recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Cold Calls

Occasionally, guests or other figures are cold-called in an attempt to get them on the show.

Ben has a particular soft spot for interviewing nonagenarians.

## Instances of cold calls

* Episode 705: In a previous episode, Sam mentions the daylight play. Listener Devin emailed, "Daylight play: call me if you want an explanation." Ben and Sam call him without warning. "We were curious what you were gonna do."

* Episode 722: Ned Garver became a fan favorite as a result of the interview.

* Episode 964: Ben and Sam call Bill Hands, the player at the center of the Play Index segment.

* Episode 978: Sam finds an article from the 1920s, and Ben is disappointed that they can't cold call any of the players involved.

* Episode 1080: Ben and Jeff attempt to cold call Glenn Borgmann, who was the catcher in the game with the most stolen bases by one team in the live ball era. He was not home.

* Episode 1081: Ben and Jeff try calling Borgmann again and succeed.

* Episode 1299: Jeff says, "We can't cold call Whitey Alpermann," the player identified in the Stat Blast segment. "He's very dead."

* Episode 1497: Ben and Sam call Meg, who was not a scheduled host for that episode, to get her opinion on a dispute between Ben and Sam.

* Episode 1547: Ben called Mike Jorgensen to discuss his career hitless streak against Dock Ellis.

* Episode 1842: Ben and Meg cold-call Charlie Maxwell, the player identified by the Stat Blast segment. Maxwell wasn't feeling well and asked to be interviewed another day.

* Episode 1845: Ben and Meg call Charlie Maxwell again and chat with him about his career.

* Episode 1848: Ben and Meg call Bobby Shantz, a player identified by the Stat Blast segment, and chat about his life and career.

## Cold calls that didn't happen

* Episode 738: Sam says that he has the number of Brian Milner, whose only two major league games were in his age 18 season, but "He has given interviews about this, and I don't want to talk to him." Ben gets excited about calling Alex George, who played five games at age 16, then finds an interview George gave and says, "Good thing we didn't call him."
Episode 110: Players with Criminal Pasts/How Much Do Pitcher Hitting, Fielding, and Baserunning Matter?

## Summary

*Ben and Sam answer listener emails about how players with criminal pasts should be treated and how much pitchers’ non-pitching skills matter.*

## Topics

* How to treat players with criminal pasts
* Pitchers' non pitching skills

## Banter

Ben has been binge watching Friday Night Lights the past few days. Ben liked it more as it went on, Sam says he found it somewhat of a burden to get through.

## Email Questions

* Mark: "I wanted to ask about your comments about not hiring people with criminal pasts. I wondered about other jobs; would you think that, say, a plumber should be stopped making a living because of a criminal record? I get worried about stuff like this, often when people in the public eye have made a mistake and come back from it they can be a force for good."
* Shawn (NJ): "Was wondering about pitcher valuation. In the recent AL MVP debate, defense and baserunning were big factors for many voters. Does anyone ever consider a pitcher's hitting, baserunning, and defense in factoring their WAR or other stats? I would think that each NL team is probably giving about 400 at-bats to their pitchers and this is a full time player who is sort of ignored. Thanks for your time."

## Notes

* Sam: "Ben Lindbergh, how was your fiscal cliff?"
* Mark's question is a follow-up from discussions in Episode 109.
* Sam thinks there is a distinction between someone like a plumber and a ballplayer because working with a plumber is mostly a business transaction, whereas fans invest in players and align themselves with them during games.
* The difference between the best (Mike Leake) and worst (Tommy Milone) pitchers, pertaining to non-pitching value, is 2 wins.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 110: Players with Criminal Pasts/How Much Do Pitcher Hitting, Fielding, and Baserunning Matter?
* The Non-Pitching Value of Pitchers by Sam Miller
Effectively Wild Wiki

## Welcome to the Effectively Wild Wiki

**Effectively Wild** is a sabermetrics-oriented baseball podcast co-hosted by **Ben Lindbergh** of The Ringer and **Meg Rowley** of FanGraphs.

The podcast debuted on July 18, 2012, and ran five days a week all year long before transitioning to its current three-times-a-week format in summer 2016.

*For more details, see History of Effectively Wild.*
## **Hosts**

Ben LindberghMeg RowleyJeff Sullivan (Ret.)Sam Miller (Ret.)

### **Categories**

* Hosts
* Guests
* Competitions & Drafts
* Episodes
	+ Email Episodes
	+ Guest Episodes
	+ Draft Episodes
	+ Season Preview Episodes
	+ Live Episodes
* Inside References
* Notable Players

### **Podcast Segments**

* Stat Blast
* Meet a Major Leaguer
* Past Blast / Future Blast

### **Effectively Wild Mascots**

Mike TroutShohei OhtaniWillians AstudilloRich Hill

### **External Links**

* Effectively Wild on FanGraphs
* Effectively Wild on iTunes
* List of EW Facebook splinter groups
* *The Only Rule Is It Has to Work* - 2016 book by Ben and Sam
* *The MVP Machine* - 2019 book by Ben and Travis Sawchik
* Banished to the Pen - EW fan blog
* Banished to the Pen's list of essential EW episodes
* Effectively Wild Email Question Database
* Effectively Wild Competitions Tracker
* Effectively Wild Music and Episode-Duration Data
* Effectively Wild Guest Database

## Social Media

**Twitter**

* @EWPod
* Ben's Twitter
* Meg's Twitter

**Community Links**

* Support the Podcast on Patreon
* EW Facebook group
* EW Discord

**How to Help*** Check out the list of Incomplete Episode Pages to help fill in info!
* Please also use the sign-up sheet to reserve any episodes you work on.
Episode 1206: From FanGraphs to the Phillies

