Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Pete Alonso’s performance since they marveled at his hot start, the return of Craig Kimbrel, Max Muncy’s tale of two seasons, how hitters fare after LASIK, the Mets’ “secret sauce” against Shohei Ohtani, whether the Dodgers’ injury woes will hurt their capacity to recruit pitchers, Brandon Pfaadt’s “yes hitter,” the latest step toward the challenge system, Eric Anthony’s dad discovery and nature and nurture in player development, the underrated Willie Davis and Reggie Smith, and more, plus a combined Meet a Major Leaguer/Stat Blast segment (1:19:39) on Nic Enright and Christian Montes De Oca (and the rule-altering signing of the 13-year-old Jimy Kelly).

Audio intro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to previous Pete banter
Link to Pete before
Link to Pete after
Link to Muncy before
Link to Muncy after
Link to Muncy article
Link to MLB LASIK study
Link to secret sauce article
Link to Spahn quote
Link to Cup of Coffee
Link to FG on Casparius
Link to “yes hitter” post
Link to “yes hitter” Stathead
Link to Ben on no-hitters 1
Link to Ben on no-hitters 2
Link to challenge system news
Link to Anthony and Davis story
Link to B-Ref new debuts
Link to The Athletic on Enright
Link to Guardians prospects list
Link to phantom player wiki
Link to 1972 scouting article
Link to Montes de Oca wiki
Link to Montes de Oca name
Link to Diamondbacks prospects
Link to MDO article 1
Link to MDO article 2
Link to MDO article 3
Link to MDO article 4
Link to Kelly at B-Ref
Link to MiLB.com on Kelly
Link to SI on Kelly
Link to EW Stanky draft
Link to Mexican League article
Link to Koo video
Link to Bois on Koo
Link to Kenny Jackelen
Link to player signings spreadsheet

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Taylor Walls fulfilling a preseason podcast prediction by being ejected after tapping his helmet following a questionable call (and the many notifications Ben and Meg received from EW listeners), Luke Weaver’s stretching injury, the Rockies’ purported improvement, the decline of the closer as bullpen protagonist, a miraculous softball-delivery dirt clod, an unfortunate instance of replay review, the LSU Shreveport Pilots’ undefeated college season, Jac Caglianone’s call-up, Corbin Burnes’s bum elbow, Mookie Betts’s improved defense, the death of Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima, and more.

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

Link to Walls story
Link to Reddit comments
Link to @EWStats ruling
Link to Walls and Trump
Link to Walls and DeSantis
Link to Revere ride info
Link to Weaver stretching story
Link to Dan S. on Weaver
Link to carrots myth
Link to Rockies quotes
Link to Rockies 10-day offense
Link to Rockies 10-day pitching
Link to Denver Post story
Link to The Athletic on Kenley
Link to Ben on saves
Link to Ben on SP protagonists
Link to softball clip
Link to softball story
Link to Ben on Capps
Link to Springer clip
Link to Springer story
Link to Dave on slides 1
Link to Dave on slides 2
Link to Shreveport story
Link to Wake Forest story
Link to Hill Triple-A game
Link to MLBTR on Burnes
Link to CBS on Mookie
Link to Ohtani Nagashima post
Link to Nagashima obit
Link to Whiting quote
Link to Nagashima NPB Stats page
Link to Oh NPB Stats page

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the most exciting prospects who haven’t yet made the majors but should soon (including Jac Caglianone, Roman Anthony, Bubba Chandler, and Andrew Painter), the struggles of once-ballyhooed trade targets Sandy Alcantara and Luis Robert Jr., the recent rebounds of Emmanuel Clase and Devin Williams, the returns of Mike Trout, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Spencer Strider, the differing trajectories of former Reds relievers Fernando Cruz and Alexis Díaz, the surprisingly successful and homegrown Yankees, the looming specter of Craig Kimbrel, watching Paul Skenes, what baseball would be like with man defense, not zone, and teams whose playoff odds have increased or decreased the most in the season’s first two months.

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

Link to WhatIfSports offer page

Link to Passan on prospects
Link to MLBTR on Caglianone
Link to MiLB leaderboard
Link to FG prospect rankings
Link to Pipeline rankings
Link to team OF WAR
Link to FG Royals prospects
Link to Dan S. on Jac
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to team SP WAR
Link to SB leaders
Link to team wRC+
Link to FIP since 4/26
Link to MLBTR on Jobe
Link to MLBTR on Díaz
Link to ERA-FIP gap
Link to Kimbrel contract info
Link to Tobias clip
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Contreras article 1
Link to Contreras article 2
Link to Maldonado article

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rockies’ historic series losing streak and their rest-of-season projections, an Orioles fan’s decision to get the name of Trevor Rogers tattooed on his butt, a Patrick Corbin innings-eating update, draft prospect Jace LaViolette’s dedication to staying in the lineup, the late-career struggles of Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer, the Yankees’ shame about their rings commemorating their 2024 pennant, and more.

