Effectively Wild Episode 1407: How Much is That Wild Card in the Window?

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about a bat in front of home plate that deflected a ball, the José Ramírez resurgence, the base stealer in a Statcast ad, an Andrelton Simmons shift that wasn’t, the Atlantic League, a viral Oliver Drake pitch, and a misguided (and unguided) bunt by Fernando Tatís, Jr., then discuss what a wild card is worth, how hard teams should pursue a spot in the play-in game, and what this year’s trade deadline will look like. Lastly (55:40), Ben talks to Rangers outfielder/DH and four-time all-star Hunter Pence about how and why he reinvented his swing, working with swing whisperer Doug Latta, playing in the Dominican Republic, and recent improvements in pitching and player development. Audio intro: Peter Matthew Bauer, "Wild Light" Audio interstitial: Everclear, "The Swing" Audio outro: Laura Marling, "Master Hunter" Link to GIF of bat deflection Link to Sam on bat dropping Link to picture of supposed Simmons shift Link to Sam on the breakdown of traditional defense Link to viral Drake splitter Link to non-viral Drake splitter 1 Link to non-viral Drake splitter 2 Link to teaser for The Pence Method Link to story on The Pence Method Link to Ben on the trade deadline Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: [email protected] var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source