Effectively Wild Episode 2431: “Hitters Who Podcast Together, Play Together”

Date: January 24, 2026
Hosts: Ben Lindbergh (The Ringer) & Meg Rowley (FanGraphs)
Featured Guests: Brent Rooker (Oakland A’s) & Vinnie Pasquantino (Kansas City Royals)

Episode Overview

This episode opens with Ben and Meg’s deep-dive on the Mackenzie Gore trade and its implications for the Nationals, Rangers, and the broader baseball landscape. The main focus then shifts to a lively conversation with MLB hitters Brent Rooker and Vinnie Pasquantino, close friends and off-season training partners, about everything from home run parks, personal routines, clubhouse dynamics, baseball’s new challenge system, mentorship, and CBA negotiations. The pair’s banter and candor provide a fresh, player-driven perspective on the state of modern baseball.

1. Nationals-Rangers Mackenzie Gore Trade Breakdown

(Opening – 29:37)

Key Discussion Points

• The Nationals’ Philosophy Shift:

  • Gore’s trade to Texas signals a longer-term reboot for Washington, prioritizing a prospect package over immediate roster improvement (02:00–05:50).
  • Nationals’ struggles to develop core talent and skepticism about organizational spending continue to trouble fans.
    • Meg: “It’s really frustrating to feel like you’re starting over after having started over. … Restarts like this don’t do tend to take a while. And the fans are impatient.” (11:09)

• Comparing Rebuild Cycles and the “Jersey Guy” Concept:

  • Exploring why teams hesitate to commit to homegrown stars and the impact of continuous churn on the fanbase.
  • “Winning generates jersey guys... but I think if most fans had to choose between keeping a guy around and losing versus trading that guy and winning, then they take the winning.” — Ben (06:47)

• Prospect Package Analysis:

  • Breakdowns of Gavin Fien, Rosario Fitzgerald and others acquired from Texas; high risk, high ceiling, but distant ETA.
  • A warning to Nats fans about not overhyping Fien (“go read the reports here … Eric [Longenhagen] is the low man on Fien”). — Meg (18:02)

• Rangers’ Side:

  • Gore fills a critical mid-rotation need for Texas as they make one more push with an aging but talented core.
  • “Gore has the talent to be a top of the rotation guy … so if the Rangers are going to make another run, then good for them for trying to go for it again.” — Ben (21:00)

• White Sox Notable Signing:

  • Quick mention of Sir Anthony Dominguez signing; discussion on why rebuilding teams still invest in bullpen arms—either to flip at the deadline or stabilize the fan experience.

2. Guest Segment: Brent Rooker & Vinnie Pasquantino — Hitters Who Podcast (Together)

(29:37 – 98:23)

Background and Dynamic

• Guests are friends and former off-season training partners in Nashville, linked by agent and shared club facility (33:40).
• “We try to look at ourselves like entertainers too, of how can we get people engaged and actively involved in the game … You can have a good time and play baseball.” — Vinnie (35:48)

Podcast Banter & Offseason Podcast Plan

• The two nearly launched a podcast together, tabled when Vinnie’s April struggles left him “literally the worst player in baseball” (32:31).
• “So I pulled the plug on. Doesn’t mean it’ll never happen in the future.” — Vinnie (33:07)

A. The Changing Home Run Landscape & Ballpark Factors

• Royals’ Kauffman Stadium Wall Changes

  • Players had long advocated for smaller dimensions; Vinnie was looped into decisions, reviewed stadium PowerPoints, and predicts notable impact (36:56–38:53).
  • “Every single player … said, hey, these fences are … why is this place so big?” — Vinnie (36:56)
  • On wall changes: “Their reasoning behind it is cool … they put a lot of hard, hard work into this and it’ll be interesting to see how it goes.” — Vinnie (38:53)

• Park Factors & Mental Approach

  • Ballpark differences affect both approach and clubhouse mood; hitters defend home park advantages (“What do you want him to do? Apologize for where he plays his games?” — Vinnie, 44:00).
  • Both guests push back on “expected home runs” stat, calling it “misleading.” (45:14–45:58)

B. Training, Bat Speed, and Vision

• Both players worked on bat speed.
  • Vinnie describes balancing swing speed with mechanics, recounts his struggles in April including poor vision, resolved after getting contacts in May (52:42–57:39).
    • “There’s so many different things that can go wrong with a swing. It could quite literally be anything.”—Vinnie (56:15)
  • Brent focused on marginal bat speed gains, but also laments a graph showing bat speed “falls off a cliff” after age 31 (58:18–61:06).

C. Challenge System Rollout

• Both discuss how new challenge system may or may not suit their approach.
  • “The most excited I am for it is to watch other people do it, to see if they’re right or wrong … some sneaky drama with that.” — Vinnie (62:59)
  • Catchers’ framing still affects challenge decisions. Pitchers likely to quickly lose challenge privileges (63:56–65:17).

D. Ironman Streaks & Personal Routines

• Durability:

  • Brent played all 162 games (mostly at DH), considers it more mental than physical, gives credit to “real” position players like Pete Alonso (66:22–68:00).
  • Vinnie played 160; both joke about “iron man” podcasting (68:00–68:13).

