His contact probably shouldn’t be in the 70s to 80s like they are in the game after a drastic four-year decline in average that saw him fall roughly 30 points every season from a .333 average in 2021 to a .220 average last year. His OBP has taken a similar beating in recent years and […]
His contact probably shouldn’t be in the 70s to 80s like they are in the game after a drastic four-year decline in average that saw him fall roughly 30 points every season from a .333 average in 2021 to a .220 average last year. His OBP has taken a similar beating in recent years and has also been down over 100 points over the last four years.
Recommended Videos
Judge is a beast; there is not much else I can say about him. Look at his power, 99s across the board; he’s the only player in the game with that combination. He also has excellent under-the-radar contact attributes. He’s known more as a power guy, but his .322 average last year has made him one of the league’s best “line-movers.” He led the AL in OBP and walks last year with .458 and 133, respectively.
Seager is consistent in his great performance at the plate, outside of a monstrous 2023 in which he doubled his usual home run count and hit nearly 250 OBP points better than his previous season. His numbers came back down to reality in 2024, but he is still riding that 2023 high when it comes to his Show attributes.
It’s not surprising that San Diego Studios wants this game to be offense-focused. After all, most of the new gameplay features (like ambush hitting) were on the offensive side of the game. Of course, they want the game to be exciting for players and to highlight some of the great batters in the game today, but in doing so, they’ve created a somewhat unrealistic dynamic that doesn’t exist in the current MLB. His MLB The Show performances are always better than his actual MLB performances, in which he hits an incredible, but not absurd, .298 career average and around 35 home runs a season. What’s most impressive — and what likely leads to his overperformance in the game — is his impressive OPS, which sits at .973 over his career, which is better than every active player except for Aaron Judge.
Aaron Judge
89 Con R
87 Con L
99 Pow R
99 Pow L
40 Vision
99 Discipline
90 Clutch
In order for the game to be exciting, MLB The Show had to inflate offensive numbers while deflating pitching and defense, making hitting the most important feature.
With how vital hitting is in this game, I wanted to find who the most valuable hitters in the game were. Whether it’s to target them in a Franchise Mode trade, work towards their card in Diamond Dynasty, or simply pick their team when playing friends to give you an edge offensively, these stud batters will help win your game in MLB The Show 25.
Shohei Ohtani
99 Con R
79 Con L
99 Pow R
86 Pow L
57 Vision
83 Discipline
85 Clutch
Kyle Tucker is always an MLB The Show darling, and this year is no different. He has a high floor to his hitting attributes, with none of them falling below 75 (Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker are the only players in the game for whom this is true). Tucker only has one of the four main attributes, over 90, but it’s an important one in Pow R, which should make him a reliable 30+ home run guy at least per season in franchise mode. MLB The Show 25 is now out, and we’ve had some time to get acquainted with the new rosters and ratings. One thing has clearly stood out to me: this is an offense-heavy game. Something I noticed after the initial top overall rating release was that batters vastly overpowered pitchers across the board. In general, pitchers were almost always underrated, while batters were usually overrated.
Sony Studios/Operation Sports
Yordan Alvarez
82 Con R
99 Con L
99 Pow R
75 Pow L
81 Vision
84 Discipline
97 Clutch
You can never go wrong with Mookie Betts. He’s just such a great player all around despite his power numbers being lower than usual, thanks to a weirdly low home run-producing year for him last season (19 homers, which is 20 less than the year prior). But he’s still a top hitter in the league. Betts’ underwhelming slugging brought his OPS down last year, but it was still over .850, and it hasn’t fallen below .800 in his entire 11-year career. With right-handers making up the majority of the pitchers in the league (matching the makeup of the population at large), the Con R and the Pow R are the most important attributes for hitters in the game. With Ramirez at a respectable but not fantastic 78 and 70 rating, respectively, for each rating, his overall batting value takes a bit of a tumble despite his impressive lefty numbers, elite plate discipline, and 90-clutch rating.
Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Corey Seager
93 Con R
76 Con L
99 Pow R
70 Pow L
76 Vision
72 Discipline
99 Clutch
He’s got similar splits to Yordan Alvarez, albeit with lower ratings than Yordan. They both have high contact against lefties and high power against righties. They are very similar players in a lot of ways. I would say they are probably DH1 (Alvarez) and DH2 (Ozuna) in the game. I suggest getting one of them on your Franchise mode team. I think Jose Ramirez is a beast. He’s one of my favorite players in the league. He is so unassuming in stature, but as soon as he steps into the batter’s box, you can feel his confidence and expertise at the plate. Ramirez has an impressive four attributes at 90 or above, yet his two righty numbers bring him down to seventh on our list.
Yordan is a pure hitter. He’s not going to give you any value defensively and should likely be exclusively used at DH, but he’s going to make up for it with elite hitting skills. He is almost always a +.320 average and +45 HR player in every season of the Show that I’ve ever simmed. I can’t tell you how many MVP trophies this guy has won; it is absolutely ridiculous.
Juan Soto
83 Con R
75 Con L
92 Pow R
88 Pow L
70 Vision
99 Discipline
99 Clutch
Ohtani might be the best hitter in the game if you were just facing right-handed pitching, but alas, his lefty numbers bring him down below Judge in our rankings. While 79 contact and 86 power are incredible for most batters in the league, they are somewhat underwhelming for Ohtani, who has mastered seemingly every aspect of the game and taken his skills to levels never thought possible.
I mean, he hit 10 home runs in 109 at-bats last year. Clearly, he still is an elite power hitter, but with a .220 average and just 14 RBIs during that stretch, I can’t say with any confidence that Trout is even close to the same hitter that he was during his last full season way back in 2019.
Mike Trout
75 Con R
83 Con L
99 Pow R
86 Pow L
50 Vision
88 Discipline
74 Clutch
I wanted to add Ronald Acuna Jr. at the end because I think he was absolutely shafted by the rating team at San Diego Studios and because he’s got a good variety of above-average stats that make him a valuable asset. I think his numbers should be a lot higher, but I do agree that he has a ton of above-average hitting traits and that there isn’t a huge weakness in his game. Ramirez is still a great batter despite his lower-than-expected righty numbers. He has not had a season where he has hit under .800 OPS since 2015. I expect him to continue that trend in both the Show and the real MLB.
Rooker is a great story — well, not for Twins fans like me, but that’s to be expected. We were the team that gave up David Ortiz when he was just Little Papi. Now, the Twins are in a very similar situation with Rooker. After just a few seasons of decent play by a young potential power threat, the Twins let a 26-year-old future star leave the team, only for the player to immediately put up eye-watering numbers for their new team.
Jose Ramirez
78 Con R
95 Con L
70 Pow R
92 Pow L
92 Vision
66 Discipline
90 Clutch
All in all, Trout seems to have transformed from one of the best hitters ever to play in the league into a Joey Gallo like power specialist. Although I will say that he is still better than Joey Gallo by a factor of 10, don’t get me wrong, Trout is still a very valuable hitter. Tucker has been a .800+ OPS guy since he’s been in the league, and last year, he put up an impressive .993 OPS in a season that was cut short due to injuries. He’s great in big situations and doesn’t chase on bad pitches.
His OBP nearly touched .400 last season, which likely caused his plate vision and discipline to be so great. But when you consider his .323 average, you realize that his walk rate wasn’t actually that great. He doesn’t strike out as much as other sluggers, which makes him valuable in the game, but he doesn’t offer much value as a base runner or as a plus defender. He is serviceable as a first baseman, but that’s the one position I would trust him at.
