Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Ben Clemens banter about the FanGraphs crowdsourced trade value tool, the Josh Naylor , Ryan McMahon , and Gregory Soto trades, the outlook for Eugenio Suárez , the fascinating Spencer Jones , and the lack of production by MLB rookies this season, then (58:30) discuss Other Ben’s player rankings for the fourth annual trade value series (plus a Nick Kurtz update...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the long-awaited baseball events that occurred during Ben’s brief vacation, highlighted by Rich Hill’ s return to the majors. They also discuss developments involving other quadragenarian pitchers, provide an update on their “2025 in 2025” Patreon campaign, and consider Bryan Woo ’s parents’ dedication to attending all o...

Meg Rowley and guest co-host Michael Baumann discuss the Brewers’ recent win streak, what’s contributing to their success, and the general state of the National League playoff field and what it might mean for the trade deadline. Then they consider the worst ways to lose (and win) a baseball game on the back of the Phillies’ walk-off no-swing catcher’s interference versus th...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a rare prediction by Ben, related to two players who were recently swapped by the Pirates and Royals, Adam Frazier and Cam Devanney . Then (13:52) they mark the podcast’s 13th birthday and launch a “2025 in 2025” plea for Patreon support before (24:19) discussing several of the most intriguing storylines of the rest of the season. After t...

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and FanGraphs lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen discuss the lows and highs of the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game and swing-off, plus banter about beef boys, Blooper, kissing, and the timing of the All-Star break, then (1:03:40) recap the amateur draft, touching on the selection of Eli Willits first overall, first-round risers/fallers, teams that had the best d...

