Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Max Scherzer and Jorge Polanco signings, Scherzer vs. Justin Verlander , and the changes in pitcher usage over the course of those pitchers’ careers. Then (20:17) they discuss stricter restrictions on the size of fielders’ gloves, and the merits of a tax in Meg’s county to help pay for the Diamondbacks’ ballpark renovations. Fin...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the overwhelming listener response to their previous conversation about cover models for baseball video games, and Ben issues some “Bo Nos” in support of his previous Royals reporting. Then (18:19) they talk about the Rays signing Ha-Seong Kim , Roki Sasaki “prospect” rankings, a recent leaguewide run on relievers, trade-based broth...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about some good news and bad news about breakout picks, Junior Caminero ’s unbeatable bat flip and home run trot in the LIDOM playoffs, the latest MLB The Show cover model(s) and the lone MLB franchise that hasn’t put a player on the cover of a video game, the Ryan Pressly trade and whether Houston has a plan, and the mysteries of T-Mobile Park&#8217...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s memories of Ichiro and his sensational MLB debut, Ippei Mizuhara’s letter about his work with Shohei Ohtani , Roki Sasaki ’s dog, the misleading name of “Sluggball,” Jurickson Profar and the prospect of a Braves rebound, which players will get “shorter” thanks to the challenge system, two new rules changes, h...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley bring on FanGraphs senior writer Jay Jaffe to break down the Hall of Fame voting results, from new honorees to one-and-done candidates to trends in support to forecasts for future ballots and much more. Audio intro : Philip Bergman, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Tom Rhoads, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to Hill report Link...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley revisit and update their recent discussion on the Dodgers, competitive balance, and what’s good for the game in light of L.A.’s latest additions, then (1:06:18) discuss the Blue Jays’ signing of Anthony Santander and the outlook for Pete Alonso , followed by (1:20:02) a Stat Blast on Bob Uecker and the players with the highest percentage of homers hit...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley react to the news that Roki Sasaki is signing with the Dodgers (shocker!), breaking down how the posting process played out, the Dodgers’ ridiculous rotation, whether L.A.’s talent-acquisition advantage is good or bad for baseball, the runners-up for Roki, and more. Then they explore how softball and baseball are joining the women’s sports boom via th...

Deaths don’t actually come in threes—unfortunately, there are many more than that—but Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley begin by marking the passings of a trio of notable figures: David Lynch, Bob Uecker , and Tommy Brown . Then (35:27) they talk about the maybe-momentous signing of a Japanese player not named Roki Sasaki (Shotaro Morii), follow up on previous conversations about “breakout&...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a new escalation in “breakout” creep, the Blue Jays signing Jeff Hoffman , risk tolerance in transactions, alternate spellings of names, Roki Sasaki ’s effect on the market for international amateur free agents, another example of a team offering a higher salary in arbitration than a player requested, Mets owner Steve Cohen’s financ...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about salary arbitration, Kyle Tucker , and the unique case of Mike Edwards , then (15:55) kick off a series of interviews about unsung baseball jobs by talking to Rockies bullpen catcher and major league operations assistant (and now, minor league hitting coach) Aaron Muñoz , followed (1:06:09) by former Marlins coordinator of baseball information services (and...

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Ben Clemens banter about the Giants signing Justin Verlander , a plateau in leaguewide slider usage, and why spending on free agents has exceeded expectations so far. Then (20:55) they continue a cherished podcast tradition by conducting the 12th annual Effectively Wild Minor League Free Agent Draft, in which they select 10 minor league free agents each and compete t...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley rant about the practice of picking “breakout” players who have already broken out, react (22:20) to the Orioles’ Charlie Morton signing and discuss (38:24) Morton as one of the pitchers who best embodies his era, and answer listener emails (52:14) about whether the existence of the minor leagues suggests that baseball is the hardest sport to play and...

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Patreon supporter Jordan Smith banter about Jordan’s baseball background, the Tigers’ 2025 hopes, the Dodgers signing Hyeseong Kim, and more, then (30:48) answer listener emails about per-game stats, “advanced” stats, televised arbitration cases, an owner playing in games, pit stops on the basepaths, assorted variations on the Golden Batter (a...

As the halfway point of the offseason approaches, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the relative merits of the first half of the offseason vs. the second half of the offseason, assess the weakest projected positions on contending teams and the best remaining free agents, and list MLB stories they’re looking forward to following. Audio intro : Liz Panella, “ Effectively Wil...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest on Roki Sasaki’s posting process, the NL-AL imbalance, and why the active homer leader doesn’t have more homers, then (50:44) review the team goals from the 2024 season preview series. Audio intro : Kite Person, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio outro : Cory Brent, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to S...

Ben Lindbergh, Lindsey Adler , and Hannah Keyser talk about Lindsey and Hannah’s evolving relationships to baseball writing, near-simultaneous Substack-starting, and (ongoing) pursuits of self-discovery and creative fulfillment. Then (45:27) Ben and Hannah analyze the Teoscar Hernández and Corbin Burnes signings and (1:05:49) discuss at least one listener-nominated topic about each National...

Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann play “College Baseball Player or U.S. Army Air Forces Pilot Who Took Part in Operation Vengeance,” banter about Jake Burger ’s three consecutive seasons with a .250 batting average, the Tigers signing Gleyber Torres , and how the ruling about Diego Pavia’s NCAA eligibility could affect college (and pro) baseball, then (26:59) discuss least...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the career and life of Rickey Henderson , focusing on changes in public perceptions of his play and personality, how underrated he was (even though he was highly rated!), and his impact on the modern game and media, then (41:52) catch up on a flurry of transactions, including a run on first basemen, NL/AL East pitching moves, and predawn newsbreaking. Audio&nbs...

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Pebble Hunting ’s Sam Miller banter about Michael Lorenzen embracing an Effectively Wild hypothetical, Ben and Sam’s past predictions about baseball in the 2020s, and Paul Skenes and the ERA title, then discuss what will be remembered about baseball in 2024 (plus a postscript). Audio intro : Daniel Leckie, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Audio...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Cody Bellinger trade, the Yankees’ and Cubs’ next moves, Guaranteed Rate Field changing to Rate Field, and the results of MLB’s inquiry into pitcher injuries. Then (31:39) they bring back A’s slugger Brent Rooker to discuss his monster 2024, his work as a World Series correspondent, misconceptions about hitting, how Sutter Healt...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the qualifications for being a superstar, the Kyle Tucker trade from the Astros’ and Cubs’ perspectives, the Devin Williams trade from the Yankees’ and Brewers’ perspectives, and various other transactions, including the A’s trading for Jeffrey Springs and the Orioles signing Tomoyuki Sugano , plus thoughts on Caleb Durbin &#8...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the end of the Winter Meetings, then discuss the rest of what down in Dallas: the Max Fried signing and where the Yankees roster stands, the Garrett Crochet trade, referring to a single player as a “Red Sox,” the Andrés Giménez (and Spencer Horwitz ) trades, the Rangers re-signing Nathan Eovaldi and trading for Jake Burger , the Nationals landi...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Roki Sasaki’s destination, follow up on their previous discussion of the Juan Soto signing, and discuss several more transactions, including the Giants signing Willy Adames , multiple Dodgers and Orioles moves, and a trio of starting-pitcher signings, plus reactions to the Hall of Fame elections of Dick Allen and Dave Parker , and FanGraphs Walk-Off...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss all the aspects of Juan Soto signing a record-breaking contract with the New York Mets. That’s it. That’s the episode. Audio intro : Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “ Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic) ” Audio outro : The Shirey Brothers, “ Effectively Wild Theme ” Link to Dan S. on Soto Link to Ben C. on Soto L...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a Tigers tweet about future first-pitch timing and other non-topical PSAs, provide a Secret Santa sign-up reminder, consider baseball authority figures who answer fan mail, discuss the impact that the changing economic landscape of college sports could have on MLB drafting and development, react to Danny Jansen ’s deal with the Rays, and answer a que...