Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a recent uptick in base stealing and why Mike Trout’s loyalty to the Angels is criticized more than it’s celebrated. Then (16:39) they’re joined by Patreon supporter Alex Levy to discuss Alex’s background as a podcast listener, baseball fan, and mail carrier and answer emails (43:49) about a Mario approach to chemistry in baseball, back-to-back homers, providing players with a destructible piece of equipment, probabilistic robo umps, umps as neutral (but not infallible) arbiters, and the correct pronunciation of “summer sausage.”

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Woodward on SBs Link to Jaffe on home runs Link to first SB conversation Link to Ben’s preseason predictions Link to Rosenthal on Trout Link to Calcaterra on Trout Link to February EW on Trout to-place-byron-buxton-on-injured-list-2.html">Link to MLBTR on Buxton Link to Mario baseball game 1 Link to Mario baseball game 2 almanac.com/dictionary-term.php?term=back-to-back">Link to “back-to-back” definition Link to Mackenzie tweets Link to Zimmer’s website Link to Zimmer’s WSJ column Link to compound stress rule Link to Youglish clips Link to compound stress PDF 1 Link to compound stress PDF 2 Link to Simpsons clip Link to listener emails database stl.org/">Link to Thistl nearing-deal-for-luis-arraez.html">Link to MLBTR on Arraez select-jose-ruiz.html">Link to MLBTR on Ruiz Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s unexpected experience at the bee-delayed Diamondbacks game, Shota Imanaga’s hot start, Reed Garrett and the phenomenon of pop-up relievers, Steven Kwan appreciation, how Mike Trout’s and Bryce Harper’s careers will be remembered, José Abreu being optioned to the minors, and a declined penalty in baseball, plus follow-ups about convoluted fun facts, promotion/relegation, and alternatives to “group Maddux.”

Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Chase fitness club info fans-are-loving-bee-guy.html">Link to Bee Guy article 1 Link to Bee Guy article 2 Link to Bee Guy article 3 Link to bee delay announcement Link to Bee Guy ovation Link to Bee Guy on scoreboard Link to Bee Guy’s card Link to Bailey’s Imanaga tweet Link to Meg’s preseason projections Link to Clemens on Garrett Link to Kwan’s Savant page Link to story about Guardians power Link to Ben on Arraez trout-to-undergo-knee-surgery.html">Link to MLBTR on Trout’s injury Link to EW on Trout/Griffey Link to Paine on Trout’s legacy reference.com/leaders/WAR_career.shtml">Link to B-Ref career WAR leaders to-option-jose-abreu.html">Link to MLBTR on Abreu Link to Shildt game story Link to Tango on Shildt Link to Williams fun fact Link to NOBLETIGER reddit post Link to County Championship wiki Link to Audubon story 1 Link to Audubon story 2 Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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After a podcast preface by Ben Lindbergh about Mike Trout’s knee injury (sigh), Ben and Meg Rowley banter (4:19) about a weekend White Sox sweep, the overdue news that Nike is supposedly fixing the much-maligned MLB uniforms, follow-ups about rule rollbacks, ballplayer dirt ingestion, the “group Maddux,” and promotion/relegation, and the Twins’ summer sausage. Then (50:37) they talk to FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens about when it’s safe to evaluate changes in player performance and which hitters and pitchers have changed his mind the most (either positively or negatively) so far this season, plus a postscript (1:45:05).

Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio interstitial: Ted Berg, “Small Sample Size Song” Audio outro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”

