Podcast

Anonymous MLB player poll

Published

6 months ago

June 12, 2025

We’re not exactly sure where the months went, but the calendar tells us that it is indeed June, which means it’s once again time for The Athletic’s annual MLB Player Poll.

Over the course of 2 1/2 months, from spring training until early May, our writers interviewed more than 135 players across 21 teams and granted them anonymity to get their honest takes on the idea of robo-umps, what they’ve heard — good and bad — about other organizations, misconceptions about the job, the impact of sports betting, which players they most enjoy watching while on the clock and much more.

This is not exactly a scientific poll — not every player we spoke to answered every question or provided a quote in support of their choice — but it does provide an interesting look into the thoughts of those making up Major League Baseball in 2025.

Let’s get into it.

Note: Some player quotes have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

After several years — and player polls — of Shohei Ohtani running away with the “Who is the best player in baseball” prompt, we decided to reframe the question a bit and find out who players most enjoy watching play. In our minds, this question could be interpreted any number of ways. Whose style of play do they appreciate? Whose enthusiasm on the field is fun to watch? Any personal rubric would be accepted.

It turns out, after all that, that the prevailing answer was … still Shohei Ohtani, who earned over 20 percent of the vote. (He probably would have had more, but as was the case last year, more than one player talked themselves out of naming him for fear of being unoriginal.)

Ohtani was followed by Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., who collected a little over 10 percent of the responses. One player who voted for Witt summarized his reasoning nicely: “He’s quiet, goes about his work, balls out.”

In their own words

On Ohtani

“How can you honestly pick someone else?”

“It’s so hard to get him out. What he does, I don’t know if we’ll ever see it again.”

“He makes it look too easy.”

“Shohei being able to do both, it just doesn’t make any sense. There aren’t enough hours in the day to work on your craft for both.”

“The versatility obviously stands out. He’s always prepared, no matter who the pitcher is.”

“He’s a big moment waiting to happen, especially with the bat. I think people have forgotten about him as a pitcher and he’s electric. Hopefully, you never know coming back from a second Tommy John. The team he plays for is always on TV, he’s really good and always works a good at-bat, always puts the ball in play.”

“He’s a cheat code.”

“He’s the best MyPlayer you could ever create.”

“You’re watching someone have that kind of success on both sides of the ball. It’s so rare. Players are blown away by it as much — or more — than fans are.”

“He literally does everything. He might be the best baseball player ever. He probably is.”

“I really want to see him pitch again.”

“He has an opportunity to hit a homer every single at-bat, more opportunity to do something exciting.”

“It’s just going to be cool no matter what he does.”

“He’s an animal. He’s not from this world.”

On Witt

“He can steal bags, hit for power, play good shortstop.”

“He’s fast, he’s got power, he’s got a good arm, great glove, hustles, plays the game the right way, smart.”

“He’s awesome. He’s really great at every tool you want: defense, arm, speed, contact, power. Good guy. Fun to watch.”

“He doesn’t have crazy size like Judge or Ohtani; he’s pretty regular looking, but just (has) unbelievable talent. Last year was the first time I saw him live, and it was barrel, barrel, barrel. It was unreal.”

“His swing is so good.”

“Five-tool player. Athletic, plays a premium defensive position and plays it well. He’s fast and he’s even got another gear when he needs it. He does a lot of things the game of baseball is catered towards, and that’s what makes him so exciting.”

“His defense is great, offense. I think he’s got it all. I like watching him play.”

“He plays my position and he does everything at an elite level.”

On Acuña

“That guy’s a freak of nature.”

“Everything. He does everything. Hitting. Power. Running. Defense.”

“His swag is very electric. First-pitch homer, that was crazy. How he runs the bases, how he swings. Everything is special about him. … I’d pay for a ticket to see him.”

On De La Cruz

“Seems like he has a lot of fun, like I play.”

“It’s going to be something different every day. It’s not always the speed, sometimes he’ll run into a ball. Sometimes he’ll make a sick play and go into the hole and throw the guy out to start a game.”