Brent Rooker
80 Con R
83 Con L
90 Pow R
99 Pow L
43 Vision
67 Discipline
84 Clutch
I swear, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a pure power hitter just the other day; now MLB The Show has got him as a contact first batter with numbers that look closer to Luis Arraez than Joey Gallo. What’s up with his power numbers? He hit 30 homers last season and 136 over the last 4 years (an average of 34 HRs a season). His contact numbers make sense for a guy who hit a .323 average last year and was one hit shy of 200 on the year, but that doesn’t mean they need to lower his power numbers.
While we do see huge power numbers from some players in the league, and you will occasionally see some high-scoring games, it should be mentioned that the league-wide OPS has been trending downward since 1990. Last year, batters put up the third-worst combined OPS since 1992 (2014 and 2022 were the worst and second worst, respectively). Given those numbers, you would expect MLB The Show to highlight the dominant pitchers in the league that are quieting offenses, but we have to face the fact that pitchers don’t sell copies quite as well as batters. People love offense, and San Diego Studios is giving it to people.
Regardless of whether it’s a fair rating, he does provide incredible value at the plate in MLB The Show 25. With no hitting attribute under 70 and three 90+ hitting ratings, he sits right around the top five best hitters in the game.
Ketel Marte
69 Con R
99 Con L
77 Pow R
90 Pow L
70 Vision
75 Discipline
87 Clutch
Despite only 21 home runs last year, the game decided to max out his power against right-handers and his clutch. His other attributes seem fair and balanced, but it’s clear that he had his numbers inflated above his actual real-life performance. He also got a 99 in batting clutch and a 92 in power against righties. Still, his other power/contact numbers are slightly lower than anticipated, especially considering he’s a 99 overall. Either way, he’s still a top batter in the league, with an elite ability to draw walks and some legit power (putting up his first +40 home run season last year in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium.)
Kyle Tucker
81 Con R
79 Con L
90 Pow R
77 Pow L
75 Vision
90 Discipline
99 Clutch
He hasn’t hit less than a .285 average since 2020, but since then, he’s only averaged 26 homers a season, compared to an average of 32.8 between 2015 and 2019. His plate discipline and clutch are similar to Kyle Tucker’s, but his plate vision has always been a bit of a problem, with his strikeout rate consistently above 20%.
Soto was a bit of a surprise addition to the 99 club this year, but it’s not surprising that his batting numbers are as high as they are. He had another +.900 OBP season last year (his sixth in seven seasons in the big leagues) and led the AL in runs. Of course, he gets a 99 in plate discipline—I don’t remember the last time he didn’t have a 99 in that attribute. He consistently has one of the highest walk rates in the league.
Bryce Harper
82 Con R
87 Con L
83 Pow R
73 Pow L
61 Vision
91 Discipline
99 Clutch
Rooker didn’t quite put up the 88 homers that Ortiz hit in his first two seasons with the Red Sox, but he did hit 69 homers over the last two seasons in Oakland’s far bigger stadium. Use OPS+ — which considers different ballpark conditions like altitude and field size — and you can see that Rooker actually had a better first two seasons on the Athletics at the plate (a combined 292 OPS+) compared to David Ortiz’s first two seasons in Boston (a combined 289 OPS+). His plate vision is only at a 40 because he tends to chase pitchers, but his long arms and bat control allow him to make solid contact on balls way out of the strike zone.
Mookie Betts
86 Con R
88 Con L
73 Pow R
75 Pow L
80 Vision
87 Discipline
99 Clutch
Marte had a 1.080 OPS against left-handed pitchers, which accounts for the great Con L and Pow L numbers. However, his righty numbers were also good, with a .841 OPS and a .261 average. I don’t see why he has a sub-70 contact against RHP rating; it’s too low of a grade. Either way, he’s still a great hitter.
An “outstanding” hitter, as the game commentators love to say about Ketel Marte, his righty contact actually makes him much less “outstanding” than he should be. He had arguably the best year of his career last season, putting up career highs in homers, RBIs, OPS+, and MVP votes.
