Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the “tarps off” fan-shirtlessness trend sweeping MLB ballparks, early grand slams, inside-the-park home runs, and “little league home runs,” more sources of baseball embarrassment, Blake Snell’s bone spurs (and the Dodgers’ perennial pitcher-injury issues), Gerrit Cole’s return to the Yankees, Gio Urshela and other players who excelled for one team but struggled for others, updates on early-season sensation Joey Wiemer, John Brebbia, and this season’s class of rookie hitters, and the league’s trend toward catcher challenges.

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

Audio outro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to shirtless Rockies fans

Link to Rockies fan photos

Link to shirtless Cardinals fans

Link to shirtless Mariners fans

Link to shirtlessness trendpiece

Link to AP piece on the trend

Link to latest Giants thrust

Link to Snell surgery update

Link to MLBTR on Cole

Link to MLBTR on Fried

Link to MLBTR on Westburg

Link to MLBTR on Berríos

Link to Wiemer option news

Link to Brebbia update

Link to MLB rookie offense

Link to FG post on Padres timeliness

Link to Arenado grand slam

Link to Arenado game play log

Link to previous Slam Blast

Link to Wood ITPGS

Link to Lee’s ITPHR

Link to Clemens LLHR

Link to Ohtani LLHR

Link to Sam on the LLHR

Link to “Yakety Sax”

Link to “Yakety Sax” wiki

Link to Urshela retirement post

Link to Urshela wRC stats

Link to Small retrospective

Link to Chavez Stat Blast

Link to Mariners game story

Link to Wilson pinch-hitting complaints

Link to Sheehan on ABS

Link to Sheehan Bluesky post

Link to Trueblood on ABS

Link to Tap to Challenge

Link to MLBTR on Crawford

Link to 2025 Cortes article

Link to Kimbrough wiki

Link to Kimbrough SABR bio

Link to Kimbrough book excerpt 1

Link to Kimbrough book excerpt 2

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether the Phillies’ surge would have happened the same way if Rob Thomson hadn’t been fired, discuss streaks that were snapped for the Mets and Rico Garcia, delight and dismay in John Kruk repeating a podcast talking point, try to determine the most embarrassing failure a player can suffer on the field, bemoan a missed opportunity for an ambidextrous pitching appearance, mark the promotion of Mariners prospect Colt Emerson, and then discuss which of this season’s most over- or underperforming teams will regress.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio outro: The Spaghettis, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to team records since 4/28

Link to team run differentials since 4/28

Link to team records since 4/26

Link to Dan S. on managerial firings

Link to Neil P. on managerial firings

Link to Mets comeback game story

Link to past Mets streak discussion

Link to Holmes injury story

Link to Davis call story

Link to Garcia hit

Link to .000 BABIP streaks

Link to mound-charge strategy discussion

Link to Kruk clip 1

Link to Kruk clip 2

Link to Phillies vs. Pirates game

Link to Adolis arms

Link to Reds walk streak

Link to Cortes pitching play log

Link to Cortes profile

Link to 2025 Cortes switch-throwing game

Link to Venditte glove article

Link to Cortes pitching tweet

Link to FG post on Emerson

Link to MLBTR on Emerson

Link to Crawford fielding stats

Link to preseason playoff odds

Link to BaseRuns standings

Link to team performance vs. projections

Link to Sheehan on the Rays

Link to Sheehan on the Cardinals

Link to Ben on playoff velo

Link to updated PR pickoff data

Link to team positioning runs

Link to MLB.com Walls article

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, please visit our Patreon.

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Ben cursed Shohei Ohtani’s bat by predicting that Ohtani would win the Cy Young award but not the MVP award, whether Bobby Witt Jr. could win his first MVP award this season, the defensive transformation of Luis Arraez, and more, then (33:16) further interrogate what homoerotic celebrations say about baseball culture, discuss the latest ABS challenge mishaps, answer listener emails (54:30) about an ABS double-or-nothing idea, trading challenges for runs, purchasing challenges midgame, an upside of umpire rotation, boosting offense with double-barreled batters, and a baseball equivalent to the Kelce brothers, plus Stat Blasts (1:28:21) about players with the most inning-ending at-bats in a game, swing rates in debut plate appearances, grand-slam merchants, teams with many MVP vote-getters, and picked-off pinch runners.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”