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the strange standings, turnover in the Reds’ dugout, the hot starts by the Red Sox and Mookie Betts, the side effects of pitchers’ increasing avoidance of the strike zone, and the struggles of the Mets’ self-described starting pitcher Matt Harvey. Then they talk to former FanGraphs writer Corinne Landrey, now a quantitative analyst for the Philadelphia Phillies, about transitioning from writing to working for a front office, how joining a team affects fandom, how the Phillies’ front office has evolved, the gap between public and private knowledge, working with Gabe Kapler, shifting from rebuilding to contending, and more.*

## Topics

* Difficulty in working for a team you were a fan of
* Corinne's start with Phillies
* Is there a pull to do something else?
* Changes in Phillies front office
* Most personally fulfilling moment
* Gabe Kapler effect on front office
* Does working in front office change the way you read articles
* Eye opening moment
* How does a team know if front office is a good front office?
* Different mood in office?
* Familial feel
* Is there a projections system better than what is publicly available.

## Banter

* Phillies game from Thursday
* Red Sox great start
* Bryan Price fired
* Highest pitches per plate appearance
* Matt Harvey
* Mookie Betts vs Mike Trout

## Notes

* This is Jim Riggleman's fourth interim manager job.
* There is alot less contact and alot more walks this year, league is on pace for about 300 more batters HBP.
* Mickey Callaway would not commit to Matt Harvey being a starter, Matt Harvey responded by saying “I am a starting pitcher”.
* It is on average 7 degrees colder this season.
* Corrine’s got offered an internship with Phillies.
* Corrine says the biggest change is just the sheer number of people in the front office.
* Adam Morgan is Corrines “biggest achievement”
* Corrines experiment has been a more gradual eye opening experience.
* Corrine says that the family feel is a cultural part of working in the Phillies front office.

## Links

* https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/effectively-wild-episode-1206-from-fangraphs-to-the-phillies/
* https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-red-sox-have-a-new-identity/
* https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-mookie-betts-has-been-baseballs-best-hitter/
* https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/21365/overthinking-it-matt-harveys-first-year-historically-speaking/
* https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2018/4/20/17259306/pitchers-strike-zone-avoidance-patrick-corbin-lance-mccullers-masahiro-tanaka
Episode 1099: How a Five-Way (Tie) Would Work

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Ben’s broken mic and common cold, an almost-record day for home-run hitting (and a juiced-ball update), Arthur “Doc” Irwin and the Irwin Glove, Joey Votto’s Hall of Fame case, the increasing difficulty of projecting players, the AL wild card race and the odds (and potential ramifications) of a five-way tiebreaker, the Marlins sale and the future of Giancarlo Stanton, the Dodgers’ Curtis Granderson trade, and more.*

## Banter

* Ben's microphone broke and he wonders if he can auction it off for a good cause. It is the only microphone he had used to record podcast episodes.
* Single-day MLB home-run record and possible changes to the baseball
* Craig Wright's post about the development of the Irwin Glove (first true baseball glove)
* Joey Votto's case for the Hall of Fame
* Increased difficulty of projecting power for prospects
* Crowded AL wild card race and five-way tie scenarios
* Sale of the Miami Marlins, Derek Jeter, and Giancarlo Stanton's future
* The Dodgers traded for Curtis Granderson during the recording of the episode

## Notes

* There have been 58 home runs hit during the day's baseball games. The previous single-day record is 62.
* Most of professional baseball began using gloves within a decade of Arthur Irwin first introducing it.
* Arthur Irwin led a double life with two separate families (wives and children) that was kept secret until shortly before he died.
* Jeff wonders how teams can effectively project power for minor leaguers given the dramatic differences in home-run rates (and possibly the ball) between MLB and MiLB.
* There is an estimated 0.1% chance of a five-way tie for the AL wild card.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1099: How a Five-Way (Tie) Would Work
* Pages from Baseball's Past Newsletter
* The Tiebreak That Would Bring Baseball to its Knees by Ben Lindbergh
Episode 1166: The 2018 Minor League Free Agent Draft

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh, Jeff Sullivan, and ESPN’s Sam Miller conduct the fifth annual Effectively Wild Minor League Free Agent Draft, selecting 10 minor league free agents each and competing to see whose roster will accumulate the most combined major league playing time in 2018.*

## Topics

* Fifth annual Minor League Free Agent Draft
* Player nicknames

## Banter

* Sam won the Sam won 2017 free agent draft which was held in Episode 994.
* Ben won the 2016 and 2015 free agent drafts.

## Notes

* The winner of the minor league free agent draft is the person with the team whose players accumulate the most plate appearances (batters) and batters faced (pitchers) during the 2018 season.
* Previous minor league free agents drafts were in Episodes 326, 607, 809, and 994.
* Minor league free agents have more than 6 years of minor league service time who are not on a 40-man roster.
* Jeff voluntarily gave up the 1st pick, a move he immediately regrets.
* Emilio Bonifacio has had sub replacement-level WAR for four consecutive years.
* Charlie Pabor was nicknamed 'The Old Woman in the Red Cap'. Nobody can figure out why. The mystery is solved in the next episode.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1166: The 2018 Minor League Free Agent Draft
* Minor League Free Agent list
* Effectively Wild Competitions spreadsheet
Episode 1186: Season Preview Series: Angels and Phillies

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Ichiro Suzuki’s return to Seattle, Neil Walker’s perplexing unemployment, the unreliability of bullpens, Anthony Gose’s extremely rough start to spring training, and Kyle Jensen’s extremely hot start to spring training, then preview the 2018 Angels (20:44) with The Athletic Los Angeles’s Pedro Moura, and the 2018 Phillies (51:19) with The Athletic Philadelphia’s Meghan Montemurro.*