“He’s probably the fastest guy in the league, and he seems to always have fun when he’s playing. He’s electric.”

“It’s kind of a cool skill set he has — the base stealing, the power, the big arm. He has all the weapons and his ceiling is extremely high.”

“Elly’s pretty fun to watch, except when he’s running all over us.”

On Betts

“Does everything well. Incredible athlete. Just the modern five-tool player. You see guys go from the infield to the outfield; he did the opposite. It’s pretty impressive.”

“Just the way he plays the game, the way he can be a Gold Glove right fielder and play shortstop, too. His athleticism and his swing.”

“He’s the most athletic player in the game and it seems like he’s always having fun.”

On Judge

“I wish I was as big and strong as him. He does things that only he can do on the baseball field. I feel lucky that I get to watch him every day.”

“People love power and offense. Every time he steps to the plate, you expect something special.”

“He can do it all.”

“He just hits the ball so hard.”

On Lindor

“Just the way he brings passion to the game.”

“He’s my favorite player. He’s a baller. Five-tool player.”

“He impacts the game in so many ways — hitting, defense and base running, all with a style to him.”

On Skenes

“Man, he’s nasty. I think he’s going to end up being the best pitcher in the sport, if he’s not already. It’s kind of crazy, too, because he’s so young. I can’t wait to see how he’s going to get better over the next few years.”

On Harris

“Defensively, he’s incredible. He does things most people can’t do. Offensively, it’s always fun to watch guys. But defensively, that’s where you show your true athleticism. But he does things I’ve never seen anybody else do.”

“He just has so much fun. He’s got some swag.”

On Harper

“He’s the guy that if he comes off injury, he’s going 4-for-4 with three homers. If he’s getting booed at a stadium, he’s going to hit a homer. He has that clutch gene in him.”

“Loved the feel he had for the moment in London.”

It probably should surprise no one that the current highest-paid player in MLB history tops this list with 15.6 percent of the vote, especially when you consider we began our polling roughly two months after the 26-year-old signed his historic 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets this past offseason. But pitchers had a lot to say about what makes Soto such a fearsome hitter, and it starts with his patience at the plate.

“He doesn’t swing at a lot of crap,” said one NL pitcher. “Not a lot of swing-and-miss in his game and he can do damage.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Shohei Ohtani (14.1 percent) and Aaron Judge (9.4 percent) round out this year’s top three.

In their own words

On Soto

“He’s very disciplined. Just seems like he doesn’t hit anything soft. Anything in the zone, he puts the barrel on it. His discipline is almost intimidating, for lack of a better word. Especially in a leverage situation, it’s like you have to make a perfect pitch.”

“His ability to have plate discipline, no whiff and power is really, really difficult to face. There aren’t many guys who have the power to hit like that but not the whiff. He hits mistakes every time. He doesn’t chase.”

“It’s ridiculous. If there’s a moment where he can turn it on, he’s just able to do it. It’s crazy.”

“He has amazing control of the strike zone. You know he’s probably not going to chase. He also has insane power and can hit the ball to all fields. He’s such a tough out.”

On Ohtani

“Oh, I have nothing for him. That’s a tough at-bat for me.”

“He’s the best hitter right now.”

“He’s one of those guys who knows his strengths, knows his strike zone. He has that idea when he steps in the box, that feeling of he knows what he’s going to do.”

On Judge

“He rakes against me.”

“He puts fear in pitchers even when he’s not due up in the inning. You’re wondering about him the next inning.”

On Alvarez

“That guy owns me. He’s my nemesis.”

On Freeman

“I think he showed it last year in the postseason. Goodness gracious.”

On Betts

“Honestly, just a great hitter.”

On Ramírez

“Bat-to-ball lefties are hard for me. José is a really tough matchup.”

“He’s been tough to pitch against.”

“He’s very clutch.”

“He’s just a consistent hitter throughout. Doesn’t have a whole lot of holes, he’s just a hitter that we have to flip the script on every game throughout the series. Whatever we do in Game 1, we can’t do in Game 2 because he’ll be hunting that. He’s making adjustments on the fly and it makes scouting him that much harder.”

