Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s experience seeing Shohei Ohtani pitch, hit, and play right field in person, why balks can be so incomprehensible, the differing recent fortunes of the Angels and the Diamondbacks (and Albert Pujols ), Jacob deGrom ’s dominance and durability, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the big bats (and playoff fortunes) of the Blue Jays, and Baseball-Reference relaunching with the Negro Leagues reclassified as major leagues. After a break, they return (41:43) to ta...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and The Athletic ’s Grant Brisbee discuss Grant’s experience co-hosting a podcast with Hunter Pence and Grant’s hatred of the zombie-runner rule, before attempting to explain how and why the San Francisco Giants have baseball’s best record and what they should do at the trade deadline. Audio intro : The Baseball Project, " The Giants Win the Pennant " Audio outro : The New Pornographers, " Need Some Giants " Link to Baseball Barista Link to Baggs & Brisbee Link to ...
Jun 11, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about another prescient player prediction (this time involving the Phillies’ Luke Williams ), Nick Madrigal’ s hamstring injury, another aspect of the baseball scene in A Quiet Place Part II , and a few observations about the foreign-substance scandal, including teams’ culpability, how the perception of sticky stuff use may mirror the perception of the PED era, Pete Alonso ’s conspiracy theory about MLB manipulating the baseball, and how the evolution of stick...
Jun 11, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter (sans spoilers) about baseball movie A Quiet Place Part II , Eric Sogard sliding over first base, a Travis Jankowski TOOTBLAN, Miguel Sanó repeatedly predicting success, and Jesse Winker raking, then consider whether it’s actually “unfortunate” that the first true two-way player in ages is as good as Shohei Ohtani , answer listener emails about the two-way-player Mendoza Line and whether pitcher Ohtani or hitter Ohtani would win a head-to-head matchup, and con...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Sports Illustrated ’s Emma Baccellieri banter about Ryan Yarbrough throwing a rare Rays complete game, then share their thoughts on the recent debate about media access in sports sparked by tennis star Naomi Osaka, touching on how access to athletes compares across sports, the dubious value of press conferences, athletes’ obligations and mental health, how media coverage can help players, reporters, and the public, the ongoing efforts to restore MLB clubhouse acces...
Jun 05, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about why “Zombie Runner,” not “Manfred Man,” remains their preferred term for the automatic runner, zombies in general, position player pitchers vs. pitcher hitters, the benefits of forfeits, the increasing rate of pitcher hitters not attempting to put the ball in play, MLB’s bad timing with NFTs, the minor league sticky substance crackdown, and the death of Mike Marshall and the chances of ever seeing another pitcher like him. Then (42:04) they talk to Ethan...
Jun 04, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Luis Urías , the zombie runner, and walk-off wins, a few other aspects of the Will Craig / Javier Báez play, a new stat called the “Boner,” MLB and NFTs, Theo Epstein’s recent comments about making changes to the game, Shohei Ohtani ’s player-page traffic and the future of two-way players, the Rays and Rich Hill , how the aftermath of the spitball ban relates to the future of foreign substance use, the definition of a “generational talent,” whether to cr...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 45 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Javier Báez and Will Craig combining on a baffling blooper, a naked streaker seizing the moment during a rain delay at Nationals Park, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt’s objection to a foreign-substance inspection (and how MLB should respond), an update from New Era about its short-lived “Local Market” caps, and Francisco Lindor ’s protracted season-starting slump, then answer listener emails about legalizing sticky stuff for bad teams and whether umps woul...
May 28, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Craig Goldstein banter about cicadas, New Era’s short-lived “MLB Local Market” caps, the exploits of Adolis García , and Byron Buxton being too fast for his own good, then discuss Craig’s recent writing on how to fix what ails baseball, touching on what exactly the problem (if any) is, whether the offensive environment could correct itself, the best ways to reduce pitch speed and strikeouts, and much more, plus a real-time reacti...
May 27, 2021•1 hr 32 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the scant separation between the top teams in each division and the division races they find the most intriguing, Buster Posey , Scott Kazmir , and other old Giants, Isiah Kiner-Falefa backing up his objection to coming in last on FanGraphs’ shortstop positional power ranking, Mariners catcher José Godoy becoming the 20,000th major leaguer (or not) and the factors that influence the way we remember history, Erik Kratz alleging that the Rockies and (seemi...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Shohei Ohtani stalker cam on Japanese telecasts of Angels games, the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals facing Jacob deGrom , why this season’s no-hitters have all been so dominant, and why it doesn’t make sense to hold hitters responsible for strikeouts and low batting averages. Then they do a Meet a Major Leaguer segment on the Cubs’ Tommy Nance and P.J. Higgins and close by discussing the exciting NL West race, the Cubs’ lackluster rotation, some clubs fa...
