Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Shohei Ohtani’s return, Mike Fiers’ no-hitter, and the hard-luck Reds, do a Stat Blast and banter about True Wins vs. no-hitters and other standout starts, and answer listener emails about baseball and the gambler’s fallacy, umpires estimating the outcome of every batted ball (and whether pitchers, hitters, or fielders are the most dispensable players on the field from an entertainment standpoint), why we measure pitch speeds in mph rather than ft/s (and whether we should adjust the way we present spin rate), whether NL managers have it harder than AL managers, the long-term stylistic evolution of baseball, and more (plus, Lenny Harris sends his regards to Jeff). Audio intro: Jason Falkner, "Say it’s True" Audio outro: Wilco, "Tried and True" Link to Simmons catch Link to Sam on Simmons Link to Sam on Simmons again Link to Syndergaard bobblehead Link to FG post about mph vs. ft/s Link to explanation of why Sprint Speed is measured in ft/s Link to Ben on today’s players being the best Link to Harris video Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the merits of True Wins vs. no-hitters, a Pablo Sandoval fun fact, whether most pitchers would prefer to be better than average with a higher ERA or worse than average with a lower ERA, and whether the running Royals are, in fact, fun, then (26:24) talk to author Joe Bonomo about his book about about The New Yorker’s Hall of Fame baseball writer Roger Angell, touching on Angell’s notes and writing process, his career arc and evolution, his facility with words, his memory and and recall, his attitude about changes in the game, his best and most overlooked pieces, his feelings about being labeled a baseball writer, the larger themes in his work, and more. Audio intro: Smith Westerns, "Idol" Audio interstitial: Jenny and Johnny, "New Yorker Cartoon" Audio outro: Donovan, "Writer in the Sun (Demo)" Link to Sam on the True Win Link to video of Gore-Hamilton play Link to video of Hamilton scoring from second on sac fly Link to Roger Angell’s New Yorker archive Link to No Place I Would Rather Be Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Noah Syndergaard‘s True Win, an 81-pitch complete game for Kyle Hendricks, the AL Central after Corey Kluber‘s injury and the Twins’ hot start to the season, Tyler Glasnow’s breakout, the Chris Archer trade in review, the impermanence of coaching success, and the latest comments about the baseball by David Price and Rob Manfred, then (28:43) talk to Jeopardy! phenom James Holzhauer about how sabermetrics influenced his future career, his history of betting on baseball, his former (and future?) aspirations of working for an MLB team, how his Jeopardy! strategy (and the backlash to his success) is analogous to baseball, the future of gambling on baseball, how other contestants treat him, how he studies baseball and follows baseball, what other game shows he’d excel at, how Jeopardy! could stop contestants like him, and more. Audio intro: Yo La Tengo, "If it’s True" Audio interstitial: Dan Mangan, "Jeopardy" Audio outro: Shout Out Louds, "Too Late Too Slow" Link to Sam on Syndergaard Link to Ben Clemens on Glasnow Link to Baumann on Glasnow Link to Laurila on Glasnow Link to article about the baseball Link to 2015 Jeopardy! video Link to MGL interview about betting on baseball Link to Marc on Holzhauer Link to cranky column about Holzhauer Link to FiveThirtyEight on Holzhauer’s strategy Link to FiveThirtyEight on Holzhauer vs. Jennings Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Hall of Famers Mike Trout just surpassed in WAR (featuring a story about Goose Goslin and Joe Cronin) and Trout’s recent improvements in plate discipline, then answer listener emails about Cody Bellinger’s extreme hot streak, whether most baseball fans notice the rising strikeout rate, a Statcast conspiracy theory, when it makes the most sense to trade Madison Bumgarner (and other players), and the level at which the best pitcher in baseball would be favored to throw a perfect game in every outing, plus a Stat Blast about pitchers hitting in high-leverage situations. Audio intro: The Stroppies, "Better Than Before" Audio outro: The Bees, "Hot One!" Link to Sam on Trout’s April Link to Adler on Trout’s April Link to Jay on Trout compared to other Hall of Famers Link to Sam on Trout’s 2012 Link to highest-WAR months Link to Devan Fink on Bellinger Link to Ben on strikeouts Link to Sam on extra innings Link to Dave on the cost of wins in July Link to Dave on valuing relievers in the postseason Link to video of Proctor’s walk-off Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Co-hosts assemble! Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley banter (briefly and sans spoilers) about baseball in Avengers: Endgame and follow up both about Meg’s attempt to keep track of baseball at a bachelorette party and about pricing on Cameo for Kevin Pillar and Mike Trout, then talk about baseball and happiness, comparing their picks for the World Series winner, division winners, WAR leader, rules change, baseball occurrence, and alteration in past World Series outcome that would most increase the amount of happiness in the world. Audio intro: Spoon, "Utilitarian" Audio outro: Buzzcocks, "Everybody’s Happy Nowadays" Link to story about the Mets in Endgame Link to survey on hated teams Link to Ben on Astudillo Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Rich Hill‘s dominant rehab start, the most famous catches in history and Sam’s article about recreating Kevin Mitchell’s barehand