Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley
  • 4.7 (2.6K)
  • Baseball
  • Updated Semiweekly

Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary

  1. 9h ago

    Effectively Wild Episode 2493: Baseball Has Marked the Time

    Ben Lindbergh and The Ringer’s Van Lathan banter about Van’s love of baseball, his origin story as a fan, how he got back into the sport, MLB’s resurgence in popularity, advanced stats questions, why the percentage of Black players in MLB fell, how average sports fans perceive MLB’s labor battle, and much more (warning: language). Then (1:25:38) Ben talks to Thomas Gilbert, author of Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America’s First Baseball Hero, about how Jim Creighton revolutionized pitching and reshaped the game, and how Gilbert investigated the many unknowns and misperceptions surrounding the right-hander’s life and death. Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Van’s Ringer archive Link to Van’s baseball outfit Link to Van’s dad story Link to Chico Escuela clip Link to Ben on Dunn and Pierre Link to B-Ref career WAR leaders Link to wOBA glossary entry Link to Field of Dreams scene Link to Jeter’s dating history Link to The Simpsons scene Link to Death in the Strike Zone Link to How Baseball Happened Link to Creighton wiki Link to Thorn on Creighton 1 Link to Thorn on Creighton 2 Link to EW on pesäpallo Link to The Universal Baseball Association Link to Defector on Coover’s book Link to Ella Black series  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Give a Gift Subscription  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com  Effectively Wild Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  Apple Podcasts Feed   Spotify Feed  YouTube Playlist  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source

  2. 1d ago

    Effectively Wild Episode 2492: Pride Goeth Before Baseball

    Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about baseball’s time to shine after the NBA/NHL seasons and a structural difference between basketball and baseball, Jacob Misiorowski achieving escape velocity and entering the deGrom Zone (and a change he’s made that may matter more than his increased speed), the impending posting of red-hot Teruaki Sato, the losers and losers of the Rafael Devers deal one year later, what the trade deadline will look like in this topsy-turvy season, and (42:55) what MLB should do to avoid a repeat of the Giants’ Pride Night debacle, plus (1:25:45) closing banter about games starting/ending too early for night owls. Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to 82-0 Link to 162-0 Link to Jimmy John’s wiki Link to Misiorowski game Link to Misiorowski fun fact Link to The Miz max speed by game Link to The Miz zone rate by game Link to Skubal game-ending pitch Link to Skubal comeback Link to “Just Dropped In” Link to The Miz on Pokémon 1 Link to The Miz on Pokémon 2 Link to Charmander wiki Link to Charizard wiki Link to Mega Charizard X wiki Link to Ground type Pokémon wiki Link to Ben on the Brewers’ clutchness Link to FG playoff odds Link to FG post on the White Sox Link to Passan’s deadline preview Link to FG post on Ramírez injury Link to The Athletic on the Devers trade Link to Rosenthal on the Giants’ deadline Link to MLBTR on Sato Link to SFGate on the Giants Link to McCovey Chronicles on the Giants Link to Katie on the Giants Link to Grant on the Giants Link to Outsports on the Giants Link to SF Chronicle on the Giants Link to SF Chronicle on the Giants 2 Link to Webb quote Link to Bates story Link to info on Dodgers caps Link to Outsports on Dodgers caps Link to Dodgers’ Burke/Bean memorial Link to 2022 Rays story Link to NHL Pride story 1 Link to NHL Pride story 2 Link to NHL Pride story 3 Link to Outsports on Strider Link to Outsports on MLB warning Link to The Athletic on MLB warning Link to uniform rules Link to Outsports on Affeldt Link to Picard scene Link to SBJ on start times Link to year-over-year attendance  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Give a Gift Subscription  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com  Effectively Wild Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  Apple Podcasts Feed   Spotify Feed  YouTube Playlist  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source

