Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the demise of the Rays’ two-city, split-season scheme, Carlos Correa hiring Scott Boras as his agent, and Brandon Gomes of the Dodgers becoming the latest ex-player to ascend to GM, then (31:18) talk about numerous listener nominations of baseball events that predated the podcast that would have made great fodder for Effectively Wild, before closing with a Stat Blast (1:05:20) about the biggest intra-season gaps between Triple-A and MLB performance (plus a postscript about robot umps coming to Triple-A in 2022).
Audio intro: The Smiths, “I Won’t Share You” Audio outro: Flamin’ Groovies, “Ups and Downs”
Link to news about Rays plan Link to Sternberg quote Link to Evan Drellich on Endeavor Link to Drellich on Endeavor again Link to Ben Clemens on Endeavor Link to MLBTR on Correa Link to Travis Sawchik on Boras Link to Gomes profile Link to Facebook suggestions thread Link to story about two balls in play Link to story about Raines and collusion Link to Sonnanstine story Link to Allan Travers SABR bio Link to hitter Stat Blast data Link to pitcher Stat Blast data Link to Ben on experimental rules Link to robot umps news
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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley lean into the lockout by exploring two antecedents to today’s MLB labor stalemate. First, they banter with Emma Baccellieri of Sports Illustrated about whether the Hall of Fame Vote Tracker has helped or hurt Hall of Fame conversations, then talk to Emma about the Players’ League, a short-lived but groundbreaking 19th-century rival to the National League that was founded by and for players, touching on the origins of the reserve clause, the Players’ League’s rapid rise and fall, where it went wrong, and whether a Players’ League equivalent could be created today (plus Joe Torre’s proto-keto diet and catching fly balls with one’s cap). Lastly (52:32), they bring on Dayn Perry of CBS Sports to talk about the 50th anniversary of MLB’s first work stoppage, exploring what caused the 1972 strike, how the circumstances then mirrored today’s, and how the strike was covered (plus a mustache panic, entrance songs, and other notable events from 50 years ago).
Audio intro: Al Stewart, “A League of Notions” Audio interstitial: Eleventh Dream Day, “The People’s History” Audio outro: The Inbreds, “Moustache”
Link to Hall of Fame Vote Tracker Link to Emma on the Tracker Link to Buster Olney on the Tracker Link to Emma on the Players’ League Link to Emma’s previous pod appearance Link to Torre’s diet Link to John Montgomery Ward SABR bio Link to The Great Baseball Revolt Link to SI Union thread Link to story about 1940s Mexican League Link to Federal League wiki Link to Continental League wiki Link to antitrust exemption post Link to Casali facemask video Link to EW episode on throwing gloves Link to Drellich update Link to Dayn’s 1972 retrospective Link to The Infinite Inning episode Link to The Athletic’s fan survey Link to Rosenthal column Link to Dayn’s website
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley reconnect with former cohost Sam Miller to discuss what he’s been up to since he stopped working for ESPN in December 2020, how the 2021 Giants rekindled his fandom, the pros and cons of paying attention to projections, what (if anything) he’s missed about covering baseball professionally, his plans for the future, the virtues of trying new things, doing dishes, and more.
Audio intro: Donovan, “Skip-A-Long Sam” Audio outro: Ohio Players, “Here Today and Gone Tomorrow”
Link to Sam on projections
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens banter about a few details of MLB’s latest labor proposal to the players, the conclusion of and possible confounding factors behind a Bill James study about how switching teams affects a player’s chances of Hall of Fame induction, another historic hire of a woman in baseball, and a prospective “Lab League” logo, then (22:52) extend a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the ninth annual Effectively Wild Minor League Free Agent Draft, in which they select 10 minor league free agents each and compete to see whose roster will accumulate the most combined MLB playing time in 2021.
Audio intro: Ronnie Spector, “Try Some, Buy Some” Audio outro: The Bens, “Stop!”
Link to CBA proposal details Link to J.J. Cooper on the prospect proposal Link to Bill James HoF study Link to article about Red Sox hiring Link to Lab League logo Link to revamped Lab League logo Link to MLB “duck” logo Link to list of MiLB free agents Link to Jeff on Shoemaker Link to Bannister on Hill Link to Castellani delivery Link to Ben on pitcher deception Link to EW competitions and drafts
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a bargaining meeting between MLB and the MLBPA that reportedly produced little progress toward a deal, the odds of a punctual start to the season, the retirement of Jon Lester and their lasting fascination with his pickoff-throw yips, a familiarity penalty for relievers who face the same team multiple times within a postseason series, what the mysteriously rapid decline of Jimmie Foxx says about the value of injury information that we generally lack, and the Atlantic League mound reverting to 60 feet, six inches, then answer listener emails about an NFL tie scenario and the zombie runner, active players as GMs, how long the podcast (and MLB) could survive a lockout, why the best catchers’ career WARs aren’t higher, whether player-managers could ever make a comeback, Shohei Ohtani’s satisfaction with the state of the sport, and changing the dimensions of a ballpark (like Camden Yards) to favor a certain group of players.
