Ben Lindbergh (The Ringer), Sam Miller (ESPN), Meg Rowley (FanGraphs), and an array of guests talk about baseball with an analytical bent, covering a mix of timely topics from the serious to the absurd a few times per week.
Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, Meg Rowley
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The Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast is an exceptional podcast that offers a unique and insightful perspective on the game of baseball. Hosted by Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley, this podcast provides in-depth analysis, thoughtful discussions, and intelligent conversations about current baseball topics. With their clarity in explaining things and pedantic approach (meant with love), Ben and Meg have become two of my favorite voices to have in my ears.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is the wealth of knowledge and expertise that Ben and Meg bring to each episode. They provide deep insights into various aspects of the game, from player performance to team strategies, while also delving into historical tidbits and references. Their discussions are always well-informed, thought-provoking, and backed up by data and research. I appreciate their ability to explain complex concepts in a clear and understandable manner.
Another great aspect of this podcast is the diversity of topics covered. From analyzing player contracts to discussing collective bargaining issues, they cover both the business side of baseball as well as its on-field dynamics. This breadth of coverage allows listeners to gain a comprehensive understanding of the game beyond just what happens on the field.
However, one potential drawback of this podcast is its focus on business-related aspects such as contracts, draft rights, and collective bargaining. While important for understanding the game's inner workings, these topics can sometimes be dry and may not appeal to those looking for more traditional baseball content. Additionally, the podcast's emphasis on baseball as a business can occasionally overshadow the pure love for the game.
In conclusion, The Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast is a must-listen for any avid baseball fan seeking intelligent analysis and insightful discussions about America's pastime. Despite its occasional dryness when delving into business-related matters, this podcast excels at providing valuable information while keeping things light-hearted and entertaining. Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley's expertise and charm make this podcast a standout in the baseball podcast landscape.
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Mike Trout has become a boring baseball player, Paul Skenes almost perfectly replicating his sensational rookie season, and recent trends in pre-arb extensions, answer a listener email (57:39) about becoming a fan of the whole league instead of (or in addition to) one team, and (1:14:49) meet […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Marlins' winning record against the Yankees, Ty Cobb and Kyle Stowers, the Blue Jays' demolition of the Rockies, pocket pancakes, and more. Then (38:19) they answer listener emails about a CBT exemption for World Series winners, celebrations in the pitch clock era, nonpartisan bullpens, a humorous shirsey, […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about umpire Jen Pawol's promotion to the majors, whether the MLB Speedway Classic lived up to its name, Nathan Eovaldi's Gibsonian season, another big blow to the practice of pitcher hitting, a “breakout” question, an optimistic Twins take, the Yankees' concerning (to Yankees fans) slide, Roman Anthony's extension, whether […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about where they stand on two competing perceptions of this year's trade deadline activity and why it turned out not to be a dudline, then discuss all the major storylines—including A.J. Preller's all-in antics, the Twins' teardown, Carlos Correa's Houston reunion, and the closer carousel—before going through moves on […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how the expanded playoffs may suppress trade activity and, prompted by the passing of Ryne Sandberg, the factors that can make a player punch above their weight from a popularity perspective. Then (31:47) they answer listener emails about triples hitting, Bryce Harper vs. José Ramírez, the effect of […]
Well, almost nothin'. Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ichiro Suzuki's Cooperstown induction, Nick Kurtz's four-homer game, Aaron Judge's injury (and Cal Raleigh's MVP candidacy), Bryce Harper's showdown with Rob Manfred, Emmanuel Clase's implication in baseball's brewing pitch-fixing scandal, Royals, Tigers, Braves, and Yankees trades, and the unsettled standings. Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild […]
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 […]
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 of his starts, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 about […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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's success, the loudness of Yankee Stadium […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 lookng 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 […]