Audio intro: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Rockies stat
Link to Opta interview
Link to Kamka tweet
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to ESPN SoS
Link to Baltimore Banner article
Link to Rogers tweet
Link to Kjerstad tweet
Link to best Orioles starts
Link to Rangers IP leaders
Link to LaViolette article 1
Link to LaViolette article 2
Link to LaViolette article 3
Link to LaViolette homers
Link to Kershaw article 1
Link to Kershaw article 2
Link to Yankees rings article

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the new hardest-hit ball of the Statcast era, exit speeds across eras, Oneil Cruz vs. Elly De La Cruz, whether Tarik Skubal has gotten too good, Aaron Judge not feeling great at the plate, whether Rockies fans should boycott the team, how the (first) Juan Soto trade is working out for the Nationals, a Clay Holmes rotation conversion progress report, Jake Burger’s minor league reset, a threat to Shea Langeliers’ A’s sprint speed lead, a dominant DH in Division III, and a new show trying to claim the podcast’s corner.

Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Horny)”
Audio outro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Cruz homer
Link to 120+ mph balls
Link to Clemens on Skubal
Link to Cooper stat
Link to Passan Skubal tweet
Link to ESPN on Skubal
Link to Skubal splits
Link to Misiorowski story
Link to Misiorowski clip
Link to Misiorowski video
Link to new Judge quotes
Link to 2024 Judge quote 1
Link to 2024 Judge quote 2
Link to Kyle Clark commentary
Link to year-over-year attendance
Link to Nats prospects
Link to Nats WAR leaders
Link to Rule of 17 explainer
Link to Burger game log
Link to MLB.com on Burger
Link to A’s speed leaders
Link to A’s prospects post
Link to A’s shakeup article
Link to CBS Mazzone post
Link to Mazzone player page
Link to Mazzone at TBC
Link to Mazzone article
Link to clip of the other EW
Link to Brault wiki
Link to Brault on EW
Link to Simpsons clip

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rockies being so bad that mostly innocuous stories about them now seem like examples of organizational incompetence, a wild loss by a Rockies affiliate, and why recent terrible teams have been so bad, then (36:56) answer listener emails about catchers framing poorly on purpose, penalizing hitters when their bats make contact with catchers, whether the draft should be helping the worst teams more, and a potential sac-fly tactic in a walk-off situation, plus a Stat Blast (1:17:59) about runners making up for bad baserunning plays, pinch running too late, failed team attempts to reach .500 for the first time, and a piece of baseball wall art, followed (1:43:28) by postscript updates.

Audio intro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to WhatIfSports offer page

Link to worst 50-game starts
Link to Dollander call-up story
Link to Dollander IL stint
Link to Gelb tweet
Link to Soto story
Link to lawsuit story
Link to “the baseball rule”
Link to @ScoringChanges tweet
Link to walk-off story 1
Link to walk-off story 2
Link to Aces call
Link to box score
Link to PCL standings
Link to Kirk/Bassitt story
Link to Stick It wiki
Link to strikes called balls
Link to balls called strikes
Link to FG post on Wilson
Link to pinch-runners spreadsheet
Link to Grichuk walk-off video
Link to baseball wall art
Link to FARTSLAM post 1
Link to FARTSLAM post 2
Link to listener emails database
Link to MiLB FAD tracking
Link to Hanel’s predictions post
Link to Stranger Things Night
Link to Victoria Day wiki
Link to Victoria Day Jays post

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rich Hill’s latest perfect game bid, whether the Tigers are as good as they’ve looked, Jared Jones’ elbow surgery and the Pirates’ offensive outage, Paul Skenes and whether lower arm slots will protect pitchers’ arms, Pete Crow-Armstrong and the players who’ve ascended to “main character” status this season, and more listener suggestions for what to call tandem home run robberies and homers that clear the fence due to defensive miscues.

Audio intro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to latest Hill game
Link to Hill footage
Link to 2016 Hill game
Link to Hill on EW
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Sheehan on Detroit
Link to projected RoS SP WAR
Link to Jones note
Link to Passan on Skenes
Link to Heyman on Skenes
Link to Skenes slot video
Link to Pirates unfun fact
Link to team offense since 4/23
Link to VAA explainer
Link to arm-slot injury study
Link to Russell on n=1
Link to The Bandwagon on Brown
Link to last-year pitcher WAR
Link to BP on Brown
Link to 2025 EW bold predictions
Link to 2025 FG bold predictions
Link to combined WAR leaderboard
Link to chase rate leaderboard
Link to story on PCA moving back
Link to PCA on his mom
Link to The Bandwagon on main characters
Link to free month of The Bandwagon
Link to Paine on the Cardinals
Link to Passan on the Cardinals
Link to team defense leaderboard
Link to Meg on farting
Link to Carpenter retirement
Link to Carpenter leaderboard 1
Link to Carpenter leaderboard 2

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Elly De La Cruz’s unspectacular start to the season, the firing of Brandon Hyde and what it would take for them to blame a manager for a team’s disappointing season, the hubbub about Juan Soto’s hustle, MLB’s announcement about Rivalry Weekend’s success, Kyle Schwarber and the lineage of non-Hall-of-Fame hitters who’ve appeared to have a chance at “magic number” milestones, MLB’s attempt to define the swing, the overwhelming array of Statcast stats, the latest call for Shohei Ohtani to specialize, and more.

Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes 2, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG on the O’s
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Girardi firing article
Link to ESPN on Valentine
Link to FG on the Twins
Link to Soto flight confusion
Link to Ben on Jeter vs. Cano
Link to Soto in-game interview info
Link to Ben on in-game interviews
Link to Soto plays
Link to Mendoza quote
Link to MLB press release
Link to Vedder Cup story
Link to Schwarber HR stat
Link to Stathead query
Link to most HR since 2022
Link to swings article 1
Link to swings article 2
Link to new Savant leaderboard
Link to article on new metrics
Link to FG on Royals pitching
Link to Ohtani strikeout
Link to Pereda ball
Link to Ohtani article
Link to Sam on Ohtani

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about listener suggestions for terms for tandem home run robberies (and the opposite of home run robberies), whether it’s so O’sver in Baltimore, Jacob deGrom succeeding despite slightly less dominant stuff, and the realness of the rivalries in MLB’s inaugural “Rivalry Weekend,” then (48:46) answer listener emails about awarding hit by pitches based on location, not contact, which player actually “starts the scoring,” whether defenders should save the ball from their first putout, a pitcher hitting month, and pantsless mascots, plus a postscript (1:38:32) on Ayami Sato, the first woman to play pro baseball in Canada.

Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to WhatIfSports offer page

Link to team wRC+ w/RISP
Link to team batting Clutch
Link to team wOBA-xwOBA
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to BaseRuns records
Link to MLBTR on the O’s
Link to deGrom FG post
Link to Rivalry Weekend info
Link to Vedder Cup story
Link to Sam on the no-go zone
Link to Rob Arthur on HBPs
Link to Billy the Marlin pics
Link to Billy video
Link to Grant on mascots
Link to listener emails database
Link to Hang Up and Listen

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Julio Rodríguez gifting a homer and then taking one away, two Red Sox outfielders teaming up to make a catch, home-run-robbery terminology, Conor Jackson and remembering some guys who were good for your fantasy team, pouring one out for the Austin Barnes Dodgers era, lopsided scores, and the A’s, then (55:30) discuss Pete Rose’s reinstatement from the permanently ineligible list: why it happened, what it means, and what’s next.

Audio intro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Julio gift
Link to Julio robbery
Link to Sox catch
Link to The Bandwagon on the catch
Link to Office Space clip
Link to Patrick on lopsided scores
Link to EW bold predictions
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to A’s sprint speeds
Link to Ben on Rose’s reinstatement
Link to Ben’s Rose obit
Link to Jay on Rose
Link to Wetzel on Rose

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about an expert’s stance on stretching, whether the White Sox were the funniest team for the new Pope to support, what Paul Skenes signing up for the WBC signifies, an optimistic take on the odds of a lost season, Bud Black’s firing and the dreaded “vote of confidence,” Roki Sasaki’s struggles, a petty Shohei Ohtani, how opposing teams have handled Aaron Judge, a Javier Báez rebound, sliding mitts as fashion accessories, a real-time reaction to a Rich Hill signing, and more, plus (1:36:48) updates and a preliminary postscript on Pete Rose’s reinstatement from the ineligible list.

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

Link to NYT on stretching
Link to trigger point info
Link to end range of motion
Link to NYT on Baseball Pope
Link to Phillips on the Pope
Link to 2005 Pope video
Link to 2006 Trump photo
Link to papal infallibility wiki
Link to JLD on the Rizzler
Link to Keke Palmer meme
Link to Skenes WBC story
Link to Hannah on Skenes
Link to The Bandwagon entry
Link to Bud Black quotes
Link to Pirates Shelton statement
Link to MLB.com on Sasaki
Link to pitcher zone rate leaders
Link to pitcher contact rate leaders
Link to Sasaki IL news
Link to latest on Kershaw
Link to Ohtani video
Link to Ohtani story
Link to Hannah on Skenes
Link to hitter zone rate leaders
Link to Clemens on walking Judge
Link to defense vs. Judge
Link to Jay on Aranda
Link to Jay on Báez
Link to sliding mitts story
Link to MLBTR on Hill
Link to FG SP WAR
Link to FG SP projections
Link to Rose news
Link to 2015 Jackson story
Link to Thorn in 2016
Link to Thorn in 2019
Link to 2020 ESPN report
Link to March ESPN report
Link to April ESPN report
Link to calling Trump report
Link to MLB ban wiki
Link to Ben’s Rose obit
Link to Rose death reactions
Link to Rose ban text
Link to Jackson details

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Ben Lindbergh and Ben Clemens of FanGraphs banter about the latest positional drama regarding Rafael Devers, then discuss whether and why pitchers leaguewide are Yu Darvish-ing and Tyler Holton-ing—that is, throwing more pitch types, and varying their pitch types more based on batter handedness—before answering listener emails about home strike zones and combining bad teams to make a good team. Then (44:42) Ben continues the “baseball jobs” series by bringing on Adam Auer, major league dietician for the Brewers and former minor and major league strength and conditioning coach, to talk about how teams are improving player performance through nutrition, exercise, and recovery, followed (1:41:49) by Emory Brinkman, senior editor for Stats Perform, who discusses generating viral fun facts, parsing statistical qualifiers, and data-wrangling.

Audio intro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”
Audio interstitial 2: Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to WhatIfSports offer page

Link to MLBTR on Devers
Link to Ben on adaptation score
Link to adaptation score sequel
Link to BP on Holton
Link to BP on Brown
Link to Ben L. on Rays changeups
Link to 2008 SP pitch usage
Link to 2024 SP pitch usage
Link to Ben on the Orioyals
Link to Adam on LinkedIn
Link to MLB dietician origins
Link to Adam’s hiring
Link to Minasian comments
Link to Emory on LinkedIn
Link to Stats Perform
Link to Schneemann fact
Link to Alonso fact
Link to Carpenter fact
Link to Ohtani fact
Link to unremarkable day fact
Link to shutouts fact
Link to Ohtani fact 2
Link to BWJ fact
Link to Young graphic
Link to @OptaJoe
Link to deGrom post
Link to Pirates statement
Link to Freeland comments

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It’s a baseball-book bonanza! Ben Lindbergh rounds up the authors of three new baseball books for conversations about their work and our relationships with the past. First he talks to John W. Miller about his biography of Earl Weaver, The Last Manager, Weaver’s wiring and sabermetric intuition, and the diminished role and reputation of managers. Then (48:16) he brings on Will Bardenwerper to discuss his book, Homestand, the contraction of the minor leagues, and baseball as a social bond. Finally (1:29:52), Jacob McArthur Mooney joins to explore his new novel, the Northern, the baseball card wars, and road/coming-of-age stories.

Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 2: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to 2022 books episode
Link to Pope article 1
Link to Pope article 2
Link to The Last Manager
Link to Weaver on Strategy article
Link to SABR on manager nicknames
Link to Thompson nicknames
Link to MLBTR on Shelton
Link to Muckdogs video
Link to Homestand
Link to Meg on MiLB contraction
Link to Batavia wiki
Link to New York–Penn League wiki
Link to Muckdogs wiki
Link to Stompers wiki
Link to Mint Condition
Link to The Northern
Link to Canadian Minor League Baseball
Link to The Cactus League interview
Link to “2319” scene
Link to MLBTR on Castillo

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Ben Lindbergh brings on Brandon Uffner, an Orioles and Braves fan, to talk about his two teams’ slow starts to the season, his prescription for fixing them, how he came to root for them, managing his competing loyalties, and more. Then (36:01) he talks to Austin, a White Sox and Rockies fan, about both of his teams bottoming out and how that has or hasn’t affected his appetite for baseball. Finally, (1:04:59), Frequent Stat Blast Correspondent Ryan Nelson joins to deliver several Stat Blasts.

Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to playoff odds changes
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Laurila on walk-off groundouts
Link to walk-off out 1
Link to walk-off out 2
Link to walk-off out 3
Link to Mets streak tweet
Link to rule 34 wiki
Link to catching mask trick
Link to lone pitcher example
Link to new-name data
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Mike Trout’s latest injury, Pete Alonso’s renaissance, a Daulton Varsho recovery catch, Andrés Muñoz the cat guy, and the called strike zone (sort of) shrinking. Then (40:49) they bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Carson Otter to talk about his background with baseball and the podcast, share his baseball-related work experience, and answer listener emails about home teams hiring umpires, the one Statcast stat about Babe Ruth they would want, and a way to extend a consecutive-games-played streak without playing.

Audio intro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to WhatIfSports offer page

Link to Ella Black series
Link to Ella Black event details
Link to Jay on Trout
Link to Blum on Trout
Link to Trout wOBA-xwOBA
Link to Trout hypotheticals
Link to The Athletic on Alonso
Link to Varsho play
Link to Varsho quote
Link to Muñoz story
Link to recent pets study
Link to The Athletic on the zone
Link to postseason HFA
Link to umpiring history
Link to EBUG history
Link to Ottavino on Ruth
Link to Ben on caliber of play
Link to Ripken injury info
Link to listener emails database
Link to Homestand
Link to “Wake up babe” meme

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the unexpected power of Meg’s Mariners (and Jorge Polanco, specifically), in contrast to the Rangers’ unexpectedly light-hitting lineup. They also discuss a Jackson Chourio comment about Julio Rodríguez, the long-awaited comeback of Lance McCullers Jr. and the thus-far-deflating comeback of Sandy Alcantara, the literally diminished Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve’s self-knowledge, a Rockies theory, and the existence of Maverick Handley. Then (38:11) Meg gives Ben some alone time with Tigers reliever John Brebbia, who talks about iPhones vs. Androids, social media, the prospect of becoming Ben’s friend, indy ball, beards, spreadsheets, pitching for the 2024 White Sox, going from worst-to-first in the AL Central, being the new guy in a tightly bonded bullpen, pitch-calling, adapting, Brebbia’s alma mater as a pitching powerhouse, whether baseball players (other than Brebbia) are funny, his post-playing future, a potential new nickname, and more, plus a postscript (1:49:21).

Audio intro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ella Black series
Link to Ella Black event details
Link to Dodgers bidets article
Link to FG post on Polanco
Link to Chourio video
Link to Mookie’s Savant page
Link to Altuve story
Link to Ben on MLB talent level
Link to Tigers Brebbia video
Link to first EW Brebbia banter
Link to second EW on Brebbia
Link to Step Brothers scene
Link to collected Brebbia clips
Link to Players’ Weekend video
Link to Brebbia pitch-type splits
Link to Brebbia’s Wikipedia page
Link to Elon major leaguers
Link to Bunny Hearn info
Link to TLOU scene

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers’ bidets, baseball in The Last of Us, The Simpsons, and the (future) work of Lin-Manuel Miranda, walk-off groundouts, two possibly botched calls, Jesús Luzardo and how skilled teams are at evaluating medicals, a four-homer effort in a loss, the unexpectedly exciting NL West race, and Rob Manfred and Pete Rose, plus follow-ups on towering bat flips, players kissing, unequal leg lengths, and more.