    1h 35m

  3. 4d ago

    Effectively Wild Episode 2491: How Not to Get Hurt

    Tarik Skubal is the latest athlete to return to play faster than anticipated thanks to a new surgical technique or technology. But there’s something even better than coming back more quickly from an injury: avoiding an injury in the first place. Can injury prevention be improved as much as injury treatment? In this themed episode, Ben Lindbergh talks to four guests about three potential ways to keep players healthy. First (5:14), Mariners biomechanist Cedric Attias joins to discuss how pitching mechanics affect elbow stress, whether injuries stem more from nature or nurture, and whether MLB teams are prioritizing injury research. Second (49:23), Daryl and Adam Moreau, the father-and-son inventors of FlexProGrip, explain how forearm weakness endangers the UCL, how they designed and validated their training tool, and how the device has been adopted in the game. Third (1:41:18), Steve Rowson, director of the Helmet Lab at Virginia Tech, shares how helmets have improved across sports, why dangerous impacts are different in football and baseball, and why catcher’s masks may need an overhaul to minimize concussions. Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio interstitial 1: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio interstitial 2: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to NanoNeedle AP piece Link to NanoNeedle Athletic piece Link to Ben on protecting pitchers Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits Link to McGregor/ElAttrache article Link to MLB/ElAttrache article Link to article on Altuve’s return Link to article on Alvarez’s return Link to internal brace info Link to article on Tatum’s return Link to article on Mahomes’s return Link to article on Kittle’s return Link to summary of Cedric’s research Link to Cedric’s research paper Link to other research on lower arm slots Link to pulldowns explainer Link to Ben on team secrets Link to Rieekan quote Link to lower-arm-slots trend Link to video clip about the trend Link to Crizer on arm slots Link to Misiorowski game Link to FlexProGrip site Link to FlexProGrip article 1 Link to FlexProGrip article 2 Link to FlexProGrip article 3 Link to FlexProGrip article 4 Link to FlexProGrip white papers Link to Driveline research Link to The Layback Podcast Link to The Island of Doctor Moreau Link to Edward Scissorhands Link to Helmet Lab concussions research Link to helmet ratings site Link to Rowson’s faculty page Link to CNN Helmet Lab story Link to Ben on catcher concussions Link to Carlin baseball vs. football bit Link to risk compensation wiki Link to Helmet Lab testing footage Link to Marvin the Martian wiki Link to Great Gazoo wiki Link to Dark Helmet wiki Link to Torres protective cap article 1 Link to Torres protective cap article 2 Link to Torres cap footage Link to pitcher cap inserts info 1 Link to pitcher cap inserts info 2 Link to pitcher cap inserts info 3 Link to softball pitcher mask article Link to softball fielder mask article Link to softball fielder mask research Link to The Athletic on catcher nut shots Link to SIS on catcher nut shots Link to Knoxville incident  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Give a Gift Subscription  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com  Effectively Wild Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  Apple Podcasts Feed   Spotify Feed  YouTube Playlist  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source