On Witt

“Super explosive contact-wise and power-wise. You can’t cheat him.”

On Harper

“He comes through in clutch situations.”

“Smart hitter, doesn’t miss, not a lot of holes. He punishes the ball. It looks like he welcomes those moments.”

The first and last time we posed this question to players was back in 2018, and amazingly, there are still a few holdovers here from that inaugural poll.

One thing is clear: Hitters did not want to see Chris Sale back then, and they don’t sound all that excited about the potential of seeing him now, either. The 36-year-old and eight-time All-Star was a runner-up in that original poll but lands on top of this year’s list with 16 percent of the vote. Our respondents had a lot to say about why, but one word kept coming up again and again (and again).

In their own words

On Sale

“Nasty.”

“He was untouchable last year. When you win all three categories in the Triple Crown, it’s hard to name anyone else.”

“You want the challenge but he’s just nasty.”

“He’s nasty. I got one hit off him already, so I know I’m probably never going to get another one ever again.”

On Skubal

“In my opinion, he has a decent lead over anybody else. His fastball is so good, and last year he made a real effort to throw other pitches and keep hitters off-balance. The fastball sets up the changeup, and it just gets on you so quick. The hitters are so uncomfortable.”

“He’s nasty for everybody. Everything’s really hard, his changeup’s really good. Hard to pick up. Everything’s kind of funky coming out of all of the stuff he does.”

“I hit better from the left side, and he feels so challenging hitting from the left side. He might be the best pitcher in the game.”

On Wheeler

“Really smart pitcher who just keeps getting better and has multiple ways to get you out.”

On Chapman

“(Wouldn’t want to face him) in his prime.”

“I’m going with Aroldis because he throws so hard and is kind of wild on the mound. You don’t really know where the ball is going to end up. It would be a tough at-bat if he’s on and still nerve-racking when he’s off.”

On Duran

“I faced him in the minors when he was a starter and he was electric then — but now that he’s throwing just one inning and giving it everything he’s got? He’s just taken it to another level.”

On Skenes

“I know he won’t be there (because of the Pirates), but he’s nasty. His control glove side to lefties, I’ve never seen before in my life. Throwing 102 up and in for strikes? Then hipping a 96 mph sinker that starts in on you? You can’t pull the trigger on that. Then once you do, you foul one off, and then he throws an 88-mph changeup away. What do you do? I faced him maybe 8 or 9 times and it’s hard to form an approach off of him. He’s very mature for his age.”

“Have you seen the movement on his pitches? It’s crazy.”

On Strider

“His stuff. His fastball does different thing. It cuts sometimes if it’s in. If it’s up, it’s going to rise. If it’s low, it can rise or stay low. He can throw off the hitter and has good secondary stuff as well and has command of all his pitches. When I faced him, it wasn’t fun.”

“He will remind people why this year. His stuff is crazy.”

On Treinen

“Blake Treinen’s slider. For nine straight innings.”

On Valdez

“I cannot square (up) his stuff. Any pitch he throws me, I feel like I’m just beating it into the ground.”

“He’s always tough. He’s always given me a hard time. He’s tough in the postseason.”

On King

“He crossfires and throws sinkers hard, like 98 mph. The slider, big slider. It’s going everywhere.”

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Harry How; Chris Sale: Todd Kirkland; Juan Soto: Mary DeCicco / MLB Photos / Getty Images)

Podcast

Better rookie season

Published

4 months ago

September 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

As the clock wound down in a recent contest, the Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton and Kaila Charles swarmed Paige Bueckers on the perimeter to deny the Dallas Wings rookie from even getting off a shot. The 3.2 remaining seconds ticked away, and the ball remained in Bueckers’ hands as the buzzer sounded.

That type of attention has become common for Bueckers in her debut WNBA season, especially as the firepower in the Wings rotation has thinned because of injury — eight of 12 players on the opening-night roster have missed seven or more games — putting more offensive burden on her. Bueckers has also proven increasingly capable of dissecting single coverage and has demanded star-level defense.