trout-to-undergo-knee-surgery.html">Link to MLBTR on Trout’s knee Link to BP Recovery Dashboard Link to Trout baby announcement Link to Trout hypotheticals Link to Trout video Link to uniform memo report Link to The Athletic on unis Link to Greene pants tear Link to Drellich on MLBPA/Fanatics Link to Ben on pitcher limits Link to group Maddux response Link to summer sausage wiki Link to AP on the sausage Link to Athletic on the sausage Link to EW guest leaderboard Link to signature significance info Link to batted-ball predictiveness info Link to Russell on hitter stats Link to Russell on pitcher stats Link to Carty on hitter stats Link to Carty on pitcher stats Link to Dolinar on sample size Link to Russell on stability 1 Link to Russell on stability 2 Link to Ben C.’s riser picks Link to Ben C.’s faller picks Link to Orr on Abrams Link to Ringer preseason predictions Link to FG preseason top 100 Link to Clemens on Littell Link to Clemens on Musgrove Link to FG on Realmuto Link to Tango on Realmuto Link to Flaherty strikeouts story Link to outfielder box article Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether they believe the projections that peg the White Sox as merely a run-of-the-mill terrible team, this season’s sophomore slumps (so far), and more on ballplayer dirt consumption and replay review protocol, then (30:09) answer listener emails about promotion and relegation in professional baseball, the definition of “getaway day,” the value of pitcher fielding, how hard it would be for big leaguers to be bad intentionally, whether pitchers could give away pitch selection on a pickoff throw, and recent MLB rules changes that could or should be rolled back (plus additional discussion of some injury news).

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

Link to Dan S. on the White Sox Link to Neil Paine on the Sox Link to Dubuque on the Sox Link to Dan S. on the 2023 A’s Link to Tango on the 2023 A’s Link to EW on the 2023 A’s potential-positive-development-on-the-white-sox-roster.html">Link to MLBTR on Lee sox-to-select-tommy-pham.html">Link to MLBTR on Pham Link to BaseRuns standings Link to Dubuque on sophomore slumps Link to The Athletic on promotion/relegation Link to ESPN on promotion/relegation league-soccer.html">Link to NYT on the Super League Link to Dan S. on Tides vs. Rockies Link to Scherzer on ump relegation Link to team P DRS range Link to team P plays made range Link to Episode 2030 Stat Blast Link to Baumann on Ohtani almanac.com/rulechng.shtml">Link to MLB rules changes Link to Ben on faking to third Link to Ben on the Waxahachie Swap Link to article on Rendon rendon-diagnosed-with-partially-torn-hamstring.html">Link to MLBTR on Rendon miley-to-undergo-tommy-john-surgery.html">Link to MLBTR on Miley luzardo-scratched-from-start-will-undergo-testing-due-to-elbow-discomfort.html">Link to MLBTR on Luzardo Link to listener emails database Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how much dirt MLB players ingest in a season, the second-most-encouraging stat about Mike Trout’s season, Shohei Ohtani, Earl Webb, and the single-season doubles record, Cody Bellinger and whether the Cubs should pad the walls at Wrigley Field, whether replay review should privilege the call on the field, Matt Waldron’s knuckleball, the disparate seasons of Elly De La Cruz and Oneil Cruz, Francisco Lindor’s superstar status, José Ruiz’s pursuit of Ryan Webb’s record for games finished without a save, and Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti’s request for a baseball plus/minus stat (and whether baseball would be better with more player-interaction effects).

Audio intro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to dirt-consumption info Link to FG post on Trout’s running Link to BP on Trout’s swings Link to Trout’s pitch-type performance Link to Trout’s plate-discipline stats Link to Trout’s sprint speeds Link to Posnanski on Ohtani Link to Webb SABR bio Link to Maris Jr. article 1 Link to Maris Jr. article 2 Link to Bellinger play Link to Bellinger quote Link to Bellinger IL news bellinger-to-be-placed-on-injured-list-due-to-fractured-rib.html">Link to MLBTR on Bellinger Link to 1991 Wrigley padding article Link to info on the ivy Link to info on Veeck’s role Link to article on Reiser Link to second Reiser article Link to ballpark homogenization info Link to Adell play sheehan-newsletter-april-25-2024.html">Link to Sheehan on replay Link to replay review rules Link to Waldron article Link to BP on Waldron’s latest Link to Waldron game highlights Link to Thrice band wiki Link to Ben on knuckleballs Link to Jannis EW appearance Link to Lindor’s big game Link to post-2020 hitter WAR Link to Webb/Albers wiki Link to Webb/Ruiz leaderboard Link to plus/minus wiki Link to MLB defense plus/minus Link to hockey plus/minus problems Link to NBA plus/minus problems Link to Russell on lineups Link to Ben on batter vs. pitcher stats Link to catcher ERA article Link to more on catcher impact jeter-vs-the-baseball-researchers.html">Link to article on Jeter studies Link to all-22 film info Link to Jeff on time of possession Link to Trial By Content pod Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rockies (and their charter pilots) running afoul of the FAA, Jackson Holliday’s slow start, whether the Astros or Twins has hurt their division-title chances more, two embarrassing umpire incidents, offense being down relative to last season, the concept of a “combined Maddux,” Shohei Ohtani’s WAR as a DH, the Blue Jays’ self-funded ballpark renovations, new research on Tommy John surgeries in Japan, and more.

