Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the approving responses to Ben’s blistering (by Ben’s standards) Yankee Stadium review, Christian Walker ’s scale-breaking defense at first base, “defended” vs. “defensed,” the Dodgers’ historic run of regular-season success, and the battle between teammates Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt for NL MVP frontrunner status, followed by Stat Blasts (49:13) on the Yankees and slumping prospective playoff teams, teams whose players led their league in each t...
Aug 26, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the inflation of flames for fast pitches on baseball broadcasts, Oneil Cruz’ s record-setting hard hit and the limitations of tools, Ben’s review of a trip to Yankee Stadium and Red Sox pitcher Josh Winckowski’ s review of Wrigley Field compared to Fenway Park, the potential impact of a forthcoming Angels franchise sale, the latest Tony La Russa shenanigans, the importance of Johnny Cueto , updates on the streaking Cardinals and Albert Pujols , Jordan Mo...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 34 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the impending premiere of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon , the projection-system verdict on the Braves’ extension of Michael Harris II , the White Sox signing Elvis Andrus , the possibly underrated, could’ve-been-Hall-of-Fame career of José Abreu , and the sophomore improvement of Ha-Seong Kim , then (25:06) answer listener emails about Albert Pujols and the 100-WAR threshold, big leaguers who’ve lost more games in their lives than they’ve w...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on Tony La Russa’s suspicious pinch-runner call, banter about Joey Gallo on the Dodgers and Andrew Benintendi on the Yankees, the utility of booing, and the parochial concept of being unable to play in New York, the curious timing of the Rangers’ firing of long-tenured executive Jon Daniels, the Athletics’ curious release of Elvis Andrus , the Braves extending Michael Harris II and the domino theory of extensions, and Joey Votto ’s season-ending injury, the...
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter a bit more about whether Dottie dropped the ball on purpose in the movie version of A League of Their Own , then discuss an Angels defensive meltdown, a vomiting Oakland Athletic, a Javier Báez bad-ball batted ball, Tony La Russa (and Bill Veeck) taking suggestions from the stands, the Mets’ promotion of Brett Baty , Francisco Lindor , Andrés Giménez , and the Lindor trade revisited, Walker Buehler’ s Tommy John surgery, Fernando Tatis Jr. ’s suspension, and t...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 39 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Dottie dropped the ball on purpose in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own , then (steering clear of spoilers) review and discuss the highs and lows of the new TV reboot, the first season of which debuted on Friday on Amazon Prime Video. After that (49:54), they answer listener emails about whether hard infield throws pose a danger to first basemen, Miguel Cabrera and the efficacy of “setting up” pitchers, announced attendance vs. actual attendan...
Aug 13, 2022•1 hr 41 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners’ soaring playoff odds, a wild Mariners-Yankees game, the other greatest team gainers and losers in playoff probability over the past month, the difference between Baseball-Reference’s playoff odds and other sites’ versions, Keith Hernandez’ s thoughts on the Phillies, how their own preseason predictions have held up, Steven Kwan and Triston McKenzie , the dominance of the Dodgers, a few significant injuries, the Tigers firing GM Al Avila (40...
Aug 12, 2022•1 hr 55 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Dodgers’ and Mets’ “statement” series and the awe and anxiety inspired by Jacob deGrom , follow up on Vin Scully’s musical taste, retractable mounds, and Justin Verlander vs. Max Scherzer , and discuss a recent Rockies pickup and promotion and a hazardous mound visit, followed (33:00) by a Past Blast from 1887. Then (46:52) they talk to 95-year-old Ron Teasley , one of four living former Negro Leaguers from the MLB-designated 1920-1948 “major league”...
Aug 09, 2022•2 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a possible solution to the quandary of not enough slashes in “triple slash stats,” discuss the increasing excitement surrounding Aaron Judge ’s home run record chase, and (20:00) share a Past Blast from 1886. Then (24:47) they welcome back singer-songwriter, baseball balladeer, and converted Dodgers fan Dan Bern to talk about his appreciation for the late Vin Scully and his song “The Golden Voice of Vin Scully,” followed by performances of “Golden Voice,...
Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Clayton Kershaw ’s back, balky backs in general, some of the players traded at the deadline who made immediate impacts in their debuts, and the perhaps surprisingly small impacts that deadline moves make on playoff and World Series odds. Then (15:09) they answer listener emails about intentionally scuttling a trade for leverage in a future negotiation, what would have to happen to convince them that the Rockies were a well-run organization, penalizing sl...
Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 45 min
After a busy deadline day, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley react to all the trade activity, beginning with a high-level overview of the deadline, a recap of the Rockies’ in activity (5:28), the Padres’ Juan Soto , Josh Hader , Brandon Drury , and Joe Musgrove moves (13:58) and the mad genius of A.J. Preller, the equally unprecedented nature of the Hader- Taylor Rogers swap (33:42), and the Nationals’ side of the Soto blockbuster (42:03). Then they pause to pay tribute to Vin Scully (53:37), whose d...
Aug 03, 2022•2 hr 12 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens banter about a flummoxing fun fact, Justin Verlander’ s career vs. Max Scherzer’ s career, and Max Meyer’ s Tommy John surgery, then (24:55) discuss the Andrew Benintendi trade, Joey Gallo ’s struggles, and the biggest questions surrounding the trade deadline before (45:53) reviewing “other” Ben’s work on the annual FanGraphs Trade Value series, focusing on the list-making process, players who just missed the cut, Juan Soto , Shohei Oht...
Jul 30, 2022•1 hr 52 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Mike Trout ’s rare back injury, Zac Veen and vaccines, the Rangers’ one-run record, interesting team trade rumors, and teams with tough deadline decisions, plus a Past Blast from 1882. Then (42:40) they talk to MLB.com’s Mike Petriello about Statcast’s newly public bat speed and swing path data, touching on how bat speed is calculated, the fastest swingers so far, how teams are already using bat-tracking tech, bat-tracking on broadcasts, the size of the ...
Jul 28, 2022•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a convoluted fun fact, the Cardinals’ anti-vaccination contingent, a historic Red Sox slump, an injury to top draftee Druw Jones, and a Willians Astudillo double-play pitch, Stat Blast (16:00) about Bryan Shaw and late-starting starters (plus an update on zero-RBI cleanup hitters), and share a Past Blast from 1881. Then (30:48) they talk to The Athletic senior writer Evan Drellich about what the end (for now) of negotiations over an international draft p...
Jul 27, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley wrap up the podcast’s 10th anniversary week by doing a dozen listener-inspired Stat Blasts and then (51:53) talking to 42-year-old Red Sox starter and podcast legend Rich Hill about how the game and his game have evolved over his long career, plus (1:31:18) a Past Blast from 1880/postscript. Audio intro : Silk Sonic, “ Blast Off ” Audio interstitial 1 : Levon Helm, “ The Mountain ” Audio interstitial 2 : Esther Rose, “ Mountaintop ” Audio outro : This is the Kit, “ K...
Jul 22, 2022•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley are joined by FanGraphs lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen to banter about what accounts for the variability in how quickly prospects acclimate to the majors and detecting holes in swings, discuss (10:50) which teams have the prospects to trade for Juan Soto , review (22:59) impressive performances from the Futures Game (including a booming BP by Francisco Álvarez and a record throw by Masyn Winn ), recap (31:02) the highs of the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game ...
Jul 21, 2022•1 hr 57 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley continue their celebration of the 10th anniversary of Effectively Wild by bringing on former cohost Jeff Sullivan and Most Frequent Guest (for now) Grant Brisbee to banter about Jeff’s job with the Rays and draft their favorite baseball stories from the past 10 years (plus a Past Blast from 1878). Audio intro : Joel Plaskett Emergency, “ Old Friends ” Audio outro : Willie Nelson With Waylon Jennings, “ Old Friends ” Link to EW guest data Link to story on Orioles catc...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 34 min
On the 10th anniversary of Effectively Wild’s first episode, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley kick off a week-long celebration by reflecting on the milestone, then (6:40) bring on producer Dylan Higgins and listener Chris Hanel for a round of Effectively Wild trivia and fun facts. After that (41:49), they dig into the podcast archive for a highlight reel of favorite moments from Effectively Wild’s past, narrated by broadcaster Jason Benetti , which is followed by a Past Blast from 1877 (2:21:48) and...
Jul 18, 2022•2 hr 56 min
With Meg Rowley on the road, Ben Lindbergh does an almost-all-interview episode featuring the authors of four new baseball books: First (3:22), Howard Bryant on Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original ; second (42:45), Jeff Fletcher on Sho-Time: The Inside Story of Shohei Ohtani and the Greatest Baseball Season Ever Played ; third (1:19:36), Mark Armour and Daniel Levitt on Intentional Balk: Baseball’s Thin Line Between Innovation and Cheating ; and fourth (1:58:38), Paul Oyer on An ...