Audio intro: PUP, “Familiar Patterns” Audio outro: The Posies, “Throwaway”
Link to CBA proposal details Link to Jeff Sullivan on Lester Link to August Fagerstrom on Lester Link to Ben on Lester Link to Lester’s bounce pass Link to old Lester episodes Link to old news Facebook group thread Link to postseason reliever research Link to regular-season reliever research Link to Ben on postseason SP familiarity Link to Pages from Baseball’s Past Link to Craig Wright’s first Foxx story Link to Craig’s second Foxx story Link to study on injuries and exit velo Link to Atlantic League press release Link to story on the almost-tie scenario Link to Barnwell on the almost-tie Link to Rob Mahoney on the Lakers Link to article about LeBron as GM Link to Jeff on a baseball LeBron Link to oral history of Verlander trade Link to Emma on the Players’ League Link catcher JAWS page Link to Ben on catcher career standards Link to Ohtani profile Link to Ohtani photo thread Link to Ohtani “10 Essentials” video Link to story on Orioles fence move Link to analysis of Orioles fence move Link to Statcast park factors Link to story on Veeck moving fences Link to story on White Sox field move Link to story on home run robberies Link to story on ballpark homogenization Link to “burn the boats” story
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rachel Balkovec becoming the first female manager in affiliated ball, Genevieve Beacom making her pro debut in Australia, and other women breaking baseball boundaries, then (13:20) conclude their “Measuring the Unmeasurable” series about studying difficult-to-quantify aspects of the sport by bringing on Rob Arthur of Baseball Prospectus and Rockies catcher AJ Lewis to discuss Rob’s research into racial bias in scouting and player promotions, the lack of Black catchers in MLB, AJ’s catching career and experience with inner-city baseball programs, ways to promote African-American participation in baseball, the demands of playing catcher compared to playing other positions, and more. Then (48:27) they talk to Shakeia Taylor about a recent study about the demographics of MLB managers, the unique nature of Dusty Baker, her reporting about the “Selig Rule,” ways to improve front-office diversity (and the different types of diversity), the impact of sabermetrics on hiring decisions, what MLB could learn from other leagues, the catcher-to-manager pipeline, and her SABR interview series.
Audio intro: Tommy Tutone, “Rachel” Audio interstitial: Son Volt, “Catching On” Audio outro: A Tribe Called Quest, “Mind Power”
Link to Times story about Balkovec Link to Beacom debut video Link to Beacom video interview Link to article about Beacom Link to Sara Goodrum news Link to Jaime Vieira story Link to story about Becky Hammon Link to Rob on bias in player promotions Link to Rob on Black catchers Link to Claire Smith on Black catchers Link to Jared Diamond on Black catchers Link to story about AJ Link to story about Rockies signing AJ Link to story about Moller Link to AJ’s Instagram Link to AJ’s Twitter Link to Ben and Rob on scouting bias Link to Bryant’s list of Black catchers Link to Bryant on Maxwell Link to story on Black player percentage Link to Rob on manager demographics Link to Shakeia’s website Link to Shakeia’s feature Link to Selig Rule change story Link to Global Sport Institute study results Link to “Rediscovering America’s Pastime” Link to study on Black player drain Link to story on youth baseball cost Link to Ballpark Figures series
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley continue their “Measuring the Unmeasurable” series about studying difficult-to-quantify aspects of the sport by bringing on Rob Mains of Baseball Prospectus to banter about ESPN’s new Sunday Night Baseball broadcasting plans and discuss Rob’s studies about competitive balance, team mobility and inequality, starter vs. reliever performance, the magnitude and history of the times-through-the-order penalty, the universal DH, injuries, and more. Then (50:25) they bring on the pseudonymous author of research blog Hareeb’s Hangout to talk about the potential pitfalls of baseball analysis, how baseball analysis compares to esports analysis, his history of betting on baseball, his studies on the cause of the TTOP, reliever sequencing, valuing closers, and the difficulty of fielding pulled balls, the proprietary data he wishes he had, and his recent research interests.
