Effectively Wild: A Fangraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben and Sam discuss Joe Girardi’s decision(s) not to pinch-hit for any of his left-handed hitters late in Game Three of the ALCS.

Ben and Sam discuss whether Matt Holliday’s takeout slide at second was against the rules and why the Cardinals are so widely disliked, then talk about how Ryan Vogelsong has rewarded the Giants for their faith during a string of bad starts.

Ben and Sam catch up on the Yankees-Tigers ALCS and Ben’s beat-writing adventures, then talk about why players and stats disagree about the difficulty of pitching on short rest, and Jim Leyland’s comments about closers.

Ben and Sam catch up with the latest action developments in each of the just-completed or still-in-progress playoff series, then discuss Darren O’Day in greater depth.

Ben and Sam discuss Game Three of the Yankees-Orioles ALDS, the decision to pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez, and A-Rod’s future in New York, then talk about why the Stephen Strasburg debate won’t go away.

Ben and Sam bring on Jason Wojciechowski to discuss whether the 2-3 playoff format is the abomination he makes it out to be, then talk about how the A’s Game Three victory changes (or doesn’t change) their odds of beating the Tigers.

Ben and Sam talk to Not Jim Tracy about his resignation from the Rockies, then discuss how the narratives surrounding each playoff series have held up over the first few days of games.

Ben and Sam are joined by Marc Normandin, formerly of Baseball Prospectus and currently of SB Nation, to discuss which teams will win a World Series in the next five years, the changing role of beat writers, and Joe Saunders, the Orioles’ starter in tonight’s play-in game.

Ben and Sam join/are joined by Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs for a longest-ever episode about the worst predictions teams and players made about themselves, Bryce Harper’s historical significance, and the baseball players who led the league in our hearts in 2012. We talked for almost an hour, so adjust your commutes accordingly.

Ben and Sam discuss the Mariners’ decision to bring in (and lower) Safeco Field’s fences, then talk about what the seasons of Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Norichika Aoki say about the difficulty of projecting the performance of Japanese imports.

Ben and Sam discuss Jeff Luhnow’s plan to interview his players at the end of each season, then talk about why players and front-office executives are backing different candidates for AL MVP.

Ben and Sam discuss whether the second wild card has made the stretch run more exciting, then talk about why papers publish columns that criticize advanced stats without making an effort to understand them.

Ben and Sam discuss whether the A’s all-rookie rotation bodes well for their future, then talk about whether the average strikeout rate has risen too high.

Ben and Sam discuss the decline of Ubaldo Jimenez and whether the Rockies saw it coming when they sent him to Cleveland, then talk about the Angels’ off-season plans for Torii Hunter and Dan Haren.

Ben and Sam discuss what we can learn from Travis Snider’s revelations about his relationships with his former manager and hitting coach, then talk about whether they would bring Melky Cabrera back for the NLCS.

Ben and Sam revisit their discussion from last week on aces in October, talk about the new old Ichiro, and tell you more than you need to know about Orioles starter Steve Johnson.

Ben and Sam size up this winter’s free-agent first basemen and estimate how much money James Loney will make, then talk about whether the Dodgers’ pursuit of a playoff spot is leading to dangerous decisions.

Ben and Sam discuss whether Alex Anthopoulos is taking too long to turn around Toronto, then talk about why we can’t find the secret to success in October. Also, Sam drops his wedding ring.

Ben and Sam talk about how we talk about the AL MVP debate, then discuss Mike Trout’s ability to adjust from at-bat to at-bat.

Ben and Sam discuss whether teams will get creative with their Wild Card rosters, then talk about Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown chances and why we should care if he wins.