Audio intro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ella Black series
Link to Ella Black event details
Link to Dodgers bidets article
Link to Ben’s bidet article
Link to Greinke quote
Link to Sam on TLOU
Link to 2003 Tigers on TLOU
Link to 2003 Tigers in Doctor Strange
Link to Simpsons episode
Link to Lin-Manuel story 1
Link to Lin-Manuel story 2
Link to Laurila on ground-offs
Link to Judge non-HR
Link to triple play
Link to triple play story
Link to Luzardo story
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Jay on the four-homer game
Link to Rangers-Giants walk-off play
Link to Contreras flip
Link to Twins Insta post
Link to one Correa kiss
Link to latest Correa kiss
Link to Dodgers depth chart
Link to Manfred comments

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a new contender for the highest bat flip, meet major leaguers (14:28) Ryan Johnson and Alan Roden, and (48:35) answer listener emails about how different baseball would be if losses were free for fans and wins cost extra, whether the Rockies will finish in first before the Dodgers finish in last, whether umpires would stand somewhere else in a full-ABS situation, the record for career games pitched without a decision, catcher’s gear designed for a one-knee-down stance, why more Japanese catchers haven’t joined MLB, and more.

Audio intro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to WhatIfSports (coupon code “EFFECTIVELYWILD”)

Link to Ella Black series
Link to Ella Black event details
Link to Lugo bat flip
Link to Caminero bat flip
Link to Caminero article
Link to tallest buildings wiki
Link to Meet a Major Leaguer
Link to Angels prospect list
Link to Blum on Johnson 1
Link to Blum on Johnson 2
Link to Johnson pitch face
Link to Ben on DBU
Link to Blue Jays prospect list
Link to MLB.com on Roden
Link to Sportsnet on Roden
Link to Laurila on Roden 1
Link to Laurila on Roden 2
Link to BA on Roden
Link to Brian May wiki
Link to The Bachelor Australia wiki
Link to Ben on international Bachelor
Link to Quasar wiki
Link to Sagittarius A* wiki
Link to B-Ref new debuts
Link to Dan S. on Rockies vs. Sox
Link to relocated ump image
Link to career G w/o decision
Link to single-season G w/o decision
Link to consecutive G w/o decision
Link to G w/o decision to start career
Link to Díaz legs quote
Link to tall-catchers episode
Link to Opening Day catcher video
Link to catcher gear 1
Link to catcher gear 2
Link to catcher gear 3
Link to Opening Day catcher video
Link to short catchers
Link to Allen on NPB catchers
Link to 2009 Johjima story
Link to FG NPB data
Link to Mori’s player page
Link to listener emails database
Link to Andy’s angles sketch

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about old-pitcher comebacks (or dropoffs), James Wood’s inefficient excellence, Aaron Judge’s potentially unparalleled peak, whether pitching to contact pays, a possible Paul Skenes change, a base-stealing update, private equity’s MLB plans, and Rob Manfred’s feelings on fandom.

Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ella Black series
Link to Ella Black event details
Link to MLBTR on Hill
Link to MLBTR on Chavez
Link to team SP WAR
Link to projected SP WAR
Link to MLB.com on Wood
Link to pulled air balls
Link to Wood’s Savant page
Link to Jay on Judge
Link to The Bandwagon on Judge
Link to strikeouts study
Link to Sam on Skenes
Link to Skenes max velos
Link to Clemens on steals
Link to CNBC salary cap piece
Link to CNBC private equity piece
Link to latest Manfred comment
Link to earlier Manfred comment
Link to BP on Manfred and fandom
Link to cricket popularity piece
Link to Rogers statue story
Link to Curse of the Colonel

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about EW’s Ella Black series and catch up on topics they missed during the week away from regular episodes, including: some struggling teams (including the Orioles and Braves), Cal Raleigh’s (and David Rubenstein’s) bobbleheads, an Atlanta kerfuffle involving Brian Snitker, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Jarred Kelenic, recent pitcher injuries, Pete Alonso’s slugging and running, Juan Soto’s lineup protection, a Dodgers trade rumor, hitters tapping their helmets, Mike Trout’s fan-interference epiphany and odd batting line, Patrick Corbin’s venomous encounter, MLB’s approach to Jackie Robinson Day, Aaron Judge’s WBC captaincy, a talent differential between leagues, and more, plus Shohei Ohtani the dad, the Comerica keyhole, and other postscript updates.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ella Black series
Link to Ella Black event details
Link to Hoffman report
Link to Elias quote
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to bobbleheads database
Link to Raleigh bobblehead
Link to tweet about Diaz
Link to Elias quote
Link to Snitker article
Link to MLBTR on Steele
Link to Strider story
Link to McKenzie story
Link to 2024 Cortes story
Link to Cortes update
Link to MLBTR on Siri
Link to Soto on lineup protection
Link to FG on Soto’s comments
Link to Alonso running
Link to Roberts rumor
Link to Bohm helmet tap
Link to Lee exchange article
Link to Trout on fan interference
Link to Corbin news
Link to latest Jackie release
Link to Jackie language changes
Link to Jackie language story
Link to Trump/Manfred story
Link to Judge/WBC story
Link to Olney leagues tweet
Link to AL logo
Link to NL logo
Link to Ohtani birth announcement
Link to Ward call-up
Link to Canadiens story
Link to “burn the ships” wiki
Link to keyhole story
Link to The Clubhouse precedents

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Ella Black was the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication—if her name was Ella Black, and if she was a woman. On Ella Black: Lost and Found, a three-part scripted series from Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh explores what we know about the enigmatic trailblazer and tries to solve some of the mysteries that have surrounded her ever since she debuted—and, just as suddenly, disappeared—in 1890. On Part 3, “Ella’s Legacy,” Ben reveals what he’s learned (and what we may never know) about Ella, connects her story to today, and pays his respects in person.