## Topics

* Los Angeles Angels preview with Pedro Moura
* Why did Shohei Ohtani pick the Angels?
* Angels trying six man rotation
* Angels' first base logjam
* Albert Pujols
* Front-loading contracts
* Mike Scioscia
* Angels' bullpen
* Philadelphia Phillies preview with Meghan Montemurro
* Gabe Kapler's spring training style
* Phillies' young and international roster
* Rotating outfielders
* Phillies' rotation & bullpen strategy
* Farm system depth

## Interstitials

Rob Dougan, "Furious Angels"

Elton John, "Philadelphia Freedom"

## Banter

* Ichiro Suzuki signed a one year deal with the Seattle Mariners
* Neil Walker is still unsigned
* unreliable bullpens
* The Astros placed Anthony Gose on waivers
* Kyle Jensen's hot spring training

## Notes

* Last year Ichiro ranked 324th in StatCast spring speed.
* Going into the 2017 season, the Diamondbacks were projected to have one of baseball's worst bullpens. They ended up having one of the best.
* Kyle Jensen has 6 hits (5 home runs) in 11 ABs during spring training.
* Ben spoke to Angels' GM Billy Eppler about the Ohtani signing in Episode 1157.
* Fewer than 5% of deals signed in free agency the last five years were front-loaded. Over 70% were back-loaded.
* Mike Scioscia is in the last year of a 10 year, $50 million contract.
* Pedro predicts that the 'signature highlight' of Ohtani's season will be hitting. He thinks that the Angels will win 84 games.
* Most of the Phillies' roster has players with 3 years or less of service time.
* Meghan predicts the Phillies will win 77 games.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1186: Season Preview Series: Angels and Phillies
* Effectively Wild Episode 1157: Angels GM Billy Eppler on Winning the Winter
* So You Want to Have a Good Bullpen by Jeff Sullivan
* The Angels Appear to Have Baseball's Best Defense by Jeff Sullivan
* 2018 Season Preview Series Index by Banished to the Pen
* Ichiri Isn't Done Breaking Records by Ben Lindbergh
* 'She's really impressive': Meet Dana Parks, the 26-year-old South Jersey native making her mark in the Phillies' player development department by Meghan Montemurro
* What Are the Phillies Waiting For? by Craig Edwards
Episode 1010: The Conditions Causing Baseball’s Winter Tragedies

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan discuss the brisk sales of tickets to their August “EclipseFest” outing and the strange saga of former major league reliever Jeff Manship. Then, on a much more somber note, they remember the late Yordano Ventura and Andy Marte and talk to Vice Sports editor-in-chief Jorge Arangure about the dangers many foreign players face when they spend their offseasons at home.*

## Topics

* Yordano Ventura & Andy Marte
* Dangers for foreign players in the offseason
* Player privacy vs. team resources in the offseason
* Infrastructure improvements
* Life insurance and financial protection for players

## Banter

* Episode 1009 follow-up: The EclipseFest event sold out its 75-ticket allotment but more tickets may become available. Ben, Jeff, and Sam will be attending.
* Jeff thinks that EclipseFest will be the first baseball event he attends where breakfast is the main meal.
* Jeff Manship signed with the NC Dinos in Korea. Only four pitchers had a better ERA+ than Manship in the last four seasons.
* Adjustments needed for players in South Korea

## Notes

* The ticket representative for the Salem-Keizer Volanoes is also the team's groundskeeper.
* Ben, to Jeff, discussing his fiancee's MS Excel expertise "You want to rent my fiancee to bone up".
* Often players in Latin America may be in danger during the offseason due to decreased emergency response times, safety norms, or road conditions.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1010: The Conditions Causing Baseball's Winter Tragedies
* EclipseFest Announcement
* NC Dinos Press Release
* Oscar Taveras and the Perils Facing Latin American Baseball Players by Jorge Arangure, Jr.
Episode 1163: Engaged in Trade Talks

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and a newly engaged Jeff Sullivan banter about Jeff's absence and return, Willson Contreras and Jon Lester, and the Astros' and Giants' ends of the Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen trades, respectively. Then they bring on FanGraphs writer Travis Sawchik to break down the Pirates' past, present, and future, including their returns in the aforementioned trades, the ways in which baseball has caught up with the Pirates in the past few years, Pirates ownership continuing to cry poor, what Andrew McCutchen meant to Pittsburgh, and more.*

## Topics

* Interview with Travis Sawchik about the Pittsburgh Pirates
* How have the Pirates changed since 2015?
* Pirates fans' opinion of Bob Nutting
* Pirates' rebuild approach
* Andrew McCutchen

## Banter

* Jeff has returned after a long vacation and absence from the podcast. He was in Patagonia and got engaged at the base of Mount Fitz Roy.
* Willson Contreras & Jon Lester story about picking off Tommy Pham.
* Gerrit Cole was traded to the Houston Astros.
* Andrew McCutchen was traded to the San Francisco Giants.

