Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

By Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley

What's Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast about?

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary

4.8

2,157 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

Effectively Wild Episode 19...

04.01.2023

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the joy of Opening Day and other news, including early reactions to the new rules, Rob Manfred’s comments about the ball-strike challenge system, Aaron Judge’s first homer, the Angels’ Tungsten Arm game, a ...

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast episodes:

04.01.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1988: The 2023 Team Fun Draft Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the joy of Opening Day and other news, including early reactions to the new rules, Rob Manfred’s comments about the ball-strike challenge system, Aaron Judge’s first homer, the Angels’ Tungsten Arm game, a ...
03.29.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1987: The 2023 Preseason Predictions Game Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs authors Michael Baumann and Ben Clemens play “SEC Baseball Player vs. Figure Involved in the Lincoln Assassination,” banter about two umpire faux pas (3:45) and MLB’s tweaks to replay reviewing (9:45), and then (17:32) ...
03.28.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1986: Season Preview Series: Braves and Rockies Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about prospects who have (Jordan Walker, Anthony Volpe) and haven’t (Grayson Rodriguez, Brett Baty) made Opening Day rosters and MLB’s player-centric PSAs about the new rules, then complete their 2023 season preview series by ...
03.24.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1985: Season Preview Series: Padres and Reds Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the advisability of suspending the pitch clock in certain high-stakes situations, some last-minute spring-training tweaks to the clock’s operation, and MLB’s marketing campaign about the new rules, then continue their 2023 season preview ...
03.23.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1984: Perfect Pitch Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter euphorically about the unbelievable ending of the World Baseball Classic, from Japan’s semifinal game against Mexico, to the climactic showdown between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in the USA-Japan final, to what made the ...
03.21.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1983: Season Preview Series: Yankees and Nationals Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Team USA’s WBC quarterfinal and semifinal victories and Jose Altuve’s injury, then continue their 2023 season preview series by discussing the New York Yankees (28:17) with Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, and the ...
03.18.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1982: Season Preview Series: Mets and Athletics Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the WBC’s TV ratings in Japan and (8:56) possible consequences of MLB’s RSN shake-up, then continue their 2023 season preview series by discussing the New York Mets (21:08) with Deesha Thosar of Fox ...
03.17.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1981: An Arrow in the Knee at the WBC Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Edwin Díaz’s season-ending injury at the WBC and the anti-WBC sentiment it engendered, then (20:39) bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Michael Eisen to discuss his history with Effectively Wild and baseball and how ...
03.15.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1980: Season Preview Series: Rays and Tigers Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about recent WBC highlights, whether the WBC should be held more often (7:44), extensions for Corbin Carroll and Keibert Ruiz (19:50), MLB preparing to take over streaming for some teams amid the Diamond Sports ...
03.10.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1979: Season Preview Series: Astros and Pirates Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the exciting beginning of the WBC, early indications in spring training that MLB’s rules changes are having the intended effects, and a classic unprecedented occurrence in a baseball game, then continue their 2023 ...
03.09.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1978: Sam’s Back, on Substack Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley welcome back former co-host Sam Miller to banter about his return to public baseball writing, his current relationship with baseball, and his new Substack, Pebble Hunting. Then (17:10) Ben, Meg, and Sam talk about a ...
03.07.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1977: Season Preview Series: Blue Jays and Royals Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about catcher Grayson Greiner’s height, Shohei Ohtani’s titanic homers, tight t-shirt, and pepper-grinding in WBC exhibitions, and a few preview-related trivia questions, then continue their 2023 season preview series by discussing the Toronto Blue ...
03.04.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1976: Season Preview Series: Dodgers and Cubs Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Kenta Maeda pitching well despite PitchCom giving away his signs, spring training injuries (5:26), the upsides and downsides of pitchers beginning to call their own pitches with PitchCom (9:03), and the reasons why ...
03.03.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1975: Backdoor Curve Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley begin with a little loose talk about Kiké Hernández’s revelation that he sharted during the 2020 NLDS, and pin down the precise instant of the accident with audio evidence. Then (23:59) they banter about whether ...
02.27.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1974: Season Preview Series: Cardinals and Diamondbacks Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Manny Machado’s extension, whether the Padres have spending constraints, and what the team’s future might look like, then (18:51) discuss their impressions of the pitch clock in spring training so far and offer ...