“She lets the game come to her, and she takes what the defense is giving her all over the floor,” Wings coach Chris Koclanes said. “She doesn’t get sped up, and it’s really impressive for a rookie in this league to be able to maintain her own speed and tempo.”

But the game was already in hand when the Valkyries corralled Bueckers at the 3-point line. Golden State led by nine and the heightened defense wasn’t because the game was in balance; it was because Bueckers needed one more point to reach double digits, as she had done in every prior game of her rookie year.

With Dallas long since removed from postseason contention and playing out the string over the second half of the season, these are the stakes for Bueckers. She hasn’t been put in position to chase wins; she can only pursue individual accolades while the Wings build for the future. Nevertheless, despite a constantly changing supporting cast, Bueckers has thrived, putting herself in conversation for one of the best debuts in league history.

Bueckers has been the leading rookie scorer every month of the 2025 season, and her average of 18.9 points is seventh in WNBA history among rookies. With three games left, a late surge could move Bueckers past her teammate Arike Ogunbowale, who is sixth on the list at 19.1.

Paige Bueckers in August:

🪽 20.3 PPG | 3.7 RPG | 5.0 APG
🪽 44-point performance: highest by any W player this season
🪽 @Kia Rookie of the Month#KiaROTM | #WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/Cx09czcFhi

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 3, 2025

As was the case during her college career that culminated in a national championship at UConn, Bueckers has been efficient in the process of scoring at a high volume. Among rookies who have averaged at least 17 points per game, Bueckers is sixth in field-goal percentage at 46.7. The only two guards in front of her are Chennedy Carter, whose first season came in the friendly offensive environment of the WNBA bubble, and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who was a 34-year-old rookie during the league’s inaugural season.

Bueckers has been an elite playmaker as well. She is on pace to finish the season as one of 12 rookies to ever average five assists per game, and one of two to pair that with 15 points, joining Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.

Clark became the standard-bearer for rookie guards during her historic 2024 season, and her production is the only realistic point of comparison for Bueckers. Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi were also first-year All-Stars, but neither displayed the same combination of elite scoring and creation as Clark and Bueckers. The new generation of rookies has the advantage of playing in a more offensive-minded league. Still, their numbers relative to the rest of the league stand out.

The last two No. 1 picks both delivered individual historic moments. Bueckers tied a rookie record last month with 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks, on a night when she started alongside two players who were signed midseason to hardship contracts. Clark set the single-game assist record of 19 about midway through last season.

But Bueckers trails Clark in most of the counting stats: 18.9 to 19.2 in points, 3.7 to 5.7 in rebounds, and 5.3 to 8.4 in assists. Other than points, those differences cannot be explained by the extra two minutes Clark averaged as a rookie. The major advantage Bueckers possesses is in turnovers, where her 2.1 per game is significantly better than Clark’s 2.8.

Bueckers has a better overall field-goal percentage, but since so many of Clark’s shots came from 3-point range, the Fever guard’s effective field-goal percentage (which weights the point value of each field goal) of 52.2 percent bests Bueckers’ mark of 50.4. Clark also shot better from 3-point range (34.4 percent to 33 percent) despite attempting them three times as frequently.

Those box-score numbers don’t fully account for the surrounding situation of each rookie. Clark’s assists, for example, were easier to come by with All-Star Aliyah Boston in the middle of the floor; the 2023 No. 1 pick was the recipient of 105 of Clark’s helpers, or 2.6 per game. Both Clark and Bueckers had an All-Star guard sharing the backcourt in Kelsey Mitchell and Ogunbowale and a relatively similar level of talent on the rest of the roster, at least to start the season, but Dallas didn’t have anyone resembling Boston.