## Notes

* Except for Joe Panik, everybody on the Giants' roster will be 30 or older in the coming season.
* The Pirates front office and analytics team has changed significantly since Travis wrote about their 2015 season in Big Data Baseball.
* Travis is underwhelmed at the returns they got for their offseason trades. Most of the players they acquired are not top prospects, but already have MLB service time.
* The Pirates have tried to condition fans to understand that it is unlikely star players spend their entire career in Pittsburgh.
* Travis refers to the Wild Card game as the 'Clint Hurdle Invitational'.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1163: Engaged in Trade Talks
* 'Willson Contreras Tells Profanity Laced Story' video
* Big Data Baseball by Travis Sawchik
Episode 1025: Season Preview Series: Giants and Braves

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan follow up on an Andrew Miller discussion and banter about Cubs backlash, then preview the Giants’ 2017 season with Grant Brisbee of SB Nation and the Braves’ 2017 season with Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.*

## Topics

* San Francisco Giants preview with Grant Brisbee
* Comparing backlash to teams after World Series wins
* Offseason infield signings
* Fan complaints about lineup power
* Joe Panik
* Division competition with the Dodgers
* Barry Zito's album
* Clayton Kershaw's performance against the Dodgers
* Atlanta Braves preview with Mark Bradley
* Offseason pitching acquisitions
* Rebuild progress and pitcher development
* Being competitive in the new ballpark
* Reviewing the Shelby Miller trade
* Brian Snitker
* Mauricio Cabrera
* Sun Trust Park

## Interstitials

Banks & Steelz, "Giant"

Laura Marling, "Love Be Brave"

## Banter

* Episode 1024 follow-up: Sam Miller spoke with Andrew Miller about the batting practice setup. Miller noted that during the first sessions of spring training players do not swing, so he didn't need a net.
* Jeff thinks that fans will quickly turn against the Cubs after their World Series win. Ben and Jeff note that a discussion about this in the Facebook group, "turned Cardinals-y".

## Notes

* Grant predicts that the Giants will win 91 games.
* Mark thinks that John Coppolella will never make a better trade than sending Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks for Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson.
* Mark anticipates traffic and parking issues around the new stadium, Sun Trust Park.
* Mark predicts the Braves will win 77 games.
* Ned Garver, former MLB pitcher and a guest on Episode 722, passed away at the age of 91.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1025: Season Preview Series: Giants and Braves
Episode 1046: The Early-Career Contract Quandary

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the significance of some teams’ slow starts to the season, the slowest batter in baseball, and a curious coincidence on another show. Then they have a mini baseball econ class with FanGraphs managing editor Dave Cameron, who discusses the non-news about Carlos Correa’s contract, the surprisingly static price of mid-tier contract extensions, the death of the early-career superstar contract extension, and the culprit behind the players’ declining share of MLB revenue.*

## Topics

* Carlos Correa
* Lack of change in mid-tier contract extensions
* Early-career contract extensions
* MLBPA and minimum salaries
* Revenue sharing
* Young pitcher contracts

## Banter

* Slow starts and impact of changing playoff odds
* Episode 1045 follow-up: Odubel Herrera is the slowest batter in baseball, taking an average of 31.9 seconds between pitches.
* In an episode of The Axe Files, Jason Benetti made reference to both volcanoes and trampolines when talking about baseball.

## Notes

* Dave notes that MLB could argue that raising the minimum salary would essentially be a tax on small-market teams.
* Dave and Jeff wonder if it is really possible for a team to pay a high profile free agent what they are truly worth. For example, Mike Trout is really worth close to $80 million per year.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1046: The Early-Career Contract Quandary
* Odubel Herrera takes his sweet time at plate - a lot of it by Matt Gelb
* The Axe Files - Episode 138
* The Unchanging Prices of Breakout Stars by Dave Cameron
* The Possible Extinction of the Early-Career Superstar Extension by Dave Cameron
Episode 1073: The Plus-Plus Podcast

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the results of Jeff’s survey about what constitutes a “jam,” Justin Verlander’s comments about the height of baseball seams, and a Mike Chernoff quote about working in baseball, then talk to writer Joe Lemire about his glossary of scouting terminology, the evolution of scouting, and the unbreakable link between baseball and Marriott hotels.*

## Topics

* Baseball scouting terminology
* Joe's favorite scouting terms
* Defining the 'Good Face'
* Evolution of scouting biases
* Contradictions of scouting terms
* How scouts add value to the draft
* Baseball and Marriott hotels

## Banter

* Episode 1059 follow-up: Jeff's survey of Fangraphs readers revealed that in almost all cases a 'jam' requires multiple runners on base. Leverage did not seem to play as critical a role as other factors including run expectancy and runners in scoring position.
* Justin Verlander has said that this year it feels like "there are no seams on the baseball".
* Mike Chernoff's comments about the responsibilities and time commitments of a baseball general manager.

## Notes

* Scouts have long contended that players with red hair or hyphenated names are less likely to succeed.
* Ben mentions the conversation he and Sam had with Kevin Kerrane, author of Dollar Sign on the Muscle, in Episode 324.
* Baseball writers and scouts make great use of Marriott hotels which are frequent in all baseball cities, racking up points based on their extensive travel.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1073: The Plus-Plus Podcast
* What a Baseball jam Is and Is Not by Jeff Sullivan
* Good Face, High Ass: The Baseball Scouting Glossary by Joe Lemire
* Sportswriters Love Marriotts More Than You Love Anything by Joe Lemire
Episode 1136: The Double-Draft Edition

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Mookie Betts’ bowling exploits and Jeff’s AL Rookie of the Year ballot, then predict and review the results of Jerry Crasnick’s annual insiders survey, draft winter World Series odds movers, and do another draft of free agents’ estimated earnings.*

## Topics

* Jerry Crasnick's annual insiders survey
* Giancarlo Stanton trade location
* Shohei Ohtani's destination
* Kansas City free agent value
* J.D. Martinez contract prediction
* How will the World Series impact Yu Darvish's contract value?
* Jake Arrieta free agent contract
* Predicting reliever performance
* Carlos Gonzales and Carlos Gomez predictions
* Player trade rumors
* Jeff's AL Rookie of the Year award vote
* World Series odds movers
* Free agent contract draft

## Banter

* Mookie Betts gets a perfect game, bowling, how impressive is it?
* How good overall would a baseball player be at bowling?
* How much luck is involved in bowling?

