After Ben Lindbergh briefly mourns the Shohei Ohtani injury news, he and Jeff Sullivan banter about the…impassioned response to Ben’s article about the DH and pitcher hitting, a few DH-related fallacies, Steven Brault ’s bullpen conversation, the newly patient Pablo Sandoval , the effective wildness of Tyler Chatwood , and the effective non-wildness of Miles Mikolas , follow up on the Vroom Vroom Guy and an ugly half-inning, and answer listener emails about the Alex Reyes injury, the historic st...
Jun 09, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Jonny Venters , Max Scherzer and immaculate innings, the futility of pitcher hitting in 2018, the NL’s encouraging interleague record, MLB buying Rawlings, the home-run rate, Ichiro throwing BP, Derek Dietrich ’s dangerous juggling, and a world where Jerry Dipoto can trade draft picks. Then they bring on FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Dylan Higgins (20:46) to discuss some big storylines from the amateur draft, including Tigers top pick Casey Mize, the ...
Jun 07, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the improving defense of Mike Trout and Matt Kemp , two minor observations prompted by amateur draft coverage, and a confusing quirk in the standings, then time travel back to a dramatically different era in bullpen usage by bringing in the most valuable reliever of the 1970s: Detroit Tigers great, groundbreaking “fireman,” and Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer John Hiller (19:21), who discusses his conversion from hockey to baseball, surviving multiple...
Jun 06, 2018•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Clayton Kershaw ‘s latest back injury, the “opener” strategy spreading to L.A., and the unexpected sources of production that have helped keep the Dodgers in the race, as well as Kole Calhoun ‘s historically slow offensive start to the season, Jaime Barria and record-setting pitch counts within innings, Indians rookie Shane Bieber as the successor to Josh Tomlin , baseball analogs to the J.R. Smith debacle in the NBA Finals, and two upcoming baseball ...
Jun 02, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Jeff’s moderately close encounter with a volcano, various events that took place in baseball while he was away, Rob Manfred’s recent comments about changes to the game, MLB attendance issues, Ben’s Angels brunch, the early-season success of some supposedly tanking teams, stats about Dellin Betances , Patrick Corbin , and Kole Calhoun , and more. Then they answer listener emails about Gleyber Torres ‘ power and the Yankees’ pursuit of the all-time team...
May 31, 2018•1 hr 14 min
On the day the Stanley Cup finals start, Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan talk to Baseball Prospectus writer Zach Crizer about how future MLB expansion clubs could construct baseball’s equivalent of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL’s sensational expansion team. Then (29:51) Ben and Effectively Wild listener Dom Guido reexamine the legendary 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat,” using advanced stats, historical context, and clues from the text to make the case that the mighty Casey has gotten a bad r...
May 28, 2018•59 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the Red Sox designating Hanley Ramirez for assignment, what Mookie Betts and Barry Bonds have in common, Shohei Ohtani ‘s “workload management,” Bartolo Colon ’s 45th birthday, a John Jaso appearance at the Trop, a listener’s real-world use of tOPS+, and two more examples of players intentionally performing typically detrimental activities. Then Ben briefly brings on FanGraphs’ Meg Rowley (16:05) to discuss the latest Jerry Dipoto and Wilmer Font trad...
May 26, 2018•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the banged-up Mariners, Tyler Chatwood ‘s wildness, the Astros’ record-setting run prevention, a Mike Trout milestone, Chris Davis and looking strikeouts, Ron Gardenhire ‘s ringtone, Michael Taylor ‘s walk-off face, settling a game with rock-paper scissors, bad closers, Nick Markakis , and more, then answer listener emails about strike sounds, “three up, three down,” Kyle Schwarber ‘s defense, Shohei Ohtani ’s home-run rates, starters as openers, famo...
May 24, 2018•1 hr 17 min
In a bonus EW episode, Ben Lindbergh brings on The Ringer’ s Michael Baumann to talk to actor Hank Azaria about the second season of IFC’s Brockmire , real broadcasters’ affection for the show, proving his baseball bona fides, and throwing out first pitches. Then Ben brings on Slate’ s Mike Pesca (35:16) to talk about his new book (which includes a chapter by Ben), Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History , how baseball’s what-ifs rank among the major sports’, and what does a...
May 23, 2018•1 hr
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about baffling flamethrower Jordan Hicks , Rich Hill ‘s latest blister problem, the Orioles’ unlikely 13-hit, zero-run game, Albert Pujols ‘ prospects, Ryan Zimmerman ’s slow spring training and slower start, and more. Then they bring on writer Joe Sheehan (23:23) to discuss the Rays’ “starting Sergio Romo ” strategy, whether it will catch on with other teams, the evolution of in-game management, the optimization of bunting, batting orders, and bullpens, wh...
