Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how much Shohei Ohtani’s teammates helped him win his third MVP award, his incredible four-season stretch, whether Dekopin/Decoy is really his dog, the other MVP and Cy Young results, a Joey Meneses signing, Austin Slater and the virtues of being a team’s “top target,” the Rays’ confounding stadium strategy, the varying pronunciations of “envelope,” a listener question about RSN ownership, the seventh annual Effectively Wild Secret Santa, and more, plus a postscript Stat Blast (1:15:40) about players whose whole MLB careers were confined to “non-MLB” ballparks.

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

Link to Ohtani interview
Link to Ohtani quote
Link to preseason projections
Link to Episode 2140
Link to Dekopin clip
Link to MLB.com on Ohtani
Link to AL MVP voting
Link to NL MVP voting
Link to AL Cy voting
Link to NL Cy voting
Link to MLBTR on Meneses
Link to Sox Machine on Slater
Link to Rays letter story
Link to DRaysBay on funding 1
Link to DRaysBay on funding 2
Link to Calcaterra on the Rays
Link to Manfred on the Rays
Link to Joe on the RSN era
Link to Rangers RSN story
Link to ROOT schedule
Link to Ben Zimmer’s website
Link to Ben on Wolfe
Link to first pronunciation
Link to second pronunciation
Link to summer sausage episode
Link to Secret Santa sign-up form
Link to listener emails database
Link to 2020-only players
Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter
Link to Andrew Lowden’s cover
Link to “The Good in Everyone”
Link to Stat Blast parks list
Link to Stat Blast players list
Link to Reddit comment

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rich Hill’s latest (and hopefully not last) pitching exploits, then discuss how Rob Manfred’s desire to craft his legacy as commissioner could shape the sport’s direction, why sports commissioners’ tenures last so long, what qualities of the World Series-winning Dodgers rival teams might try to emulate, rumors surrounding the Dodgers and Roki Sasaki, and more.

Audio intro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Hill gamer
Link to Hill pitching matchup
Link to Hill strikeout montage
Link to Hill on next season
Link to Manfred on expansion
Link to Manfred on national TV
Link to Manfred on media training
Link to Theo on copycats
Link to NBC Sports Chicago news
Link to link rot wiki
Link to Theo on decadal changes
Link to Lewie’s newsletter
Link to team postseason percentages
Link to semantic satiation wiki
Link to MLBTR on Sasaki
Link to Rosenthal on Sasaki
Link to Ben’s Halo podcast

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley solicit listener suggestions for an upcoming podcast series, discuss what they would ask potential employers if they were on a Juan Soto-esque free-agent tour, and banter about the Orioles dismantling “Walltimore,” the far-less-settled-than-expected situations of the A’s and Rays, differing medical evaluations and Brusdar Graterol’s role in the Mookie Betts trade, the AL and NL Rookies of the Year, and the most interesting aspects of the Hall of Fame ballot.

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

Link to Multisport Sabermetrics Exchange
Link to EW groundskeeper interview
Link to EW Rooker interview
Link to Soto meeting tracker
Link to Walltimore article
Link to 2021 park factors
Link to 2024 park factors
Link to ballpark homogenization info
Link to Rays ballpark article 1
Link to Rays ballpark article 2
Link to Trop images
Link to A’s/Rays article
Link to A’s/Rays/expansion article
Link to Daikin Park news
Link to Yankees/Flaherty article 1
Link to Yankees/Flaherty article 2
Link to Brusdar trade hold-up
Link to MLBTR on original Betts deal
Link to PPI MLBTR on final Betts deal
Link to Brusdar retrospective
Link to MLBTR on Graterol’s shoulder
Link to Ruth’s Chris name
Link to NL voting results
Link to AL voting results
Link to 2025 ballot
Link to Jaffe on the ballot
Link to Stark on the ballot
Link to Dubuque on the ballot
Link to framing leaderboard

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the resolution of the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy hearing, how declining broadcast revenue could lead to labor strife, and the Pirates’ reward offer for a baseball card that comes with a patch from Paul Skenes’s debut jersey, then (28:42) bring on Patreon supporter Craig Wingbermuehle to discuss his job and Effectively Wild origin story and then (38:25) answer listener emails about why we don’t talk more about postseason revenue, why extensions render players ineligible for Prospect Promotion Incentives, team mission statements, whether teams or the league should own home run balls, secretly promising a post-signing extension to an international free agent such as Roki Sasaki, Nick Martinez’s opt-out streak and contract progression, what constitutes a homestand and career year, and whether a player can be just 0-for-10.