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

Link to preseason predictions episode

Link to Ohtani slump story 1

Link to Ohtani slump story 2

Link to Ohtani slump story 3

Link to Ohtani slump story 4

Link to Ohtani slump story 5

Link to FG WAR leaders

Link to B-Ref WAR leaders

Link to FG post on Arraez

Link to MLB.com on Arraez

Link to FRV leaders

Link to Outsports post 1

Link to Outsports post 2

Link to Outsports post 3

Link to homosociality wiki

Link to Ross memoir

Link to Valentine/Baty incident

Link to Torres challenge denials

Link to Heim play

Link to Ben on accidental challenges

Link to Jake on accidental challenges

Link to Gausman quote

Link to batter challenge leaders

Link to Rumsfeld quote wiki

Link to catcher challenge leaders

Link to team challenge leaders

Link to Clemens on FA $/WAR

Link to Ortiz ump injury

Link to double-barreled BP article 1

Link to double-barreled BP article 2

Link to HUAL segment

Link to ex-athlete pods article 1

Link to ex-athlete pods article 2

Link to Tkachuks pod

Link to Harrisburg vs. Erie game

Link to 1977 Jays-Yanks game

Link to five-inning-ending players

Link to 2003 NL MVP voting

Link to teams with 8+ MVP vote-getters

Link to SABR on WAR and awards

Link to Baumann on WAR and awards

Link to Sam on downballot MVP votes

Link to debut-PA swing rates data

Link to innings 1-3 swing rate

Link to innings 4+ swing rate

Link to grand slams data

Link to listener emails database

Link to highest PR pickoff rates data

Link to Haggerty pickoff game

Link to SABR on PR specialists

Link to Wright on PR specialists 1

Link to Wright on PR specialists 2

Link to Langs Bell fun fact

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest lima-bean-related revelations about Tarik Skubal’s elbow surgery, the Giants’ censored synchronized thrust and the history of homoerotic celebrations in baseball, Coby Mayo’s dog’s devotion, the Orioles’ rotation issues (and a Rico Garcia update), Atlanta’s unexpectedly productive DHs, Ben’s invisible baseball neighbor, and Konnor Griffin’s glow-up, plus (1:12:33) a check-in on the hitters and pitchers who’ve over- or underperformed their projections the most through the first quarter of the regular season, and the players who’ve made cases to become new MLB main characters.

Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Horny)”

Audio outro: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to The Athletic on Skubal’s surgery

