Effectively Wild Episode 2025: You’ve Got a Friend in Ohtani

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the three Taylor Wards, the truth and multiple untruths about Elly De La Cruz’s twin brother, the dominance of 20-year-old Eury Pérez and the Marlins’ usage dilemma, Luis Arraez’s plate predictions, MVP odds, and underestimation as a prospect, the Mets’ struggles and Buck Showalter’s morbid mind, the Orioles’ prospect cornucopia, the debut of part-time knuckleballer Matt Waldron, the Angels’ odd series loss and infield trades, how Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are like Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, why the anti-shift rules are increasing strikeouts, whether it’s bad for baseball that Rob Manfred acknowledged regret about his handling of the sign-stealing scandal, and the latest sign of the sports-betting apocalypse, plus a Future Blast from 2025.

Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ward scoreboard image
Link to Ward/Wade wiki
Link to tweet about Elly’s brother
Link to photo of Elly’s brother
Link to misinfo about Elly’s brother
Link to Elly’s “fastest man” quote
Link to Sam on Hamilton’s speed
Link to Ben Clemens on Pérez
Link to best 9-start starts
Link to clip of Schumaker
Link to player predictions wiki
Link to 2019 Twins top prospects
Link to Ben on HUaL
Link to Showalter quote
Link to rigor mortis quote
Link to Cohen tweet
Link to playoff odds
Link to tweet about Orioles prospects
Link to Jay on Waldron
Link to Waldron GIF
Link to Jannis on EW
Link to Ben on the knuckleball
Link to Langs tweet
Link to Dan S. on Angels trades
Link to Escobar citizenship
Link to episode on Escobar and Fogo
Link to Rob on the shift ban
Link to Lewie on the shift ban
Link to Manfred’s Time interview
Link to the WSJ on Shams
Link to Awful Announcing on Shams
Link to WaPo on gambling/sports media
Link to stretching article
Link to other stretching article
Link to Rick Wilber’s website
Link to Sam on single-game WAR

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