Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a J.P. France postgame quote and ballplayer clichés, the death of first overall pick Mike Ivie, and how Masataka Yoshida’s debut season stacks up to the MLB rookie years of other ex-NPB stars, answer emails (36:57) about Mike Trout’s and Shohei Ohtani’s futures, a Trout/Hunter Renfroe trade deadline scheme (with a bonus Meg movie pitch), undoing pre-pitch-clock time-saving measures, and batters catching pitches to knock pitchers out of games, plus Stat Blasts (1:19:13) about robot umps in Triple-A, the most top 100 prospects to debut for one team in a season (or a two-season span), and Immaculate Grid efficiency, followed by a Future Blast (1:47:08) from 2037.

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

Link to France quote
Link to Ivie obit
Link to other Ivie obit
Link to Louise Levy obit
Link to NYT on Levy
Link to Ivie wiki
Link to 1980 Ivie article
Link to Athletic mental health article
Link to more on mental health
Link to Laurila on Yoshida
Link to ex-NPB rookie batting leaders
Link to Renfroe/Renfrow article
Link to Seinfeld clip
Link to Realmuto catch
Link to EW emails database
Link to ABS splits
Link to ABS AP article
Link to ABS Athletic article
Link to Manfred on ABS
Link to pitcher thread on ABS
Link to one-season prospect debuts
Link to two-season prospect debuts
Link to Immaculate Grid
Link to Chris’s Immaculate Grid sheet
Link to travelling salesman problem
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Sasaki story
Link to Maggi EW episode
Link to MLBTR on Maggi
Link to SAG-AFTRA podcast info
Link to TV ratings info

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In a 21-guest salute to Shohei Ohtani trade hypotheticals, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley are joined by a multitude of friends for a role-playing exercise in convincing the Angels to trade Ohtani to the other 20 contending (or quasi-contending) teams. Ben and Meg begin by explaining how it will work, and then the game begins (14:22). After the resolution (1:09:04), Ben and Meg discuss the outcome, followed by a Future Blast from 2036 (1:23:41). Listeners: Please vote on the trade proposals!

Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to vote on trade proposals!
Link to first Morosi tweet
Link to second Morosi tweet
Link to Ben C.’s trade value ranking
Link to old BP Price piece
Link to Hannah on Perry/Brown/AA
Link to trading game roster
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Remember: Vote on trade proposals!

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s strategies for coping with record heat in Phoenix, revisit an earlier conversation about whether the pitch clock has boosted MLB attendance (and reminisce about when the cause of increased game times was still considered unclear), celebrate their recent wish about camera angles on broadcasts coming true, discuss the resurgences of Jason Heyward and Cody Bellinger, marvel at Mickey Moniak’s continued resistance to regression and the Orioles overtaking the Rays in the AL East, use Jarred Kelenic’s fractured foot to advocate for padded dugout surfaces, and try to determine whether Albert Pujols or Miguel Cabrera had the more surprising steep decline. Then (1:11:46) they answer listener emails about burnishing Shohei Ohtani’s legacy (and his likely career path), letting All-Star starters return to the game after being removed, Elly De La Cruz if he had to attempt steals, and the distance to bullpens, plus a Future Blast (1:42:20) from 2035 and a postscript on old-timer home run derbies.

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

Link to info on Phoenix heat
Link to Russell on attendance
Link to earlier attendance convo
Link to Grant on game times
Link to attendance stats
Link to Ben on predictable times
Link to info on ticket-buyer age
Link to Rangers relay broadcast
Link to earlier episode on broadcasts
Link to Dodgers preview episode
Link to article on Heyward’s swing
Link to FG post about Bellinger
Link to Jay Jaffe on Moniak
Link to earlier Moniak convo
Link to info on Moniak’s name
Link to Moniak’s rolling zone rate
Link to ESPN RPI
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to Kelenic fracture article
Link to Cabrera’s hit
Link to FG post on Anderson
Link to Sam on Ruth and Ohtani
Link to Elly’s throw
Link to Elly throwing stats
Link to Elly’s earlier record throw
Link to Vroom Vroom Guy wiki
Link to info on Angels hammer
Link to Harper homer article
Link to Emma on bullpens/brawls
Link to EW emails database
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Draper/Roberts hockey fight
Link to Twins charity derby info
Link to ex-Twins pickup hockey article
Link to 2003 derby article

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Christian Encarnacion-Strand and whether record compound names deserve an asterisk, the appeal of a Legends Home Run Derby, the origins of (and long-ago backlash to) the trade deadline, the greatness of NPB phenom Roki Sasaki, and the new balance of power among pitch types, then (1:03:41) answer listener emails about Shohei Ohtani trade returns, Ohtani’s 2024 salary if he signed a one-year contract, the Rays’ spending, and a change to All-Star Game player usage, plus a Future Blast (1:38:30) from 2034.

Audio intro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to longest-name records
Link to more on long names
Link to Lukas on Woods Richardson
Link to Lukas on Encarnacion-Strand
Link to Encarnacion-Strand call-up info
Link to original uni photo
Link to Stark on the HRD
Link to Weaver on the HRD
Link to story on Appling’s homer
Link to Home Run Derby X wiki
Link to SPBA wiki
Link to Craig Wright on the deadline
Link to Wright’s story series
Link to Ohtani bat flip
Link to Ohtani in trade value series
Link to Delta’s NPB stats
Link to Ben on DeltaGraphs
Link to info on Sasaki’s posting
Link to MLB SP velo leaders
Link to The Athletic on sliders
Link to Tango on sliders
Link to Justin Choi on sliders
Link to seasonal pitch type %
Link to vetoed Paul trade
Link to FG post on $/WAR
Link to Roster Resource payroll page
Link to Sam’s Rays tweet
Link to team wins since 2008
Link to team wins since 2019
Link to EW emails database
Link to Turn Ahead the Clock wiki
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Ward mix-ups wiki
Link to Mozeliak tweet
Link to article about STL and the shift

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the 2024 regular-season schedule, the baseball relevance of a study about humans’ hunger for useless information, and the storylines they’re most looking forward to following over the remainder of the season, then (35:58) answer emails about a total solar eclipse during a Guardians game, sliding into a base covered in dirt, why baseball broadcasts don’t do a better job of showing baserunners, same-named players playing the same position in the same game, defining a “comeback win,” the meaning of “retiring x in a row,” why pitchers are still listed as switch-hitters, a way to save time with pinch-hitter announcements, making it legal for multiple runners to occupy the same base, and going winless in extra-inning games, plus a Stat Blast (1:21:36) about managerial ejections, a Future Blast (1:51:20) from 2033, and a few follow-ups.

Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Pedantic Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Horny Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to 2024 schedule
Link to study about pain and info
Link to The Ringer’s MLB storylines
Link to Rosenthal on buyers/sellers
Link to MLBTR on Ohtani
Link to Minasian on Ohtani
Link to Hal Steinbrenner comments
Link to milk cartons wiki
Link to MLBTR on Mozeliak
Link to EW Episode 1354
Link to list of rival-team streaks
Link to Trent on “Billy runs”
Link to Trent on HUaL
Link to Rob Mains on the ALC
Link to Ben on the eclipse game
Link to EW volcano event
Link to EW eclipse episode
Link to Pickles sprinkler video
Link to Pickles lights-out video
Link to electron repulsion article
Link to Mets “ghost runner” clip
Link to The Bear transcript
Link to Jones vs. Jones game
Link to double-Gonzalez game
Link to first “comeback win” episode
Link to Robertson batting in 2022
Link to Stathead on winless extras teams
Link to winless extras starts
Link to EW emails database
Link to Hyde ejection story
Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter
Link to ejections data
Link to 1998 Leyland article
Link to 2006 Guillen article
Link to other Guillen article
Link to third Guillen article
Link to 2008 La Russa article
Link to 1973 Mathews article
Link to 1974 Berra article
Link to article on longest games
Link to 1982 Lasorda article
Link to other Lasorda article
Link to ejection reasons 1
Link to ejection reasons 2
Link to Garver ejection article
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Dahlen/Klem article
Link to Jay on Dahlen
Link to Dahlen SABR bio
Link to MLBTR on Bieber
Link to Judge-sighting story

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s spectator experience at the All-Star Game, whether it’s good or bad that the MVP was a player as obscure as Elias Díaz, the increase in the number of All-Stars per season, other All-Star highlights and lowlights, complaints about All-Star uniforms, perennial requests for a skills competition, Rob Manfred’s and Tony Clark’s comments about more lenient pitch clocks in the postseason and the ball-strike challenge system, more details about the Alabama baseball betting scandal, and more, plus a Future Blast from 2032. Then (59:10) they talk to Byron Motley, producer of the new Negro Leagues documentary The League, about the long road to making the movie, the recent increase in appreciation of the Negro Leagues, his father’s life and career as a Negro Leagues umpire, the challenge of finding archival footage of Negro Leagues games, meeting and interviewing former Negro Leagues stars, the Negro Leagues as a microcosm of 20th-century American history, the influence of Rube Foster, the film’s portrayal of Branch Rickey’s role in integration, and the legacy of the Negro Leagues.

Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild theme”
Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild theme”

Link to Ringer ASG recap
Link to Díaz dinger
Link to Jordan on Díaz
Link to number of All-Stars per game
Link to Gurriel foul
Link to Clark comments
Link to Manfred comments
Link to info on declining violations
Link to Manfred re-election article
Link to article on international games
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to gambling scandal article
Link to The League website
Link to Byron’s website
Link to the Motleys’ book
Link to NPR on Bob Motley
Link to NPR on The League
Link to The Athletic on The League
Link to EW episode on Effa
Link to Craig Wright on SB differences
Link to Wright on Paige’s drawing power
Link to Bananas catch
Link to EW Episode 1426
Link to Berkman’s career splits
Link to Stathead on switch-hitter splits
Link to Berkman’s switch-hitting origins
Link to 2003 article about Berkman
Link to Albies on switch-hitting

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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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