    2h 19m

  4. 5d ago

    Effectively Wild Episode 2490: Hogging the Spotlight

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, please visit our Patreon. Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the listener response to their conversation with Adrian Chiles, newly minted major leaguer LuJames Groover, and a big Giants comeback (in defiance of the team’s historically walk-averse ways), then (21:25) answer listener emails about how long-term team outlooks factor into present-day disappointment levels, spectacle vs. analysis in closer-entrance pageantry, whether umps should be able to challenge themselves, how future sub-Ohtani two-way players will be perceived, the entertainment value of human managers and hypothetical robo-managers, a pre-playoffs rest period, and stats used as verbs, plus Stat Blasts (1:27:23) about teams that turned deficits into large leads, Paul Skenes and glad-to-see-him-go games, and the Angels’ used-to-be-good guys. Audio intro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Episode 2489 Link to Groover debut story Link to 2025 Groover story Link to 2025 Groover clip Link to Groover shirt story Link to Eldridge game story Link to Eldridge game box score Link to ultimate slams story Link to Giants BB%+ Link to Krukow/Kuiper clip Link to Knicks comeback story Link to Ben on Larry David Link to Burnes setback story Link to Crochet setback story Link to Crochet setback confusion Link to Michael’s BOOG intro Link to BOOG pod appearance Link to Jay on the White Sox Link to Duran entrance video Link to story about ballpark loudness Link to call on Contreras Link to Miller hot-mic moment 1 Link to Miller hot-mic moment 2 Link to Miller hot-mic moments article Link to Sam on the Umpire Manual Link to info on umps and HFA Link to Sam on the two-way balance Link to two-way draft prospects story Link to “obligate” definition Link to Grandstand Managers Night Link to Ballers’ AI manager Link to Twitch Plays Pokémon Link to moonwalking robot Link to running robot Link to kicking robot Link to Laws of Robotics Link to Deep Thought wiki Link to Marvin robot Link to Grant on mascot pants Link to NBA Cup Link to Paine on the NBA Cup Link to more Paine on the NBA Cup Link to Knicks banner news Link to Schlittler quote Link to Shakespeare usage shifts Link to Bulls vs. Tides story Link to big comebacks data Link to harmonic mean wiki Link to listener emails database Link to Skenes game story Link to more on Skenes game Link to bullpen blowups data Link to Mancini comeback story Link to past Angels Blasts Link to used-to-be-good guys data Link to Boog/Mancini survival story  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Give a Gift Subscription  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com  Effectively Wild Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  Apple Podcasts Feed   Spotify Feed  YouTube Playlist  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source

    37 min

  5. Jun 10

    Effectively Wild Episode 2489: Baseball: Better Late Than Never

    Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the bunt’s rehabilitation and (17:49) the President publicly picking a side in MLB’s labor battle, then talk to two guests about falling in love with and learning about baseball as adults. First (32:35), beloved BBC presenter and The Guardian columnist Adrian Chiles breaks his baseball silence to expound on how he got bitten by the baseball bug, his long-distance Rays relationship, the loneliness of following baseball from afar, cross-sport comparisons, Chiles-like wonder, and what mystifies him as a fan. Second (1:21:39), Jade Van Kley joins to discuss her journey from registered nurse to baseball content creator, bingeing baseball history, finding an audience for baseball lore drops and video diaries of her first season as a fan, and what fascinates her about the sport. Audio intro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio interstitial: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Leo on left-handed hitting Link to Other Ben on bunting Link to Stat Blast about bunting Link to The Wire quote Link to Padres’ three bunts Link to MSG boos Link to Trump interview comments Link to BP on Trump comments Link to Drellich on Trump comments Link to Drellich on Trump’s influence Link to Trump’s Yankee Stadium visit Link to Dodgers White House visit Link to EW episode on Trump’s baseball past Link to voter registration research Link to article on screwworms Link to Adrian’s baseball column Link to Adrian’s Guardian archive Link to Chiles wiki Link to West Bromwich Albion wiki Link to Adrian’s BBC show Link to Adrian’s book about drinking Link to Adrian’s columns collection Link to article about Adrian 1 Link to article about Adrian 2 Link to article about Adrian 3 Link to article about Adrian 4 Link to Chiles headline generator Link to Machado comments Link to European Super League wiki Link to EW episode on promotion/relegation Link to “silly position” at EW wiki Link to Playing Hard Ball book Link to foul strike rule Link to foul tip rule Link to Snickometer wiki Link to British baseball wiki Link to “Baseball Brit” EW episode Link to “London Series” EW episode Link to Adrian on soap dispensers Link to Whales logo Link to @backlinenurse on Instagram Link to Jade interstitial video Link to Jade on her first game Link to Sulphur Dell wiki Link to Green Cathedrals book Link to Veeck As In Wreck Link to Ben on Veeck As In Wreck Link to Ben on losing track of the count Link to pitcher hitting by year Link to Protoball Link to backline wiki Link to Jade article 1 Link to Jade article 2  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Give a Gift Subscription  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com  Effectively Wild Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  Apple Podcasts Feed   Spotify Feed  YouTube Playlist  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source