Sony Studios/Operation Sports
Marcell Ozuna
82 Con R
89 Con L
94 Pow R
73 Pow L
56 Vision
72 Discipline
65 Clutch
You can see those fantastic numbers reflected in his MLB The Show attributes, in which he gets 352 attribute points out of 396 in contact/power. His vision, discipline, and clutch might not be as great as those of other players on this list, but those numbers aren’t as important as the main four contact/power numbers.
Don’t try putting Ozuna in the field. He is 100% a designated hitter with very little value outside of the batter’s box. The mental side of his game is not great in MLB The Show, likely reflecting his numerous off-the-field incidents that, much like Tiger Woods, could cause his focus to drift and affect his game. His physical gifts are clearly apparent in the game, though. His .302 average and .925 OPS last season helped him get fourth place in the NL MVP race.
Sony Studios/Operation Sports
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
93 Con R
90 Con L
71 Pow R
69 Pow L
85 Vision
73 Discipline
82 Clutch
He drew more walks than strikeouts for the first time in his career, really helping his vision, discipline, and clutch numbers rise as he has been focusing on his approach at the plate and becoming a more methodical and meaningful hitter. If you emphasize OBP and like guys who can get on base multiple times a game and get a significant amount of extra-base hits, Betts is the guy for you.
Ohtani, like Judge, also has a low plate vision attribute, although Ohtani’s is much higher than Judge’s, which reflects Shohei’s better SO% (struck out on 25.4% of at-bats in career) than Judge’s (struck out on 28% of at-bats in career).
Ronald Acuna Jr.
85 Con R
81 Con L
70 Pow R
75 Pow L
64 Vision
78 Discipline
80 Clutch
Harper may not be my ideal first baseman of choice, but you can’t ignore the pure dominance at the plate that he has displayed for over a decade now. He has turned into more of a bat for average guys than a power guy in recent years, as reflected by his 169 combined contact rating and 156 combined power rating in The Show 25.
He hit a .337 average and 41 home runs in his last healthy season in 2023, a .900 or above OPS in four of his seven active seasons, and a ridiculous 25.3 WAR over his short career (2818 AB). Ronald Acuna deserves to be on this list, even though his ratings may technically trail guys like Trea Turner and Jose Altuve. I think Acuna Jr., especially in Franchise mode, will be a lot more valuable as a hitter than Turner, Altuve, or anybody else who may have been considered for this list but wasn’t added. I believe in Acuna.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County can be a stressful place to live. But it’s also filled with humor, inspiration and kindness. Let’s focus on that second part. Take a look at some recent good news stories in Essex County below (click the headlines to read). The winner of the competition pitched an all-in-one travel […]
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County can be a stressful place to live. But it’s also filled with humor, inspiration and kindness. Let’s focus on that second part. Take a look at some recent good news stories in Essex County below (click the headlines to read).
The winner of the competition pitched an all-in-one travel companion app integrating features from Expedia, Yelp and Google Maps.
A24 has released the first trailer for Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie’s 1950s-set sports dramedy starring Timothée Chalamet as a table tennis player chasing respect and recognition. The film marks Safdie’s first directorial effort since co-helming Uncut Gems with his brother Benny, and his first solo feature in more than a decade. ‘The Smashing Machine’ trailer: […]
A24 has released the first trailer for Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie’s 1950s-set sports dramedy starring Timothée Chalamet as a table tennis player chasing respect and recognition. The film marks Safdie’s first directorial effort since co-helming Uncut Gems with his brother Benny, and his first solo feature in more than a decade.
Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a gifted but underestimated ping pong player whose ambitions take him on a turbulent journey toward greatness. Along the way, he begins an affair with a glamorous movie star, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, while navigating the personal and professional challenges of life on the road. The ensemble cast includes Fran Drescher as Marty’s mother, rapper Tyler, the Creator, magician Penn Jillette, Odessa A’zion, Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, and filmmaker Abel Ferrara.
