Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Tim Anderson–José Ramírez fight and White Sox clubhouse culture, John Angelos benching Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown, the Angels’ post-deadline slump (and the Mariners’ rise), the return of Gary Sánchez‘s power bat, updates on the MLB injury rate, the pitch clock, and the zombie runner, Charlie Culberson’s re-reunion with Atlanta, the Rays’ latest unlikely starting pitcher, the Yankees’ ambidextrous catching prospect (and the dream of a left-handed catcher), and more, plus (1:21:55) a Future Blast from 2043.

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

Link to video of punches
Link to ESPN White Sox story
Link to Ramírez comments
Link to Hamilton call
Link to story on Hamilton call
Link to Kopech quote
Link to Grandal/Anderson report
Link to Hahn comments
Link to video of prior 2B tag play
Link to The Athletic column on Anderson
Link to The Athletic column on the Sox
Link to Anderson on personal struggles
Link to AA’s Brown report
Link to Brown broadcast clip
Link to Ghiroli on Brown
Link to Rosenthal on Brown
Link to other announcers on Angelos
Link to Angelos’s spring comments
Link to Adley with puppies
Link to catcher HR leaders
Link to team catcher WAR
Link to May episode on Sánchez
Link to Rob Mains on July
Link to MLBTR on Jung’s injury
Link to MLBTR on Culberson
Link to Littell cruise ship story
Link to Stat Blast on Springs
Link to ambidextrous fielder story
Link to story on LH catchers
Link to LH catcher EW episode
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Future Blast wiki
Link to McClanahan update
Link to Cronin chess story
Link to The Matrix Revolutions scene

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Robin Ventura truthers defending Ventura on the 30th anniversary of his brawl with Nolan Ryan, Shohei Ohtani‘s 2023 WAR matching his full-season 2021 WAR and whether this Ohtani season would’ve won him an MVP award in 2022, the Yankees’ handling of Anthony Rizzo’s belatedly diagnosed post-concussion syndrome, whether this year’s shift restrictions are leading to more pitchers being hit by baseballs, and what winning or losing the trade deadline is actually worth, then (52:44) Stat Blast about players with the highest and lowest percentages of pulled homers (and the longest streaks of pulled homers), players who bat righty and throw lefty, the most matching pitch counts and speeds in one game, a record date for MLB birthdays, and the players traded the most times at the trade deadline, followed by (1:11:54) a conversation with former major leaguer J.A. Happ (and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen) about what it’s like to be dealt at the deadline, Happ’s extensive trade history, the retirement of Cole Hamels, and more, plus (1:51:26) a Future Blast from 2042.

Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ventura/Ryan video
Link to Ventura/Ryan story
Link to Drellich’s Ventura tweet
Link to Langs on Ohtani’s game
Link to FG WAR leaderboard
Link to B-Ref WAR leaderboard
Link to Fletcher’s EW interview
Link to Ben on Ohtani and Judge
Link to The Athletic on Rizzo
Link to Rosenthal on Rizzo
Link to Lindsey on Germán
Link to Jay on Rizzo and Germán
Link to Rizzo fatigue quote
Link to other Rizzo quote
Link to MLB.com story on Rizzo
Link to SIS comebackers tweet
Link to Pudge cheek story 1
Link to Pudge cheek story 2
Link to Down on the Farm post
Link to Dan S. on the 2023 deadline
Link to Dan S. on the 2022 deadline
Link to Dan S. on the 2021 deadline
Link to career pulled HR rates
Link to pulled HR streaks
Link to Russell Carleton’s Twitter
Link to weird-ass starter record
Link to weird-ass starter record (no P)
Link to weird-ass player record
Link to weird-ass player record (no P)
Link to all AL/NL weird-ass hitters
Link to pitch speed/count sheet
Link to Lucas Apostoleris’s Twitter
Link to MLB birthdays bar chart
Link to MLB birthdays heat map
Link to MLB relative age effect
Link to relative age effect wiki
Link to listener emails database
Link to trades on deadline day
Link to trades within 3 days
Link to trades within 1 week
Link to trades within 2 weeks
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Happ’s wiki
Link to “J Day” story
Link to Happ’s transactions
Link to Hamels retirement info
Link to IronPigs wiki
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Future Blast wiki

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After the trade-deadline dust settles, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley break down the big deals from deadline eve and deadline day, starting with high-level trade-season takeaways (reunions, top prospects, hitters vs. pitchers, missing star power) and then zooming in on almost every team as they discuss the Justin Verlander trade, the AL West arms race, and Framber Valdez’s no-hitter, the Mets’ sell-off, the Padres’ non-sell-off (and the itinerant Rich Hill), the Mariners’ middle course, the Orioles’ prospect-hugging, a number of contending teams’ lack of activity, and more, plus pedantry, follow-ups, and a Future Blast (1:21:57) from 2041.

Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG trade-post roundup
Link to FG post on unmade trades
Link to Langs on division leads
Link to Jay on the Valdez no-no
Link to BP on Valdez
Link to tweet about Hill in 2024
Link to February Angelos comments
Link to Elias quote 1
Link to Elias quote 2
Link to Elias quote 3
Link to Boone deadline quote
Link to Bloom comment
Link to Rodriguez veto explanation
Link to Kram on deadline W+L
Link to Clemens on deadline W+L
Link to FG farm rankings
Link to Elks record story
Link to Milwaukee punching bag
Link to Mikolas EW episode
Link to Josh Beck EW episode
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Future Blast wiki

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Charlie Culberson’s surprising staying power as a barely-playing big leaguer, then break down the first batch of trades preceding the trade deadline, including deals involving Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, Jordan Hicks, Nicky Lopez, Randal Grichuk, and C.J. Cron. They also discuss the lack of impact hitters on the market, Matt Chapman dissing the Angels’ offense, how intentional walks affect Shohei Ohtani’s WAR, and how a misaligned strike-zone graphic may have angered Phil Nevin. Then (1:08:34) Ben brings on White Sox pitcher Declan Cronin, the first major leaguer from Ben’s alma mater, Regis High School, for an in-person Meet a Major Leaguer segment with a player promoted thanks to deadline deals. They talk about Declan’s underdog career path as a Regis Raider, Holy Cross Crusader, and 36th-round draftee, his call-up and debut, his data-driven development, his second job at Tread Athletics, and more, followed (1:52:33) by a Future Blast from 2040.

Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Petriello on Culberson
Link to MLBTR on Culberson
Link to Culberson/Swanson story
Link to Rany on the Lopez trade
Link to MLBTR on Lopez/Hearn
Link to FG post on Scherzer deal
Link to FG post on Cardinals trades
Link to FG post on Cardinals prospects
Link to FG post on Angels trade
Link to Eppler comments
Link to Rosenthal on the Mets trades
Link to defense behind pitcher
Link to Eovaldi IL news
Link to Ronald Acuña comments
Link to story on lack of hitters
Link to Sam on Grichuk/Trout
Link to Chapman video
Link to Chapman game story
Link to tweet about Chapman/Nevin
Link to story on Nevin suspension
Link to story on Nevin ejections
Link to Apple strike zone graphic
Link to EW Episode 2030
Link to Rob Arthur on umps
Link to Meet a Major Leaguer wiki
Link to Regis alma mater video
Link to Regis notable alumni
Link to Declan’s first out
Link to Passan tweet about Declan
Link to Declan velo video
Link to Declan sinker video
Link to EW on seam-shifted wake
Link to Declan stuff video
Link to Ramírez HR video
Link to Ramírez HR data
Link to Holy Cross call-up story
Link to Holy Cross roster page
Link to Declan’s LinkedIn page
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Future Blast wiki

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a silly kerfuffle involving Miles Mikolas, Willson Contreras, and Ian Happ, Triston Casas’s hot streak and previous unwritten-rules run-in, Bullet Rogan vs. Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge’s return and the Yankees’ underlying issues, the Mets trading David Robertson to the Marlins and the White Sox sending Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers and Kendall Graveman to the Astros, White Sox historical franchise futility, which of this season’s most disappointing teams is most likely to bounce back in 2024, and Royals owner John Sherman’s claims about the economic impact of the team’s future ballpark, plus emails (1:19:45) about a homerless MVP and MLB ownership vs. NFL ownership, and a Future Blast (1:27:26) from 2039.

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

Link to story about Cardinals kerfuffle
Link to Cardinals broadcast commentary
Link to broadcaster ratings
Link to bottom-five broadcasters
Link to post on lizard incident
Link to Mikolas vs. Galvis
Link to Mikolas vs. Soto
Link to Ben on the Soto shuffle
Link to Casas/clubhouse article
Link to Cora on Casas
Link to best hitters since 6/7
Link to best hitters since 5/23
Link to FG combined WAR leaderboard
Link to FiveThirtyEight on Rogan
Link to Rogan wiki
Link to previous EW on Rogan
Link to B-Ref Negro Leagues stats
Link to FG Negro Leagues stats
Link to Kram on Judge
Link to Paine on Judge
Link to FG on Kelly/Lynn
Link to FG on the Graveman trade
Link to 2021 Graveman trade article
Link to White Sox playoff appearances
Link to FG on the Robertson trade
Link to FG post on the Cubs
Link to John Sherman’s letter
Link to BP on the Sherman letter
Link to FB thread on MLB vs. NFL owners
Link to EW emails database
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Twanisha Terry wiki
Link to MLBTR on Cronin

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about watching Shohei Ohtani play while they podcast, the Angels’ decision not to trade Ohtani and subsequent trade for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López, whether the Cubs should buy or sell, the Guardians’ and Dodgers’ perplexing Amed Rosario-for-Noah Syndergaard swap, the Brewers acquiring Carlos Santana, and Rob Manfred’s extension. Then (45:05) they answer emails about dugout punching bags and whether the ABS system could help umps (and players) learn the strike zone, react (59:44) to the rest of Ohtani’s doubleheader exploits, Stat Blast (1:06:55) about the Orioles’ sweepless streak, the most hits recorded by the fewest batters when that number of hits is the team’s total, first career hits that are also first career hits allowed, player homerless streaks, the high-scoring fifth game after the All-Star break, and players being traded together twice, plus a Future Blast (1:27:39) from 2038 and a few follow-ups.

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

Link to Verducci’s Ohtani report
Link to Minasian quote
Link to Ben C. on the Giolito trade
Link to FG staff Ohtani post
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to BP IL Ledger
Link to Britton on buy/sell decisions
Link to Shohei doubleheader story
Link to Shohei doubleheader fun facts
Link to Wise no-no
Link to Wise second homer
Link to FG on Dodgers-Guardians trade
Link to FG on Hernández trade
Link to team SS WAR leaders
Link to Dodgers SS WAR leaders
Link to Sheehan on the Cubs
Link to Brewers 1B leaders
Link to Manfred extension article
Link to Athletic article on ABS
Link to sweepless streaks tweet
Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter
Link to most hits by fewest players
Link to first-career-hits data
Link to homerless streaks data
Link to trade pairs list
Link to 5th post-ASB game image
Link to 5th post-ASB game image 2
Link to Craig Wright on 1894
Link to Ben on moving the mound
Link to EW emails database
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to EW Ohtani trading game
Link to Ohtani trading game responses

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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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