to more on TJ
Link to even more on TJ
Link to bearded Napoli slide
Link to Speier tweet
Link to Episode 1426
Link to spirit week explainer
Link to listener emails database
Link to story on Walker
Link to more on Walker
Link to even more on Walker
Link to MLBTR on Walker
Link to Walker interview
Link to Acton debut story
Link to Acton’s first K
Link to BA on Acton
Link to FG on Acton
Link to background on Acton
Link to Ben on pitcher deception
Link to new MLB debuts
Link to Voit video
Link to Topps Now cards
Link to ALE/ALC standings
Link to tweet about “nothings”
Link to SABR on “nothings”
Link to most “nothing” PA
Link to most “nothing” runs created
Link to Russell on SP handedness
Link to 2009 Past Blast source
Link to more on Ripken’s site
Link to even more on the site
Link to video on the site
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to long hair article

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the sesame-seer Cardinals using a cheeseburger phone to predict home buns (er, runs) by hitters who are dialed in, the varying fortunes of three offseason big spenders (the Mets, Padres, and Rangers) and the stakes of their success, Kumar Rocker’s Tommy John surgery, Dustin May’s flexor strain, the proliferation of ranked prospects, Jackson Holliday, the Orioles’ infield future, and what it takes for tanking to be justified, the need for a Lab League to test the pre-tacked ball, José Abreu’s power outage, Zac Gallen’s bird omen, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:38:22) from 2008 and a few follow-ups.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Wainwright interview
Link to burger image
Link to burger GIF
Link to home run rituals
Link to Mets celebration article
Link to Mets comeback homers
Link to Machado injury info
Link to FG post on Heim
Link to Rocker Pipeline thread
Link to SAL leaderboard
Link to article on pre-tacked ball
Link to Bird Bath Splash Zone info
Link to Gallen bird video
Link to asterisk-ball display
Link to 2008 Past Blast source
Link to MLB replay wiki
Link to article on David’s catch
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to competitions/drafts sheet
Link to Episode 201 draft
Link to Modesto game box score
Link to Modesto game thread

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani’s near-cycle and newly hot hitting on days when he’s pitched, the Cardinals reinstating Willson Contreras at catcher (and Zac Gallen’s comments on the Cardinals Way), the Sean Murphy/William Contreras/Esteury Ruiz trade revisited, post-peak Christian Yelich and the breakout of Brent Rooker, the dominant Rays’ possible vulnerability, Aaron Judge peeking while at the plate, the verdict on the shift restrictions so far, the confounding seasons of the Red Sox, Cubs, and Padres, MLB app notifications about old games, mini-reviews of two new documentaries about Yankees icons, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:26:36) from 2007 and follow-ups.

Audio intro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ohtani quotes
Link to Ohtani homer
Link to Ohtani’s yearly splits
Link to Ohtani’s career splits
Link to Ohtani Stat Blast
Link to post on Chisholm’s defense
Link to news on Chisholm’s injury
Link to Marmol’s Contreras quote
Link to Post-Dispatch on Contreras
Link to The Athletic on Contreras
Link to Nightengale on Contreras
Link to Woodward on Contreras
Link to Gallen comments
Link to FG on William Contreras
Link to Rooker story
Link to Rooker interview
Link to Jay on the Rays
Link to Judge story
Link to Judge video
Link to Tango on the shift
Link to Ben on the Red Sox
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to story about Pint promotion
Link to Reggie
Link to It Ain’t Over
Link to 2015 greatest players
Link to Crane lawsuits info
Link to Mays doc episode
Link to 2007 Past Blast source
Link to article about 756 sale
Link to asterisk info
Link to article about 762 ball
Link to Hample incident info
Link to Hample banning tweet
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Jays-Yanks story
Link to Rosenthal on tipping
Link to Casas clip

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Akil Baddoo taking a baseball to the beans, broadcasters describing groin shots, and players deciding whether to wear cups. Then they compare a resurgent Joey Gallo and a slumping Andrew Benintendi (20:25), recall reliever Zack Littell’s affinity for cruise ships (33:22), forecast MLB’s international future (37:22), consider the Dodgers’ secret Ugandan academy (47:06), discuss an update on MLB’s integration of Negro Leagues stats (1:13:40), and assess their levels of anxiety about game-fixing in light of two college gambling scandals (1:30:21), plus a Past Blast (1:42:35) from 2006.

Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Baddoo play
Link to first cup tweet
Link to second cup tweet
Link to MLB nutshots compilation
Link to another nutshots video
Link to swinging nutshot video
Link to Ben Clemens on Gallo
Link to Ben L. on Gallo in 2014
Link to Gallo’s juggle catch
Link to Gallo on New York
Link to Gallo on New York again
Link to Littell article
Link to old Littell EW episode
Link to MLB international plans
Link to South Korea game info
Link to Uganda academy article
Link to info on Dodgers’ DR academy
Link to info on academies’ impact
Link to prospect exploitation report
Link to Horace Wilson article
Link to article on Negro Leagues stats
Link to Ben on MLB’s reclassification
Link to Ben on reclassification again
Link to Baumann on the Ala. scandal
Link to Sheehan on the Ala. scandal
Link to Iowa scandal story
Link to Iowa State info
Link to 2006 Past Blast source
Link to 2022 article on Jones
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Rasmussen info
Link to 2022 Megill story
Link to 2023 Megill story

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s recovery from COVID and the belated release of the CBA, predict how well White Sox cast-off Jake Diekman will pitch for the Rays, discuss injuries to Luis Garcia, Max Fried, Tyler Mahle, and more pitchers and investigate forearm/flexor strains as potential precursors to Tommy John surgery, react to Jack Flaherty’s comments about his diminished velocity, assess the state of the Astros’, Mets’, and Braves’ rotations, celebrate the call-up of Marlins prospect Eury Pérez and speculate about the call-up of hard-hitting Reds prospect Elly De La Cruz, laud the new, old Kenley Jansen, review what the “insiders” say about Shohei Ohtani’s upcoming contract, evaluate the needs of the Orioles and Mariners, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:42:35) from 2005.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to CBA
Link to Diekman news
Link to Sam’s Rays tweet
Link to Conte EW episode
Link to forearm strain study
Link to SI on velo and injuries
Link to Dan S. on Atlanta injuries
Link to Fried forearm strain
Link to Márquez forearm strain
Link to Mahle forearm strain
Link to Senzatela forearm strain
Link to Miller forearm strain
Link to Flaherty quote
Link to Dan on Flaherty
Link to more Dan on Flaherty
Link to Tango on Flaherty
Link to Flaherty’s max velos
Link to velo change study
Link to study on velo and injury
Link to more on velo and injury
Link to Ben on pitcher restrictions
Link to Sheehan on the Mets
Link to team pitching age
Link to Pérez call-up info
Link to FG post on Yandy
Link to Pérez call-up tweet
Link to De La Cruz hit speeds
Link to cat chonker chart
Link to Miley’s Kershaw quote
Link to Petriello on Jansen
Link to reliever JAWS
Link to ESPN on Ohtani
Link to BP on the Mariners
Link to MLBTR on the Mariners
Link to O’s offseason review
Link to Adley extension post
Link to team payrolls
Link to 2005 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Sam’s bat article
Link to M’s bat video

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Ben Lindbergh talks to Will Leitch about the Cardinals’ horrendous start, their baffling decision to bar big free-agent addition Willson Contreras from catching, how Yadier Molina’s legacy looms over the franchise, how Oli Marmol and John Mozeliak have handled the team’s struggles, how the rest of the season might go, and more, along with the Effectively Wild connection in Will’s new novel, The Time Has Come. Then (54:51) Ben talks to David Hrusovsky about wearing a SpongeBob costume to Guardians games and David’s ongoing effort to map every high school baseball field in the country and document the weirdest ones. After that (1:19:58), Ben brings on frequent Stat Blast consultant Ryan Nelson to deliver several Stat Blasts, followed by (1:51:35) a Past Blast from 2004 and a few follow-ups.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Katie Woo on Contreras
Link to Katie on Contreras again
Link to Rosenthal on Contreras
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Marmol-Bucknor feud
Link to Marmol on Contreras
Link to Marmol on booing
Link to more Marmol on booing
Link to Posnanski on Marmol
Link to Jay Jaffe on the Cardinals
Link to Will’s Cardinals podcast
Link to Will’s newsletter
Link to The Time Has Come
Link to EW wiki on weird fields
Link to David/SpongeBob video
Link to David/SpongeBob article
Link to Gonzalez/SpongeBob article
Link to David’s HS fields site
Link to weird field % by state
Link to Uni Watch on David
Link to MLB field sizes
Link to ballpark homogenization info
Link to Topps NOW cards
Link to Ryan’s first EW episode
Link to EW guest data
Link to Stat Blast results/data
Link to Santander Reddit thread
Link to Russell on fouls
Link to 2004 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Royals Pasquatch ad
Link to Pasquatch footage
Link to MLBTR on Greiner
Link to tall-catchers EW episode
Link to Anton’s MLB birthday data
Link to relative age effect wiki
Link to article on MLB RAE
Link to Shane on M’s broadcast