Co-written by Safdie and longtime collaborator Ronald Bronstein, Marty Supreme is a fictionalised retelling inspired by the life of Marty Reisman, a five-time World Table Tennis Championships bronze medalist who became a showman for the sport.
Chalamet reportedly underwent extensive training to capture the physicality and technique of a professional player. Cinematographer Darius Khondji noted earlier this year that the actor “wanted to be like a real [professional] ping pong player when he started shooting.”
The film is produced by Safdie, Bronstein, Eli Bush, Anthony Katagas, Chalamet, and A24.
Chalamet, who has previously praised the Safdie brothers’ “raw and untethered” approach to filmmaking, now takes center stage in one of the year’s most anticipated releases. Marty Supreme is set to open in theaters on December 25, positioning itself as both a holiday release and a potential awards contender.
The trailer for Josh Safdie’s highly anticipated film “Marty Supreme” features Timothée Chalamet as ping pong player Marty Mauser in the 1950s. The synopsis teases: “A young man with a dream no one respects goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.” Chalamet stars in the film opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays a famous […]
The trailer for Josh Safdie’s highly anticipated film “Marty Supreme” features Timothée Chalamet as ping pong player Marty Mauser in the 1950s. The synopsis teases: “A young man with a dream no one respects goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.”
Chalamet stars in the film opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays a famous movie star that Marty begins an affair with on the road. The wide-ranging cast also includes Fran Drescher as Marty’s mother, rapper Tyler, the Creator, magician Penn Jillette, Odessa A’zion, “Shark Tank” personality Kevin O’Leary (aka Mr. Wonderful) and “Bad Lieutenant” filmmaker Abel Ferrara.
Related Stories
“Marty Supreme” marks Josh Safdie’s first time directing since co-helming “Uncut Gems” with his brother Benny Safdie, and his first solo feature since his 2008 debut, “The Pleasure of Being Robbed.” Josh Safdie wrote “Marty Supreme” with Ronald Bronstein; the two produce alongside Eli Bush, Anthony Katagas, Chalamet and A24.
Popular on Variety
The sports dramedy is a fictionalized account of the real-life Marty Reisman, a five-time bronze medalist at the World Table Tennis Championships who died in 2012. Cinematographer Darius Khondji said earlier this year that Chalamet did thorough training to play the ping pong star. “He wanted to be like a real [professional] ping pong player when he started shooting,” Khondji said.
Chalamet has long been an outspoken fan of the Safdie brothers, writing an essay for Variety in 2019 about their Adam Sandler thriller “Uncut Gems.” “The pair have continuously put out contemporary, raw and untethered work over the last decade, each film building on the traits of the prior, but never once sacrificing their innate grittiness,” the Oscar-nominated actor wrote.
“Marty Supreme” opens in theaters Dec. 25. Watch the official trailer below.
How and where to bet MLB home run picks, lines, odds for Aug. 13
MLB home run betting continues to increase in popularity but sifting through hundreds of options on a busy day can be a grind. All 30 MLB teams will be in action on Wednesday, but by using splits, pitching matchups, MLB weather forecasts and other available data, you can start to hone in on a handful […]
MLB home run betting continues to increase in popularity but sifting through hundreds of options on a busy day can be a grind. All 30 MLB teams will be in action on Wednesday, but by using splits, pitching matchups, MLB weather forecasts and other available data, you can start to hone in on a handful of top MLB HR picks. You can also use profit boosts and MLB bonus bets to further enhance the value of each MLB home run bet you place today. If you’re interested in MLB betting and wish to use the best sportsbook promos to wager on MLB home run picks on Aug. 13, check out all available offers below:
You can also get our best MLB HR bets from SportsLine’s team of Data Scientists, which uses the SportsLine Projection Model to reveal their betting projections for some of the most-bet MLB HR prop bets on Wednesday. The model simulates every game 10,000 times and we are up 58.15 units on our individual MLB HR picks this season after nailing Alex Bregman (+425) to homer on Tuesday. You can find even more picks in their daily blog, and see their game picks for Brewers vs. Pirates.
