Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB owners avoiding the Epstein files, preview the season preview series, bemoan the insurance issues preventing some stars from playing in the WBC, and break down the Luis Arraez and Eugenio Suárez signings, the Brendan Donovan trade, the latest White Sox moves, and their major takeaways from the release of the 2026 playoff odds. Then (1:22:00) Ben brings on historian Richard Hershberger to discuss the 150th anniversary of the National League’s founding, followed by (1:41:02) a postscript.

Audio intro: Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio outro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Epstein files sports roundup

Link to season preview series wiki

Link to insurance article

Link to Ben on WBC injuries

Link to Arraez signing FG post

Link to Dan S. on Arraez

Link to Sam on Arraez

Link to team 2B projections

Link to Arraez offers report

Link to Arraez defensive stats

Link to Moneyball quote

Link to Washington hiring

Link to Ben on Arraez

Link to “gotta hand it to them” tweet

Link to “It’s Been Awhile”

Link to Suárez signing FG post

Link to over/under draft tracker

Link to palindrome post

Link to Donovan trade post

Link to Dipoto trade story

Link to “WWJDD?”

Link to Dipoto hospital story

Link to Cijntje specialization story

Link to Cijntje splits

Link to Becker on three-team trades

Link to Rays ballpark funding info

Link to Sam’s trade post

Link to Sam’s original Rays post

Link to “White Soxer” post

Link to FG offseason tracker

Link to Baumann on the White Sox

Link to BP on the White Sox

Link to Slater “top target” quote

Link to Murakami bidets story

Link to Sasaki bidets story

Link to Mamdani bidets story

Link to Ben on bidets

Link to team payrolls

Link to Dan S. on beating the Dodgers

Link to Dan on the Pirates/A’s

Link to the playoff odds

Link to Clemens on the playoff odds

Link to projected team WAR

Link to Strike Four

Link to Richard’s SABR work

Link to projected team WAR

Link to Past Blast wiki

Link to Richard’s NL post 1

Link to Richard’s NL post 2

Link to Richard’s NL post 3

Link to 1876 NL

Link to prediction markets update

Link to team broadcasts update

Link to 2025 player earnings data

Link to original Stat Blast

Link to new Stat Blast data

Link to $/WAR by year

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the oddly timed end of Derek Falvey’s rein as POBOth for the Twins, Jacob Wilson’s extension and the promising but lopsided A’s, pillow contracts vs. trampoline contracts, which teams have had the most frustrating offseasons, dark-horse-candidate teams for 2026, and listener responses to their previous discussion of a Fellowship of the Ring baseball team.

Audio intro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to The Athletic on Falvey

Link to Favley Zoom meeting detail

Link to FG payrolls page

Link to MLBTR on Wilson

Link to 2025 team batting WAR

Link to 2025 team pitching WAR

Link to team WAR projections

Link to sowing/reaping meme

Link to team offseason spending

Link to FG offseason tracker

Link to Rooker on aliens

Link to Robertson retirement news

Link to Crizer on opt-outs

Link to EW wiki on trampolines

Link to BP on inactive teams

Link to Sheehan on inactive teams

Link to The Athletic on trying tiers

Link to projected team WAR

Link to “dark horse” wiki

Link to MLBTR on Evans

Link to Mount Doom scene

Link to Pasquantino news

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their coming deliverance from a slow baseball news period, spring training as a spectator experience, and how the prelude to Opening Day has changed, then (12:43) answer emails about the many meanings of “back end” in baseball, an outfielder who repels batted balls, whether all rule violations constitute cheating, a playoff team composed of spoilers, and which positions the members of the Fellowship of the Ring would play, followed (1:16:01) by a Stat Blast about the Mets’ roster reconstruction and the history of high turnover.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme 2”

Link to back end definitions

Link to Magneto wiki

Link to Magnetokinesis wiki

Link to X-Men baseball history

Link to Ben’s Mets article

Link to Stat Blast data 1

Link to Stat Blast data 2

Link to Ben on turnover history

Link to more on turnover history

Link to Clemens on the Mets

Link to Sherman on the Mets

Link to Mets offseason history

Link to Mets depth chart

Link to projected pitcher playing time

Link to projected hitter playing time

Link to projected team WAR

Link to Ben on team complacency

Link to BaseRuns records

Link to listener emails database

Link to cloud seeding wiki

Link to weekend weather info

Link to “And my axe!” clip

Link to “One does not” clip

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley share their responses—and the baseball world’s response—to the events of this month in Minnesota. Then (17:26) they banter about deboned Carlos Rodón, the latest pseudoscientific pursuits of Bryce Harper (and Mike Trout?), and the Giants signing Harrison Bader, before (48:06) discussing José Ramírez’s new extension with the Guardians, Andrew McCutchen’s quarrel with the Pirates, and what teams and star players owe to each other, if anything. Finally (1:26:22), they bring on data scientist/writer Zach Gozlan to Stat Blast about whether baseball is overrrepresented among sports clues on Jeopardy!