Jul 16, 2022
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani taking over the MLB WAR lead, a Taylor Ward / Jared Walsh mixup, an on-air “zombie runner” endorsement, another fruitless hidden ball trick attempt, and the need for an amended rule about replay reviews of slide plays, then (26:03) discuss the Blue Jays firing manager Charlie Montoyo and the revelation that the Royals have 10 unvaccinated players. After that (57:28), they meet major leaguers Vinnie Pasquantino and Bubby Rossman , banter mor...
Jul 15, 2022•1 hr 51 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s hazardous last week, then discuss the ongoing mellowing of attitudes and discussions surrounding the All-Star game, embracing the game’s potential for sentimentality, how it would feel to be a team’s lone All-Star representative, the results of a new poll about robo umps, an NPB record and whether/when Reggie Jackson will be unseated as the all-time strikeout king, the reemergence of Matt Moore , the Rockies, the trade deadline, and Daniel Bard , t...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 32 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s unfortunate Brussels sprouts incident, then answer listener emails about the ballparks with the most and least locations where a ball would be a home run only in that park, the Rays’ MLB-leading outs on the bases, the Orioles’ possibly improved pitcher development, a loaner-type trade where a player is his own player to be named later, how to define a comeback, “batters” vs. “hitters,” whether a team can really win without ever holding a lead, whet...
Jul 09, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley rant and banter (ranter?) about MLB’s approach to promoting the Futures Game, then (17:33) discuss superheroes throwing baseballs, the latest exploits of the semi-superpowered Shohei Ohtani and Sandy Alcantara , and Ohtani’s chances against Aaron Judge (and others) in the AL MVP race, Stat Blast (39:03) about losing teams with two hyper-productive players and pitchers with the most even pitch-type distributions, entertain the idea (59:59) of adjusting WAR for quality...
Jul 08, 2022•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the possible end of the Taylor Ward / Tyler Wade broadcaster confusion, Ward getting caught unawares at first base, and the Twins turning the first-ever 8-5 triple play, then Stat Blast (11:06) about Cam Vieaux and the most pitches thrown in various types of innings, share a Past Blast (23:33) from 1871, and discuss the Empire State Greys, a traveling Frontier League team that started the season 0-35 and now, at 2-42, is in danger of posting the lowest w...
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the varying interpretations of Bobby Bonilla Day and what may be the last-ever Bruce Sutter Day, then (17:20) discuss what an expansive ESPN profile of Rob Manfred reveals about the MLB commissioner. After that (48:49), they answer listener emails about players jumping straight from college to the majors, whether a player who hit a lot of homers but little else would be playable, how many players would still be two-way players if the rules permitted nine...
Jul 02, 2022•1 hr 55 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley are joined by Jake Mintz of Céspedes Family BBQ to talk about Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson leaving the team midseason to join LSU, why MLB teams are hiring coaches from college and why colleges are hiring them back, whether MLB teams should pay coaches more, the state of player development in college, Jake’s experience at the College World Series, his short summary of what non-college baseball fans should know about the just-completed college season, the arrival ...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a surprising ESPY nomination for Jorge Soler , another Tyler Wade / Taylor Ward broadcaster mixup, the massive Mariners-Angels brawl and ensuing suspensions and pizzas, Bryce Harper’ s broken thumb and not-broken face, Mark Appel finally making the majors, an update on the Joc Pederson – Tommy Pham feud, the Yankees getting no-hit, the respectable Orioles, an impressive fact about the AL East, a Willians Astudillo tag mistake and the nature of forces vs....
Jun 29, 2022•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley answer listener emails about why players in the dugout seem so confident in pitch locations, whether it would ever help to wear two gloves, MLB Big Inning and other baseball equivalents of NFL RedZone, the extreme dimensions of the Polo Grounds, what makes it so impressive that some players perform at the same level for a long time, whether the Cardinals are a fun team, and what it means when we say that a player is “fun to watch,” then (55:45) take pedantic question...
Jun 25, 2022•1 hr 41 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about two spectacular games by Shohei Ohtani and Ohtani’s extraordinary playing-time pace and relay a sinker-iffic response from Michael Lorenzen to a previous discussion about baseball grip, then (24:22) answer listener emails about using different-colored balls to denote different levels of liveliness, how much time to train players have in-season, whether fielders are to blame when their gloves develop holes, outlawing webbed gloves to raise BABIP, single-g...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether changing managers is at all responsible for the Phillies’ recent success, the Yankees’ almost unparalleled winning-percentage pace, the Royals’ historically terrible pitching performance and the pressure on their pitching coach, another Taylor Ward / Tyler Wade broadcaster slipup, Anthony Rendon’ s season-ending surgery, Michael Lorenzen’ s comments about baseball slipperiness and MLB’s new mud mandate, a tough-negotiating teen fan’s price for J....
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 39 min