Best MLB home run picks for Wednesday, August 13:
Sportsbook promos for MLB HR picks on Wednesday, Aug. 13
The latest FanDuel promo code offers new users $300 in bonus bets if their first $5 wager wins while the bet365 bonus code gives new users $150 in bonus bets when they make an initial wager of $5 or more. The latest DraftKings promo code offers users $200 in bonus bets instantly + $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket.
The BetMGM bonus code and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code also dole out bonus bets but in a different way. BetMGM covers a user’s first bet for up to $1,500 in bonus bets but users have to wager at least $1,500 to be eligible for the entire amount. Fanatics gives users up to $1,000 in FanCash, but they’ll need to wager $100 each day for 10 consecutive days to be eligible for the full amount.
The Caesars Sportsbook promo code awards profit boosts instead of bonus bets. The sportsbook is providing 10 100% profit boosts to users after they wager $1 or more.
Our model sees value here despite Trevor Rogers’ impressive 1.44 ERA over 10 starts. Rogers had a 4+ ERA from 2022–2024, and some regression could be due. Julio is swinging a hot bat with 12 HRs in his last 36 games. He’s also been better on the road, hitting .292 with an .885 OPS and 15 of his 23 HRs away from home. Rogers has allowed 44 career home runs—41 of them to right-handed hitters. While he’s been tough on both sides, righties have had slightly more success. We set Rodríguez’s line at +350 to homer, but you can find the listed price at BetMGM:
Riley Greene, Tigers (+450, DraftKings)
Greene remains a model favorite, especially when facing right-handed pitching—he’s hit 25 of his 27 HRs against RHPs. He’s heating up again with 3 doubles and a HR in his last 3 games. Greene is 2-for-2 in his career against Shane Smith. While Smith has been a bright spot for the White Sox, he’s struggled recently with an 8.49 ERA and 7 HRs allowed over his last 6 games. We set Greene’s line close to +300 to homer, but you can find this price at DraftKings and also use the latest DraftKings bonus offer to get $200 in bonus bets instantly after your first wager of $5 or more and over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket:
Brandon Lowe, Rays (+400, BetMGM)
Lowe has 4 HRs in his last 7 games and continues to mash right-handed pitching. He’s hitting .297 with a .909 OPS and 20 HRs against RHPs this season. On the road, he’s batting .314 with 11 HRs in just 43 games, and he’ll be in a hitter-friendly park in Sacramento. A’s starter JT Ginn has allowed an .875 OPS at home and 8 HRs in 8 home starts. We set Lowe’s line at +314 to homer, but you can find this price at BetMGM, where you can also get up to $1,500 in bonus bets back if your first bet loses:
Responsible gaming is important at all sportsbooks and they offer plenty of tools for users to practice gaming responsibly. These include setting deposit limits, taking timeouts and using self-exclusion measures. Some sportsbook platforms have live chat features for users to get in touch with support. All sportsbooks have contact information for state and national helplines for those who need additional assistance.
LARAMIE – Cort Roberson, one of the revered “Blue-collar Boys” from the 2022 NCAA Tournament team, set the standard for Wyoming walk-on players. “To do a thankless job for four years, well now I have a chance to thank him,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said after surprising Roberson last season with a scholarship for his […]
LARAMIE –Cort Roberson, one of the revered “Blue-collar Boys” from the 2022 NCAA Tournament team, set the standard for Wyoming walk-on players.
“To do a thankless job for four years, well now I have a chance to thank him,” UW head coach Sundance Wicks said after surprising Roberson last season with a scholarship for his final semester. “That was a special moment to me because I know how much this place means to him, I know how much sacrifice he has put into this. And he’s seen the best and the worst of it here, but that’s what makes him a real guy because we never get out of this thing unscarred.
“Cort Roberson will forever be a foxhole guy for me.”