May 22, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the dominant Justin Verlander and the Astros’ historic pitching pace, the still-struggling Dodgers, and the prospects of Blue Jays prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , then talk to author Rob Neyer (16:28) about becoming the commissioner of the West Coast League, the future of baseball in Portland, and writing his forthcoming book, Power Ball . Later, they bring on ESPN MLB senior editor Christina Kahrl (32:03) to discuss when an MLB team will hire the le...
May 18, 2018•1 hr 9 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the fallout from Robinson Cano ‘s 80-game suspension, the league’s latest adjustment to Shohei Ohtani , Jason Castro ‘s injury and Willians Astudillo ’s opportunity, and the resurgent Jordan Lyles , then answer listener emails about the topsy-turvy National League, the evolution of orthodoxy about bullpens, the impact of Willson Contreras on Cubs pitchers, preemptive PRP treatments, a Yankees and Padres roster-swap, streakers helping pitchers warm up,...
May 17, 2018•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Freddy Peralta ‘s unique Coors Field debut, Takuya Nakashima’s improbable grand slam, Shohei Ohtani ‘s ongoing pitching evolution, Javier Baez ‘s perplexing slash line, Jameson Taillon ’s creative solution to a finger injury, their disinclination toward gambling, and the hapless (but no longer winless) Saint Peter’s Peacocks of NCAA Division I. Then they talk to attorney and FanGraphs writer Sheryl Ring (32:12) about the Supreme Court paving a path to...
May 15, 2018•1 hr 23 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a new newsletter about baseball debuts, Shohei Ohtani’s latest exploits, the pitiful state of the AL Central, the even more pitiful performance of Orioles starter Chris Tillman, pitchers’ perplexing lack of respect for the Braves’ Ronald Acuña, Ichiro’s debut as a bench coach and future in baseball, and the ongoing battle between the Yankees and Red Sox. Then (29:58) they bring on the three tallest catchers in MLB history—current Tigers catcher Grayso...
May 12, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter (and answer listener emails) about podcast personas, Dylan Bundy’s bad day, players’ favorite stats and a Joc Pederson conundrum, James Paxton and the recent rash of near-no-hitters, how scoring has bounced back from its slow start, the Reds’ and Mets’ Matt Harvey trade, the Robinson Cano contract so far, and things about baseball that are harder than they look, plus a Stat Blast about switch hitters. Then they talk to 33-year-old Rays reliever Jonny Venter...
May 10, 2018•1 hr 13 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan follow up on HBP rules and two of the three radical ideas they discussed last week and banter about Ichiro’s quasi-retirement, the Braves’ talented-but-overperforming offense, how Nick Markakis’s hot streak jeopardizes a career distinction, the eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, Gerrit Cole’s latest exploits, Collin McHugh, Archie Bradley, and the Diamondbacks’ bullpen cart, combined no-hitters, another Bryan Mitchell update, the injuries to Clayton Kershaw and...
May 07, 2018•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh, Jeff Sullivan, and ESPN’s Sam Miller banter about James Paxton’s 16-strikeout start and the elusive 21-strikeout game, why no-hitters are becoming more common but are also endangered, how to familiarize oneself with newly minted major-league relievers, and Albert Pujols’s evaporating walk rate, then discuss Sam’s radical proposals to change baseball’s playoff format, playoff structure, and schedule. Audio intro : The Flaming Lips, " Free Radicals " Audio outro : The Bees, " Change...
May 04, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Ben Lindbergh, Jeff Sullivan, and SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee banter about Trevor Bauer, sticky substances, and spin rate, Ken Giles’s self-harming home-run reaction, the best baseball clips to rewatch, the unwritten rules of not avoiding hit by pitches, and party-hard Matt Harvey. Then they discuss Grant’s story about the record-setting 1988 Orioles, who went 0-21 to start the season, and they bring on ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian to tell stories about covering that team’s historic losing streak as a beat...
May 03, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Steven Brault’s non-strikeout streak, the failing Wilmer Font and Kazuhisa Makita, the excellent Ozzie Albies, scouting Pablo Sandoval’s pitching, a silly Salvador Perez-Tim Anderson dust-up, the AL Central’s weakness so far, the streaking Diamondbacks, Adrian Gonzalez getting booed in San Diego, and a dead man rounding the bases, then talk to Baseball Prospectus’ s Rob Mains about why ticket prices won’t go down, why player salaries have little to do...
May 01, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan follow up on previous talk of triples, popups, and foul balls, then discuss Ronald Acuña’s big second game, the intriguing Oakland A’s, the new and maybe-improved Joey Gallo, the transformations of Didi Gregorius and Andrelton Simmons, the post-injury return of Jonny Venters, Clayton Kershaw vs. Trevor Richards and the biggest baseball upsets, Jarrod Dyson’s bases-loaded bunt, the Diamondbacks’ season-starting series winning streak, the Yankees’ ongoing dominance ...