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Calhoun info 1

Link to Calhoun info 2

Link to Calhoun info 3

Link to Ben on Calhoun in 2018

Link to other athlete statements

Link to more athlete statements

Link to Wemby comments

Link to Ober post

Link to Strider post

Link to Woods Richardson post

Link to Klein repost

Link to political affiliation data

Link to Rodón interview clip

Link to Rodón interview article

Link to Harper post summary

Link to Harper clouds repost

Link to Harper’s TikTok

Link to Harper’s mat post

Link to Harper’s mat

Link to Harper and Dombrowski

Link to Trout’s reply to Rooker

Link to Trout’s sponsored post

Link to Trout’s “chamber”

Link to Goop article 1

Link to Goop article 2

Link to Goop article 3

Link to FG post on Bader

Link to BP post on the Giants

Link to FG post on Ramírez

Link to Ramírez interview

Link to Ramírez’s FA value

Link to McCutchen post

Link to Cherington comments

Link to McCutchen article 1

Link to McCutchen article 2

Link to Defector article

Link to Zach’s website

Link to Zach’s data

Link to baseball crosswords research

Link to crosswords wiki summary

Link to Jeopardy! football questions

Link to Jeopardy! Big Dumper question

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the MacKenzie Gore trade, the trajectories of the Rangers and Nationals since their respective World Series victories, and why the White Sox signed Seranthony Domínguez. Then (29:38) they bring on baseball buds Brent Rooker and Vinnie Pasquantino for a wide-ranging conversation about their scrapped podcasting plans, the Royals remodeling Kauffman Stadium, how Sutter Health Park played, the good and bad of bat-speed training, the challenge system, Brent’s sinking strikeout rate, the best breakfasts, the Pasqwich, A’s outfield defense, Nick Kurtz and Jac Caglianone, playing with Rich Hill, A’s extensions, playing 162 games, why they haven’t become 30-30 guys, arbitration, players’ pre-lockout messaging, an offseason signing deadline, Vinnie’s interactions with Shohei Ohtani, the WBC, the weather, and more. Finally (1:38:25), Ben shares listener responses about Andruw Jones and outfield diving.

Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio interstitial: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG post on Gore trade

Link to FG post on traded prospects

Link to “jersey guy” discussion

Link to team losses post-2019

Link to team SP projections

Link to Ben on Sale in 2018

Link to Sox pen rank

Link to MLBTR on Domínguez

Link to first Rooker pod appearance

Link to second Rooker appearance

Link to Episode 1875

Link to Episode 1988

Link to lowest WARs in April

Link to Brent’s Twitter taunt

Link to Vinnie on the canceled podcast

Link to story on Vinnie’s slow start

Link to story on Muncy’s eyewear

Link to bat speed article

Link to Brent on bat speed

Link to bat speed data

Link to Vinnie on the fence changes

Link to Brent on breakfast

Link to Vinnie on Italian breakfast

Link to Pasqwich tweet

Link to Pasqwich article

Link to Baseball Savant park factors

Link to FG park factors

Link to Kauffman batter’s eye comments

Link to more Kauffman batter’s eye comments

Link to visibility by ballpark

Link to Brent’s lone Royals hit

Link to Lowe comments

Link to story on Vinnie and Jac

Link to MLBTR on Brent’s extension

Link to MLBTR on A’s extensions

Link to Vinnie on extensions

Link to Vinnie on arbitration

Link to iron man Rooker

Link to sprint speeds

Link to signing deadline tweet 1

Link to signing deadline tweet 2

Link to Soderstrom article

Link to Vinnie’s “WTF” tweet

Link to Vinnie and Ohtani

Link to Brent and Ohtani

Link to Team Italy WBC roster

Link to Brent’s weather tweet

Link to Trout’s response

Link to Brent’s “weather boy” tweet

Link to “weather boy” meme

Link to Bledsoe Agency

Link to Pham suspension story

Link to Pham Insta post

Link to Episode 2430

Link to Bloomquist on Ichiro

Link to Pillar/White article

Sponsor Us on Patreon

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Email Us: [email protected]

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Apple Podcasts Feed

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Get Our Merch!

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