02.25.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1973: Season Preview Series: Phillies and Orioles Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley announce that they’re hiring a new podcast editor and solicit applications for the position, then (9:40) banter about another zombie-runner-related update to dictionary.com, MLB’s latest crackdown on sticky stuff, displaying the pitch clock on broadcast ...
02.23.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1972: The Prospects for the Prospects Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Prospect Week at FanGraphs, a misleading email, and Ben’s daughter’s cold, then discuss Alex Rodriguez as a budding book author, social-media maven, and flawed (anti)hero (9:19), non-revelatory news about Shohei Ohtani’s future (24:07), ...
02.20.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1971: Season Preview Series: Brewers and Marlins Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the USA World Baseball Classic roster’s so-so starting pitching, the difficulty of recruiting top pitchers for the tournament, and Japan’s staff, Meg’s college baseball weekend and Juan Soto sighting, Orioles owner John Angelos’s ...
02.17.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1970: Season Preview Series: Mariners and White Sox Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the release of FanGraphs’ playoff odds and the biggest differences between the FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus playoff and World Series odds, then continue their 2023 season preview series by discussing the Seattle Mariners ...
02.16.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1969: Winning Ugly Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the temperature in Phoenix, writers taking photos of bases, and Meg taking photos of the writers, then discuss Meg’s takeaways from MLB’s presentation to media members about this season’s new rules, MLB.TV adding ...
02.14.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1968: Season Preview Series: Guardians and Rangers Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley lament the newly codified permanence of the zombie runner, rededicate themselves to “ghost runner” reeducation, and banter about a new position-player-pitching limitation, Andrew Chafin’s surprisingly modest contract, Derek Jeter joining Fox Sports, baseball’s leading newsbreakers ...
02.10.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1967: Season Preview Series: Angels and Red Sox (Plus Joe West) Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Yu Darvish’s extension, then continue their 2023 season preview series by discussing the Los Angeles Angels (10:11) with The Athletic’s Sam Blum and the Boston Red Sox (59:32) with The Boston Globe’s Alex ...
02.09.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1966: Joe West, Young Man Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Effectively Wild listener/Patreon supporter Alana Crockett banter about Alana’s baseball background, pitcher representation in the MLB and MLBPA logos, and former umpire Joe West allegedly editing his own Wikipedia page, then (26:44) answer listener emails ...
02.07.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1965: Season Preview Series: Giants and Twins Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley introduce the 11th annual Effectively Wild season preview series, then kick things off by previewing the 2023 San Francisco Giants (13:03) with The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee and the 2023 Minnesota Twins (55:48) with The Athletic’s ...
02.03.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1964: Our Favorite Transactions Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about pre-Opening Day milestones and the upcoming EW season preview series, then (7:59) draft and discuss their favorite offseason transactions (and non-transactions), followed by a Past Blast from 1964 (1:16:19) and a Stat Blast ...
02.02.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1963: Was the Greink There? Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley issue a sexiness-comment correction and banter about Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s MLB: The Show cover-model credentials, the 2023 Opening Day schedule, more ways in which baseball is and isn’t different from other sports (14:35), Chad Green’s ...
01.31.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1962: Championship Core Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about players being in the sexiest shape of their lives, Rockies owner Dick Monfort’s comments about the Padres’ spending, and how Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy might affect the future of baseball broadcasting, then (28:09) ...
01.28.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1961: Hallternative Energy Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Orioles owner John Angelos reneging on his offer to show reporters the team’s financial information, the O’s acquiring Cole Irvin, the Astros hiring the Braves’ Dana Brown as their new GM, and the ...
01.26.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1960: Seventy-Six Percent Led the Big Parade Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Scott Rolen’s election to the Hall of Fame, Billy Wagner, Andy Pettitte, and relievers vs. starters as Cooperstown candidates, the Adalberto Mondesi trade (and a wager about Mondesi and Shohei Ohtani), and (32:40) ...
01.24.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1959: A Tale of Two Broadcasts Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the yips, more ways in which baseball is different from other sports, big leaguers playing against kids, and Rogers Centre’s new dimensions, plus a Past Blast (36:49) from 1959. Then (41:54) they talk ...
01.21.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1958: I Can Be Center Field? Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about 53-year-old Dae-Sung Koo 구대성 pitching in Australia, provide a final(?) update on Brandon Belt’s beloved Toronto chicken tenders, discuss the invisible strike zone as a feature that sets baseball apart from other sports ...
01.19.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1957: Owners’ Groaners Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about passing the halfway point of the offseason, another way in which baseball is unusual among team sports, a few minor transactions, and (11:15) recent PR missteps by the Reds and Orioles owners’ respective ...