Link to Seinfeld squirrel surgery scene

Link to Giants celebration clip

Link to Key & Peele sketch

Link to Baggarly post

Link to Baggarly article

Link to other article on the edict

Link to JHL’s possible smooch attempt

Link to new bow celebration

Link to Gilbert GIF

Link to Vitello thrust

Link to Posey ownership story

Link to Charles B. Johnson wiki

Link to Johnson donations article

Link to Mets outfield imitation

Link to 2022 Mookie celebration

Link to Mookie Twitch stream answer

Link to Mookie Twitch clip

Link to bukkake wiki

Link to Mookie’s Ohtani comment

Link to 2024 Dodgers crotch bump

Link to 2016 Cubs crotch bump

Link to 2014 Mariners celebration post 1

Link to 2014 Mariners celebration post 2

Link to 2019 Rangers crotch grab

Link to Red Sox celebration info

Link to Dodgers memorial announcement

Link to Collins obit

Link to MLBTR on Fried’s elbow

Link to Mayo game story

Link to Mayo quote clip

Link to Mayo quote text

Link to Argos wiki

Link to mid-March team SP projections

Link to team SP WAR to date

Link to Orioles SP stats so far

Link to team hitter WAR

Link to Elias’s Eflin/Rodriguez quote

Link to 2026 Elias SP quote 1

Link to 2026 Elias SP quote 2

Link to 2026 Elias SP quote 3

Link to team defense leaderboard

Link to .000 BABIP streaks

Link to MLB.com on Garcia

Link to Profar DH article

Link to team DH production

Link to team LF production

Link to 2026 Location+ leaders

Link to Link to 2024-26 Location+ leaders

Link to latest Skenes gem

Link to BP on Griffin’s rookie eligibility

Link to Griffin’s early-season sample

Link to Griffin’s second sample

Link to hitter leaderboard since Griffin’s birthday

Link to “quarter pole” definition

Link to preseason hitter projections

Link to preseason pitcher projections

Link to hitter pace leaderboard

Link to pitcher pace leaderboard

Link to hitter over/underperformers

Link to pitcher over/underperformers

Link to Hogg on Miz velo post

Link to Hogg on Miz velo article

Link to Jones on Miz velo

Link to Miz vs. Jones velo fun fact

Link to Crizer on April 2025 main characters

Link to Clemens on Walker

Link to Raleigh shower story

Link to BP on Turang

Link to Blue Jays IP leaders

Link to Orioles shutout gamer

Link to 2475 Podsednik Stat Blast wiki

Link to 1879 Podsednik Stat Blast

Link to 1885 Podsednik follow-up

Link to Podsednik walk-off

Link to corvids wiki

Link to icterids wiki

Link to Vandy video clip

Link to Vandy controversy summary

Link to Vandy-Mizzou gamer

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Spencer Jones facing an overclocked Jacob Misiorowski in Jones’s MLB debut, the distance from the mound to home plate when Ryan Waldschmidt is batting, Gage Workman’s middle name, and Tarik Skubal’s loose lima bean, then discuss the surprising Patrick Bailey trade—including takes on Bailey’s bat and framing value in the ABS era, the leadership of Buster Posey and Tony Vitello, Cleveland doubling down on the Austin Hedges catching model, and the virtues of Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson—plus thoughts on the bouncebacks of Bryce Harper and Michael Conforto, the Pirates’ rotation, iron man Matt Olson, a Craig Kimbrel meltdown, and the death of Bobby Cox.

Audio intro: Garrett Krohn, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Audio outro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”

Link to “POV” meme

Link to Jones debut

Link to Jones stance tweet

Link to Judge/Jones comparison

Link to first Jones vs. Miz PA

Link to 103 mph+ pitches

Link to fastest pitches of 2026

Link to top SP seasons by K%

Link to “Ballad of a Thin Man”

Link to Miz velo upticks article

Link to Miz Charizard pull

Link to tallest outfield

Link to Ben on big Yankees

Link to Waldschmidt quote

Link to Workman middle name info 1

Link to Workman middle name info 2

Link to “taters” Gollum clip

Link to Boras on the “Skubal scope”

Link to Boras/Olney podcast

Link to last year’s Boras/Skubal quote

Link to FG post on Bailey

Link to Dubuque on Bailey

Link to Baggarly on Bailey/Posey 1

Link to Baggarly on Bailey/Posey 2

Link to Rosenthal on Posey

Link to Bailey’s framing at FG

Link to 2026 FG framing leaders

Link to 2025 FG framing leaders

Link to Savant framing leaders

Link to top players since Bailey’s call-up

Link to top Giants since Bailey’s call-up

Link to top catchers since Bailey’s call-up

Link to Giants dugout pitch-calling article 1

Link to Giants dugout pitch-calling article 2

Link to Bailey wRC+ joke

Link to story about Hedges the hitter

Link to “framemog” at wiktionary

Link to framemogging meme

Link to NPR on framemogging

Link to Vitello quote about effort

Link to Vitello pitching change confusion

Link to Kapler pitching change confusion

Link to La Russa pitching change confusion

Link to Nightengale on the trade deadline

Link to MLBTR on the Giants’ outlook

Link to team run differentials

Link to Conforto wRC+ leaderboard

Link to top team SP by WAR

Link to Pirates SP production

Link to FG MLB WAR leaders

Link to longest consecutive games streaks

Link to Freeman vs. Olson WAR post-2022

Link to worst RP WPAs

Link to Kimbrel loss

Link to Kimbrel grand slam story

Link to Chavez’s Giants origin story

Link to “OTP” explainer

Link to Cox obit

Link to Atlanta championship expectations

Link to Cox research 1

Link to Cox research 2

Link to Cox research 3

Link to manager longevity article

Link to data on ejection causes

Link to CCS ejections posts

Link to 2026 manager ejection count

Link to 2025 manager ejections count

Link to 2024 manager ejections count

Link to manager ejections data over time

Link to 2016 THT article on Cox DV

Link to 1995 THT article on Cox DV

Link to Clevinger report 1

Link to Clevinger report 2

Link to Tigers Triple-A manager firing

Link to Mixtape wiki

Link to “bro explaining” meme

Link to Mixtape baseball quote 1

Link to Mixtape baseball quote 2

Link to Ben’s gaming podcast

Link to article on foul ball increases

Link to 2026 foul ball leaders

Link to 1988 foul ball data

Sponsor Us on Patreon

Give a Gift Subscription

Email Us: [email protected]

Effectively Wild Subreddit

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Apple Podcasts Feed

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YouTube Playlist

Facebook Group

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Get Our Merch!

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