Ben Lindbergh and Davy Andrews banter about Meg’s absence, Byron Buxton , Kyle Stowers , and an Orioles/Marlins surprise, the backlash to Jacob Misiorowski’ s All-Star selection, the status of the All-Star game and whether All-Star designations need to change, All-Star/Home Run Derby excitement and the merits of several unsung (or undersung) All-Stars and non-All-Stars, a hypothetical...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Blooper, the All-Star-Game-hosting Braves’ flagging fortunes, the pre-deadline trade market, the simultaneous surges of Ceddanne Rafaela and Pete Crow-Armstrong , the performances of old pitchers Charlie Morton , Clayton Kershaw , and Justin Verlander , and the death and legacy of Lee Elia , then (1:01:44) share several Stat Blasts about players who...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rich Hill – Dallas Keuchel competition for the Royals rotation and give José Ramírez his due, then (17:45) answer listener emails about when to fire a GM, an all-star spot for elite defenders, teams composed of clones of Aaron Judge , Daulton Varsho , or Zack Wheeler , moving the mound back unnoticeably, a rule-changing MLB concussion protocol, w...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Brandon Woodruff and the minor medical miracle of players returning from significant injuries to be big leaguers again, the likelihood of players becoming or repeating as all-stars, Clayton Kershaw as an honorary all-star, the end (for now) of the Pete Alonso Home Run Derby era and the Derby’s new blood, the Nationals firing their POBO and manager a...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Paul Skenes ’s new interest, Clayton Kershaw and the evolution of 3,000-strikeout celebrations, and the deepening deadball era in Japan. After that (24:37), frequent Stat Blast Correspondent Ryan Nelson joins to discuss why there have been so many team shutouts this season and then deliver several Stat Blasts, followed (1:02:56) by postscript updates...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how many members of the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game roster they have heard of, honorary all-stars, and velocity spikes preceding arm injuries, then discuss an investigation concerning possible pitch-fixing by Luis L. Ortiz , a federal civil rights complaint about the Dodgers’ DEI policies, and Rob Manfred’s pitch to players in advance of C...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the return of Richard Lovelady , the MLB season debut of knuckleballer Matt Waldron , the superlative Zack Wheeler , how other knuckleballers in baseball are faring, Rich Hill’ s wait for a call-up, Shohei Ohtani vs. Vinnie Pasquantino , Jacob Misiorowski and the leaguewide rise in pitcher extension, James Wood’ s four intentional walks in one...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Kutter Crawford’ s mysterious wrist accident, then discuss Wander Franco ’s conviction (14:58) and Walker Monfort’s promotion (19:57) before checking in (33:36) on the players and teams on pace to overperform or underperform their preseason projections the most at the precise halfway point of the season. Finally (1:12:44), they answer lis...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Dicky, er, Richard Lovelady’ s short tenure with the Mets, round one of Paul Skenes vs. Jacob Misiorowski , the nature of modern pitcher’s duels, a Jacob-related fun fact, updates on Juan Soto and Jo Adell , revisiting childhood favorites through the lens of advanced stats, and public funding for the Diamondbacks, then (47:14) discuss fans cros...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Richard Lovelady’ s qualified embrace of the nickname “Dicky,” the return of players named “Otto” to the major leagues, Denzel Clarke’ s increasingly extreme offense-defense divide, Cal Raleigh’ s records (and MVP) pursuit, Bryan Woo as Seattle’s starting stalwart, the underrated Eugenio Suárez , Byron Buxton...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Tommy Kahnle’ s postgame shaving ritual, Hunter Bigge ’s close call and danger from foul balls, Padres vs. Dodgers as baseball’s best rivalry, and a lost opportunity for a Tarik Skubal vs. Paul Skenes matchup, then (58:23) answer listener emails about the most influential owner of the century, the definition of an inside pitch, full-count...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a possible Rays franchise sale, the latest on Elly De La Cruz , Oneil Cruz , Sandy Alcantara , and Aaron Judge , Andrew Benintendi as the current face of replacement level, Nats manager Dave Martinez’s comments about coaches, and Clayton Kershaw ’s cap on Pride Night. Then (56:10) Ben brings back former guest, podcast host, and major leaguer Ro...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the Rafael Devers trade in depth, covering why Boston made the move, the resulting fan frustration, and the Giants impact. Then (57:56) they cover bad news about Christian Montes De Oca , John Brebbia , and Johnny O’Brien before bantering about Shohei Ohtani’ s return to the mound, the Rays rotation, Charlie Morton ’s turnaround, Patrick Corbi...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Tarik Skubal dialing down his top-end fastball (and dominating nonetheless), Jazz Chisholm Jr.’ s self-described 70 percent effort level, Ronald Acuña Jr. hitting more and running less, whether the Blue Jays are getting what they wanted out of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , the debut of Jacob Misiorowski , Aaron Civale ’s trade request (and trade), wh...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about depictions of the pitch clock in popular media, how the lack of advancing visual fidelity in baseball broadcasts makes it harder to identify when clips come from (and other ways we might distinguish eras at a glance), Hunter Dobbins drama and why it’s harder than it used to be to fake a pro baseball career, a fan exchange program, and Jackson Jobe &#...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about good news and bad news for Ben’s recent Meet a Major Leaguer subject Christian Montes De Oca , Craig Kimbrel’ s short-lived return to Atlanta, the promotions of Roman Anthony and Jacob Misiorowski and a proposal for automatic call-ups, Denzel Clarke’ s incredible catch and extreme stat line (and the nature of quantifying defense), Jhonken...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Spencer Strider ’s concerning performance, how he and Sandy Alcantara remind us that comebacks from elbow surgery aren’t automatic, and whether things are looking up for the White Sox on and off the field. Then (32:23) they bring on top-tier Patreon supporter John Thomas to banter about his background as an EW listener and baseball fan, answer...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Pete Alonso’ s performance since they marveled at his hot start, the return of Craig Kimbrel , Max Muncy’ s tale of two seasons, how hitters fare after LASIK, the Mets’ “secret sauce” against Shohei Ohtani , whether the Dodgers’ injury woes will hurt their capacity to recruit pitchers, Brandon Pfaadt’ s “yes...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Taylor Walls fulfilling a preseason podcast prediction by being ejected after tapping his helmet following a questionable call (and the many notifications Ben and Meg received from EW listeners), Luke Weaver’ s stretching injury, the Rockies’ purported improvement, the decline of the closer as bullpen protagonist, a miraculous softball-delivery...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the most exciting prospects who haven’t yet made the majors but should soon (including Jac Caglianone , Roman Anthony , Bubba Chandler , and Andrew Painter ), the struggles of once-ballyhooed trade targets Sandy Alcantara and Luis Robert Jr. , the recent rebounds of Emmanuel Clase and Devin Williams , the returns of Mike Trout , Ronald Acuña Jr. , an...