01.18.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1956: Jock and Bull Stories Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about players snacking on the field and a baseball equivalent of the EGOT before (23:01) Ben brings on Ron Shelton, the Oscar-nominated writer and director of Bull Durham and the author of The Church ...
01.14.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1955: Upshift, Downshift Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a “Dear Abby” baseball column, Andrew McCutchen’s return to Pittsburgh, Nelson Cruz signing with San Diego, the Dodgers reacquiring Miguel Rojas, catcher deking and the ball-strike challenge system, and inaccurate outfield-fence distances, follow ...
01.12.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1954: ’Los Got Physical Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley recap the conclusion of the Carlos Correa free agency saga, breaking down his new, actually finalized contract with the Twins, reviewing his offseason odyssey, and trying to anticipate his future. Then (28:20) they banter about ...
01.10.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1953: The Weakest Links Left Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a Roger Angell-identified way in which baseball is different from other sports, discuss the Mariners signing AJ Pollock and the Phillies trading for Gregory Soto, and respond to the Dodgers cutting ties with ...
01.07.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1952: Slash Diction Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and longtime listener and Patreon supporter Jacob Barak banter about Jacob’s baseball-fan background, EW origin story, and much-discussed post about a Shohei Ohtani conundrum in the podcast’s Facebook group, then (10:35) answer listener emails about why ...
01.06.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1951: The Pod Heard ’Round the World Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the Red Sox signing Rafael Devers to a lengthy extension, the state of the Sox, the next two free-agent classes, and Carlos Baerga the newsbreaker, then banter about bad news for Charles Leblanc, a ...
01.04.2023 Effectively Wild Episode 1950: Well, We Tried Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Hall of Famer Jim Palmer‘s endorsement of Netflix series Emily in Paris, a questionable Cubs-related baseball scene in the EiP series premiere, a Royals rookie record and a follow-up on Harold Ramírez’s hair, ...
12.31.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1949: The Stories We Missed in 2022 (AL Edition) Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley close the book on 2022 by bantering about the year in Effectively Wild, the Marlins signing Jean Segura, the heretofore-unsuspected existence of Charles Leblanc, and the pitch-calling accuracy of 10 retiring umpires, plus followups on ...
12.29.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1948: The 2023 Minor League Free Agent Draft Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens continue a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the 10th annual Effectively Wild Minor League Free Agent Draft, in which they select 10 minor league free agents each and compete to see ...
12.29.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1947: The Stories We Missed in 2022 (NL Edition) Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Carlos Correa’s contract limbo, the Pirates signing Rich Hill, the Rangers signing Nathan Eovaldi, the Red Sox signing Corey Kluber, the Blue Jays trading Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Diamondbacks ...
12.24.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1946: I’ll Be Home for Correa-mas Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest Carlos Correa-related reporting, the Giants’ signings of Michael Conforto and Taylor Rogers, the hijinks potential of twin teammates Taylor and Tyler Rogers, the final results of the free-agent-contract over/under draft, their ...
12.22.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1945: We Wish Carlos the Best Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down every incredible angle of the biggest twist of the MLB offseason: free agent Carlos Correa’s overnight pivot from a 13-year agreement with the San Francisco Giants to a 12-year deal with the New ...
12.21.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1944: The Christmas Socks of Free Agents Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the differences, if any, between a two-year deal with an opt out after the first year and a one-year deal with a player option for a second year, then discuss the Dansby Swanson ...
12.17.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1943: Weird Decisions Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Yankees signing Carlos Rodón, Rodón’s recent trajectory and future, New York teams at the top of the payroll leaderboard and starting-pitcher projections, the career of the late Curt Simmons, and the perfect ...
12.16.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1942: Get Interested in Interest Rates! Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Pirates’ Vince Velasquez hype video, a “mutant option” for Cody Bellinger, and a Francisco Rodríguez-only Hall of Fame ballot, then (22:09) discuss Carlos Correa’s 13-year contract with the Giants and its implications ...
12.14.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1941: The Biggest of Payrolls, the Smallest of Payrolls Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the two teams at the top and bottom, respectively, of the MLB payroll hierarchy, the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics, touching on the Mets’ signings of Brandon Nimmo, Kodai Senga, and David Robertson, ...
12.09.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1940: Shipping Out of Boston Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their AI chatbot counterparts, then discuss the ramifications of the Padres signing Xander Bogaerts (12:58), the significance of the Red Sox losing Bogaerts and the trend toward very long-term contracts (51:26), and a ...
12.08.2022 Effectively Wild Episode 1939: It All Happened Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down the rest of the action from the Winter Meetings, including Arson Judge not signing with the Giants, Aaron Judge re-signing with the Yankees, the Padres missing out on Judge and Trea Turner, the ...