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

Link to Rockies plane video Link to AP on the Rockies Link to new flight deck rule Link to Blum on Holliday Link to O’s prospects joke Link to Animorphs meme Link to white guys selfie meme fffc-11ee-a52f-53712e5f913a.html">Link to article on Scott Link to story on Mays start Link to story on Mantle start Link to change in division odds Link to García injury update Link to RP fWAR Link to Dan S. on the Astros Link to Boone ejection video Link to EW on ump-heckling Link to CNN on Boone ejection Link to SI on Boone ejection Link to KBO ABS incident Link to offense through 4/22 excerpt-april-22-2024.html">Link to Joe Sheehan on offense Link to BallparkPal thread Link to “Maddux” glossary entry Link to “combined Maddux” mention Link to WAR leaderboard Link to Jaffe on the Dodgers Link to Cardinals funding post Link to more on Cards request Link to article on Jays funding Link to Diamondbacks statement Link to Jim Allen TJ research Link to archived version Link to SABR on Tippy’s pickoffs Link to Tippy video Link to Tippy call Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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Amid a wave of pitcher injuries, Ben Lindbergh talks to Dr. Rich Nye (4:20), a former major leaguer whose career-ending injury became a career-beginning injury when he decided to become an exotic-animal veterinarian (among other occupations). Then (1:07:09) Ben talks to prolific TV creators/writers/producers Tom Fontana and Julie Martin about what might have been for Baseball Wives, a long-lost HBO baseball drama that was canceled after its pilot episode was produced in 2002. Lastly (1:43:25), Ben brings on Frequent Stat Blast Correspondent Ryan Nelson to deliver eight Stat Blasts, plus (2:23:13) follow-ups.

Audio intro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLB.com on Freeland Link to Freeland on EW Link to Rockies airline story Link to Meulens video Link to The Athletic on McKenzie stephenson-to-miss-2024-season-with-elbow-injury.html">Link to MLBTR on Stephenson place-kyle-hurt-on-15-day-il.html">Link to MLBTR on Hurt east-notes-pivetta-lemahieu-tiedemann.html">Link to MLBTR on Tiedemann Link to The Athletic on Suárez Link to 1969 Cubs-Giants broadcast Link to Nye’s SABR bio Link to 1967 rookie pitcher WAR Link to Nye’s vet bio Link to Nye wiki reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN196609162.shtml">Link to Nye’s debut game reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197007242.shtml">Link to Nye’s 1970 game Link to 1976 Nye Tribune article Link to Seinfeld squirrel clip Link to Nye’s woodturning site Link to Kessinger on EW Link to Hands on EW Link to Ben’s Olerud interview Link to The Wire Triandos clips Link to SatC Yankee Stadium clip Link to Ben on media exclusivity Link to 2002 HBO AP article Link to Race for the Pennant promo Link to Fontana on IMDb Link to Martin on IMDb Link to Fontana WaPo profile Link to Fontana Buffalo archive Link to Baseball Wives wiki Link to Baseball Wives article 1 Link to Baseball Wives article 2 Link to Baseball Wives article 3 Link to Baseball Wives article 4 Link to Baseball Wives article 5 Link to more info on Baseball Wives Link to 2011 Baseball Wives Link to Footballers’ Wives Link to Ben on unaired pilots Link to Stat Blast song cover Link to Ryan’s previous appearance Link to Stat Blast wiki Link to article on Day no-no Link to HoF on Feller no-no Link to team BA spreadsheet Link to lineup names sheet Link to outs on bases sheet Link to SABR on Tippy’s pickoffs Link to Tippy pickoffs video Link to lefty-starters sheet Link to Russell on SP order Link to Rockies lefties record Link to “Darvishes” spreadsheet Link to first BF screenshot Link to first BF spreadsheet Link to games played spreadsheet Link to Calcaterra quote Link to McCutchen steal Link to Craig Wright on stealing home Link to stealing home sheet Link to listener emails database Link to Bellinger on Boras Link to Boras facility brag Link to Sterling HR call ranking Link to Yakkertech tweet Link to Neil Paine on the White Sox Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Carlos Correa’s nerdiness, the Pirates pulling phenom Jared Jones after 59 effective pitches, the zombie runner, what Jontay Porter’s lifetime NBA ban portends for MLB, Shohei/Ippei conspiracy theories and Shohei Ohtani’s hitting and tax loophole, Michael Busch and the Dodgers’ outfield offense, the legacy of Whitey Herzog’s “Whiteyball,” and the power and prospects of two-way college star reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=caglia000jac">Jac Caglianone, plus follow-ups on MLB Blazes, IMG Academy, and Reynaldo López, then (1:13:48) answer listener emails about unsigned pitchers ramping up for the start of the season, whether all of the A’s could be traded to other teams, pitcher arm injuries in Japan, foul tips with fewer than two strikes, and MLB attendance/finances vs. NFL attendance/finances.

Audio intro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Benny and the Jeffs, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Correa on Dune: Part Two Link to Correa Marvel post Link to Correa Star Wars post Link to article on Correa’s dogs Link to Correa the stathead Link to Correa wRC+ video Link to Reylo wiki Link to BP on Jones Link to Jones Strike % stat reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI202404140.shtml">Link to Mikolas start gazette.com/sports/pirates/2024/04/16/pirates-mets-pittsburgh-new-york-mlb/stories/202404150103">Link to Jones game story gazette.com/sports/pirates/2024/04/17/pirates-jared-jones-mlb-pittsburgh-pitching-paul-skenes-derek-shelton/stories/202404160126">Link to Pirates pitching plan Link to Ben on workloads Link to velo leaders Link to Miller injury info Link to NBA Porter announcement Link to The Athletic on Porter Link to Ohtani taxes article Link to political baseball language Link to team OF wRC+ Link to FG Dodgers OF post Link to FG Busch post erskine-dead.html">Link to NYT Erskine obit herzog-dead.html">Link to NYT Herzog obit Link to Whiteyball wiki Link to Posnanski on Whiteyball Link to Miklasz on Whiteyball Link to Cranston MLB promo Link to Caglianone article Link to Gators Statcast tweet Link to top MLB draft prospects Link to longest MLB homers Link to Mazara HR Link to Boras facilities article Link to Finley/Kuhn article Link to EW Episode 1621 Link to Japan/U.S. pitchers study Link to Richard Hershberger’s book Link to EW Episode 627 Link to listener emails database Link to IMG Academy wiki popular-streaming-tv.html">Link to most-streamed 2023 shows the-sign-synopsis-watch-without-kids.html">Link to Vulture on Bluey the-sign-episode-ending-parents-adults-kids-disney-plus.html">Link to Slate on Bluey Link to John/Jack explainer Link to Caillou explainer Link to Oops! All Berries explainer Link to tick-tock explainer Link to “Am I so out of touch?” meme Link to Catherine Lowe wiki Link to Wade/Ward wiki Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB jerseys as Fremen stillsuits, an update on Blake Snell the self-perceived strike-thrower, Brent Suter and being the “best teammate,” which MLB team is last in the league in vibes, the struggling Marlins demoting the not-struggling Max Meyer, whether teams are working minor league pitchers (such as Paul Skenes) too lightly, and (1:02:49) the career and retirement of Yankees radio voice John Sterling and fan affection for long-lasting local broadcasters, then (1:29:31) meet major leaguers Spencer Arrighetti, Blaze Alexander, and Jorge Barrosa, plus postscript follow-ups (1:51:25).

Audio intro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLB stillsuit article Link to sweat stains quote Link to sweaty Yankees jerseys Link to Snell quote Link to Elly’s catch Link to Suter article Link to article on eco-conscious Suter Link to Suter’s impressions Link to 2016 LaRoche article Link to 2021 LaRoche retrospective Link to Freeland play Link to article on Meyer demotion Link to McCarthy tweet excerpt-january-25-2024.html">Link to Sheehan on pitcher usage Link to BP on Skenes in college Link to Ben on TNSTAAPP Link to MLB.com on Sterling Link to The Athletic on Sterling Link to Brosius call Link to Camp call Link to BP on the Camp game Link to list of Sterling calls Link to Sterling “fangraph” comment Link to flubbed Sterling call Link to last Sterling HR call Link to “Something Sort of Grandish” of-yankees-draws-high-ratings-and-several-critics.html">Link to 2011 Sterling NYT profile Link to Warner Wolf wiki Link to Meet a Major Leaguer wiki reference.com/leagues/majors/2024-debuts.shtml">Link to B-Ref new debuts page Link to The Athletic on Arrighetti Link to Longenhagen on Arrighetti Link to MLB.com on Arrighetti reference.com/search/search.fcgi?hint=blaze+Alexander&search=blaze&pid=&idx=">Link to Blazes on B-Ref press.com/story/sports/2018/08/07/red-hot-rookies-cape-corals-blaze-c-j-alexander-fire-arizona-atlanta/923075002/">Link to 2018 Alexanders article Link to 2019 Alexander article Link to Barrosa call-up article Link to March Barrosa article Link to Longenhagen on player heights Link to non-pitcher height query Link to pitcher height query reliever-brock-burke-breaks-hand-punching-wall-in-frustration-after-rough-outing-013418285.html">Link to Burke break article Link to EPL history wiki Link to 1884 World Series wiki Link to Saber Seminar Link to Kite Person on Bandcamp Link to Kite Person on SoundCloud Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the lack of an uptick in stolen bases this season, which of the teams that are off to surprisingly hot or cold starts has changed their minds the most, analogs to baseball’s epidemic of UCL tears in tennis and women’s soccer, whether MLB would/should allow a hypothetical UCL-strengthening steroid, and whether MLB will ever reboot its continuity, then Stat Blast (1:02:31) about players with inside-the-park homers and over-the-fence homers in the same game, games in which one team threw many pitches faster than its opponent’s fastest pitch, and the highest player winning percentages in starts.

Audio intro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ben C. on stolen bases Link to birds and bees study Link to playoff odds changes Link to BaseRuns standings reportedly-void-2025-club-option-on-skip-schumaker.html">Link to MLBTR on Schumaker option Link to team defense projections Link to Jontay Porter story Link to NPR on tennis injuries Link to WaPo on soccer injuries world-cup-soccer-torn-acl.html">Link to NYT on soccer injuries Link to article on soccer cleats Link to UEFA initiative Link to artificial ligament wiki Link to Mark McGwire comments Link to Andy Pettitte comments Link to EW on sports history authority Link to comic-book reboots wiki Link to EW on “modern era” Link to AFI movies list wiki Link to tweet about Babe Ruth’s wife Link to EW listener emails database Link to Garrett Krohn’s Stat Blast cover Link to Langs tweet about Elly Link to OptaSTATS tweet about Elly Link to Ryan Nelson on Twitter Link to inside-the-park graph 1 Link to inside-the-park graph 2 Link to Statcast Era both HR list Link to both HR, both sides list Link to story on Nimmo game Link to inside-the-parker data Link to both HR types leaderboard Link to Lucas Apostoleris on Twitter Link to Foley tweet Link to lopsided team velos sheet Link to player winning percentage sheet Link to Craig Wright on Lou Klein Link to Moonfall wiki Link to add EW on YouTube Music Link to ballpark meetup forms Link to meetup organizer form

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