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 […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rockies' historic series losing streak and their rest-of-season projections, an Orioles fan's decision to get the name of Trevor Rogers tattooed on his butt, a Patrick Corbin innings-eating update, draft prospect Jace LaViolette's dedication to staying in the lineup, the late-career struggles of Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the new hardest-hit ball of the Statcast era, exit speeds across eras, Oneil Cruz vs. Elly De La Cruz, whether Tarik Skubal has gotten too good, Aaron Judge not feeling great at the plate, whether Rockies fans should boycott the team, how the (first) Juan Soto trade is […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rockies being so bad that mostly innocuous stories about them now seem like examples of organizational incompetence, a wild loss by a Rockies affiliate, and why recent terrible teams have been so bad, then (36:56) answer listener emails about catchers framing poorly on purpose, penalizing hitters when […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rich Hill's latest perfect game bid, whether the Tigers are as good as they've looked, Jared Jones' elbow surgery and the Pirates' offensive outage, Paul Skenes and whether lower arm slots will protect pitchers' arms, Pete Crow-Armstrong and the players who've ascended to “main character” status this season, […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Elly De La Cruz's unspectacular start to the season, the firing of Brandon Hyde and what it would take for them to blame a manager for a team's disappointing season, the hubbub about Juan Soto's hustle, MLB's announcement about Rivalry Weekend's success, Kyle Schwarber and the lineage of […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about listener suggestions for terms for tandem home run robberies (and the opposite of home run robberies), whether it's so O'sver in Baltimore, Jacob deGrom succeeding despite slightly less dominant stuff, and the realness of the rivalries in MLB's inaugural “Rivalry Weekend,” then (48:46) answer listener emails about awarding […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Julio Rodríguez gifting a homer and then taking one away, two Red Sox outfielders teaming up to make a catch, home-run-robbery terminology, Conor Jackson and remembering some guys who were good for your fantasy team, pouring one out for the Austin Barnes Dodgers era, lopsided scores, and the […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about an expert's stance on stretching, whether the White Sox were the funniest team for the new Pope to support, what Paul Skenes signing up for the WBC signifies, an optimistic take on the odds of a lost season, Bud Black's firing and the dreaded “vote of confidence,” Roki […]
Ben Lindbergh and Ben Clemens of FanGraphs banter about the latest positional drama regarding Rafael Devers, then discuss whether and why pitchers leaguewide are Yu Darvish-ing and Tyler Holton-ing—that is, throwing more pitch types, and varying their pitch types more based on batter handedness—before answering listener emails about home strike zones and combining bad teams […]
It's a baseball-book bonanza! Ben Lindbergh rounds up the authors of three new baseball books for conversations about their work and our relationships with the past. First he talks to John W. Miller about his biography of Earl Weaver, The Last Manager, Weaver's wiring and sabermetric intuition, and the diminished role and reputation of managers. […]
Ben Lindbergh brings on Brandon Uffner, an Orioles and Braves fan, to talk about his two teams' slow starts to the season, his prescription for fixing them, how he came to root for them, managing his competing loyalties, and more. Then (36:01) he talks to Austin, a White Sox and Rockies fan, about both of […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Mike Trout's latest injury, Pete Alonso's renaissance, a Daulton Varsho recovery catch, Andrés Muñoz the cat guy, and the called strike zone (sort of) shrinking. Then (40:49) they bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Carson Otter to talk about his background with baseball and the podcast, share his baseball-related […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the unexpected power of Meg's Mariners (and Jorge Polanco, specifically), in contrast to the Rangers' unexpectedly light-hitting lineup. They also discuss a Jackson Chourio comment about Julio Rodríguez, the long-awaited comeback of Lance McCullers Jr. and the thus-far-deflating comeback of Sandy Alcantara, the literally diminished Mookie Betts, Jose […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers' bidets, baseball in The Last of Us, The Simpsons, and the (future) work of Lin-Manuel Miranda, walk-off groundouts, two possibly botched calls, Jesús Luzardo and how skilled teams are at evaluating medicals, a four-homer effort in a loss, the unexpectedly exciting NL West […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a new contender for the highest bat flip, meet major leaguers (14:28) Ryan Johnson and Alan Roden, and (48:35) answer listener emails about how different baseball would be if losses were free for fans and wins cost extra, whether the Rockies will finish in first before the Dodgers […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about old-pitcher comebacks (or dropoffs), James Wood's inefficient excellence, Aaron Judge's potentially unparalleled peak, whether pitching to contact pays, a possible Paul Skenes change, a base-stealing update, private equity's MLB plans, and Rob Manfred's feelings on fandom. Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme” […]
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about EW's Ella Black series and catch up on topics they missed during the week away from regular episodes, including: some struggling teams (including the Orioles and Braves), Cal Raleigh's (and David Rubenstein's) bobbleheads, an Atlanta kerfuffle involving Brian Snitker, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Jarred Kelenic, recent pitcher injuries, […]
Ella Black was the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication—if her name was Ella Black, and if she was a woman. On Ella Black: Lost and Found, a three-part scripted series from Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh explores what we know about the enigmatic trailblazer and tries to solve some of the […]
Ella Black was the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication—if her name was Ella Black, and if she was a woman. On Ella Black: Lost and Found, a three-part scripted series from Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh explores what we know about the enigmatic trailblazer and tries to solve some of the […]
Ella Black was the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication—if her name was Ella Black, and if she was a woman. On Ella Black: Lost and Found, a three-part scripted series from Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh explores what we know about the enigmatic trailblazer and tries to solve some of the […]
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