Effectively Wild: A Fangraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben and Sam discuss whether Manny Acta’s lousy career win-loss record has any bearing on his likelihood of success if he becomes the Blue Jays’ manager.

Ben and Sam discuss the finding that Jose Molina’s receiving was worth 50 runs and talk about what it’s implications for baseball might be.

Ben and Sam answer listener emails about whether the Marlins or Astros will win more games in 2013, who’ll be the next retiring player to get the Chipper Jones treatment, when Yasmani Grandal will play for the Padres, and how the Angels should align their outfielders.

Ben and Sam break down the Marlins-Blue Jays trade from every angle, or at least all the angles that occurred to them at the time.

Ben and Sam discuss the Reds’ and Angels’ approaches to bullpen-building, how Cincinnati’s philosophy affects Aroldis Chapman’s future, and which way the wind is blowing where the closer role is concerned.

Ben and Sam discuss whether Josh Hamilton could end up signing a reasonable contract after all and talk about whether the Yankees can commit to and compete despite their goal to get under the luxury tax threshold by 2014.

Ben and Sam discuss whether recent events and rumors portend more young players on the move, and why.

Ben and Sam answer listener emails about the importance of coaches, defensive stats, and how we know whether pitchers should gain or lose weight, with guest appearances by Colin Wyers and Doug Thorburn.

Ben and Sam discuss which teams might benefit most from adding a few wins this winter.

Ben and Sam discuss the discrepancies between lists of the top free agents this offseason.

Ben and Sam welcome Matthew Kory to the podcast to discuss the David Ortiz contract negotiations and the outlook for the Red Sox this winter.

Ben and Sam discuss what the Ervin Santana trade says about the Royals’ rotation and the pitching market, then talk about what Rick Hahn’s ascension to the GM role in Chicago means for the future of front offices.

Ben and Sam discuss the three-year deal the Dodgers gave Brandon League and reliever salaries in general, then talk about whether Gold Glove voters and advanced defensive stats agree more often than they used to.

Ben and Sam discuss the decisions the Angels are about to make concerning Dan Haren and Ervin Santana and talk about what their 2013 rotation will look like, then predict 2013’s division/World Series winners and last-place teams.

Ben and Sam discuss the start of the offseason and what the Giants’ second World Series win in three seasons says about GM Brian Sabean.

Ben and Sam discuss all the notable events from World Series Game Two, including Madison Bumgarner’s impressive outing, the line drive off of Doug Fister’s head, and Jim Leyland’s decision to play the infield back in the seventh, then assess the odds of a comeback by the Tigers.

Ben and Sam discuss the unpredictable outcome of World Series Game One and observe that Delmon Young is starting to look a lot like Stanley from The Office.

Ben and Sam discuss the most interesting angles heading into the series and succumb to the pressure to make their picks.

Ben and Sam discuss whether the NLCS performances of several players affected how they think about them or changed the narratives that followed them into the series.

Ben and Sam discuss the deeper significance, if any, of the Yankees getting swept.