## Notes

* This is Mookie Betts 11th perfect game.
* Mookie Betts has been like 30 games above replacement in just over 3 years.
* Jeff said this was the easiest vote ever, he obviously picked Aaron Judge.
* Each question had at least 1 no answer on the insiders survey.
* Jeff things the Padres have the biggest change they are + 10,000 and they will raise, the Royals +5,000 and will fall, the Rangers to fall from +5,000, the Brewers to fall from +3,300, and the Tigers will fall from +100,000.
* Ben thinks the Marlins have the biggest change they are + 660 and they will fall, the Giants to rise from +4,000, the Mets to fall from +2,200, the Reds to fall from +6,600, and the Angels to rise from +5,000.
* Sam had a theory that you could know the side of a coinflip by the sound it makes.
* Andrew Cashner was the 2nd worst pitcher in strikeout to walk rate.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1136: The Double-Draft Edition
* Hot stove survey by Jerry Crasnick
* 2017-18 Top 50 MLB Free Agents by Tim Diekres
* Effectively Wild T-Shirts
Episode 1054: An Aaron Judge Appreciation Podcast

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Jeff's preseason predictions, voiding contracts, and Matt Albers' most recent close calls with his first career save, then discuss the contact-rate improvements of Aaron Judge and Joey Gallo, with an emphasis on Judge's performance so far and potential for superstardom.*

## Topics

* Aaron Judge and Joey Gallo
* Home run rate
* Contract rate
* Aaron Judge's potential for superstardom
* Judge's prospect status
* Judge's defensive value

## Banter

* Revisiting Jeff's preseason predictions about James Paxton and Keon Broxton.
* Episode 1053 follow-up: Several listeners followed up with other examples of teams voiding contracts.
* Ryan Webb and Matt Albers: Because of the Nationals' bullpen struggles and Matt Albers' strong performance recently, Ben expects Albers to get a save this week. **Editor's note**: He did.

## Notes

* Giancarlo Stanton has a career contact rate of 68%. This season Aaron Judge's contact rate is 72%.
* While Judge was a top 100 prospect, he did not crack the top 50 on most prospect lists.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1054: An Aaron Judge Appreciation Podcast
* Joey Gallo and Aaron Judge Are Redefining Our Home Run Expectations by Ben Lindbergh
Episode 1043: The More Interesting Tim Tebow Precedent

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the Mets' starting rotation, a Keon Broxton sighting, and the five WAR leaders vs. the five WAR trailers, then talk to Rob Neyer about his oral history of Michael Jordan's baseball career, how good Jordan was and could have been, the ways in which the Jordan experiment is misremembered, and how it differs from Tim Tebow's current attempt, concluding with a discussion of the use and abuse of the 10-day DL rule.*

## Topics

* Michael Jordan's baseball career
* Dynamic with teammates
* Motivation for playing baseball
* Attendance spikes for superstar players
* Comparing signing Michael Jordan to Tim Tebow
* Scouting Michael Jordan
* Blocking other prospects
* Two-sport professional players
* What would Jordan have done without the MLB strike?
* Manipulation of the 10-day DL

## Banter

* Jeff and Ben try to rate the amount of panic they should feel about the health of the New York Mets' starting rotation.
* Umpire Jeff Nelson stomped on an inflated condom during a game when Keon Broxton was batting.
* Banished to the Pen simulated a season in Out of the Park made of Effectively Wild frequently mentioned players. They did not do well.
* Review of the top and bottom five players by WAR this season.

## Notes

* Ben says that he used to send a lot of chat questions to Rob when Rob was writing for ESPN.
* Rob thinks that the novelty of seeing a player like Michael Jordan in MLB would wear off relatively quickly for the home crowd.
* Rob says that Jordan's speed was the talent that best translated to baseball but that his defense and hitting gradually improved during the season.
* Jordan had a .556 OPS during his season in the minor leagues.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1043: The More Interesting Tim Tebow Precedent
* Umpire condom stomp video
* The Oral History of Michael Jordan's Minor League Baseball Career by Rob Neyer
* Effectively Wild Season Simulation by Banished to the Pen
Episode 1079: The Most and Least Satisfying First Halves

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Jeff’s latest hiking expedition, then try to determine which teams had the most and least satisfying first halves. Lastly, they talk to Brian Lacusky, who reminisces about about his role in the construction of Coors Field.*

## Topics

* Which teams had the most and least satisfying first halves?
* Houston Astros
* Colorado Rockies
* Milwaukee Brewers
* Minnesota Twins
* New York Yankees
* New York Mets and San Francisco Giants
* Impact of playoff success
* Interview with Brian Lacusky
* Construction in winter
* Timeline for Coors Field construction
* Innovative ballpark features
* Best seats at Coors Field

## Interstitial

Frank Sinatra, "There Used to Be a Ballpark"

## Banter

* Episode 1065 follow-up: Jeff will be returning to Mount Shasta to try and summit it with a group of climbers.
* Ben and Jeff are pre-recording the episode since Jeff will be away over the July 4th holiday.

