Archive for Effectively Wild

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With Meg Rowley sidelined by an ill-timed landscapers visit, Ben Lindbergh brings on two great guests. First, Japanese baseball expert Yuri Karasawa (aka Yakyu Cosmopolitan) joins to talk about the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks dynasty, whether the Hawks’ success has induced a Dodgers-esque backlash or desire for a salary cap, NPB’s adoption of the pitch clock and universal DH, the league’s partial offensive bounceback, Yuri’s MLB expectations for Teruaki Sato, Kaima Taira, and Hiromi Itoh, whether Japanese fans are frustrated by the departures of so many NPB stars, whether losing top amateur talents such as Shoki Oda poses an existential threat to Japanese pro ball, how to follow NPB from afar, and more. Then (1:03:39) Ben welcomes Michael McClellan, newly promoted director of analytics for the Rockies, to talk about leaving the Rays for the Rockies, how the Rockies can catch up to earlier data adopters, how to handle Coors Field, quantifying pitch-calling, what teams are looking for in applicants, how teams are (and aren’t) using AI, and more.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to latest Hawks victory clip
Link to Yakyu Cosmopolitan site
Link to Hawks wiki
Link to article on the Hawks win
Link to article on the Hawks dynasty
Link to Yakyu Notes newsletter
Link to Yuri’s Just Baseball archive
Link to Yuri’s JapanBall archive
Link to Talking Yakyu podcast
Link to Rob Arthur on NPB pro talent
Link to Jason Coskrey archive
Link to Jim Allen’s site
Link to Oda news
Link to Oda Dodgers post
Link to NPB Stats
Link to DeltaGraphs
Link to Ben on DeltaGraphs
Link to Ben on NPB imports
Link to Nogami signing post
Link to Eric on NPB exports
Link to EW Episode 1236
Link to Michael’s LinkedIn
Link to Monfort letter
Link to Michael’s FG archive
Link to Michael’s BttP archive
Link to R&D department sizes
Link to Ben on Mexico City
Link to EW Episode 2472
Link to Ben on the Rockies
Link to The Athletic on DePo
Link to ESPN on DePo
Link to hangover effect article 1
Link to hangover effect article 2
Link to hangover effect article 3
Link to Rockies pitch-calling article
Link to iPad crackdown news
Link to Rockies job posting
Link to FB “dead zone” info
Link to Scott Powers site
Link to Mets job posting
Link to NYT on applicant screening

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley welcome two old friends back to the show to discuss their teams’ recent Fall Classic matchup: former Effectively Wild co-host/FanGraphs writer (and current Rays Senior Analyst, Baseball Process & Strategy) Jeff Sullivan, and former FanGraphs writer (and current Brewers Senior Director—Player Information and Personnel) August Fagerstrom, the latter of whom just became the first FanGraphs alum to earn a World Series ring, at the former’s expense. They talk about playoff anxiety, the feeling of winning (and losing) the World Series, scouting each others’ teams and the similarities between the Brewers and Rays, tailoring team tactics to personnel vs. the other way around, how responsible they feel for their clubs’ successes, the differences between internal and external projections, ABS strategy, front-office turnover and continuity, internal team podcasts, and more.

Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Jeff’s FG author archive
Link to August’s FG author archive
Link to Episode 901
Link to EW guests sheet
Link to Vogelbach’s song
Link to Ben on Brewers/Rays similarities
Link to Ball on the Brewers/Rays
Link to MLBTR on Castro
Link to MLB.com on Roffe
Link to Kleine report
Link to Brewers index cards
Link to Dave/Jeff/Williamson story

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Astros’ new GM hire and Bryce Harper’s comments about the likelihood of a lost season and his preference for the offseason over the season (22:22). Then FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens joins to break down the MLB free agent class: the weak crop of domestic players, the top NPB imports, the outlook for Tarik Skubal, the players who could have been available if they hadn’t signed extensions, the lockout looming over the market, and much more.

Audio intro: The Spaghettis, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Clase-Ortiz trial story
Link to MLBTR on Flores
Link to Ben on ex-player GMs
Link to MLBTR on Brown
Link to Ng story
Link to “euphemism treadmill”
Link to Harper comments
Link to EW guests spreadsheet
Link to top 50 FA ranking
Link to Ben L. on free agency
Link to MLBTR on Reyes
Link to NPB offensive leaderboard
Link to posting details story
Link to MrSugarPenis story
Link to Oda story
Link to Nogami story
Link to MLBTR on qualifying offers

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a few more World Series subjects (TV ratings, Kyle Harrison’s non-use, the Brewers’ bullpen performance, an earlier EW discussion of ideal clinching plays, and more), and then (26:00) recap the first season of ABS: how it went, what surprised them, possible improvements, etc. After that (46:26) they talk about baseball scenes in Avengers: Doomsday (with an MCU digression) and You Can See Everything (sans spoilers), and wrap up (1:15:45) by anticipating how active the MLB transaction market will be leading up to the lockout.

Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Sean P., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to ratings tweet
Link to ratings article 1
Link to ratings article 2
Link to Ben on the Brewers pen
Link to Jaffe on the Brewers pen
Link to Paine on the Brewers pen
Link to Jaffe on the Brewers run
Link to Stark on the Brewers run
Link to best postseason records
Link to Skubal offers report
Link to drunk Vogelbach
Link to EW Episode 1771
Link to Wicked Witch melting
Link to Ben on challenge changes
Link to Ben on ABS preseason
Link to Ben on ABS mix-ups
Link to AFL experiment results
Link to Doomsday promo video
Link to Doomsday article 1
Link to Doomsday article 2
Link to First Avenger article
Link to Doomsday Stewart article
Link to Professor X appearances
Link to X-Men movies wiki
Link to Doctor Doom wiki
Link to Ebbets Field wiki
Link to Earth-828 wiki
Link to EW superhero draft
Link to “Who’s on First?” clip
Link to “Who’s on First?” wiki
Link to Black House wiki

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the end of the World Series and 2026 season: the big moments of Games 4 and 5, the Brewers’ victory and overall October run, and what, if anything, other teams will take away from Milwaukee’s success. They also discuss the ideal last out of a World Series, how this postseason’s level of excitement stacks up historically, what to expect from offseason EW, and more.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ben on the Brewers
Link to Baumann on Game 5
Link to Jaffe on the Brewers
Link to ZiPS odds
Link to Rickey speech
Link to Contreras quote
Link to Orlovsky story
Link to Roffe hire
Link to MLBTR on Kleine
Link to Ball on Brewers/Rays
Link to Bryant play
Link to Theo quote
Link to Doyle tweet
Link to Ashby story
Link to Smoltz quote
Link to cWPA spreadsheet
Link to 2026 pivotal plays
Link to Sam on Chourio/Miller
Link to postseason HR leaders
Link to lockout primer

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the history of teams that take 3-0 leads in best-of-seven series, the highlights and lowlights of the first three games of the World Series, the need for an objective check-swing standard, complaints about the broadcasting of John Smoltz, and Rob Manfred’s competitive-balance comments.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Sheehan on odds
Link to Posnanski on odds
Link to Tango on odds
Link to ZiPS odds
Link to Contreras piece
Link to Baumann on the G3 rally
Link to Langs on the rally
Link to Sam on the Caminero play
Link to Ashby streak story
Link to Langs on scoring 4-plus
Link to checked-swing videos
Link to checked-swing wiki
Link to swing definition article
Link to AFL challenge system
Link to Sam on checked swings
Link to Tango on Díaz swing 1
Link to Tango on Díaz swing 2
Link to Tango on Díaz swing 3
Link to McCalvy tweet
Link to Nightengale tweet
Link to Laurila column
Link to ratings article 1
Link to ratings article 2
Link to Megill quote
Link to Chourio/Hicks play
Link to Manfred quotes
Link to Rays coaches page
Link to Jeff/Dave/Williamson story
Link to Curt’s second pod
Link to September article on Baker
Link to Adam on Baker
Link to Rasmussen’s 2026 splits
Link to Rasmussen’s career splits
Link to Walls defensive stats
Link to Adam on Walls
Link to Pham on defensive stats
Link to Tango on DRS vs. FRV
Link to Blum on ticket pricing
Link to Rosenthal report

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Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Ben Clemens banter about World Series roster and rotation decisions, the Fall Classic through a “styles make fights” lens, whether travel days are really rest days, and more. Then (31:50) Ben C. delivers a guest Stat Blast about whether bullpen games are really risky because the more pitchers you use, the more likely you are to run into a reliever who “doesn’t have it” that day, and Ben L. Blasts about players who played for three playoff teams in the same season and players who played for a few World Series winners in a row without appearing in the postseason. Finally (1:02:33), Ben and Meg banter about Angels turnover, Yankees non-turnover, Shohei Ohtani’s two-way future, NPB postings, a KBO breakout, a new baseball video game and K-drama, and a Yandy Díaz nickname.

Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”

Link to MLBTR on series rosters
Link to Woodruff story
Link to Cleavinger story
Link to Martinez news
Link to Rosenthal on Martinez
Link to Ben C. on starter timing
Link to Ben C. on Game 7s
Link to Yankees WC SP story
Link to Ben C.’s series preview
Link to ESPN series preview
Link to Ben L. on playoff trends
Link to Russell on “half days off”
Link to “Mathemadage” series
Link to Cooper post
Link to Ben C. on bullpen games
Link to FiveThirtyEight on hot hand
Link to Ben L. on bullpenning
Link to Sam on bullpenning
Link to Russell on “cruising” SP
Link to Curt on Brewers rings
Link to Henderson story
Link to three-peats sheet
Link to Feduccia request
Link to MLBTR on Angels GM
Link to MLBTR on Suzuki
Link to Goldman on Boone
Link to Cashman news
Link to Steinbrenner comments
Link to Attanasio comments
Link to Attanasio comments 2
Link to Xbox non-AI AI release
Link to Ohtani updates
Link to Selig first pitch
Link to Selig on EW
Link to Lyons on Hilliard
Link to Stove League wiki
Link to Stove League EW wiki
Link to Full Count announcement
Link to Call of Duty mission
Link to baseball RPG tweet
Link to Sato posting news
Link to Oda news
Link to Bartleby wiki
Link to Game 1 box score
Link to Baumann on Game 1

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It’s the World Series preview pod! Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a few intriguing factors that could affect the Fall Classic and then bring on two expert reporters to break down each team’s advantages, vulnerabilities, and overlooked storylines. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel joins first (19:59) to talk about the Brewers, followed by (1:04:49) Adam Berry of MLB.com on the Rays.

Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 2: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Garrett Krohn, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to missing Miz whiffs
Link to Baumann on Miz
Link to 2026 EW team goals
Link to Brewers preview pod
Link to Rays preview pod
Link to Ben L.’s playoffs piece
Link to Ben C.’s preview
Link to FG on lefty batters
Link to MLB.com on lefty batters
Link to ZiPS odds
Link to Petriello on challenging
Link to Sheehan on rest
Link to Murphy gamers/Famers quote
Link to Curt on Bauers
Link to Brewers anthem
Link to article on anthem
Link to Timeless Ticket apology
Link to EW Episode 599
Link to Curt on traveling Brewers fans
Link to Curt’s first pod
Link to Curt’s second pod
Link to September article on Baker
Link to Adam on Baker
Link to Rasmussen’s 2026 splits
Link to Rasmussen’s career splits
Link to Walls defensive stats
Link to Adam on Walls
Link to Pham on defensive stats
Link to Tango on DRS vs. FRV
Link to Blum on ticket pricing
Link to Rosenthal report

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley tease their next playoff livestream and discuss “Chalktober,” the end of the ALCS, Chandler Simpson’s (and Ben’s) calves, Ben’s quickly defused feud with FanGraphs, and hirings/non-firings. Then (1:00:53) they bring back fan-favorite (and host-favorite) guest Adrian Chiles—BBC host, Guardian columnist, and Effectively Wild UK correspondent—to talk about his beloved Rays’ run to the World Series, how he’s followed their exploits despite a several-hour time difference, his musings about the excitement/misery of playoff baseball, and more.

Audio intro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to “chalk” definition
Link to Palpatine clip
Link to Seinfeld clip
Link to Yandy clip
Link to Smith quote
Link to Langs on Caminero
Link to other Caminero fact
Link to Vogt on Bibee
Link to Yandy non-challenge
Link to Rays postseason history
Link to Petriello appearance
Link to Family Guy clip
Link to horse gait wiki
Link to Clemens on ALCS G6
Link to Andrews on Simpson
Link to Meg on Lind
Link to Vogt/Arnerich article
Link to MLBTR on Boone
Link to MLBTR on Banner
Link to MLBTR on Smith
Link to Hogg on Bauers
Link to FG zombie graphic
Link to FG ghost graphic
Link to Adrian’s first EW spot
Link to Adrian on the Rays
Link to Adrian on Wikipedia
Link to @TBRaysUK
Link to “place hitter” definition
Link to “hit ’em where they ain’t”
Link to Adrian on golf
Link to Adrian’s Guardian archive
Link to Adrian’s The Tablet archive
Link to Adrian’s BBC archive

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley talk primarily (though not exclusively) about the Brewers’ NLCS sweep of the Dodgers: how it happened, the highs and lows, and what the outcome of the rematch does and doesn’t mean for the perception of the sport, the reality of the league and its labor outlook, the future of the Dodgers, and more.

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to NLCS stats
Link to Ben on the sweep
Link to Ben on predicting sweeps
Link to Ringer art
Link to Caravaggio original
Link to Bobblehead character
Link to Bobblehead article
Link to Dol Guldur wiki
Link to Ohtani homer
Link to Ohtani on 2027
Link to gamers quote
Link to roster breakdowns
Link to BP on Snell’s command
Link to Baumann on Snell and Cash
Link to three-inning-save query
Link to Pages double
Link to market-size ranking
Link to Lucas quote
Link to Andrew Norton site

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