Audio intro: Neko Case, “Bracing for Sunday” Audio interstitial: Math and Physics Club, “All the Mains Are Down” Audio outro: The Muffs, “Where Did I Go Wrong”
Link to ESPN SNB press release Link to Rodger Sherman on the Manning broadcast Link to The Press Box on the Manning broadcast Link to Jason Benetti Nerdcast tweet Link to Rob on pitching to contact Link to Rob on small-market teams Link to Rob on relievers vs. starters Link to Craig Edwards on relievers vs. starters Link to Travis Sawchik on relievers vs. starters Link to Rob on pitching and payrolls Link to Rob on the times-through-the-order penalty Link to Rob on the TTOP again Link to Rob on 2021 injuries Link to Rob on the DH and interleague play Link to Rob on the universal DH Link to Rob on team mobility and inequality Link to Rob on 2021 mobility inequality Link to post on Rocket League and pitcher velocity Link to post on Rocket League viewership Link to second post on Rocket League viewership Link to MTG Arena post Link to post on regression and linear weights Link to second post on regression/linear weights Link to study on the TTOP Link to other study on the TTOP Link to study on repertoire and the TTOP Link to study on reliever sequencing Link to BP piece on reliever sequencing Link to study on Wins Above Average Closer Link to study on pulling the ball Link to Tango’s response to study Link to Tango on playing center vs. corners Link to Eno Sarris on playing outfield corners Link to Mike Petriello on outfielders and spin
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley continue their “Measuring the Unmeasurable” series about studying difficult-to-quantify aspects of the sport by talking to Patrick Brennan about his studies on assessing player development at the major and minor league levels, the challenges of evaluating player development, the data he wishes he had, the most and least successful player development organizations, his work as the director of analytics for the Kansas State baseball team, analyzing pitch sequencing, and his baseball ambitions. Then (34:32) they bring on Pitcher List’s Grant Washburn to discuss his metric for measuring unpurchased wins, Wins Below Replacement Ownership, the importance of having a good owner, the data he couldn’t include, the owners who spend the least on player payroll relative to revenue, why having a high payroll isn’t always enough, saying “the MLB,” and more.
Audio intro: Billy Joel, “A Minor Variation” Audio interstitial: The Legal Matters, “Minor Key” Audio outro: Aerosmith, “Eat the Rich”
Link to Patrick’s study on MiLB player dev Link to Patrick’s study on MLB player dev Link to first Driveline study on player dev value Link to second Driveline study on player dev value Link to article on Patrick’s work with Kansas State Link to Patrick’s study on pitch sequencing Link to Ben on college player development Link to Grant’s WBRO study Link to Grant’s WBRO data
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Fanatics purchasing Topps and MLB Network reportedly parting ways with Ken Rosenthal because of his criticism of Rob Manfred. Then (27:36) they kick off a series of episodes about measuring difficult-to-quantify aspects of the sport by talking to Cameron Grove about translating his study of astrophysics into baseball research, assessing pitchers’ stuff, the cause of the time through the order penalty, pitcher deception, catcher game-calling, tracking and analyzing pitchers’ motions from video, proprietary data he wishes he had, the behavior of the ball, and his baseball ambitions. Finally (1:12:00), they bring on Eric Chalek to explain how he developed Major League Equivalencies (MLEs) for Negro Leaguers and other pre-integration Black baseball players, how his MLEs help put those players’ careers in context, the challenge of assessing league quality, Josh Gibson’s and Satchel Paige’s MLEs, Cooperstown implications, and missing data.
Audio intro: Robert Plant, “Network News” Audio interstitial 1: Jimi Hendrix, “Astro Man” Audio interstitial 2: The New Pornographers, “Loose Translation” Audio outro: The Delgados, “Ballad of Accounting”
Link to WSJ report on Fanatics/Topps Link to EW episode about Fanatics/Topps Link to report about Rosenthal and Manfred Link to 2020 Rosenthal column Link to Rosenthal tweet Link to Cameron’s website Link to DESI’s Wikipedia page Link to Cameron’s pitch quality app Link to Cameron’s TTOP tweet Link to Cameron’s other TTOP tweet Link to previous familiarity/fatigue research Link to Cameron on pitcher workloads Link to Ben on playoff familiarity Link to Cameron on over/underperformers Link to Cameron’s motion data Link to Ben on pitching deception Link to Cameron on game-calling Link to Cameron on game-calling leaders Link to Cameron on the ball’s behavior Link to Alan Nathan on fly ball variation Link to Cameron on umpiring difficulty Link to Adam Darowski EW interview episode Link to Adam’s interview with Eric Link to 42 for 21 EW interview episode Link to Eric’s 42 for 21 ballot Link to Adam on post-integration stars Link to Hall of Stats MLEs announcement Link to Eric’s website Link to Eric’s MLE method for hitters Link to Eric’s MLE methods for pitchers
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss Ben’s decision regarding his Hall of Fame ballot, and how to handle Hall of Fame voting in the future. Then (38:05) they complete their series of discussions of Korean baseball drama Stove League by breaking down the last four episodes (13-16) and reflecting on the series as a whole.
Audio intro: Blood Red Shoes, “Count Me Out” Audio outro: Sloan, “Your Dreams Have Come True”
Link to latest HoF election projection Link to 2016 Ortiz comments Link to 2020 Ortiz story Link to first EW Stove League discussion Link to second EW Stove League discussion Link to third EW Stove League discussion Link to Pengsoo Wikipedia page Link to stream Stove League via Viki