Another feat for PB5 🙌

Paige Bueckers joins Caitlin Clark as the second rookie in WNBA history to record 500+ PTS, 150+ AST, 100+ REB, and 50+ STL in a season. #WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/G1rooMRgLo

— WNBA (@WNBA) August 23, 2025

Although Bueckers had a worse net rating than Clark (minus-5.0 compared to minus-2.4), her on-off differential has been better in her rookie season. The Wings are 8.1 points per 100 possessions better with Bueckers on the court, demonstrating her impact, even if it hasn’t translated to victories. Win shares favor Bueckers as well, and she can build on her 3.5-3.0 lead in the final three games.

However one chooses to assess the statistical impact of Bueckers and Clark in their first years, there is one point of comparison that works in Clark’s favor. Bueckers’ production has come in the context of a largely meaningless season, as Dallas hasn’t even spent one day in playoff position. Clark and the Fever, on the other hand, rallied from a 2-9 start to pursue a postseason berth.

That is the next frontier for Bueckers: not be a spoiler, but to play in games of real consequence. Clark’s rookie season ended with a big chasing her on the perimeter as she launched a 3-pointer because a playoff win was on the line. Bueckers’ rookie season could be lost to history if Dallas doesn’t put her in that position sooner than later.

(Photo of Paige Bueckers: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)

NIL

Christian Gonzalez misses Patriots practice, 'working' to return from injury

Published

4 months ago

September 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Christian Gonzalez misses Patriots practice, 'working' to return from injury

FOXBORO — Christian Gonzalez quietly folded and put away some of the clothing in his locker at Gillette Stadium.

While his Patriots teammates prepared for a fully-padded practice just four days before their season opener, the third-year corner did not. He understood the plan for him on Wednesday was to do some conditioning work on the side and not much more.

“I’m working,” he said softly.

Gonzalez is inarguably his team’s best player. He was named a Second-Team All-Pro last season after routinely matching up with and shutting down opposing No. 1 receivers. He was expected to be one of the linchpins of Mike Vrabel’s defense in 2025, allowing for extensive man-to-man looks and aggressive calls for pressure because of his lock-down coverage skills.

But after Gonzalez missed Wednesday’s practice, his status for Sunday’s game is in doubt, despite Vrabel not ruling him out. Gonzalez hasn’t practiced since injuring his hamstring on July 28.

“He’s continuing to work,” Vrabel said prior to the practice, “and he’ll do some stuff on the side, but I’m not going to rule anybody out. … We’ll continue to work and treat and make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to help him, and he’s doing everything he can to get back out on the field. That’s the only update I have right now.”

Gonzalez rode a stationary air bike on the upper fields behind Gillette Stadium while his teammates practiced on the lower field. He pedaled under the watchful eye of assistant strength and conditioning coach Brian McDonough before pausing and watching the action on the fields below.

“I mean, I do like where he’s at from an engagement standpoint,” Vrabel said. “We’ve been through this with other players, and I like where he’s at from that standpoint. In the meetings, locked in, following along at practice, which is difficult. To think that a player that’s not in there can follow along, I’ve been through that as a player and a coach, and I think he’s done a nice job of being able to do that.”

While Vrabel surely would like to have Gonzalez for Week 1 against a Raiders offense that features second-year standout tight end Brock Bowers and former Patriots wideout Jakobi Meyers, he didn’t indicate that he would be rushing Gonzalez back onto the field, either.

When asked if it was important for him to allow players to get back to “100 percent” before returning to the field, Vrabel shed some light on his thought process.

“I mean, I don’t use percentages,” Vrabel said, “but, again, I’ll remind you what we talked about as far as, when I try to make decisions about players and returning, one, can they make it worse? Can they, two, protect themselves?

“We can all say what we want about this game, but it’s violent, and can you protect yourself? And can you do your job up to the standard that we expect and that the player is used to? So, those are the things that I’ve tried to use when making decisions. Maybe I’ll add some to that, but that’s what I’ve tried to use in my other experience in this position.”

[embedded content]

Podcast

Steve Smith Moves His Podcast, 'The 89 Show,' to Blue Wire

Published

4 months ago

September 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Steve Smith Moves His Podcast, 'The 89 Show,' to Blue Wire

Steve Smith Moves His Podcast to Blue Wire

Loading stock data…

Podcast

Andy Roddick returns to tennis on own terms with successful 'Served' podcast

Published

4 months ago

September 1, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Andy Roddick returns to tennis on own terms with successful 'Served' podcast

Andy Roddick’s journey back to tennis began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Tennis Channel asked him to remotely appear on studio programming while the sports world was shut down.