Apr 27, 2018•58 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Ronald Acuña’s debut and the Braves’ pivot to position players, the history of Peter Bourjos losing his job, Eric Lauer’s less heralded/distinguished debut, Kazuhisa Makita, the Angels maxing out their mound visits, and the state of Shohei Ohtani hype, follow up on outfield bobbling and baserunner blocking, and then answer listener emails about teams forfeiting, when homers caught up to triples for good, the Aroldis Chapman-Gleyber Torres trade, the v...
Apr 26, 2018•1 hr 8 min
In an unwitting tribute to Brandon Belt’s 21-pitch plate appearance, Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about approximately 21 topics, including the Mariners’ awkward, self-imposed Ichiro situation, Dee Gordon’s outfield conversion, Franchy Cordero, the ineptitude of the Reds, Mike Trout leveling up (again), Sean Manaea’s no-hitter and the increasing frequency of near no-hitters, two more unwritten rules flareups, Josh Hader’s multi-inning dominance, a bad fun fact, the regression of last ye...
Apr 24, 2018•1 hr
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the strange standings, turnover in the Reds’ dugout, the hot starts by the Red Sox and Mookie Betts, the side effects of pitchers’ increasing avoidance of the strike zone, and the struggles of the Mets’ self-described starting pitcher Matt Harvey. Then they talk to former FanGraphs writer Corinne Landrey, now a quantitative analyst for the Philadelphia Phillies, about transitioning from writing to working for a front office, how joining a team affects...
Apr 21, 2018•56 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Shohei Ohtani’s blister, the Braves signing Jose Bautista as a third baseman, and Oakland’s well-attended free-admission game, then talk to two authors of new books about what happens in baseball players’ brains: Zach Schonbrun , author of The Performance Cortex: How Neuroscience is Redefining Athletic Genius (11:58), and former MLB pitcher (and current Giants mental skills coach) Bob Tewksbury, author of Ninety Percent Mental: An All-Star Player Turn...
Apr 19, 2018•1 hr 20 min
Ben Lindbergh, Jeff Sullivan, and Baseball Prospectus writer Russell Carleton discuss Russell’s new book, The Shift , banter about bad weather, Bartolo Colon, baseball’s unexpectedly competitive division races, Mike Trout topping one WAR leaderboard, Ronald Acuña’s (possibly) impending call-up, MLB’s low attendance so far, and a new Carter Capps imitator, then answer listener emails about Kris Bryant and the Cubs’ batting order, cold weather and the early season home-run rate, a pitcher with wor...
Apr 16, 2018•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a recent spat of basebrawls, Clint Hurdle vs. Javier Baez and bat flips, Shohei Ohtani’s latest heroics, what bullpens do during brawls, and a fun-fact-free player, then bring on MLB Advanced Media’s Mike Petriello (23:19) to discuss what’s new with (and next for) Statcast, the system’s growing pains and commitment to accuracy, writing for a league-owned entity, MLBAM’s philosophy about rolling out enhancements, the most exciting (and most overrated) ...
Apr 14, 2018•1 hr 13 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Shohei Ohtani’s platoon splits and pitchers’ league-wide avoidance of the strike zone this season, then answer listener emails about the power and prestige of managers compared to coaches, when to trust in-season results over projections, choosing between Ohtani and Mike Trout, whether Albert Pujols or Adrian Beltre will end up with the higher career WAR, the staying power of the phrase “Andrew Miller-type role,” the Marlins’ current shortstops vs. a ...
Apr 12, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a walk-off popup, a weekend brawl, booing Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper’s hot start and Byron Buxton’s slow (but not slowest) start, Xander Bogaerts, and Ian Happ, and then do a deep dive on Shohei Ohtani’s past, present, and future as a hitter and pitcher and the wonder of what he accomplished last week. Audio intro : Genesis, " Your Own Special Way " Audio outro : Tweedy, " Wait for Love " Link to walk-off popup Link to video of 2012 Astros two-er...
Apr 09, 2018•58 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a James Paxton eagle attack (and an earlier condor attack), a successful Jon Lester bounce pass, a play that proves that some players don’t know the rules about tagging up, Shohei Ohtani’s rest schedule, and a heartwarming moment involving Mike Trout, then do another edition of Gabe Kapler Criticism Watch and discuss a few teams that significantly shifted their playoff odds in week one. Audio intro : Jay Z, " The Bounce " Audio outro : Bob Dylan &...
Apr 06, 2018•50 min
Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Shohei Ohtani’s hot hitting start, revisit the subject of Joey Gallo bunting against the four-man outfield, and critique a retracted Trevor Rosenthal report, then answer listener emails about Bondsian starts to seasons, Tommy Pham’s prophfanity, how data-driven players may impact projections, Seth Lugo’s breakout potential, short-term tanking vs. long-term tanking, new counting-stat thresholds, a version of Giancarlo Stanton who always swings for the ...
Apr 05, 2018•1 hr 17 min