## Notes

* Jeff says that because Coors Field is so fun to analyze there is always something interesting to say about the Rockies.
* Ben and Jeff agree that the Mets and Giants have had the least satisfying first halves. They also consider the Blue Jays or Phillies.
* Brian was a project manager on the construction of Coors Field responsible for the mill work, wood features, sheet metal, and other contracting elements. In total he managed about $22 million in contracts for the construction of the park.
* There were over 800 workers on-site each day for the construction of Coors Field.
* The seats at Coors Field on the 1st and 3rd base lines were angled slightly towards home plate. Prior most stadiums had seats that would face towards the middle of the field.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1079: The Most and Least Satisfying First Halves
* Brian's Photos from Coors Field Construction
Episode 1081: The Not-Quite-Cold Call

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan discuss the correct all-time leaderboard of non-qualified offensive seasons, Carlos Correa’s complaint about Roberto Osuna, and the state of the race between the Brewers and Cubs. Then they call former big leaguer Glenn Borgmann, who caught for the Twins and White Sox from 1972-1980, to ask about being behind the plate for the game with the most stolen bases by one team in the live-ball era, being involved in the big Bobby Grich brawl, playing with Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, and Lyman Bostock, facing Nolan Ryan, handling his relegation to a backup role by a 20-year-old rookie, and more.*

## Topics

* Interview with Glenn Borgmann
* Miguel Montero's comments about allowing stolen bases
* Glenn's game allowing 12 stolen bases
* Revisiting the Bobby Grich brawl
* Playing with Bert Blyleven and Rod Carew
* Facing Nolan Ryan
* Relationship with umpires

## Banter

* Episode 1080 follow-up: Ben issues a correction about the best non-qualified seasons ever. Ted Williams' 1955 season (7.1 WAR) was the best ever non-qualified season.
* Unwritten rules: Carlos Correa was mad that Roberto Osuna walked towards first before throwing the ball.
* NL Central Race: The Brewers currently lead the Cubs by four games in the NL Central.

## Notes

* Jeff delays his topic about the All-Star game for a future episode. He said that he had prepared a back-up topic in case Glenn Borgmann wasn't interested in answering some of their questions.
* In 1973 Bert Blyleven started 40 games and finished 25 of them. He led the league with 9 shutouts.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1081: The Note-Quite-Cold Call
* Roberto Osuna's unwritten rules violation
* Oakland Athletics at Minnesota Twins box score - August 1, 1976
* Bobby Grich brawl
Episode 116: Has the Sabermetric Movement Helped or Hurt Jack Morris?

## Summary

*Ben and Sam try to figure out whether the sabermetric movement has helped keep Jack Morris out of the Hall of Fame or given him a better chance to get in.*

## Topics

* Hall of Fame
* Jack Morris and the sabermetric movement

## Banter

* Sam is still sick, and is more sick than the day before.
* Ben & Sam discuss the reveal of the 2013 Hall of Fame voting, including the higher than expected percentage for Sandy Alomar, Jr.

## Notes

* Jon Heyman was particularly upset about Jack Morris not receiving more Hall of Fame votes.
* Is Morris' steadily increasing candidacy because of or in spite of sabermetric movement and writing?

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 116: Has the Sabermetric Movement Helped or Hurt Jack Morris?
* Does Jack Morris Belong in the Hall of Fame? By Joe Sheehan
Episode 1037: Season Preview Series: Pirates and Yankees

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about a Robbie Ray ejection, Tom Hamilton’s Brody Chernoff interview, a quote about Mike Trout, a Takuya Nakashima shift, and a Terry Francona comment about Ryan Raburn, then preview the Pirates’ 2017 season with Travis Sawchik of FanGraphs and the Yankees’ 2017 season with Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal.*

## Topics

* Pittsburgh Pirates preview with Travis Sawchik
* Visa issues for Jung Ho Kang
* Adam Frazier
* Andrew McCutchen
* Gerrit Cole
* Ray Searage and pitcher struggles
* Gregory Polanco
* Starting rotation
* New York Yankees preview with Jared Diamond
* Mellowed dislike of the Yankees
* Gary Sanchez
* Aaron Judge
* Masahiro Tanaka
* CC Sabathia
* Michael Pineda
* Decision to sign Aroldis Chapman
* Bullepn & 1st base questions

## Interstitials

Jackie Lomax, "A Hundred Mountains"

Neil Young, "Throw Your Hatred Down"

## Banter

* Robbie Ray was ejected from a spring training game.
* Mike Chernoff's young son Brody was interviewed on-air during an Indians spring training broadcast. He let slip that Chernoff was negotiating with Francisco Lindor for a seven year contract.
* Mike Trout said that veteran umpires should only work 5-6 innings for spring training games, allowing other younger umpires to get experience.
* Takuya Nakashima was shifted against with little success.
* Terry Francona described a player hitting the outfield wall as 'Rayburn-ish'.

## Notes

* Andrew McCutchen had a nearly 5 WAR drop from the 2015 to 2016 seasons.
* Travis predicts that the Pirates will win 83 games and miss the playoffs.
* Jared thinks that hatred for the Yankees has mellowed simply because the team hasn't been as good in recent years, even though they have managed to stay above .500.
* Jared thinks that the Yankees will win 84 games and this will be the last season they aren't in contention for the foreseeable future.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1037: Season Preview Series: Pirates and Yankees
* Brody Chernoff video
* Takuya Nakashima shift video
* Terry Francona video
Episode 11: Train Crossing

## Summary

Ben and Sam reevaluate the NL West after the deadline and take stock of this season’s converted starters.

## Topics

* NL West trade deadline
* Converted starters

## Notes

* Sam found out in 1977 2 trades were made in July, in 1987 there were 13 trades in July, only to then find out the trade deadline in 77 was in June.
* Dodgers added Shane Victorino
* Giants acquired Hunter Pence
* Bullpen to starter players: Daniel Bard, Chris Sale, Neftali Feliz

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 11: Train Crossing
Avocado Factor

The **Avocado Factor** describes the ease of obtaining quality avocados in an MLB city, a shorthand for non-monetary factors that go into a player's decision about where to play.