“I didn’t really play. I would come [to the U.S. Open] to do corporate work once a year, and that was it,” Roddick recently told Sports Business Journal. “Tennis Channel was great because I could do it from home. My one thing was, I never wanted the game to control my geography ever again.”

Five years later — and 13 after announcing his retirement from play on his 30th birthday — Roddick has established a pillar of the tennis media ecosystem on his own terms with his “Served” podcast.

Launched in January 2024 with veteran producer Mike Hayden and journalist Jon Wertheim, the show began with ambitions as simple as “a fun side project that I thought no one would listen to,” in Roddick’s words. But since its debut, the show has garnered more than 150,000 YouTube subscribers, 185,000 social media followers and 3.5 million audio downloads while attracting marquee sponsors such as Amazon Prime (2025 French Open, U.S. Open), Mercury Financial (2025 Wimbledon) and ServiceNow (live shows at the upcoming Laver Cup) for events. It also joined Vox Media’s network of sports podcasts last year.

As it’s grown, “Served” has earned bona fides with tennis diehards for long-form interviews with Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi; laid-back but incisive analysis of tennis’ entire calendar of events (not just the Grand Slams); and the versatility to dig deep into topics such as, in an early sitdown with longtime IMG Tennis agent/executive Max Eisenbud, the economics of tennis player development.

“What makes him special, specific to his podcast, is his ability to transcend the deep tennis insiders, but also the casual tennis fans,” said Eric Butorac, a former doubles player on the ATP Tour and the USTA’s senior director of player relations and business development.

“He’s [Roddick] exactly like he was on tour. You walk into the locker room, and you just hope he’s sitting there, because he’s going to be jabbering away, super engaged, super competitive. … It’s the same way when I turn on ‘Served.’”

Served Media — the media company atop “Served” co-founded by Roddick and Hayden — is now a seven-figure revenue business. Since the debut of its eponymous podcast, it has launched a women’s tennis-focused show hosted by Kim Clijsters, daily recap program hosted by Hayden, active social and newsletter channels, and a merchandise line, with yet-to-be disclosed plans for further content expansion.

“We thought there would be a lane for it for, like, super nerds,” Roddick said. “But I don’t know that we thought it would grow like this.”

NIL

Postgame Podcast

Published

4 months ago

August 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

RALEIGH, N.C. — NC State needed a fourth-down stop in the red zone to survive, but came away with a 24-17 win over ECU to start the season. The Wolfpack (1-0) finished with 423 total yards behind CJ Bailey’s 318 yards passing with one touchdown through the air and one on the ground.

Cory Smith and Michael Clark share their thoughts after the game, including Bailey’s performance, Wesley Grimes’ career night, Hollywood Smothers’ solid outing, and the defense’s up-and-down night. Get all of that and more on the latest Postgame Podcast.

[embedded content]

CLICK HERE TO TRY THE 75% OFF TRIAL TODAY!

Listen to the full podcast below and subscribe on iTunes, the Google Play Store or find us on Spotify by searching for “Pack Pride Podcast” under the podcasts section.

Not a VIP subscriber to Pack Pride? Sign up now to get access to everything R. Cory Smith, Michael Clark and the entire Pack Pride team have to offer on all things NC State and access to the No. 1 site covering the Wolfpack.

Sign up for FREE text alerts to get breaking news on commitments, decommitments, transfers, injuries, coaching changes and much more with our NEW text alert system available to all registered users and VIP subscribers. Click Here to become a FREE registered user and Click Here if you are already a VIP subscriber.

Want the latest news on NC State delivered right to your email? Subscribe to the Pack Pride newsletter here. It is free and a great way to get daily updates on NC State football, basketball, baseball, recruiting and more delivered straight to your inbox.