Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a Steven Matz tweet, the Reds and Ryan Raburn, and the automatic intentional walk, then answer listener emails about misleading headshots, pitchers who rely on one pitch, the decline of player nicknames, the Yankees’ refusal to lose, Josh Reddick’s lack of clutchness, making Mike Trout run backward, and more.

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Yoan Moncada’s kid and Randy Levine’s comments about Dellin Betances, then preview the Houston Astros’ 2017 season with writer Zachary Levine and the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2017 season with Michael Baumann of The Ringer.

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Adam Lind, Matt Albers, bunting to beat the shift, Mike Fiers, and Brandon Guyer, then preview the Cleveland Indians’ 2017 season with writer/editor Pete Beatty and the Chicago White Sox’ 2017 season with Cat Garcia of Baseball Prospectus.

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Carter Capps’s comeback, Brian Flynn’s barn accident, the Reds’ weights and nicknames, and C.J. Wilson’s retirement town, then answer listener emails about preventing Tommy John surgeries, a Randy Johnson alternate history, Statcast in non-MLB ballparks, a baserunner’s secret skill, whether defense slumps, a Kyle Hendricks hipster, and an Adam Lind emission.

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan preview the Red Sox’ 2017 season with Alex Speier of the The Boston Globe and the Reds’ 2017 season with Zach Buchanan of the The Cincinnati Enquirer.

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Matt Wieters and debunk Scott Boras, then preview the Cubs’ 2017 season with Sahadev Sharma of the The Athletic Chicago and the Brewers’ 2017 season with Jack Moore of the The Hardball Times.

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the anticlimactic approach of spring training and answer listener emails about baseball reductionism, investing in Little League, the Cardinals’ effect on the Cubs, transplanting Trout and Kershaw, and wearing out starters, with a statistical detour to talk about history’s most volatile hitters.

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan introduce the fifth annual Effectively Wild season-preview series and banter about the short life expectancy of front-office secrets. Then they preview the Dodgers’ 2017 season with Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, and the Padres’ 2017 season with Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan fixate on their new baseball obsession, NPB shortstop (and offensive outlier) Takuya Nakashima. Then they discuss prospect terminology and the nebulous significance of the “ceiling.”

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Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about how and why the Astros and Royals seem to have exchanged strategies and revisit champagne in the clubhouse and trampolines, then answer listener emails about what to hack if you were hacking, Statcast and baserunning, catcher framing, and Mike Trout.

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