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Horny)”

Link to Drellich on DSG
Link to ESPN on DSG
Link to Sheehan on the RSN Era
Link to Pirates reward offer
Link to Dunne tweet
Link to Fanatics jersey tweet
Link to bean-feast wiki
Link to postseason share rules
Link to more on playoff shares
Link to even more on shares
Link to Yankees playoff revenue
Link to MLBTR on PPI/extensions
Link to PPI rules
Link to Rockies job posting
Link to The Baseball Rule wiki
Link to Ohtani ball on display
Link to homestand definition
Link to career year definition
Link to Vientos call
Link to Vientos article
Link to listener emails database
Link to The Miracle League site
Link to Miracle League donations
Link to Russell on the ’05 Cubs

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on previous banter about the best title for a president of both baseball and business operations, then deliver fresh banter about how Derrek Lee’s 2005 RBI total was a sign of its time, where the Rays will play in 2025 and beyond, the Marlins’ new manager, and a slew of modest Angels signings. Then (48:02) they’re joined by UPenn professor and post-doctoral researcher, respectively, Douglas Jerolmack and Shravan Pradeep, to discuss their recent research about how the sport’s storied Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud works, its special qualities, whether it could or should be synthesized, and more.

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

Link to Falvey news
Link to worst leadoff tOPS+
Link to 2005 Cubs batting order splits
Link to Dril tweet
Link to MLBTR on the Rays in 2025
Link to more on 2025 Rays
Link to Rays in 2028
Link to MLBTR on McCullough
Link to Ben C. on d’Arnaud
Link to guests’ research paper
Link to Doug’s UPenn page
Link to Shravan’s UPenn page
Link to Shravan’s website
Link to UPenn research summary
Link to NYT research summary
Link to PopSci research summary
Link to NBC news research summary
Link to rubbing mud wiki
Link to GLP-1 origins
Link to rubbing mud video
Link to mud maker story 1
Link to mud maker story 2
Link to sticky synthesis story
Link to Ben on sticky stuff 1
Link to Ben on sticky stuff 2
Link to schedule makers news
Link to schedule makers video

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Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen banter about how to abbreviate Twins executive Derek Falvey’s new dual role as president of both baseball and business operations, then (5:23) discuss Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki from a scouting perspective, touching on how good he could be, how a team could ease him into MLB, what tweaks he could make to his repertoire, the bonus pool system that could help determine where he signs, and more. After that (50:16), Ben and Meg talk to NPB journalist Jim Allen about Sasaki’s posting from a Japan-based perspective, exploring why Sasaki was posted now, how Japanese fans feel about his departure, and what the implications could be for NPB. Finally (1:21:01), Ben does a bonus Stat Blast about baseball overrepresentation in crossword puzzles.

Audio intro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Falvey news
Link to Trueblood’s Falvey tweet
Link to Eric’s Roki update
Link to Eric on Roki in August
Link to Ben’s Roki update
Link to Ben on Roki in 2022
Link to Kiley on Roki
Link to Passan on Roki
Link to Coskrey on Roki
Link to 2024 bonus pools
Link to Cooper on draft picks
Link to Ardaya on courting Ohtani
Link to Ohtani courtship
Link to Jim on Roki’s situation
Link to Jim on the Marines
Link to Jim on Hirooka
Link to Jim on Roki’s future
Link to NPB union article
Link to Jim’s podcast
Link to Hang Up and Listen
Link to latest HUaL
Link to Raymond’s spreadsheet
Link to Rooker EW episode

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a listener proposal to artificially designate (and trade) a two-way player, then (19:28) conduct the 10th annual free agent contract over/under draft, plus closing banter (1:09:45) about the new Sacramento team’s city designation, a Philly front-office shuffle, and POBO priority.