Talan Taylor, a freshman walk-on Wicks added to complete the Cowboys’ 2025-26 roster, has had conversations with Roberson and aspires to earn respect from his coaches and teammates while doing the dirty work to get the program back into the spotlight.
The 6-foot-4 guard grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho, dreaming of playing in the Arena-Auditorium because his father and other family members are proud UW graduates.
“Getting the opportunity to be a walk-on here just knowing Sundance, I felt like I couldn’t pass that up because I love the University of Wyoming and the opportunity to wear the brown and gold has always been a special thing in my life,” Taylor said. “My dad grew up in Star Valley and I have family throughout the whole state. He raised me to love Wyoming and going to sporting events, so I’ve always just loved the Pokes.”
Former UW head coach Jeff Linder, who recruited Roberson, contacted Taylor before leaving for Texas Tech. During a visit to campus last season, Wicks told him to think about walking on with the Cowboys instead of pursing opportunities to play in junior college.
“I wanted a walk-on who has a deep-seeded love for the Cowboys more than anything else,” Wicks said. “Somebody who has got a past here. His dad and his uncle both got two degrees from the University of Wyoming. Talan has pictures of himself with Larry Nance Jr. He loves the Cowboys, and I wanted that to be in our locker room, just a love for Wyoming.”
Admittedly, Taylor was not feeling the love during the grueling eight weeks of summer workouts Wicks and his staff put the team through. He was injured during the early portion of the sessions and was still catching his breath long after the final sets of sprints at 7,220 feet.
Adjusting to the Mountain West level of play is an ongoing process for Taylor and other newcomers coming up from high school, junior college and Division II ranks.
“I’m doing everything with the team, and I feel just as much a part of it as everybody else. Sundance has made that clear and talked about how I have the same opportunity as everybody else. I’m just trying to prove myself like everybody else,” Taylor said. “I definitely have to improve level wise. (Last week) we did a running competition, and I need to be in better shape if I want the opportunity to show everything I’ve got. It’s a step up and these eight weeks have shown that, but I felt I’ve improved.”
Taylor averaged 14.0 points and 4.3 rebounds while leading Hillcrest High School to the Idaho state tournament title game. He recorded over 100 made 3-pointers in his final two high school seasons and shot 41 percent from behind the arc as a junior with 60 makes.
“You can always have an idea in your mind what it’s like, but until you get in the trenches it’s like Mike Tyson, everybody’s got a plan until I punch you in the face,” Wicks said of Taylor’s early transition from high school to UW. “I think this summer kind of punched Talan in the face a little bit and that’s a good thing because you learn how to handle hard. …
“One thing I know, if you have a deep seeded love for something it’s going to be really hard for you to hang those sneakers up. He’s got a real chance to be a Cort Roberson type in the future.”
(Editor’s note: This is the 10th in a 12-part series introducing fans to UW’s new men’s basketball players. Next up: Simm-Marten Saadi).
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming’s culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes.
This show features prospects who hope to earn UFC contracts by showcasing their skills inside the octagon. The most notable graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series is former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC. UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena is also a DWCS […]
This show features prospects who hope to earn UFC contracts by showcasing their skills inside the octagon. The most notable graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series is former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC. UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena is also a DWCS graduate.
A DraftKings Sportsbook bettor had a big win on the first episode of DWCS last season, turning $150 into over $2,200 with a four-leg Dana White’s Contender Series Parlay Bet featuring the following picks:
● Jose Delgado Moneyline
● Bruno Lopes Moneyline
● Mansur Abdul-Malik Moneyline
● Rami Hamed To Win By Decision
As a result of all of these outcomes hitting in the Parlay Bet, the DWCS bettor took home $2,211.62.
Dana White’s Contender Series airs on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Week 1 features an exciting fight between two large middleweights: Ilian Bouafia and Neemias Santana.
Email
Remove
SEE ALL