    2h 4m

  6. Jun 6

    Effectively Wild Episode 2488: Ohtani Rules

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, please visit our Patreon. Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani’s career-year pace, how often his number of times on base has exceeded his times on base allowed in his two-way games, and his awards outlook, discuss Aaron Judge’s injury and the wide-open AL MVP race, and then (1:06:39) Stat Blast about the most former catchers in one game, Brayan Bello’s woes as a starter, clustering a team’s plate appearances in one inning, perfectly parallel pitch counts for piggybackers, long-lasting low-WAR players, where in the batting order teams tend to go back-to-back-to-belly, players with the longest streaks of having a teammate in the World Series, the most times striking out looking, the best duos drafted consecutively, and more. Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to FG combined WAR leaderboard Link to batting pace leaders Link to pitching pace leaders Link to Ohtani game story Link to “true win” wiki Link to “I’m the Greatest” Link to Judge injury article Link to Judge injury testing article Link to article on Judge injury impact Link to Judge quote Link to Raiders scene Link to story about Raiders scene Link to Beer Barrel Man wiki Link to Ben on Ohtani and Judge 1 Link to Ben on Ohtani and Judge 2 Link to Amtrak event Link to Crizer on scoreless innings streaks Link to The Miz on Pokémon Link to Sánchez meal plan Link to Red Sox vs. Guardians game Link to Sox catchers tweet Link to The Onion blades article Link to Ben on Padres shortstops Link to Russell on emergency catchers Link to catchers Blast text Link to catchers Blast data Link to article on first-inning scoring Link to info on first-inning scoring and HFA Link to Bello Stathead query 1 Link to Bello Stathead query 2 Link to story on Bello being optioned Link to MLBTR on Bello Link to Yankees’ 13-run inning Link to % of PA in one inning text Link to % of PA in one inning data Link to Miller-Castillo game Link to parallel pitch counts text Link to SABR on Allan Roth Link to longest-lasting players Link to consecutive-homers text Link to consecutive-homers data Link to The Human Centipede 3 wiki Link to Jágr streak tweet Link to Jágr streak post Link to Jágr wiki Link to The Rural Juror clip Link to teammate WS streaks data Link to looking-strikeouts text Link to Beltrán K Link to previous “Toothpick” Jones episode Link to draft duos data Link to harmonic mean wiki Link to Brett-Schmidt draft round Link to listener emails database Link to Emil Gumbel wiki Link to @ScoringChanges tweet 1 Link to @ScoringChanges tweet 2 Link to @ScoringChanges tweet 3 Link to loose bodies clip  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Give a Gift Subscription  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com  Effectively Wild Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  Apple Podcasts Feed   Spotify Feed  YouTube Playlist  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source

    35 min

  7. Jun 4

    Effectively Wild Episode 2487: A Time to Canseco and a Time to Leap

    Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the duality of Jo Adell’s defense (after the FARTBAT low that followed his triple-robbery high), Spencer Arrighetti and MLB’s monthly player honors as the last bastion of old-school-stat-based awards, whether a team with a losing record could make the playoffs this season, Paul Goldschmidt’s pleasing platoon role, how much credit the Brewers deserve for Kyle Harrison’s success, Louis Varland’s value, the Tigers’ rapid plummet out of contention, the twilights of Nick Castellanos’s and Andrew McCutchen’s careers, and (1:15:01) whether the CBA negotiations merit horse race-style coverage. Audio intro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme 2” Link to Adell’s FARTBAT Link to Adell quote Link to Adell’s three robberies Link to dramatic robbery photo Link to EW robbery discussion Link to Adell’s 2020 FARTBAT Link to Canseco FARTBAT Link to May’s Pitchers of the Month Link to Pereda nut shot Link to Pennywise quote Link to Desk Set wiki Link to Player of the Month Award wiki Link to past PotM winners Link to THT article on the award Link to pitcher WAR leaders in May Link to Sportico on the unbalanced leagues Link to MLB.com on the lower October bar Link to Jay on the Tigers Link to Skubal rehab update Link to Rosenthal on Skubal Link to lowest-win playoff teams Link to Curt on Harrison Link to Location+ leaders Link to Brewers WAR leaders Link to reliever WAR leaders Link to four-seamer velo leaders Link to MLBTR on McCutchen Link to MLBTR on Castellanos Link to Clemens on the opening offers Link to Drellich on Meyer/Caplin quotes Link to Drellich on Manfred quotes Link to The Athletic on open books Link to story on Sánchez’s streak  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Give a Gift Subscription  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com  Effectively Wild Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  Apple Podcasts Feed   Spotify Feed  YouTube Playlist  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source