May 21, 2021•1 hr 19 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about scheduling their days around Shohei Ohtani and the latest examples of Ohtani excitement, Tony La Russa and unwritten rules vs. fun and the White Sox clubhouse, and Spencer Turnbull and no-hitter overload ( before Corey Kluber’s no-no on Wednesday), then answer listener emails about whether Ohtani is the world’s best athlete, resting or playing Ohtani during All-Star week, whether not making the playoffs is too frequent a talking point when it comes to Oh...
May 20, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Dodgers signing Albert Pujols and what the rest of his season could look like, Kevin Pillar’ s broken nose and the ongoing HBP epidemic, Shohei Ohtani’ s latest heroics (and modeling video) and whether he can become a face of baseball and a crossover star, MLB’s rising injury rate, Huascar Ynoa’ s self-inflicted fracture (and whether teams should invest in dugout/tunnel padding), Yermín Mercedes hitting a homer off of Willians Astudillo and igniting ...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the same-day debuts of Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert , the future of the Mariners, and whether Mariners fans have actually had it so bad, another distinction between framing and flopping, the retirement of Tyler Flowers and the impact he had on catching technique, the resurgence of Rich Hill , the state of the AL Central and whether it’s too soon to stick a fork in the unfortunate Twins, how the controversy surrounding the NBA play-in tournament mirro...
May 15, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners calling up pitching prospect Logan Gilbert , the late-inning dominance of Aroldis Chapman and (more unexpectedly) Kendall Graveman , Shohei Ohtani ’s best start of the season, and the Astros providing housing for their minor leaguers, then answer listener emails about their favorite baseball seasons, how long it will take for 2020 footage of fan-free ballparks to seem surprising, MLB shifting to a six-game-a-week schedule, framing vs. floppi...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners’ impending call-up of top prospect Jarred Kelenic , the Dodgers’ recent slump, the Oakland A’s threatening to relocate, Wade Miley ’s no-hitter and how long it takes for no-no fatigue to set in, whether MLB’s offensive downturn will force the league to take action, the role of hitters in the hit-by-pitch spike, a near-umpire perfect game and the unparalleled pitch-calling accuracy of unsung umpire John Libka, the Mets’ mysterious rat/raccoon...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Byron Buxton and the Twins, discuss the Angels designating Albert Pujols for assignment, and answer listener emails about whether to accept a scenario where one’s team always finishes .500 but one also gets to enjoy the career of a generational player, pitchers accepting automatic strikeouts, the best way for catchers to call for appeals on check swings, and appreciating the community of baseball as much as or more so than the sport itself, plus a Stat B...
May 07, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Orioles ace John Means pitching a no-hitter and the dropped-third-strike rule that prevented him from having a perfect game, Tony La Russa’s latest managerial miscues, an umpire admitting he guessed at a call, the Yankees turning their season around after a slow start and the perils of small-sample team performance, heckling the Astros, Dylan Cease , Huascar Ynoa , and good and bad arguments for and against the DH, whether the zombie-runner rule leads to...
May 06, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about being fully vaccinated, injuries to Dustin May , Luis Robert , Jesús Luzardo , Jacob deGrom , Shohei Ohtani , and others around the league, grumbles about Tony La Russa’s managing, the Angels’ perplexing, persistent .500-ness, the Mets firing and hiring hitting coaches, and surprising pricing for players on Cameo, then follow up on the Dodgers’ shifting against righties, umpires declaring plays too close to call, and handing out flagrant fouls for hit by...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rays flamethrower Shane McClanahan ’s regular-season MLB debut, a Bryce Harper hit by pitch and the causes of the current HBP epidemic, and the biggest surprises of the topsy-turvy standings entering May. Then (33:32) they’re joined by listener and Patreon supporter David Whitcomb to answer listener emails about whether excelling at fantasy baseball could help someone get hired by a team, what motion umpires should make to signal that a play is too close...
May 01, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s morbid press conference comment, the continued excellence of Byron Buxton , Mike Trout , and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , an early-season dip in infield shifting and an interesting disparity in defensive disparity between the Padres and Dodgers, and Rob Manfred’s comment about sports betting and the pace of baseball. Then they bring on frequent Stat Blast consultant Adam Ott , who’s about to begin a new job as a data scientist in C...
Apr 29, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest riveting Padres-Dodgers series, the beef between Trevor Bauer and Fernando Tatis Jr. , Tatis’s fielding, the end of GM Jeff Bridich’s reign with the Rockies, Madison Bumgarner’ s hitless start (but non-no-hitter?), Jacob deGrom ’s dominance and starts in which pitchers produce as many hits as they allow, and John Means and the O’s stopping Oakland’s 13-game winning streak, then follow up on previous discussions about collective action by fans ...
Apr 27, 2021•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley offer a few updates on the first subject of their “Meet a Major Leaguer” segment, Zach Pop , banter about Corey Dickerson ’s impending 200th career double, and answer listener emails about weather-based scheduling, giving umpires the option of not making close calls and deferring to replay reviewers instead, the strange statistics of Javier Báez , enforcing parity (but also mediocrity), whether baseball fans could channel the collective action of the soccer fans who ...
Apr 24, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Bryce Harper’ s hot streak, the players at the top of the WAR leaderboard, the exploits of Byron Buxton and Nelson Cruz , the suddenly unbeatable Oakland A’s, Ben’s new favorite stat to track ( Nick Madrigal ’s K%+), pitcher hitting performance reaching a new nadir, and more. Then they debut a new recurring segment (and song), “Meet a Major Leaguer,” by introducing Marlins reliever Zach Pop and Rockies reliever Jordan Sheffield . They close by discussing...
Apr 23, 2021•1 hr 25 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the brief lifespan of the soccer Super League, the gift of the Padres-Dodgers rivalry and Blake Snell vs. Joe Musgrove , position-player-pitching overload and the pitching performance of Willians Astudillo , whether the slow-starting Yankees are really doomed, the retirement of Jay Bruce , the end of Tim Locastro’ s stolen-base success streak (and the unlikely basestealing prowess of an ancient Albert Pujols ), player switcheroos in the minor leagues, wh...
Apr 21, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about why they haven’t been talking about Bryce Harper , follow up on previous points about the automatic-runner rule, optional home run trots, and player switcheroos, discuss the latest report about the Mets’ front-office culture and team president Sandy Alderson, and answer listener emails about two automatic-runner-rule variants, first base socializing (and Jackie Robinson the first baseman), catcher’s mitts the size of the strike zone, changing replay revi...
Apr 16, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the unanticipated charms of podcast faves Willians Astudillo and Shohei Ohtani , Trevor Bauer ’s (and the league’s) spin rates increasing despite MLB’s threatened foreign substance crackdown, the confounding behavior of the new, supposedly deadened baseball, and the news that the mound will be moved back and the “double hook” DH will be tested in the Atlantic League, follow up on the extra-innings automatic-runner rule and the difference between pitch fr...
Apr 15, 2021•1 hr 43 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Joe Musgrove ‘s no-hitter and the significance of Musgrove snapping the Padres’ no-no-no streak, Tim Locastro breaking Tim Raines ’s record for the most consecutive successful steal attempts to start a career, Ronald Acuña Jr. beating out a routine grounder and MLB’s “FieldVision” depiction of the play, the controversial call on (and replay review of) an Alec Bohm slide that ended the Philly-Atlanta Sunday Night Baseball game, Masters winner Hideki Matsu...
Apr 13, 2021•2 hr 14 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the seemingly building backlash to the extra-innings automatic-runner rule and Dusty Baker’s comments about anti-Astros heckling, then (19:51) bring on high performance coach Gary McCoy to discuss his epiphany about preventing player injuries, the importance of deceleration, how he helped a team in Taiwan have an injury-free season, the problems with innings limits and pitch limits, how MLB teams should be handling players in a season following a light w...
Apr 09, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs writer RJ McDaniel banter about a controversial walk-off hit by pitch call involving the Mets’ Michael Conforto , the early success of exciting Tigers Rule 5 pick Akil Baddoo , and unexpected fauna on the field, then conduct the second annual Effectively Wild Team Fun Draft, in which they draft all 30 teams in order of how fun they are to follow in 2021. Audio intro : Dean Martin, " Just for Fun " Audio outro : The Donnas, " Friday Fun " Link to Conforto ...
Apr 09, 2021•1 hr 39 min
