Special guest Meg Rowley of Baseball Prospectus joins Ryan Sullivan to talk about the Seattle Mariners in 2016, their short-term outlook, and their glory days — including thoughts on Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. Also: balancing fandom and sportswriting, and the unique appeal of baseball cards.

Special guest Russell A. Carleton of Baseball Prospectus joins Ryan Sullivan to talk about team chemistry and psychology, and his supporting role in The Only Rule Is It Has to Work, then discusses sportswriting, ethics in sports medicine, and favorite podcasts.

This week’s special guest is Russell Carleton, Baseball Prospectus writer and frequent Effectively Wild guest. He joins Ryan Sullivan, to offer his insights on the effects of “the grind,” the value of managers, clubhouse chemistry, drug/alcohol addiction in baseball, and advocating for women in sportswriting. This episode does not contain #GoryMath.

“The transition from player to coach is often a difficult one with numerous components factoring into a successful move from the playing field to the dugout and backfields. For many, the passion and drive to perform on the field are still present, but the body sometimes breaks down and an eroding skillset often betrays the player. Becoming a good coach won’t happen until one is able to put their playing days in the rearview mirror.”

“The Minnesota Twins recently added pitching prospect Alex Meyer to their 40-man roster which protects him from being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. Meyer was originally the 23rd overall pick of the Washington Nationals in the 2011 draft before he was dealt to the Twins organization in exchange for Denard Span. Last season the 6’9″ righty went 7-7 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.381 WHIP over 130.1 innings at Triple-A Rochester. During 2013, I had the opportunity to sit down with Meyer when he was a member of the New Britain Rock Cats for an interview.”