    1h 50m

  8. Jun 2

    Effectively Wild Episode 2486: Has the Clutch Code Been Cracked?

    Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Fernando Tatis Jr.’s first home run of the season, injuries to Munetaka Murakami and Craig Kimbrel, a crotch-related suspension precedent, the mystery of Julio Rodriguez’s defense, Roki Sasaki’s surge, the phenomenon of National Anthem standoffs, Carmen Mlodzinski’s brief relief revolt, whether Victor Wembanyama would be a good pitcher, Aaron Ashby’s weirdly winning ways, (1:04:19) whether the Brewers have somehow solved clutch hitting, and the possibility of a Craig Breslow “interpreter.” Audio intro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Tatis HR Link to Tatis HR website Link to Kimbrel injury news Link to MLBTR on Murakami Link to Murakami injury play Link to BP on Gonzalez Link to Elly injury news Link to Pérez injury news Link to gracilis muscle wiki Link to Papelbon article 1 Link to Papelbon article 2 Link to Papelbon article 3 Link to Julio’s defense at Savant Link to Julio’s defense at FG Link to May leaders in pitcher WAR Link to Wrobleski spreadies article Link to standoff ejections article Link to standoff ejections article Link to Mlodzinski article 1 Link to Mlodzinski article 2 Link to Mlodzinski article 3 Link to team SP WAR Link to team RP WAR Link to Pirates pitcher WAR leaders Link to Jaso EW wiki Link to Jaso on EW Link to Wemby baseball photo post Link to Wemby baseball photo Link to Shelob wiki Link to Wemby’s Yankee Stadium visit Link to Wemby’s first pitch video Link to Wemby height article 1 Link to Wemby height article 2 Link to pitcher win leaders Link to Ashby’s game log Link to single-season RP leaders Link to Face obit Link to Sheehan on clutch Link to Episode 2263 wiki Link to Brewers clutch data Link to 2026 tOPS+ w/RISP Link to Brooklyn clutch streak Link to New York clutch streak Link to Philly clutch streak Link to Gumbel distribution wiki Link to Clay Davenport’s adjusted standings Link to BaseRuns standings page Link to Dan S. on the Brewers Link to Brewers wOBA w/RISP Link to Brewers wOBA w/no RISP Link to Brewers xWOBA w/RISP Link to Brewers xWOBA w/no RISP Link to Brewers wOBA w/RISP at home Link to Brewers wOBA w/RISP on the road Link to Brewers BABIP w/RISP Link to Brewers BABIP w/no RISP Link to Brewers Whiff% w/RISP Link to Brewers Whiff% w/no RISP Link to Brewers Pull% w/RISP Link to Brewers Pull% w/no RISP Link to Super Saiyan wiki Link to Marmol on Brewers sign-stealing Link to Brewers sign-stealing rumor Link to “man in white” story 1 Link to “man in white” story 2 Link to “man in white” story 3 EW sign-stealing history episode Link to Healey on Breslow Link to “anger translator” sketch Link to Brown trade news Link to Yankees scoring stat 1 Link to Yankees scoring stat 2 Link to Mlodzinski update 1 Link to Mlodzinski update 2  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Give a Gift Subscription  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com  Effectively Wild Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  Apple Podcasts Feed   Spotify Feed  YouTube Playlist  Facebook Group  Bluesky Account  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch! var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source

    1h 49m
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