Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast episodes:

• 04.26.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2156: Pluses and Minuses

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how much dirt MLB players ingest in a season, the second-most-encouraging stat about Mike Trout’s season, Shohei Ohtani, Earl Webb, and the single-season doubles record, Cody Bellinger and whether the Cubs should pad...

  
• 04.24.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2155: Just for (Slow) Starters

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rockies (and their charter pilots) running afoul of the FAA, Jackson Holliday’s slow start, whether the Astros or Twins has hurt their division-title chances more, two embarrassing umpire incidents, offense being down...

  
• 04.21.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2154: Sliding Doors and Sliding Home

  Amid a wave of pitcher injuries, Ben Lindbergh talks to Dr. Rich Nye (4:20), a former major leaguer whose career-ending injury became a career-beginning injury when he decided to become an exotic-animal veterinarian (among other occupations). Then (1:07:09) Ben talks...

  
• 04.18.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2153: Whoops it Up

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Carlos Correa’s nerdiness, the Pirates pulling phenom Jared Jones after 59 effective pitches, the zombie runner, what Jontay Porter’s lifetime NBA ban portends for MLB, Shohei/Ippei conspiracy theories and Shohei Ohtani’s hitting and...

  
• 04.17.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2152: The Worst Vibes in Baseball

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB jerseys as Fremen stillsuits, an update on Blake Snell the self-perceived strike-thrower, Brent Suter and being the “best teammate,” which MLB team is last in the league in vibes, the struggling Marlins...

  
• 04.13.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2151: The MLB Reboot

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the lack of an uptick in stolen bases this season, which of the teams that are off to surprisingly hot or cold starts has changed their minds the most, analogs to baseball’s epidemic...

  
• 04.12.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2150: Crime Doesn’t Ippei

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley react to news about Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara being charged with bank fraud, discuss the revelations in the government’s stunning, detailed complaint, and assess the implications for Ohtani and MLB. Then (1:06:58) they...

  
• 04.10.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2149: Protective Eyewash

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about White Sox manager Pedro Grifol’s anti-eclipse eyewash, the shrinking moon, an eyebrow-raising quote by Blake Snell, the latest signature Elly De La Cruz game, the hot starts of Mike Trout, Anthony Volpe, and...

  
• 04.06.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2148: Backyard Baseball

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the earthquake in the Northeast, Juan Soto’s choice of walk-up song, J.J. Hardy building a ballpark in his Arizona backyard, the pluses and minuses of living in or near a ballpark, and how...

  
• 04.05.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2147: Rising Tides

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Athletics’ intermediate move to Sacramento, the Royals’ failed public funding referendum, a Davis Schneider self scouting report, a wild Diamondbacks-Yankees game that ended with a pitcher at the plate, whether a DH...

  
• 04.03.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2146: Long May You (Salmon) Run

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a grab of topics, including a team meeting after two games, early bad blood and benches-clearing incidents, the continued terribleness of the new uniforms, a Bryce Harper blooper, a missing first-base coach, an...

  
• 03.30.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2145: Opening Daze and the 2024 Team Fun Draft

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Opening Day naps, a Bryce Harper pandering update, Nelson Cruz’s Mariners retirement and the one-day-contract tradition, and Yusei Kikuchi’s latest intriguing revelation, then (21:16) share some highlights and lowlights of Opening Day action,...

  
• 03.27.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2144: Season Preview Series: Dodgers and Rockies

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley remind people to vote in their preseason predictions game, discuss the completion of the season preview series, and then (10:15) analyze Shohei Ohtani’s remarks from Monday and preview the rest of the 2024 Los Angeles...

  
• 03.26.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2143: The 2024 Preseason Predictions Game

  Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs authors Michael Baumann and Ben Clemens play “Character Who Appears in Shōgun the Novel (but Not the TV Series) or International Amateur Baseball Player” (3:13), banter about an MLBPA power struggle (8:37) and the...

  
• 03.23.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2142: Season Preview Series: Yankees and Nationals

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the J.D. Martinez and Michael Lorenzen signings, Eury Pérez‘s elbow, Jackson Holliday not making the O’s Opening Day roster, and MLB’s crowded, mediocre middle, then preview the 2024 New York Yankees (16:49) with...

  
• 03.23.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2141: What Did Sho Know?

  In an in-depth discussion that became a bonus episode, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley explore the state of the sports-betting scandal surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, breaking down the stakes, the most pressing sources of uncertainty,...

  
• 03.21.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2140: Don’t Bet on It

  After a brief preamble about the betting scandal surrounding Shohei Ohtani and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the first game of the regular season, whether gloves have gotten more permeable, the odds of a DH-only...

  
• 03.20.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2139: Season Preview Series: Braves and White Sox

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Giants signing Blake Snell, whether Snell is now underrated, San Francisco’s offseason, Scott Boras’s offseason, leaguewide spending, an MLBPA power struggle, and (39:03) a 150-year-old message about baseball players in spring, then...

  
• 03.15.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2138: Our Favorite Offseason Moves

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Dylan Cease trade, the post-trade outlooks for the Padres and White Sox, and the incomparably chaotic Padres POBO A.J. Preller, then (31:22) discuss who the best pitcher in baseball is with Gerrit...

  
• 03.14.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2137: Season Preview Series: Astros and Athletics

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest on Gerrit Cole’s elbow and how his uncertain status might affect free agents Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, then preview the 2024 Houston Astros (23:42) with The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, and...

  
• 03.13.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2136: Season Preview Series: Mariners and Royals

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the uncertain state of Gerrit Cole’s elbow (and the larger UCL scourge), the Giants controversially releasing J.D. Davis, and the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts/Gavin Lux infield switcheroo, then preview the 2024 Seattle Mariners (29:12)...

  
• 03.09.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2135: Season Preview Series: Rays and Pirates

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the retirement of Meg favorite Mike Zunino, some teams’ mismatched gray jerseys and pants, whether Blake Snell is still unsigned in part because his pitching isn’t fun to watch (and whether he walks...

  
• 03.08.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2134: Season Preview Series: Orioles and Giants

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the A’s Las Vegas ballpark renderings, Brayan Bello’s extension with the Red Sox, and MLB’s Spring Breakout games, provide an update on EW listeners’ MLB ballpark meetup events, then preview the 2024 Baltimore...

  
• 03.06.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2133: (Eternal) Rest Day

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler extension, the Giants’ Matt Chapman signing, and a Scott Boras quote about free agency, then (17:35) bring on Patreon supporter Jay Wade Edwards to answer listener emails (26:41) about...

  
• 03.02.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2132: Season Preview Series: Blue Jays and Reds

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley talk to FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens about the site’s ongoing efforts to model team depth and factor it into projections, then preview the 2024 Toronto Blue Jays (30:46) with The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath, and the...

  
• 03.01.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2131: Season Preview Series: Phillies and Angels

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani’s surprise marriage announcement (5:15), and Portia of Ohtani fan account @shoheisaveus returns (18:13) to tell Ben how the news was received by the Shobae community. Then Ben and Meg Stat Blast...

  
• 02.29.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2130: The Incomparably Comparable Catchers

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Cubs signing Cody Bellinger, Scott Boras’s offseason, and what Bryce Harper’s walk year could portend for Juan Soto’s. Then (33:27) Ben and Meg talk to Ben Kramer and Robert Toner of the...

  
• 02.24.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2129: Season Preview Series: Twins and Tigers

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Boras Four behind the scenes, Hyun Jin Ryu’s salary-cap-skirting KBO contract, and a study on the effectiveness of complaining about umps, plus a Stat Blast (22:51) about an inaccurate, unkillable Greg Maddux...

  
• 02.23.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2128: Season Preview Series: Diamondbacks and Brewers

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB’s semi-transparent-pants problem and the Nike/Fanatics uniform mess that’s swallowed spring training, a “down the dick” etymology follow-up, Kodai Senga’s injury, Mitch Keller’s extension, the Marlins signing Tim Anderson, and a minor league...

  
• 02.21.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2127: Right Down the Dickson

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about recent headline-generating comments by Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, a Padres position change, and the possibility of another Ronald Acuña Jr. extension. Then (34:11) they bring on Patreon supporter Sean Saxe and answer...

  
• 02.17.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2126: Season Preview Series: Cardinals and Guardians

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rob Manfred’s announcement that he’ll step down as commissioner after his current term. Then they preview the 2024 St. Louis Cardinals (26:01) with The Athletic’s Katie Woo and the 2024 Cleveland Guardians (1:09:24)...

  
• 02.16.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2125: Baseball 101

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about injuries at spring training (specifically the Orioles’) and Jorge Soler and the Giants’ offseason, Stat Blast (21:04) about Kenley Jansen and the age of active career leaders in pitching appearances and recording five...

  
• 02.13.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2124: Season Preview Series: Rangers and Cubs

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a difference between baseball and football (as illustrated by the Super Bowl), the lowering of the limit on players per organization, and umpire Jen Pawol’s ascent toward the majors (and history). Then they...