In Episode 774, Ben and Sam answer an email about agents taking more than just money into account when selecting contracts for their clients. This led to a discussion about quality of life issues, and Sam became concerned about local produce. "Five years ago you couldn’t get an avocado in most of the country, and now you can."

As a result of this discussion, avocados became a running joke on the Facebook group.

In Episode 975, a Mike Trout hypothetical supposed that Trout was "not fussy about avocados", meaning that city amenities were not a factor in his decision.

## Vietnamese food

Sam has also expressed his fondness for Vietnamese food.

* In Episode 774, he says, "You're not getting good Vietnamese in Milwaukee. It's not happening."
* In Episode 1158, before Sam can advise a listener on the best MLB city to visit, he wants to know "What's your take on Vietnamese food?" Ben adds, "Avocados. Fresh fruit."
Episode 1087: Survey Says You Suck

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about the Mariners’ and Marlins’ David Phelps trade, Sam Dyson’s bounceback, an eight-strikeout game, the Salina Stockade, Matt Davidson and Jeff Mathis, the first post-All Star Game weeks of Mike Trout and the Cubs, and early trade-deadline activity, then examine the results of a FiveThirtyEight survey about the most- and least-liked MLB teams.*

## Topics

* *FiveThirtyEight* survey about most and least liked MLB teams
* New York Yankees
* Atlanta Braves
* Chicago Cubs
* Favorability rating
* Colorado Rockies
* Seattle Mariners
* Will fans ever stop hating the Yankees?

## Banter

* David Phelps was traded from the Marlins to the Mariners. Jeff gets distracted talking about Chaz Roe while discussing the trade.
* Sam Dyson's lower home run per fly ball rate and 'change of scenery' guys
* Episode 1086 follow-up: Minor leaguer Khalil Lee struck out eight times during a 21-inning game.
* Mike Trout continues to erase the WAR gap between him and Aaron Judge. It has gone from 2.2 to 1.6 since the All-Star break.
* The Salina Stockade have won two games in a row. Ben reveals that it is likely he will be attending a Stockade game in person next week (at the trade deadline).

## Notes

* The MLB record for strikeouts in a game is six, which has been done eight times.
* Jeff says that Ben's article about the Salina Stockade is the kind of article that could get 500 or 500,000 page views.
* Both Ben and Jeff were surprised at how high the Cardinals' favorability rating was.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1087: Survey Says You Suck
* America Has Spoken: The Yankees Are The Worst by Harry Enten
Episode 1070: What Winning the Draft Looks Like

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter about Aaron Judge’s latest home runs, Terrance Gore’s first home run, the Angels without Mike Trout, and a Mets precedent for the odd Neifi Perez appearance discussed on the previous episode, then talk to listener Ryan Nelson about his research into which teams have had the most and least recent success in the amateur draft and what fans should expect from a typical team’s draft class.*

## Topics

* MLB amateur draft
* Evaluating team draft performance
* How Ryan developed his ranking algorithm
* How luck impacts draft results
* Early, middle, and late stage draft strategy

## Banter

* Aaron Judge's recent long home-runs
* Terrance Gore's first home run
* The Los Angeles Angels playing without Mike Trout
* Episode 1069 follow-up: 1967 catching appearance by Tommie Reynolds

## Notes

* Aaron Judge hit a home run at 121 MPH, the hardest hit home run in the Statcast era.
* Ryan's research found that the Cardinals' pick of Albert Pujols was the best draft pick (considering career WAR and position) from 1998-2012.
* On average 10.3% of team draft picks reach the major leagues.
* Ryan's system evaluating the St. Louis Cardinals as the best drafting team from 1998-2012. The Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles were ranked last.
* After the fifth round of the draft the expected average lifetime WAR for a player drafted is under 0.5.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1070: What Winning the Draft Looks Like
Episode 1154: Orioles Angst and Cooperstown Questions

## Summary

*With Jeff Sullivan on vacation, Ben Lindbergh brings on The Ringer’s Deputy Editor (and Binge Mode co-host) Mallory Rubin to talk about the Orioles’ bleak, in-between offseason and her wishes concerning Manny Machado. Then Ben talks to The Ringer’s Zach Kram and the Cincinnati Enquirer’s C. Trent Rosecrans about BBWAA Hall of Fame voting patterns, C. Trent’s latest ballot, and the future of Hall of Fame voting.*

## Topics

* Baltimore Orioles
* Zach Britton
* Manny Machado
* Hall of Fame voting
* Joe Morgan's letter
* Great American Dream podcast

## Notes

* Mallory is frustrated that the Orioles seem to have already given up on resigning Manny Machado, even though they do have the money.
* Zach's research showed that if you remove players voted in by the Veteran's Committee, a similar percentage of players per decade are being voted into the Hall of Fame.
* C. Trent's ballot: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Chipper Jones, Larry Walker, Jim Thome, Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, Manny Ramirez and Vladimir Guerrero.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1154: Orioles Angst and Cooperstown Questions
* Baseball Hall of Fame Voting Is Broken - but Not in the Way You Think by Zach Kram
* Hall of Fame voting has no easy answers by C. Trent Rosecrans
* Effectively Wild T-Shirt
* How 'Backyard Baseball' Became a Cult Classic by Zach Kram
Episode 1016: Season Preview Series: Dodgers and Padres

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan introduce the fifth annual Effectively Wild Season-preview series and banter about the short life expectancy of front-office secrets. Then they preview the Dodgers' 2017 season with Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, and the Padres' 2017 season with Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.*