catch, their own best baseball plays, and when it becomes objectionable to sit a player who’s pursuing a single-season record, then answer listener emails about the entertainment value of high-strikeout teams, whether rebuilding teams should try to plan for forthcoming rules changes, how fast a pitch would have to be to knock over a catcher, and the pitchers with the most one-pitch outings, plus an email-inspired Stat Blast about teams with DHs who bat toward the bottom of the order (and why apparent positional trends are sometimes spurious). Audio intro: Billy Idol, "Catch My Fall" Audio outro: Super Furry Animals, "Show Your Hand" Link to story on Hill’s rehab start Link to Sam’s tweet about famous catches Link to Sam’s Mitchell article Link to Galvis catch Link to research on the value of a day off Link to Sam on third base as a power position Link to Dave on first base offense Link to dying DH post Link to Ben on why WAR always changes Link to David Kagan’s baseball physics site Link to Steve on unwritten-rules origins Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the long-awaited promotion of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., baseball-watching etiquette at a bachelorette party, and Mike Trout if he weren’t trying, then answer listener emails about Rhys Hoskins, Jacob Rhame, and the latest unwritten-rules flare-up between the Phillies and Mets, Tyler Wade, Andrelton Simmons, and a questionable application of replay view, how home-plate umpires would perform with transparent players, what type of MLB players they’d prefer to be, how best to distribute 50 WAR across a career, the odd assortment of baseball players (and fees) on Cameo, balls bouncing into the strike zone, and the potential effects of a bigger and/or heavier baseball. Audio intro: Camera Obscura, "Number One Son" Audio outro: Jenny Lewis, "The Next Messiah" Link to Vlad tweet Link to Mets/Phillies events Link to video of hidden-ball trick Dave on slide replay reviews Link to Ben on Trout’s defensive improvement Link to baseball listings on Cameo Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the numbers behind the Yankees’ historic injury stack, an inspired piece of pitch-framing by Francisco Cervelli, Ramon Laureano as a human highlight machine, how often hitters would (and should) swing if they knew every pitch would be in the strike zone but still be called a ball, and the hitters they’re paying particular attention to, then discuss how Christian Yelich elevated himself onto a Hall of Fame trajectory, how the Marlins’ latest round of trades looks in retrospect, the Brewers’ WAR without Yelich, how every new breakout burnishes the greatness of Mike Trout, and the fastest and slowest runners of the season so far (plus an update on the Royals’ base-stealing). Audio intro: Ben Folds Five, "Missing the War" Audio outro: MGMT, "Someone’s Missing" Link to list of most players on the IL Link to list of most WAR on the IL Link to Yankees injury timetables Link to video of Cervelli frame Link to Jeff on Molina frames Link to video of Laureano play Link to FanGraphs Guts! page Link to MLB.tv GameChanger Link to Ben on GameChanger Link to Ben on Harper’s hot streak Link to Sam on Hall of Fame probabilities Link to Sam on Yelich Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg seeing the Padres in person, the Phillies’ attendance surge, rooting for writers who’ve taken team jobs, and the Mariners’ lousy last week, then discuss the aesthetic and competitive ramifications of the huge spike in home-run rate in the majors and minors, why Rob Manfred is still insisting that the ball isn’t responsible, and what, if anything, MLB should do. Then (35:18) they talk to veteran baseball writer Danny Knobler, author of the new book Unwritten: Bat Flips, the Fun Police, and Baseball’s New Future, about the purpose and future of the unwritten rules, the latest incidents involving Chris Archer and Derek Dietrich and Brad Keller and Tim Anderson, whether MLB is being hypocritical by promoting celebratory displays without condemning intentional plunkings, the concept of “respect,” and the current cultural conflict’s fault lines. Audio intro: Sloan, "Flying High Again" Audio interstitial: Sloan, "Who Taught You to Live Like That?" Audio outro: The Tragically Hip, "The Rules" Link to Rob on the Triple-A rabbit ball Link to summary of MLB ball report Link to Manfred comments from February Link to Sam on MLB disclosing changes to the ball Link to video of Vlad Jr. homer Link to Danny’s book, Unwritten Link to Sam on unwritten rules Link to Boone bat-flip commercial Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Johnny Cooney as the Vroom Vroom Guy, minor-league closer Dusten Knight’s backflip save-celebration ritual, the extreme struggles of the Red Sox, and a new way to represent Willians Astudillo’s success at making contact, then answer listener emails about umpires calling balls and strikes from second base and the most commonly known things about baseball, plus a Stat Blast about the disappearance of old pitchers. Audio intro: The Undertones, "Jump Boys" Audio outro: The Capes, "First Base" Link to backflip videos Link to Chapman somersault video Link to Jeff on classifying closer celebrations Link to Astudillo leaderboard Link to umpire-accuracy article Link to The Roots video Link to post on White Sox caps and hip-hop culture Link to piece on politicians’ baseball metaphors Link to Sam on a 50-inning game Link to Ben on early-season stat changes Link to preorder The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source