  
• 02.10.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2123: Season Preview Series: Red Sox and Padres

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about former Mets GM Billy Eppler’s suspension for fabricating injuries, then Stat Blast (15:25) about players who amassed the most WAR for their secondary, tertiary, quaternary (etc.) teams, Hall of Famers who played with...

  
• 02.09.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2122: Ballers Don’t Lie

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about surprising playoff odds, the Astros extending Jose Altuve (26:40), the Brewers signing Gary Sánchez (34:57), the forthcoming Netflix docuseries about the 2024 Red Sox (38:49), a baseball equivalent of Travis Kelce and Taylor...

  
• 02.07.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2121: Season Preview Series: Marlins and Mets

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley introduce the 12th annual Effectively Wild season preview series, then banter about the Royals extending Bobby Witt Jr., the Dodgers reuniting with Clayton Kershaw (and Ryan Brasier), the Red Sox (sort of) reuniting with Theo...

  
• 02.03.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2120: Corbin Competencies

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down the Corbin Burnes trade between the Orioles and Brewers, then (23:19) talk to 81-year-old Don Kessinger, former six-time All-Star shortstop for the Cubs, about being an amateur multi-sport star, learning to switch-hit after...

  
• 02.02.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2119: The All-Time BP Annual Guessing Game

  Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Craig Goldstein and managing editor Patrick Dubuque banter about editing, discuss the Orioles’ impending change in ownership (10:25), examine the newly released Baseball Prospectus 2024 (22:01), and then play a guessing/Remembering Some...

  
• 01.31.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2118: The Call-Up is Coming From Inside the House

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about what would happen if top prospects could promote themselves, the Mariners-Twins trade involving Jorge Polanco, Photoshop mockups of players in their new teams’ uniforms, Byron Buxton returning to center field, the Blue Jays...

  
• 01.27.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2117: Sports Shouting

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley unleash another rant about the Orioles’ inaction (prompted by Mike Elias quotes about their aggressiveness) and banter about the David Robertson and Joc Pederson signings and baseball in Masters of the Air, then (33:51) answer...

  
• 01.26.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2116: Too Close to Hall

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on the contract over/unders draft and the “death ball,” banter about the signings of Rhys Hoskins and Matt Moore, weigh their current confidence levels in the A’s actually moving to Las Vegas, and...

  
• 01.24.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2115: I Am Become Death Ball

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the “death ball,” a curveball variant that could be baseball’s next sweeper-esque pitch-design innovation, and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of separate classifications for “new” pitches that are subsets of other pitches, and...

  
• 01.21.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2114: Weekend WARriors

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the offseason doldrums and this winter’s free-agent activity compared to last year’s, the Josh Hader and Robert Stephenson signings (with a contract over/under draft update), a bleak week in sports (and non-sports) media,...

  
• 01.20.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2113: Just Like They Scripted It

  Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Patreon supporter Nick Taber banter about Nick’s baseball background and MLB’s most hated teams, then (19:41) answer listener emails about baseball’s newsbreakers as secret newsmakers, a baseball mercenary who plays for multiple teams in the...

  
• 01.18.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2112: Signing Snellinger

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about where Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger should/will sign, excoriate the Orioles for their offseason inaction, marvel at Alex Anthopoulos’s lengthy extension, discuss the Giants’ Jordan Hicks signing as part of a trend toward...

  
• 01.12.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2111: Insider Fading

  Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and listener Michael Mountain banter about Michael’s proposal for Effectively Wild listener ballpark meetups during the 2024 MLB season, followed by (7:24) Michael’s guest Stat Blasts about the best non-award-winning players, his all-time player tiers, and...

  
• 01.11.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2110: Rooker of the Year

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s unlikely recovery in the contracts over/under draft, the Cubs signing Shota Imanaga, the trailblazing Rachel Balkovec moving from the dugout to the Marlins’ front office, and (18:37) whether the new horror film...

  
• 01.09.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2109: And Teoscar Goes To…

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Teoscar Hernández signing with the Dodgers, how other teams can compete with L.A., and the Mets signing Sean Manaea. Then (33:07) they answer listener emails about whether the Royals or Tigers will win...

  
• 01.06.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2108: What We Might Remember About 2023

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about multiple Mariners trades and follow up on a previous conversation about teams with the most work to do before Opening Day, then (21:07) talk to Pebble Hunting author (and former host) Sam Miller...

  
• 01.05.2024

  Effectively Wild Episode 2107: The Mascot Menu

  Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the cruelty of the gift Ben gave his Effectively Wild Secret Santa recipient, which MLB team has the most pressure on it to finish the offseason strong (15:23), Chris Sale’s extension, and the...