## Topics

* Los Angeles Dodgers preview with Andy McCullough
* Dodgers use of starters
* Brock Stewart
* Dodgers injury prevention
* Yasmani Grandal
* Rich Hill
* Dodgers v Cubs
* Grant Dayton
* Yasiel Puig
* The plan for Julio Urias
* San Diego Padres preview with Dennis Lin
* A.J. Preller
* Padres baserunning
* Christian Betancourt
* Carter Capps
* What does the Chargers leaving mean for the Padres
* Austin Hedges
* Franchy Cordero
* Andy Green

## Interstitial

Tegan and Sara, "The First"

Jedi Mind Tricks, "The Worst"

## Banter

* Ben and Jeff introduce a new format for the season preview series that will cover two teams per episode from either end of the projection spectrum.
* Baseball secrets and how to keep them

## Notes

* Ben notes that the Season Preview Series is the "least Effectively Wild" episodes they do. He asked in the Facebook group whether to continue, and the response was overwhelmingly in favor, "several hundred to four."
* With the reduction of the podcast from five episodes to three episode per week, Ben streamlines the format by getting rid of the second interview. He notes that it was often redundant anyway.
* Jeff notes that the Season Preview Series episodes never go viral, but are nevertheless interesting: Fans of the teams being previewed are happy that their team is being talked about, and non-fans are curious and want to learn more about those teams. "And from our perspective, they come with the added bonus that they are *extremely easy*!"
* "... The Reds, which we're not even supposed to talk about" - Jeff
* "I don't wanna make that argument on the internet because then the Cubs fans get you" - Jeff
* "Getting one's head kicked in is a phrase you used the annual too" - Ben
* "I used to cover the Royals and they would run out the same 5 pitchers and the same 9 batters ever game" - Andy
* "Have you ever thought how weird it is that there is a website dedicated to your podcast" - Andy
* Andy predicts the Dodgers will win 94 games this year.
* The Padres baserunning runs were 25% better than average.
* "What the hell is a Francy Cordero?" - Jeff (1:07:27)
* Dennis predicts the Padres will win 66 games this year.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1016: Season Preview Series: Dodgers and Padres
* Baseball's Ever-Expiring Secrets by Ben Lindbergh
Episode 1151: Performance-Enhancing Antlers

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan banter (and bantler?) about more Marlins trade requests, the Yankees’ outlook for 2018, antler-rubbing bats vs. bone-rubbing bats, and a scout quote about Shohei Ohtani, then discuss the financial implications of the weekend’s big Braves-Dodgers trade, the effects of the luxury tax, and the latest Manny Machado trade rumors.*

## Topics

* New York Yankees outlook
* Should Shohei Ohtani expectations be tempered, and what would be a failure?
* The Dodgers and Braves trade (double salary dump).
* Do the Dodgers have to double pay Matt Kemp?
* Luxury tax penalties & 2019 free agent class
* Could Scott Kazmir win comeback player of the year for the second time?
* Manny Machado trade rumors

## Banter

* J.T. Realmuto wants a trade
* Is there anyone that can't ask for a trade?
* Will the Marlins have a 2 win player on the team next year?
* Antler rubbed bats, bat boning

## Notes

* J.T. Realmuto and Christian Yelich are the only players currently on Marlins who were worth 2 wins last year.
* “A season in which Ohtani bats .230 with 8 home runs and has a ERA over 4 should be a success” - Anonymous scout on Ohtani
* The Dodgers have been over tax threshold for 5 straight years.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1151: Performance-Enhancing Antlers
* Yaya Baseball bats
Episode 1001: The One After 1000

## Summary

*Ben and SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee banter about baseball ads, then talk about last season’s forgettable baseball stories, Grant’s favorite writing of 2016, covering the playoffs in person, and Barry Bonds and the BBWAA.*

## Topics

* Does tanking exist

* Yasiel Puig
* Trevor Story

* Aaron Sanchez
* Drake LaRoche
* Covering the playoffs
* Barry Bonds
* Hall of fame voting

## Notes

* “Given how the White Sox season went, you can't completely rule out the Drake LaRoche effect” - Ben.
* “Somehow it seemed to improve my writing, not drinking during the game” - Grant.

## Links

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/effectively-wild-episode-1001/
Carson Cistulli

Carson Cistulli is a poet, writer and editor at FanGraphs, and host of the FanGraphs Audio podcast until November 2018.

## Effectively Wild episodes featuring Carson Cistulli

* Episode 56: A Very Special Simulpodcast with FanGraphs Audio
* Episode 204: The Yankees and Luck/How We Watch Baseball/Consuming Scouting Reports
* Episode 892: Carson Cistulli on Ranking Baseball's Broadcasts
* Episode 1002: Mike Trout Turns Around (also featuring Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs)

## FanGraphs Audio episodes featuring Effectively Wild hosts

* Episode 82: Sam Miller (then of the OC Register)
* Episode 115: Sam Miller (then of the OC Register)
* Episode 677: Sam Miller

## Introduction song on FanGraphs Audio episodes

Cistulli uses a clip of "Spanish Flea" by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass as the intro song on the FanGraphs Audio podcast. At the beginning of each episode featuring the song, Cistulli says the band's name, "Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass."

On episodes featuring former Lead Prospect Analyst Kiley McDaniel, McDaniel himself would pick the intro music, which was usually a hip-hop or rap song.

## After FanGraphs

Cistulli left FanGraphs in November 2018 to work for the Toronto Blue Jays. Hosting duties for the FanGraphs Audio Podcast were assumed by Meg Rowley.