Audio intro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to typing monkeys research
Link to typing monkeys research summary
Link to FB thread
Link to two-way rule
Link to Sam on not swinging
Link to previous over/under draft results
Link to competitions/drafts sheet
Link to MLBTR top 50
Link to FG top 50
Link to A’s name change info
Link to MLBTR on the Phillies

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Ben Lindbergh and FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens banter about the latest batch of Scott Boras puns, position changes for Willson Contreras and Mookie Betts, surgery for Shohei Ohtani, Skip Schumaker’s move to Texas, and Buster Posey’s front-office philosophy, then (47:21) discuss Other Ben’s top 50 free agents list—focusing on Juan Soto, Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, Pete Alonso, Gleyber Torres, underrated/overrated options, and market trends—and (1:19:12) MLB’s most interesting offseason storylines.

Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Boras puns
Link to MLBTR on Contreras
Link to MLBTR on Betts
Link to Betts Statcast fielding
Link to Betts Statcast running
Link to MLBTR on Ohtani
Link to MLBTR on Schumaker
Link to MLBTR on Bregman
Link to Baggarly tweet about Posey
Link to Baggarly’s Posey profile
Link to Ben C. on the top 50 FA
Link to Sam on “seeking”
Link to Boras on Soto 1
Link to Boras on Soto 2

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about team/player option/opt-out decisions involving Gerrit Cole, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Eugenio Suárez, the Royals re-signing Michael Wacha, the players who received qualifying offers, the Minasian brothers as rival GMs (and potential PoBros), Carlos Santana’s historic Gold Glove, an international signing scandal (on multiple levels), evidence of racial bias in player development, a Japan Series upset, and more, plus a postscript.

Audio intro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLBTR on Cole 1
Link to MLBTR on Cole 2
Link to pitcher WAR since 2020
Link to P RA-9 WAR since 2020
Link to MLBTR on Snell
Link to Snell leaderboard
Link to MLBTR on Bellinger
Link to MLBTR on Suárez
Link to Suárez leaderboard
Link to Suárez Stathead search
Link to MLBTR on Wacha
Link to FG on Wacha
Link to qualifying offer list
Link to FG top 50 FA
Link to Rob Arthur article
Link to Rob on racial bias in 2020
Link to Rob on Black catchers in 2020
Link to Ringer scouting reports series
Link to MLBTR on Minasian
Link to LAT on the Minasians
Link to USA Today on the Minasians
Link to Langs Santana stat
Link to ESPN on signing scandal
Link to MLBTR on signing scandal
Link to Rob Arthur article
Link to Rob on racial bias in 2020
Link to Rob on Black catchers in 2020
Link to Ringer scouting reports series
Link to Climax Series wiki
Link to Climax Series bracket
Link to BayStars win 1
Link to BayStars win 2
Link to Jim Allen tweet
Link to Ben on the BayStars
Link to Hank Hill promo

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about offseason EW, Tommy Kahnle’s love affair with changeups, the Yankees’ preparation and fundamentals, Aaron Boone’s managing, the Dodgers as a dynasty, the White Sox hiring Will Venable, Alex Kirilloff’s retirement, two prediction anecdotes, glove flips as the new bat flips, the check-swing challenge system, the Premier12 tournament, the Women’s Pro Baseball League, Eric Adams and the World Series, a Yankees executive keeping things in perspective, a record sum for a historic baseball, Shohei Ohtani trumping One Piece, Dodgers parade comments, a no-show for NPB’s Sawamura Award, and more.

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to story on Kahnle’s changeups
Link to Kahnle pitch types
Link to pitch types Stat Blast
Link to Boone report 1
Link to Boone report 2
Link to Sherman on the Yankees
Link to 2015 Royals scouting story
Link to Ben on the Dodgers
Link to Dodgers dynasty story
Link to dynasty system
Link to MLBTR on Venable
Link to MLBTR on Kiriloff
Link to Kiriloff’s announcement
Link to Gleeman tweet
Link to elephants/mice info
Link to Fernando prediction tweet
Link to Fernando prediction story
Link to Vientos prediction tweet
Link to Vientos prediction story
Link to glove flip clip
Link to 2012 Chapman story
Link to Baseball for All tweet
Link to WPBL story
Link to WPBL interview
Link to Siegal EW episode
Link to Premier12 roster
Link to Premier12 wiki
Link to challenge system story
Link to challenge system video
Link to Afterman comments
Link to Adams attendance story
Link to Ohtani ball auction
Link to Ohtani ball auction 2
Link to Fat Joe comments
Link to Ohtani shirt response
Link to One Piece story
Link to Sawamura Award story
Link to Sawamura EW episode
Link to Petriello on catching
Link to “Something’s Coming”

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