Older episodes

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

What's Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast episodes:

Effectively Wild Episode 1988: The 2023 Team Fun Draft

Effectively Wild Episode 1987: The 2023 Preseason Predictions Game

Effectively Wild Episode 1986: Season Preview Series: Braves and Rockies

Effectively Wild Episode 1985: Season Preview Series: Padres and Reds

Effectively Wild Episode 1984: Perfect Pitch

Effectively Wild Episode 1983: Season Preview Series: Yankees and Nationals

Effectively Wild Episode 1982: Season Preview Series: Mets and Athletics

Effectively Wild Episode 1981: An Arrow in the Knee at the WBC

Effectively Wild Episode 1980: Season Preview Series: Rays and Tigers

Effectively Wild Episode 1979: Season Preview Series: Astros and Pirates

Effectively Wild Episode 1978: Sam’s Back, on Substack

Effectively Wild Episode 1977: Season Preview Series: Blue Jays and Royals

Effectively Wild Episode 1976: Season Preview Series: Dodgers and Cubs

Effectively Wild Episode 1975: Backdoor Curve

Effectively Wild Episode 1974: Season Preview Series: Cardinals and Diamondbacks

Effectively Wild Episode 1973: Season Preview Series: Phillies and Orioles

Effectively Wild Episode 1972: The Prospects for the Prospects

Effectively Wild Episode 1971: Season Preview Series: Brewers and Marlins

Effectively Wild Episode 1970: Season Preview Series: Mariners and White Sox

Effectively Wild Episode 1969: Winning Ugly

Effectively Wild Episode 1968: Season Preview Series: Guardians and Rangers

Effectively Wild Episode 1967: Season Preview Series: Angels and Red Sox (Plus Joe West)

Effectively Wild Episode 1966: Joe West, Young Man

Effectively Wild Episode 1965: Season Preview Series: Giants and Twins

Effectively Wild Episode 1964: Our Favorite Transactions

Effectively Wild Episode 1963: Was the Greink There?

Effectively Wild Episode 1962: Championship Core

Effectively Wild Episode 1961: Hallternative Energy

Effectively Wild Episode 1960: Seventy-Six Percent Led the Big Parade

Effectively Wild Episode 1959: A Tale of Two Broadcasts

Effectively Wild Episode 1958: I Can Be Center Field?

Effectively Wild Episode 1957: Owners’ Groaners

Effectively Wild Episode 1956: Jock and Bull Stories

Effectively Wild Episode 1955: Upshift, Downshift

Effectively Wild Episode 1954: ’Los Got Physical

Effectively Wild Episode 1953: The Weakest Links Left

Effectively Wild Episode 1952: Slash Diction

Effectively Wild Episode 1951: The Pod Heard ’Round the World

Effectively Wild Episode 1950: Well, We Tried

Effectively Wild Episode 1949: The Stories We Missed in 2022 (AL Edition)

Effectively Wild Episode 1948: The 2023 Minor League Free Agent Draft

Effectively Wild Episode 1947: The Stories We Missed in 2022 (NL Edition)

Effectively Wild Episode 1946: I’ll Be Home for Correa-mas

Effectively Wild Episode 1945: We Wish Carlos the Best

Effectively Wild Episode 1944: The Christmas Socks of Free Agents

Effectively Wild Episode 1943: Weird Decisions

Effectively Wild Episode 1942: Get Interested in Interest Rates!

Effectively Wild Episode 1941: The Biggest of Payrolls, the Smallest of Payrolls

Effectively Wild Episode 1940: Shipping Out of Boston

Effectively Wild Episode 1939: It All Happened

Other shows like Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast: