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 discussing the Atlanta Braves (15:07) with Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game, and the Colorado Rockies (53:50) with Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette, plus a Past Blast from 1986 (1:26:07), trivia answers (1:30:00), a Stat Blast (1:31:34) about the biggest WAR gaps between Opening Day starters, the worst pitchers ever to start on Opening Day, and the best pitchers and hitters never to start on Opening Day, and a postscript (1:41:09).

Audio intro: Benny and A Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”
Audio interstitial: Simon Waldram, “What Were You Thinking?”
Audio outro: Benny and A Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Horny)”

Link to MLBTR on Volpe
Link to MLBTR on Walker
Link to Mains on Cardinals PECOTA
Link to MLBTR on Turang
Link to MLBTR on Baty/Vientos
Link to FG post on Vientos
Link to MLBTR on Rodriguez
Link to Elias on Rodriguez
Link to Ben on 2022 OD promotions
Link to Ben on 2022 debuts
Link to MLB rules PSA hub
Link to Snell/Anderson spot
Link to Vogelbach/Showalter spot
Link to Cranston spot
Link to FanGraphs playoff odds
Link to FG payroll breakdown
Link to Braves offseason tracker
Link to Braves depth chart
Link to MLB Pipeline rankings
Link to From The Diamond
Link to Rockies offseason tracker
Link to Rockies depth chart
Link to Sam’s Rockies essay
Link to article on hangover effect
Link to article on curing the hangover
Link to Sarris on McMahon
Link to Danielle’s author archive
Link to Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Braves-Rockies trivia answers
Link to Stat Blast spreadsheet 1
Link to Stat Blast spreadsheet 2
Link to article about LBJ’s first pitch
Link to Brown/Cole source 1
Link to Brown/Cole source 2
Link to Brown/Cole source 3
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Woodward on changeups
Link to EW on seam-shifted wake
Link to Forbes valuations
Link to Mains on Forbes data

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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 series by discussing the San Diego Padres (30:15) with AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, and the Cincinnati Reds (1:15:40) with C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, plus a Past Blast from 1985 (1:54:31), trivia answers (1:59:57), and a few followups (2:01:33).

Audio intro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: Anthony Parker, “Cloud 9”
Audio interstitial 2: Steve Wynn, “Sustain”
Audio outro: Manther, “1985”

Link to Nitkowski thread
Link to Trout’s HRD call to Ohtani
Link to Schoenfield article
Link to Drellich article
Link to ESPN on the clock tweaks
Link to MLBTR on the clock tweaks
Link to Darren Baker video
Link to Darren Baker rule
Link to Cranston ad
Link to Cranston on Hot Ones
Link to FanGraphs playoff odds
Link to FG payroll breakdown
Link to Padres offseason tracker
Link to Padres depth chart
Link to story on Cruz’s eye
Link to AJ on position battles
Link to Seidler on sustainability
Link to article on Forbes valuations
Link to Forbes valuations
Link to Reds offseason tracker
Link to Reds depth chart
Link to Trent’s author archive
Link to Trent on Castellini
Link to Trent on India
Link to Trent on Greene
Link to farm system improvement
Link to Sidd Finch story
Link to story about Finch story
Link to Sidd Finch wiki
Link to April 15 followup
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Padres-Reds trivia answers
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to “The Comeback” Seinfeld clips
Link to “The Burning” Seinfeld clips
Link to 20-80 scale explainer

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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 whole WBC such a success. Then (52:02) they close the book on meeting major leaguers from 2022 by talking to James Bailey, author of Major League Debuts: 2023 Edition, about his new series of annual books about every player who makes the majors, his process for researching rookies, whether there are too many major leaguers, and 2022 debutants Jason Delay, Ben DeLuzio, and Donny Sands, followed by a Stat Blast (1:24:15) about Ichiro Cano and the highest-WAR combined baseball names, plus a Past Blast (1:33:14) from 1984.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Sun, “In Perfect Time”

Link to Zach Kram on the WBC
Link to Ben on the WBC
Link to Ohtani pitch grade stat
Link to Trout-Ohtani video
Link to Japanese broadcast call
Link to 120 percent quote
Link to more than 100 percent wiki
Link to Arozarena trash talk
Link to Ohtani trash talk
Link to Ohtani’s speech
Link to Arozarena HR robbery
Link to Arozarena autographing
Link to Randy autographing again
Link to Sasaki candy story
Link to Yoshida homer
Link to Murakami walkoff
Link to Ohtani double
Link to WBC press release
Link to All-Tournament Team
Link to Meet a Major Leaguer wiki
Link to book website
Link to buy the book
Link to B-Ref’s new debuts page
Link to Ichiro Cano post
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Stat Blast data
Link to 1984 Past Blast source
Link to 1984 Past Blast source, cont’d
Link to EW on Florida baseball books
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to EW on RSNs
Link to local-revenue article

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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 Washington Nationals (1:06:41) with Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post, plus a Past Blast from 1983 (1:47:29), trivia answers (1:52:16), and an initial reaction to a stone-cold classic Japan-Mexico WBC semifinal (1:53:33).

Audio intro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: The Moaners, “Yankee on My Shoulder”
Audio interstitial 2: Krestovsky, “National Spark”
Audio outro: Keenan The First and RandiVision, “Big Game”

Link to Rosenthal on Turner’s homer
Link to Nightengale on Turner’s homer
Link to Trout reaction GIF
Link to Wainwright quote
Link to Quijada’s pitch
Link to article about Bard
Link to Rosenthal on the mound visit
Link to FG post on Profar
Link to FanGraphs playoff odds
Link to FG payroll breakdown
Link to Yankees offseason tracker
Link to Yankees depth chart
Link to Ben Clemens on Cole
Link to story on in-flight wifi
Link to framing leaderboard
Link to Higashioka analysis
Link to Woodward on back-picks
Link to Brendan’s spring preview
Link to Brendan’s author archive
Link to Rosenthal on Judge
Link to Nationals offseason tracker
Link to Nationals depth chart
Link to Jesse on Cavalli
Link to Jesse on Strasburg
Link to Jesse on Robles
Link to Jesse’s author archive
Link to Ben on Meneses
Link to Svrluga on the Nats
Link to 1983 Pirates article
Link to 1983 Phillies article
Link to baseball exceptionalism wiki
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to trivia answers
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Cashner beard article
Link to other Cashner beard article

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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 Sports, and the Oakland Athletics (1:00:11) with Matt Kawahara of The SF Chronicle, plus a Past Blast from 1982 (1:39:53) and trivia answers (1:52:11).

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: The Beets, “Watching Television”
Audio interstitial 2: Goodbye Kumiko, “Oakland”
Audio outro: Superare, “Sunglasses”

Link to Tokyo water pressure story
Link to report about WBC ratings
Link to Twitter thread about ratings
Link to Super Bowl ratings
Link to highest WS ratings
Link to MLB WBC press release
Link to co-exclusive partner banter
Link to Sheehan’s newsletter
Link to MLBTR on Diamond
Link to Premier League history
Link to teams’ local revenue
Link to FanGraphs playoff odds
Link to FG payroll breakdown
Link to Mets offseason tracker
Link to Mets depth chart
Link to Deesha on Díaz
Link to Jay Jaffe on Díaz
Link to Mets trumpet taps video
Link to Deesha on Álvarez and Baty
Link to Deesha on the farm system
Link to Deesha’s author archive
Link to Athletics offseason tracker
Link to Athletics depth chart
Link to Nimmo video
Link to Nimmo article
Link to West Wing scene
Link to Eck’s Pirates comments
Link to Vogt hiring story
Link to Matt on CF
Link to story on Pache in LF
Link to Dan Moore on the A’s park
Link to Matt’s spring hitting preview
Link to Matt’s spring pitching preview
Link to Matt’s author archive
Link to 1982 article source
Link to Opti-Web glove
Link to BP on Mizuno
Link to article on baseball sunglasses
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter

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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 his scientific research is analogous to baseball research, before answering listener emails (31:29) about the best way to use an ambidextrous pitcher, reenacting a specific baseball game, what it would be like if baseball players were worse than they used to be, mutual pitch-calling, a league with only hitters or pitchers, a possible upside of cheating, the pitch clock and the hidden-ball trick, whether MLB games used to be closer, ending the Yankees’ facial-hair policy, a “pitch jingle,” and even bigger bases, plus a Past Blast (1:48:06) from 1981.

Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jeff Eliassen, “Michael”

Link to “arrow in the knee” wiki
Link to Baumann on Díaz
Link to Jon Tayler on the Díaz game
Link to Díaz injury video
Link to MLBTR on Díaz injury
Link to Mets spring celebration video
Link to Olbermann comments
Link to Ohtani throwing 102
Link to story on upcoming WBCs
Link to Michael’s UC Berkeley page
Link to Michael’s blog
Link to Michael’s wiki
Link to “The Impossible Dream” video
Link to FG pitcher stuff stats
Link to Cijntje story
Link to Cijntje video
Link to Ben on baseball talent
Link to EW about baseball talent
Link to Ben on hitters and pitchers
Link to so-called hidden ball trick
Link to Sam on close games
Link to Rob Mains on comebacks
Link to Rob Arthur on mismatches
Link to 1999 story on Vaughn and Reds
Link to retrospective on Vaughn
Link to Yankees policy history
Link to Rodón shaving story
Link to story about policy’s legality
Link to more on policy’s legality
Link to more on the legality
Link to Wilson story
Link to McCutchen’s comments
Link to just-noticeable difference wiki
Link to Dick Trueman episode
Link to listener emails database
Link to 1981 Past Blast source
Link to 2019 Visalia article
Link to 1995 Harrisburg article
Link to Harrisburg Senators wiki
Link to fan-owned baseball teams
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Saber Seminar scholarships
Link to Saber Seminar submissions
Link to Andy Ellison’s website

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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 bankruptcy (21:22), Trevor Bauer departing for Japan (31:17), and an Effectively Wild theme song contest (35:43), then continue their 2023 season preview series by discussing the Tampa Bay Rays (42:57) with Adam Berry of MLB.com, and the Detroit Tigers (1:15:04) with Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, plus a Past Blast from 1980 (1:53:29) and trivia answers (1:57:34).

Audio intro: Jaquan Grant, “Baseball Rich”
Audio interstitial 1: David Lawrence, “I Wander On”
Audio interstitial 2: Camden, “You Little Tiger”
Audio outro: Gilles Cardoni, “Super 80”

Link to Puerto Rico “perfect game”
Link to Mitch Bratt story
Link to Meneses homers
Link to Zach Buchanan on Meneses
Link to Ohtani homer
Link to Ohtani strikeout
Link to story on Satoria
Link to Satoria interview
Link to Pool A tiebreak story
Link to “change my mind” meme
Link to Caribbean Series wiki
Link to Baseball World Cup wiki
Link to MLBTR on Carroll
Link to Buchanan on Carroll
Link to tweet about Carroll
Link to MLBTR on Ruiz
Link to story on Diamond and MLB
Link to MLBTR on Bauer
Link to Jim Allen on Bauer
Link to story about P-G strike
Link to union info about strike
Link to strike fund
Link to FanGraphs playoff odds
Link to FG payroll breakdown
Link to Rays offseason tracker
Link to Rays depth chart
Link to Emma B. on Brady Williams
Link to Adam’s spring preview
Link to Adam’s author archive
Link to Tigers offseason tracker
Link to Tigers depth chart
Link to Dan S. on breakout hitters
Link to Cody’s spring preview
Link to Cody on Comerica dimensions
Link to Cody on Maton
Link to Cody on injury prevention
Link to Cody on Turnbull
Link to Cody’s author archive
Link to Cody’s Tigers podcast
Link to 1980 article source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Damon on the Bananas
Link to MLBTR on Diamond
Link to EW episode on sharting
Link to Hernández tweet
Link to Shane McKeon’s Twitter
Link to Shane’s website

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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 season preview series by discussing the Houston Astros (17:49) with Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle, and the Pittsburgh Pirates (59:39) with Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, plus a Past Blast from 1979 (1:30:38), preview trivia answers (1:37:36), and a farewell to editor Dylan Higgins.

Audio intro: Sloan, “So Far So Good”
Audio interstitial 1: The Black Crowes, “Houston Don’t Dream About Me”
Audio interstitial 2: Mason Jennings, “Pittsburgh”
Audio outro: Hockey Dad, “Dylan’s Place”

Link to Castillo catch
Link to runner’s celebration mistake
Link to last play of Australia-Korea
Link to Nootbaar catch
Link to Ohtani highlights
Link to story on Ohtani
Link to Passan tweet
Link to Lewie Pollis on the shift
Link to Tom Tango on stolen bases
Link to Cooper on game times
Link to Johnson’s bird snuff film
Link to You’re Wrong About on snuff films
Link to FanGraphs playoff odds
Link to FG payroll breakdown
Link to Astros offseason tracker
Link to Astros depth chart
Link to Passan on Click and Crane
Link to Chandler on Brown
Link to Chandler’s spring preview
Link to Chandler’s author archive
Link to Baumann on Brown
Link to Pirates offseason tracker
Link to Pirates depth chart
Link to Jason’s spring Pirates preview
Link to Jason on Keller
Link to Jason on catching prospects
Link to Jason on strike-throwing
Link to Jason’s author archive
Link to 1979 article source
Link to Belgium gambling news
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Dylan’s last FGA episode

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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 1913 article about unprecedented events at the ballpark, the cliché about seeing something new at every game, the supreme examples of that phenomenon from any point in baseball history, games they attended, and games they paid attention to, and examples they hope to see in 2023. After that (1:18:27), Ben and Meg talk to WBC Central host Shawn Spradling about the biggest storylines of the World Baseball Classic, including the format and schedule, the favorites and dark horses, the surprising players, the challenge of putting on an international baseball tournament, how and when to watch, and more, followed by (1:56:57) a Past Blast from 1978.

Audio intro: May Erlewine, “Song for Sam”
Audio interstitial: Supergrass, “The Return Of…”
Audio outro: Field Medic, “Tournament Horseshoe”

Link to Sam’s Substack
Link to first Substack story
Link to 1913 Phelon article
Link to Sam on seeing new things
Link to Sam on pitching lines
Link to Craig Wright on Caldwell
Link to three-pickoff inning
Link to Mariners triple play
Link to Clemens-Piazza article
Link to article on ALDS G2
Link to Ben’s ALDS G2 oral history
Link to video of Martin-Choo play
Link to EW ALDS G2 draft
Link to Dale Scott EW episode
Link to Ben on “Strategy”
Link to Dario email episode
Link to Shawn’s team infographics
Link to Shawn’s power rankings graphic
Link to Shawn’s power rankings
Link to Shawn’s YouTube channel
Link to Shawn’s podcast feed
Link to Zach Kram’s WBC primer
Link to Cliff Corcoran’s WBC primer
Link to 1978 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack

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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 Jays (15:02) with Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic, and the Kansas City Royals (55:25) with Anne Rogers of MLB.com, plus a Past Blast from 1977 (1:23:45) and trivia answers (1:32:46).

Audio intro: Yo La Tengo, “Shades of Blue”
Audio interstitial: The Joy Formidable, “Into the Blue”
Audio outro: Don Gibson, “Blue, Blue Day”

Link to tall-catchers EW episode
Link to Sam’s Substack
Link to first Ohtani dinger
Link to longer dinger video
Link to second Ohtani dinger
Link to side view of first swing
Link to side-by-side swings
Link to Japan News on homers
Link to MLB.com on the homer
Link to 2022 pepper-grinder story
Link to Nootbaar WBC story
Link to other Nootbaar story
Link to Ohtani’s tight t-shirt
Link to “Shoebae” account
Link to FanGraphs playoff odds
Link to FG payroll breakdown
Link to Blue Jays offseason tracker
Link to Blue Jays depth chart
Link to Kaitlyn’s spring preview
Link to Kaitlyn on the OF dimensions
Link to Travis on the OF dimensions
Link to Statcast park factors
Link to Kaitlyn’s author archive
Link to Royals offseason tracker
Link to Royals depth chart
Link to 2022 rookie PA by team
Link to profile of Quatraro
Link to story on throwing strikes
Link to Anne on “Raid the Zone”
Link to Anne on Royals pitchers
Link to story on KC ballpark sites
Link to 1977 article source
Link to Five Seasons on Goodreads
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Ward on pitch-calling
Link to Richard Hershberger’s book

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