• Part 1-Ella's Legend
• Part 2-Ella's Season
• Part 3-Ella's Legacy

Link to Ella’s writing
Link to Ella timeline
Link to info on Ella’s family
Link to info on the Pinkertons
Link to headstone photo
Link to gravesite photo
Link to family photos
Link to possible Ella photo
Link to Nancy/possible Ella photo
Link to Ella’s signature
Link to voice cast
Link to guest list
Link to period music
Link to pianist’s website
Link to “The Journalist” poem
Link to “Only a Newspaper” excerpt

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Ella Black was the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication—if her name was Ella Black, and if she was a woman. On Ella Black: Lost and Found, a three-part scripted series from Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh explores what we know about the enigmatic trailblazer and tries to solve some of the mysteries that have surrounded her ever since she debuted—and, just as suddenly, disappeared—in 1890. On Part 2, “Ella’s Season,” Ben chronicles Ella’s coverage of baseball’s civil war, explores her own disputes with skeptics, and explains how both conflicts ended.

• Part 1-Ella's Legend
• Part 2-Ella's Season
• Part 3-Ella's Legacy

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Ella Black was the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication—if her name was Ella Black, and if she was a woman. On Ella Black: Lost and Found, a three-part scripted series from Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh explores what we know about the enigmatic trailblazer and tries to solve some of the mysteries that have surrounded her ever since she debuted—and, just as suddenly, disappeared—in 1890. On Part 1, “Ella’s Legend,” Ben introduces Ella, explains the circumstances that made her so extraordinary, and sets up the stakes of the 1890 baseball civil war.

• Part 1-Ella's Legend
• Part 2-Ella's Season
• Part 3-Ella's Legacy

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the acceptable circumstances (if any) for a bobblehead of a team owner, the Grand Junction Jackalopes belatedly embracing their destiny as the “Chubs,” and more, then (29:35) review and discuss the Netflix documentary The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox, followed by a tease for an upcoming Effectively Wild scripted series and (1:26:37) follow-ups.

Audio intro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Horny)”

Link to Orioles bobblehead
Link to O’s promotions page
Link to Rubenstein wiki
Link to Rubenstein video
Link to Chubs story 1
Link to Chubs story 2
Link to Chubs story 3
Link to EW Episode 1396
Link to Jackalopes wiki
Link to Spartanburgers wiki
Link to Spartanburg wiki
Link to Netflix doc
Link to Cora quote
Link to budget issues
Link to Duran story 1
Link to Duran story 2
Link to Casas clip
Link to 2024 Sox playoff odds
Link to Ripperger scorecoard
Link to Hammerheads gamer
Link to Hammerheads box score
Link to Tavares taxes story
Link to Paris box position
Link to Paris side view
Link to Mahomes pants story
Link to extension deadlines list
Link to The Pitt thread
Link to Wade/Ward wiki
Link to EW Episode 1890

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s big bonus, Edmundo Sosa’s beginner’s home run robbery, how much of a difference depth makes, and the relative levels of alarm about the shoulder injuries of Reynaldo López, Victor Robles, and Blake Snell. Then (49:14) they talk to MLB.com’s Michael Clair about what it was like to attend the amateur baseball event of the year: the Division III showdown between Yeshiva and Lehman, who entered their Wednesday doubleheader on the two longest active losing streaks in college baseball.

Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Rosenthal on Vlad
Link to Sosa play
Link to Clemens on depth
Link to Clemens on depth on EW
Link to MLBTR on López
Link to team SP projections
Link to MLBTR on Snell
Link to MLBTR on Robles
Link to Petriello on Robles
Link to Robles batting change
Link to Michael on the game
Link to original Reddit post
Link to postgame Reddit post
Link to Caltech story
Link to Yeshiva team stats
Link to Yeshiva vs. Lehman stats
Link to Game 2 video
Link to Ben on Salina
Link to Michael’s manuscript
Link to Michael on the Czech team

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about umpires’ surprising preference for full ABS, Rob Manfred’s take on torpedo bats, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $500 million extension, players’ frugal behaviors, precedents for Dennis Santana’s short pants, the Giants’ new City Connect jerseys, and (1:14:31) the Dodgers’ White House trip.

Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”
Audio outro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Manfred interview
Link to Baumann on Vlad
Link to MLBTR on Vlad
Link to post-Vlad FA class
Link to Rogers spending info
Link to cheap players article
Link to Ben on paywalls
Link to Hannah on Skenes
Link to cut Skenes quote
Link to Pence on pants
Link to Pence pants video
Link to Pence pants comments
Link to Odor pants video
Link to Rangers pants video
Link to Rangers pants blog
Link to more pants photos
Link to Giants jerseys
Link to Roberts on White House
Link to Mookie on White House
Link to White House visit

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In a grab-bag episode, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the low league BABIP early in the season, the most interesting standings developments so far (with emphases on the Dodgers, Padres, Braves, and AL Central), Atlanta re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-acquiring Jesse Chavez, early attendance issues for the A’s, (team-friendly?) extensions for Jackson Merrill, Kristian Campbell, and Ketel Marte, Dennis Santana’s sartorial innovation, the end of Comerica Park’s dirt strip, players being told not to tap their helmets, a mid-plate-appearance pitching change, a 12-6 slider, the Dodgers’ new, Ohtani-related celebration, ESPN’s annual executives/scouts survey, being “on gear” in climbing, and Carshield baseball ads.

Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to early season BABIPs
Link to Ben on 2020 BABIP
Link to Ben on lower league BABIPs
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Baumann on the Braves
Link to Chavez transactions page
Link to Hill Stat Blast
Link to Chavez Stat Blast
Link to Clemens on Mookie
Link to 2002 NL East
Link to Castillo fun fact
Link to FG on Merrill
Link to Union-Tribune on Merrill
Link to FG on Campbell
Link to Campbell on “friends”
Link to FG on Marte
Link to The Bandwagon on Marte
Link to MLBTR on Marte
Link to A’s attendance article
Link to ESPN survey
Link to Goold tweet
Link to EW on “strategy” in 2024
Link to Ben on “strategy”
Link to Harper quote
Link to EW on The Pitt
Link to new 12-6 slider
Link to Santana clip
Link to Comerica change
Link to Ben on pickoff moves
Link to ballpark homogenization
Link to Ohtani celly 1
Link to Ohtani celly 2
Link to Freeman injury info
Link to Vlad report
Link to Shapiro quote
Link to Curb clip
Link to Ghiroli article
Link to Carshield EW episode
Link to FTC press release
Link to FTC complaint

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about several oddities of the early season, including pitcher Ryne Nelson’s single and a drone encounter with an A’s bat boy, then discuss Jurickson Profar’s PED suspension, Garrett Crochet’s extension, and Jonathan Lucroy‘s reaction to Roki Sasaki’s apparent post-start tears, before bantering about whether full ABS would encourage even harder throwing, Lance Lynn’s retirement, a wild college throw, and more, plus a postscript.

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Jay on the White Sox
Link to Nelson hit
Link to more on Nelson
Link to Pirates Elias tweet
Link to B-Ref Brewers post
Link to The Athletic on Profar
Link to Orr on Profar
Link to Ben on natty or not
Link to Baumann on the Braves
Link to MLBTR on Crochet 1
Link to MLBTR on Crochet 2
Link to MLBTR on Campbell
Link to Sheehan on Crochet
Link to Dan S. on Crochet
Link to MLB.com on Crochet
Link to drone story
Link to Sasaki clip
Link to L.AT. on Sasaki
Link to Lucroy tweet 1
Link to Lucroy tweet 2
Link to more Lucroy tweets
Link to Wolfe quotes
Link to r/tragedeigh
Link to McAfee story
Link to ABS story 1
Link to ABS story 2
Link to Lynn podcast
Link to RF throw
Link to MLBTR on Vlad
Link to Shapiro story
Link to MLBTR on Pfaadt

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley have an in-depth discussion on all aspects of the sport’s topic du jour: torpedo/bowling-pin/juggling-pin(?) bats. They also banter (59:58) about the abysmal beginning of Rafael Devers’s season, Aaron Judge’s interviews, MLB’s attempt to make up for its MLB.TV outage, the vibes at Blue Jays games, Willson Contreras eating bat tape, Jack Leiter taking a ball to the beans, the invasion of Chases, and Sutter Health Park, plus (1:37:22) several follow-ups.

Audio intro: Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ben on the bats
Link to many bat-related links
Link to official bat change
Link to Judge quotes
Link to Waldman clip
Link to Contreras clip
Link to Contreras story
Link to Leiter clip
Link to r/tragedeigh
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley react to assorted frustrations and delights of Opening Day, then (42:07) conduct the fifth annual Team Fun Draft, in which they draft all 30 teams in order of how fun they expect them to be to follow in 2025.

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes 2, “Effectively Wild Theme 2”
Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to story on mlb.tv outage
Link to Guardians offer
Link to FG staff predictions post
Link to FG staff bold predictions
Link to Meg’s PPR summary
Link to Ringer entrance survey
Link to Contreras post
Link to Bibee on Chipotle
Link to Torkelson article
Link to Shohei HR reactions
Link to Rosen on ballparks

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Ben Lindbergh and FanGraphs writer Dan Szymborski banter about how much spring training stats matter, which players improved their projections the most this spring, whether prospects really have a harder time making the transition to MLB from Triple-A today, their spring training award winners, the five-ish biggest questions/storylines for each of them this MLB season, and a smattering of “bold predictions” from EW listeners. Then (1:23:29) Ben brings back the “Baseball Jobs” series by interviewing Josh Kantor, longtime Fenway Park organist, to talk about how he got his gig, his side projects, the ins and outs of his in-game responsibilities, the upcoming season, and much more, followed by a brief keyboard performance.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme 2”
Audio interstitial: Josh Kantor and Nancy Faust, “Sweet Caroline”
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to 2015 spring study
Link to Hoyer quote
Link to Ben’s new prospects article
Link to Ben’s old prospects article
Link to spring champions
Link to ST team wins
Link to FG ST leaderboards
Link to five Clemens questions
Link to listener bold predictions
Link to EW predictions ballot
Link to previous Baseball Jobs pod
Link to Josh Kantor wiki
Link to Baseball Project pod
Link to Baseball Project song
Link to Kaminski pod

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Mookie Betts’s unwanted weight loss, new Statcast data on batter positioning, and whether hitters should generally move back in the box, then recap Cal Raleigh’s extension and a smattering of other buzzer-beating transactions before discussing (35:46) some of their favorite moves of the offseason. Then (1:10:31) they talk to FanGraphs writer Davy Andrews about his origin story as a writer, his greatest hits so far, and the “We Tried Tracker,” his effort to compile all the times a team reportedly tried (but failed) to acquire a player.

Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Davy Andrews, “Edouard Julien, Are You Gonna Rule Again?”
Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ohtani article
Link to Dodgers article 1
Link to Mookie article 2
Link to Mookie article 3
Link to Petriello article 1
Link to Petriello article 2
Link to Adler article
Link to Ben on moving the mound
Link to MLBTR on Raleigh
Link to Raleigh dumper thread
Link to notable transactions
Link to Ben’s Grantland article
Link to TFPIOT Tumblr
Link to Tracker wiki
Link to Too Far From Town posts
Link to Target Field post
Link to cleat cleaners post 1
Link to cleat cleaners post 2
Link to Davy’s FG archive
Link to Seinfeld clip
Link to We Tried Tracker
Link to WTT posts
Link to predictions vote

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s positional power rankings progress and discuss why MLB is “evaluating” its Diversity Pipeline Program, then for the first time in a while answer listener emails (15:35) about how baseball would be different if swinging hard caused more serious injuries, a high-elevation league/division, inter-game penalties for frivolous end-of-game challenges, whether the challenge system will make umpires tone down their punchout calls, whether player-initiated challenges should be included in WAR calculations, split-squad games in the regular season, and limits on the number of NPB players per MLB roster, plus a real-time reaction (1:14:03) to the Chesapeake Oyster Catchers logo.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Meg’s PPR intro
Link to Athletic report
Link to Calcaterra report
Link to travel ban news
Link to 2019 Cuba deal news
Link to Russell on power hitting
Link to Ben on Mexico City
Link to Oyster Catchers logo
Link to logo response story
Link to Pickles mascot story
Link to GJ Chubs episode
Link to EW emails database
Link to predictions vote

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Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs authors Michael Baumann and Ben Clemens play “College Baseball Player or Musician Who’s Performing at Sea.Hear.Now 2025” (4:53), and then explain the third annual preseason predictions game (11:53) and make 10 bold predictions apiece (18:57) about baseball in 2025, to be voted on by listeners.

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

Link to vote
Link to music festival
Link to Ben on festival posters
Link to previous scores
Link to 2024 predictions
Link to 2023 predictions
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to Ohtani max velo
Link to .500 teams data
Link to Waldron article
Link to Lewis article
Link to knuckleball qualifiers
Link to Ben on knuckleballs
Link to Other Ben on sliders
Link to slider rates
Link to highest bullpen WPAs
Link to Rob on stolen bases
Link to Corbin signing article
Link to Dan S. booms/busts
Link to 3B sends data
Link to Savant 3B sends
Link to Patrick on 3B sends
Link to Russell on 3B sends
Link to Oyster Analytics on 3B sends
Link to 2024 attendance
Link to Ben on risk aversion
Link to vote

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the opening series of the regular season in Japan, then (10:55) discuss the removal (and eventual restoration) of a page about Jackie Robinson on the Department of Defense website, before (39:53) bantering further about breakouts, how player heights dropped (or didn’t!) after players were measured more accurately this spring, Joey Gallo’s attempted conversion to pitching, and an abandoned Marlins player-development idea. Then (1:27:38) they talk to Pirates pitching phenom Paul Skenes about being a cover model for MLB The Show 25, his stoic exterior, starters as stars, an auction for his debut baseball card, his hobbies, his expanding pitch mix, and max-effort pitching.

Audio intro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Randy Johnson on EW
Link to Ohtani homer
Link to ratings info
Link to Davy gamer 1
Link to Davy gamer 2
Link to post about Jackie page
Link to article about Jackie page
Link to archived 404 page
Link to restored page
Link to NPR on Rogers page
Link to first statement to Passan
Link to second statement to Passan
Link to segregation ban story
Link to MLB D&I page
Link to old MLB D&I page
Link to post about change
Link to CBB breakouts tweet
Link to height changes sheet
Link to pitcher-measuring info
Link to Gallo tweet
Link to Ben on Gallo in 2014
Link to TTO% leaderboard
Link to Marlins ad
Link to Stock tweet
Link to Herald on Marlins
Link to Athletic on Marlins
Link to The Show gameplay trailer
Link to The Show launch trailer
Link to Livvy’s nonchalant quote
Link to Skenes composure quote
Link to Skenes Opening Day reveal
Link to Skenes dexterity quote
Link to new pitches story
Link to Skenes auction
Link to Skenes on workload
Link to deGrom story
Link to EW gift subscriptions

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about completing the season preview series, then preview the 2025 New York Yankees (7:48) with Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, and the 2025 Chicago White Sox (1:04:41) with Sox Machine’s James Fegan.
2025 EW Season Preview Series ALBALCHWATHBOSCLEHOUNYYDETLAATBRKCRSEATORMINTEX NLATLCHCARIMIACINCOLNYMMILLADPHIPITSDPWSNSTLSFG

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to offseason spending
Link to FG payrolls page
Link to Yankees depth chart
Link to Yankees offseason tracker
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Gary’s author archive
Link to White Sox depth chart
Link to White Sox offseason tracker
Link to 2024 CWS WAR leaders
Link to Grifol eclipse story
Link to James’s author archive
Link to EW gift subscriptions

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com
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 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Spotify Feed
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