Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley unleash another rant about the Orioles’ inaction (prompted by Mike Elias quotes about their aggressiveness) and banter about the David Robertson and Joc Pederson signings and baseball in Masters of the Air, then (33:51) answer listener emails about whether the Diamondbacks still qualify as a young franchise, injury stoppage time in baseball, director’s cuts of baseball broadcasts, how baseball would be different if teams had to leave a player with the other team at the end of each series, and fixing the Rockies (plus a few follow-ups).

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Elias quotes
Link to FG SP projections
Link to Roster Resource payrolls
Link to earlier Orioles rant
Link to 30 Rock Sports Shouting clip
Link to Costanza clip
Link to MLBTR on Robertson
Link to MLBTR on Pederson
Link to EW Episode 2105
Link to Pederson poker article
Link to EW Episode 1856
Link to slap explainer
Link to Ben on Masters of the Air
Link to bowhead whale wiki
Link to Yankees on Kissinger
Link to EW Episode 2108
Link to EW Episode 2097
Link to Little Free Library
Link to Sam on the Rockies
Link to listener emails database
Link to Solak Stathead
Link to Orr on Abrams
Link to Abrams SB leaderboard
Link to EW Episode 1397
Link to Stripling clip
Link to Battleground wiki
Link to Ben on Palworld

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on the contract over/unders draft and the “death ball,” banter about the signings of Rhys Hoskins and Matt Moore, weigh their current confidence levels in the A’s actually moving to Las Vegas, and consider a suggestion for a “pulling the goalie”-style tweak to baseball. Then (35:44) they talk to leading Hall of Fame election forecaster Jason Sardell about how and why he developed his probabilistic Cooperstown projection model, how it works, this year’s results and surprises, the public-private ballot split, the toughest players to project, his Hall of Fame philosophy, the shrinking of the Hall of Fame backlog, upcoming candidates and ballots, his non-baseball scientific pursuits, and much more.

Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to over/under draft results
Link to MLBTR FA top 50
Link to death ball BP article
Link to Leo on average fastballs
Link to post on unique pitches
Link to Dead Man’s Curve wiki
Link to Davy Andrews on Hoskins
Link to Brewers offseason additions
Link to MLBTR on Moore
Link to BP’s 2012 Top 101
Link to Ben on pitching prospects
Link to 2023 team RP ranks
Link to A’s update
Link to A’s payments
Link to Vegas event video
Link to MLBTR on the A’s ballpark
Link to “consequences” tweet
Link to Meg on the penalty box
Link to Beltré video
Link to Mauer video
Link to Helton video
Link to Jason’s final projections
Link to 2024 projections roundup
Link to 2023 projections roundup
Link to voting results
Link to Jay’s ballot breakdown
Link to Lewie Pollis on the voting
Link to Wagner interview
Link to Stark on Wright
Link to Posnanski suggestion
Link to SIS on Sabathia
Link to ballot tracker
Link to Thibodaux on EW
Link to Jason on MLB Network
Link to Ben on Mauer in 2018
Link to Ben on Beltré in 2017
Link to Ben on Hall of Framers

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the “death ball,” a curveball variant that could be baseball’s next sweeper-esque pitch-design innovation, and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of separate classifications for “new” pitches that are subsets of other pitches, and the importance of continuing education among fans and media members. Then (39:23) they talk about the Aroldis Chapman, John Brebbia, James Paxton, and Joey Gallo signings (with another contract over/unders draft update and a Clayton Kershaw check-in), the possibility that NPB phenom Roki Sasaki will come to MLB next offseason, Alex Blandino’s knuckleball conversion, a Willians Astudillo lowlight, and a player mercenary follow-up.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme (“We Looked Like Giants” cover)

Link to death ball BP article
Link to sweeper definition
Link to Passan on the death ball
Link to Tread video
Link to “Public Enemy No. 1”
Link to Ben on young newsbreakers
Link to Cotillo on EW
Link to FG on Chapman and Brebbia
Link to over/under draft results
Link to Pirates payroll page
Link to MLBTR on Paxton
Link to story on Paxton’s knee
Link to Paxton eagle incident
Link to MLBTR on Gallo
Link to Ben on Gallo in 2014
Link to “genericization” article
Link to Sasaki article
Link to MLBTR on Blandino
Link to Blandino knuckler
Link to Blandino throwing 90
Link to Jannis EW interview
Link to Ben on knuckleballs
Link to Astudillo drop
Link to game outcome
Link to Astudillo HR robbery
Link to Astudillo in center
Link to Astudillo draft article
Link to other Astudillo draft article
Link to Farnsworth revenge article
Link to HoF voting results

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the offseason doldrums and this winter’s free-agent activity compared to last year’s, the Josh Hader and Robert Stephenson signings (with a contract over/under draft update), a bleak week in sports (and non-sports) media, pitcher/catcher technique and the automated strike zone, and the invasion of players named Jackson, followed by Stat Blasts (1:14:48) about Hader’s strikeout splits by out count, “minimum journeymen,” the longest palindromic win-loss sequences, and the most consecutive games started at catcher.