• Favorite Road Meals:

  • Brent meticulously tracks breakfast spots, including Milwaukee’s Uncle Wolf’s Diner and Seattle’s Skillet (69:33–70:32).
  • Vinnie less adventurous, prefers Dunkin’ Donuts.

• Food Item Named After Vinnie:

  • The “Pasquich” — shaved Italian beef, provolone, bacon, hash browns, giardiniera aioli on brioche (70:56).

E. Sprint Speed, 30–30 Club, and Base Running

• Both realize their Statcast sprint speeds should entitle them to 30 steals, especially after seeing Juan Soto & Josh Naylor succeed.
  • “There is no excuse.” — Vinnie (71:41)
  • “I’ll give it a shot. I’ll run more.” — Brent (73:22)

F. Young Teammates, Mentorship, and Clubhouse Dynamics

• A’s Denzel Clark & Tyler Soderstrom:
  • Brent marvels at Clark’s defensive prowess and Soderstrom’s Gold Glove finalist campaign in left field (74:06–74:54).
• Royals’ Jack Caglianone:
  • Vinnie reflects on mentoring Jack, describing the pressures of stubborn MLB adjustments and being supportive vs. letting young players figure things out individually (76:47–79:39).

G. Long-term Extensions & Club Signals

• Both applaud recent team investments in young talent as a sign of real commitment to winning.
  • “Ownership and the front office kind of confirms that and reaffirms … we believe in the group we have … that breeds a good environment.” — Brent (80:07)
• Vinnie preparing for arbitration, noting: “At the end of the day, when April rolls around, none of it will matter. We just try to win baseball games.” (81:30–82:26)

H. The Invisible Side of Baseball

• Rich Hill in Kansas City:

  • Stories of his hyper-competitive preparation and longevity (83:00–84:04).

• CBA & Labor Issues—Communication and PR:

  • Both stress the need for facts-based, unemotional communication with fans as a new CBA and potential lockout looms (85:12–86:22).

    • “I think as players it’ll just be our job to communicate in a very objective, very level headed way.” — Brent (85:12)
    • “We have been losing [the PR] battle forever. … a lockout means that the owners have shut us out.” — Vinnie (86:22)

  • On fans calling for a free agent signing deadline: “The only reason … is so they are slightly less bored for like three weeks. And that’s literally it.” — Brent (91:00)

I. Ohtani Encounters, WBC, and Meteorology Nerd-Outs

• Vinnie v. Ohtani:

  • Ohtani’s fastest pitches are always against Vinnie; “I don’t know [why]. We’ll get to the bottom of it.” (93:49)

• Team Italy WBC Preview:

  • Details embargoed, but “gonna have some good pitching … some speed … a very left-handed lineup.” (94:38–95:09)

• Brent, Weather Twitter, and Meteorology:

  • Became an accidental “weather guy” on social media after joining meteorology debates: “I am by no means well versed or an expert on anything. … meteorology Twitter is hostile!” (96:43–97:36)

3. Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Players are semi fungible if your team keeps winning. Ultimately what fans want is for a team to win.” — Ben (06:47)
• “Nothing says you can’t do both [keep stars and win]. That does require some spending…” — Ben (06:52)
• “Your experience of the Nationals has been continuous also.” — Meg (11:21)
• “Our pitchers complain a lot, but that’s their own thing.” — Brent on clubhouse park dynamics (46:20)
• “There’s so many different things that can go wrong with a swing. It could quite literally be anything.” — Vinnie on bat speed and April struggles (56:15)
• “I think as players it’ll just be our job to communicate in a very objective, very level headed way…” — Brent on upcoming CBA talks (85:12)

4. Selected Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------|-----------| | Nationals-Rangers Trade Begins | 01:41 | | “Jersey Guy” Concept | 06:26 | | Rooker & Pasquantino Guest Intro | 29:37 | | Off-season Podcast, Friendship | 33:00 | | Ballpark Factors / Wall Changes | 36:56 | | Bat Speed/Training/Contact Lenses | 52:42 | | Challenge System | 61:06 | | Ironman Streaks Routine | 66:22 | | Food & “Pasquich” | 70:56 | | Steals/sprint speed | 71:33 | | Mentoring Rookies | 76:47 | | Clubhouse impact of extensions | 80:07 | | Arbitration behind the scenes | 81:30 | | Rich Hill’s Last Ride | 83:00 | | CBA/Labor PR | 85:12 | | Signing Deadline Critique | 91:00 | | Ohtani, WBC, Weather Twitter | 93:49 |

5. Episode Tone & Style

• Casual, witty, and honest, with in-depth strategic insight balanced by irreverent, self-deprecating humor—true to Effectively Wild’s ethos.
• Brent & Vinnie’s rapport provides a unique “players’ perspective,” blending locker room banter with transparency on professional and labor realities.
• The hosts facilitate a conversation that is both highly informative and refreshingly humanizing about life in the majors.

For Listeners:

Fans interested in why teams really rebuild, the nuances of bat speed and hitting, MLB labor issues, and the personality behind player social media will find this episode indispensable. Rooker and Pasquantino’s chemistry shines, making the prospect of their own future podcast tantalizing.

Summary by: Effectively Wild FanGraphs Recap Bot