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about more examples of players whose names describe what they do (like Colin Holderman), the return of Justin Verlander, Juan Soto’s overdue hot streak, Keynan Middleton calling out Carlos Correa, the difference between Craig Kimbrel’s leverage and results, and how success lowers the boo threshold, then (16:22) react to excerpts from Ben’s conversation with an MLB exec about rules changes and strikeouts. After that (37:38), they bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Mack Mashburn to discuss his background as a podcaster listener and baseball fan and answer listener emails about the pitch clock and suspense, the next step for home run celebrations, narrowing fair territory at high elevations, the competitive advantage of cloud seeding, whether relievers all long to be starters, whether Baseball Zen isn’t zen enough, MLB Gameday’s recent redesign, why lefties tend to throw slower than righties, the causes of increasing injury rates, the effects of improved pitching machines, a wizard who makes players shorter every time they get hits or strikeouts, and Aristides Aquino’s DRS, plus a Past Blast from 2003 (1:58:40) and follow-ups (2:01:56).

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Holderman immaculate inning
Link to Wynn headline 1
Link to Wynn headline 2
Link to Wynn headline 3
Link to Webb comments
Link to Verlander gamer
Link to Middleton comments
Link to low-WPA relievers
Link to high-leverage relievers
Link to Muncy walk-off
Link to Cardinals booing
Link to Ben on rules and strikeouts
Link to baseball drag measurements
Link to Sam on the pitch clock
Link to Sheehan on the pitch clock
Link to Emma on HR celebrations
Link to info on NPB HR celebrations
Link to Grant on “beast mode”
Link to Franco’s ball toss
Link to Sam on unwritten rules
Link to foul lines article
Link to more foul lines info
Link to foul lines column
Link to foul lines verdict
Link to Tal’s Hill story
Link to cloud seeding wiki
Link to McClellan EW interview
Link to “failed starters” Stat Blast
Link to Baumann on Fulmer
Link to Baseball Zen videos
Link to Baseball Zen article
Link to Gameday redesign info
Link to Ben on lefty velo
Link to FG on lefty velo
Link to average LHP velo
Link to average RHP velo
Link to Ben on pitching machines
Link to leg-lengthening story
Link to more on leg lengthening
Link to listener emails database
Link to It’s Christmastown
Link to 2022 RF DRS leaders
Link to Aquino catch 1
Link to Aquino catch 2
Link to Aquino catch 3
Link to Aquino catch 4
Link to 2003 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Peacock broadcast info
Link to announced attendance article
Link to pitch counts Stat Blast
Link to Turner’s quote
Link to Speier tweet
Link to Zimmer’s velo column
Link to Rickey’s ’51 Williams report
Link to 1886 “velo” use
Link to ESPN on Alabama betting
Link to The Athletic on Alabama betting
Link to Baumann on Alabama betting

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about players being paid for on-field, in-game interviews, pitcher injuries and pitcher call-ups, how low Oakland’s attendance could go (and whether the team might bungle its move to Las Vegas), the NL West race, the AL East’s strength compared to the AL Central’s, which team invented the in-dugout home run ritual, whether the Angels should sign Gary Sánchez, Bryce Harper’s return, the Marlins’ record in one-run games, Colin Holderman and nominative determinism, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:18:13) from 2002.

Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to report about player payments
Link to Emma on in-game interviews
Link to Ben on in-game interviews
Link to article on Rockies trying
Link to FG’s prospect rankings
Link to Millers game
Link to lowest 2023 attendance
Link to lowest 2022 attendance
Link to lowest 1990-2019 attendance
Link to ’97 White Sox game story
Link to Passan’s A’s tweet
Link to 2014 Dodgers bubbles story
Link to 2013 A’s tunnel story
Link to 2023 HR celebrations
Link to Twins HR celebration
Link to Sam on WS dogpiles
Link to Sam on walk-off celebrations
Link to Mariners trident story
Link to article on AL East strength
Link to depth charts standings
Link to playoff odds
Link to Jay Jaffe on the Yankees
Link to Yankees IL tweet
Link to combined WAR leaderboard
Link to MLBTR on Sánchez
Link to catcher depth charts
Link to Sánchez’s Savant page
Link to article on Sánchez’s defense
Link to Angels coaches tweet
Link to Ben C. on Harper
Link to BaseRuns records
Link to Holderman’s game log
Link to 2002 Past Blast source
Link to 2002 source, cont’d.
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
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 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
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 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

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