Audio intro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Lobner Facebook post
Link to Jake/Jordan FA tweet
Link to MLBTR on Graveman
Link to MLBTR on Hader
Link to MLBTR on Uwasawa
Link to MLBTR on Stephenson
Link to RP K% post-6/2
Link to over/under draft results
Link to The Ringer on SI
Link to apocalypse sign article
Link to The Atlantic on Pitchfork
Link to L.A. Times layoffs story
Link to Axios on media layoffs
Link to Defector on VC greed
Link to The Nation on ESPN/NFL
Link to Tango on intended location
Link to Ben on Lincecum in 2014
Link to Eno on command in 2018
Link to Tango on catcher location
Link to Tango on catcher lunges
Link to Tango on framing
Link to EW Episode 2054
Link to EW Episode 1851
Link to BA on Jacksons
Link to Jackson baby name data
Link to strikeout splits Stathead
Link to leaguewide strikeout splits
Link to minimum journeymen sheet
Link to palindrome Reddit question
Link to palindromic records sheet
Link to C start streak sheet
Link to C start % averages
Link to catcher ironmen page
Link to FG post on qualified catchers
Link to Ben on catcher fatigue
Link to study on player rest
Link to FG post on qualified catchers
Link to Stat Blast on qualified hitters
Link to Frankie Hayes SABR bio
Link to Young Sheldon spinoff story
Link to Stat Blast song cover
Link to all Stat Blast covers

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Patreon supporter Nick Taber banter about Nick’s baseball background and MLB’s most hated teams, then (19:41) answer listener emails about baseball’s newsbreakers as secret newsmakers, a baseball mercenary who plays for multiple teams in the same city (or who has it out for one particular opponent), whether we would remember the year with the last perfect game, making early playoff rounds longer than late rounds, a player whose stats improve depending on how much money he’s paid, allowing teams to choose the number of defenders in the field, picking the preferred way for Shohei Ohtani to specialize (if he had to choose one), a super-philanthropic free agent, and more.

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

Link to Cowboys collapse article
Link to Coover book wiki
Link to “sports are rigged” account
Link to Shams/Woj moves
Link to EW Episode 2109
Link to Germán perfecto wiki
Link to more on Germán
Link to EW Episode 2108
Link to Neil Paine research
Link to Ben on innings eating
Link to Kershaw perfecto game
Link to Boras World Series proposal
Link to Jeff on baseball LeBron
Link to 1892 pitching proposal
Link to Ohtani donation
Link to 2020 donations article 1
Link to 2020 donations article 2
Link to 2020 donations article 3
Link to 2020 donations article 4
Link to 2020 donations article 5
Link to listener emails database
Link to Mario Superstar Baseball info
Link to Mario Superstar Baseball Discord

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about where Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger should/will sign, excoriate the Orioles for their offseason inaction, marvel at Alex Anthopoulos’s lengthy extension, discuss the Giants’ Jordan Hicks signing as part of a trend toward reliever-starter reverse conversions, consider the etymology of “innings eater” and how pitcher usage is like scripted TV, and reflect on the decline of foreign hitters in NPB, Naoyuki Uwasawa and the recruiting advantage of teams that excel at player development, and a quirk of contract milestones.

Audio intro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Geddy Lee baseball wiki
Link to 2112 wiki
Link to MLBTR on Snell
Link to over/under draft results
Link to Sam on contract-seeking
Link to Heyman report
Link to MLBTR on the O’s
Link to Roster Resource payrolls
Link to team SP projections
Link to O’s lease extension
Link to O’s contract commitments
Link to Angelos/MLK Day post
Link to O’s DR academy
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Anthopolous extension news
Link to Atlanta’s long-term contracts
Link to MLBTR on Rodríguez
Link to Stat Blast on innings eating
Link to Ben’s article on innings eating
Link to Young Sheldon ratings
Link to Suits article
Link to TV procedurals article
Link to Daniel Okrent wiki
Link to Okrent EW appearance
Link to 1884 article
Link to Lucas Borja tweet
Link to Yakyu Cosmopolitan tweet
Link to Ben on NPB import scouting
Link to MLBTR on Uwasawa signing
Link to Uwasawa report
Link to Ben on the Dodgers advantage
Link to Dodgers pitching lab article
Link to Trueblood tweet

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and listener Michael Mountain banter about Michael’s proposal for Effectively Wild listener ballpark meetups during the 2024 MLB season, followed by (7:24) Michael’s guest Stat Blasts about the best non-award-winning players, his all-time player tiers, and Hall of Famers (and HoF candidates) who excelled or flopped at leading their leagues at their respective positions. Then (36:17) Ben and Meg talk to Brian Moritz about his prediction/warning that a major sports-betting journalism scandal could be coming.

Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to listener-meetup form
Link to Michael on Episode 1263
Link to undecorated players sheet
Link to EW Episode 964
Link to Bill James proposal
Link to reworked tiers
Link to league leaders sheet
Link to Hall of Stats shutdown
Link to Eight Men Out wiki
Link to Brian’s Nieman Lab piece
Link to Brian’s 2022 piece
Link to Brian at St. Bonaventure
Link to Sports Media Guy
Link to WSJ on journalist inside info
Link to story on BBWAA rules
Link to story on ESPN rules
Link to story on Chams
Link to newsroom betting policies
Link to tweet about Curb betting
Link to “fading” definition
Link to MLBTR on Stroman
Link to over/under draft results
Link to Ben on arbitration
Link to Stat Blast song cover
Link to all Stat Blast covers

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s unlikely recovery in the contracts over/under draft, the Cubs signing Shota Imanaga, the trailblazing Rachel Balkovec moving from the dugout to the Marlins’ front office, and (18:37) whether the new horror film Night Swim is a baseball movie. Then (35:53) they talk to Oakland A’s All-Star Brent Rooker about breakfast foods, a potential new nickname, Night Swim, embracing advanced stats, player perceptions of luck, looking at his exit velo instead of his batted balls, whether he had help in homering off of Shohei Ohtani, underrated teammates, his breakouts in college and the majors, shedding the “Quadruple-A” label, DH penalties, being funny and informative on Twitter, fans complaining about losing bets, self-deprecating athletes, unusual meals, recalling pitch sequences, crossword puzzles, kids’ movies, and more.

Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to over/under draft results
Link to MLBTR on Imanaga
Link to Baumann on Imanaga
Link to Longenhagen on Imanaga
Link to FG FA Top 50
Link to Ben on festival posters
Link to MLB.com on Balkovec
Link to article on Goodrum
Link to story on female ump
Link to Baseball: The Movie
Link to Surrey on Night Swim
Link to Polygon on Night Swim
Link to Night Swim Reddit post
Link to May’s insurance video
Link to Night Swim trailer
Link to Rooker’s Twitter
Link to Rooker’s breakfast thread
Link to Rooker breakfast interview
Link to Skalka menu
Link to khachapuri wiki
Link to “Country Breakfast” story
Link to Rooker and Zach Bryan
Link to homer off of Ohtani
Link to Renfroe assist comment
Link to DH penalty research
Link to Defector on 2020 debuts
Link to “random at-bats” tweet
Link to the random at-bat
Link to Rooker’s single
Link to favorite metrics tweet
Link to sweepers tweet 1
Link to sweepers tweet 2
Link to velo vs. location tweet
Link to dad tweet
Link to parlay-complaint tweet
Link to thread on data
Link to TTO% leaderboard
Link to May on Fisher
Link to Gauci hiring story
Link to Gauci EW episode
Link to vertical baseball details
Link to Interstellar clip

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Teoscar Hernández signing with the Dodgers, how other teams can compete with L.A., and the Mets signing Sean Manaea. Then (33:07) they answer listener emails about whether the Royals or Tigers will win more games in 2024, the basis for believing the Cardinals will bounce back from their last-place finish, a Tom Brady baseball commercial, whether Shohei Ohtani could have resurrected the Expos, whether a free agent could sign with a different team every game, the perfect mistake hitter, a baseball version of K-pop communication, and two games played on top of each other.

Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLBTR on Teoscar’s signing
Link to over/under draft results
Link to Statcast park factors
Link to Dodgers ZiPS
Link to Clemens on Manaea
Link to MLB.com on Manaea
Link to MLBTR on the Mets
Link to FG depth charts projections
Link to SP depth charts projections
Link to MLBTR on Bloom
Link to Brady ad
Link to article on Brady and baseball
Link to Orr on crushing pitches
Link to baseball on Cameo
Link to K-pop fan apps guide
Link to vertical baseball diagram
Link to EW emails database
Link to tax loophole article

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about multiple Mariners trades and follow up on a previous conversation about teams with the most work to do before Opening Day, then (21:07) talk to Pebble Hunting author (and former host) Sam Miller about what (if anything!) will be best remembered about the 2023 baseball season.

Audio intro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to first Mariners trade
Link to second Mariners trade
Link to WWJDD song (short)
Link to WWJDD song (long)
Link to Pebble Hunting
Link to Sam on 2023
Link to Sam on past years
Link to Sam on 2017
Link to New Yorker cover
Link to New Yorker yips story
Link to HUaL on 2023
Link to Paul vs. Diaz wiki
Link to Sam on Turner
Link to FG on October SB
Link to Lewie Pollis on Counsell
Link to Dolly wiki
Link to Renfroe catch
Link to Sam on that catch
Link to Sam on the Mitchell catch
Link to Giants-Dodgers play
Link to Raley play
Link to Trout hypotheticals

 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Twitter Account
 EW Subreddit
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS