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It’ll end up on giant screens and promotional posters and videos before they fight. When ring announcers welcome them at the beginning of the fight, and call them out as the winner at the end, it’s all part of it.

It’s what made Marvin Hagler “Marvelous,” Ray Leonard, Ray Robinson and Shane Mosley three lumps of “Sugar” and Muhammad Ali simply “The Greatest.” Names are names, but a nickname is a moniker that becomes part of a fighter almost as much as the way they attack in the ring.

It’s a descriptor that follows them throughout their career and their lives. Yes, other sports have players with nicknames, but in team sports it can get lost, outside of a few rare exceptions.

But in boxing, where there are only two fighters in the ring, it becomes something more — especially when it’s emblazoned on a fighter’s trunks.

“It describes your alter ego,” Claressa Shields said. “I think people get confused when they feel like fighters are the same person they are inside the ring as they are outside the ring. A lot of us are completely different.”

Nicknames mean different things for everyone and cover a spectrum — from the ludicrous to the meaningful, to something random that just kind of stuck. They can be used as differentiators for people with common names, and as a way to try and create excitement and brand recognition for fans.

“Money” became a way of life for Floyd Mayweather — his lifestyle brand is called “The Money Team,” or TMT for short. “Golden Boy” enveloped a lot of Oscar De La Hoya’s persona, and became the name of his boxing promotions company. “Raging Bull” became more than a nickname for Jake LaMotta — it turned into a 1980 classic movie nominated for eight Academy Awards and nabbed Robert DeNiro the Oscar for Best Actor.

We spoke to some of today’s fighters to understand the origins of their nicknames.

Teofimo Lopez: “The Takeover”

Teofimo Lopez and his sister, Andrea, were sitting at home in Las Vegas in 2017, kicking around ideas. Trying to think of a catchphrase more than a nickname — something to describe Lopez’s lofty career aspirations.

“I think it has a statement or a stamp on it that that is yours,” Lopez said about having a nickname. In thinking of fighters like Mayweather and “Iron” Mike Tyson, they were certain that Lopez needed something.

“I was like, ‘Let’s do ‘The Takeover.” She said, ‘We taking over the world,'” Lopez said. “I said, ‘Say that again.’ And I put ‘The.’ And she put ‘Takeover.’ And we just put it together, man.”

By 2018, Lopez and his team started really pushing “The Takeover” as a concept, not knowing if it would actually stick. They thought it might, but Lopez put on the full court press as he tried to mention it in every conversation and social media post he could.

By osmosis, it became his nickname — a transition from “El Brooklyn.” He still likes “El Brooklyn,” as it ties into where he comes from. Lopez fought as “El Brooklyn” in New York. But as he grew, “The Takeover” made a lot more sense.

It serves a dual purpose. Besides sticking with fans, it sends a message of what he’s trying to accomplish.

“When you think of ‘Takeover,’ it’s everything. The world and everything in it,” Lopez said. “And that’s what it comes to, and that’s what I’m trying to imply. Teofimo is not just going to be a name that you only hear once.”

Tyson Fury: “The Gypsy King”

The King of the Gypsies is real and, as Tyson Fury tells it, he has lineage on both sides of his family who were once “The Gypsy King”: Uriah Burton and Bartley Gorman. They fought bare-knuckle. While Fury does not, he said he earned the title of “The Gypsy King” after beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to win the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles. And, unlike the titles he did let go for a period of time, he hasn’t relinquished the nickname since.

“I always knew I’d become ‘The Gypsy King’ and that’s the ultimate nickname,” Fury said. “I always aspired to be the best, always wanted to be the heavyweight champion of the world. And there’s a lot of honor and respect that comes with my inherited title because there’s gypsies in every country in the world.

“I don’t know if you notice, but they always come and support me. Whatever country I go to in the world, there’s gypsies there and I am ‘The Gypsy King.’ So they all come to support me.”

Fury said he’s declined other awarded British titles of nobility because of his respect for the honor of being “The Gypsy King.” And it’s a title he doesn’t plan on giving it up for a long, long time.

Fury also wants to have the star power of someone bigger than a boxer — rather that of a crossover star or even a musician, mentioning Elvis and one of his personal favorites, Tom Jones.

Boxing, he says, is merely the beginning of a journey.

“Gypsy King is a badass mother—–,” Fury said. “That’s what you should know. He’s a bad man. He’s taking over.”

Claressa Shields: “GWOAT”

Claressa Shields finally decided it was time for a change. For years, since she was a kid starting out in boxing, Shields had gone by “T-Rex.” It was on her gear. Heck, it was the name of the 2015 documentary made about her life.

But things have changed. She is one of the best, if not the best, female boxer in the world. She won her professional MMA debut with only months of training. So she saw the need for an update.

“GWOAT, Greatest Woman of All Time, goes into like I’m boxing now, I’m two-time undisputed, three-time division world champion,” Shields said. “I’m [a] MMA fighter, 1-0 with one knockout. I just felt GWOAT fit me better now because really I can handle any boxing style, any weight class, any sport.

“You got MMA, you got boxing. And I’m just kind of like, great, all around. So I just thought it was time to go ahead and just change it permanently and just let ‘T-Rex’ go.”

Shields said she made the decision on the switch after her fight against Marie Eve Dicaire in March on a pay-per-view card she headlined. The win made her a two-division undisputed champion and a three-division world champion, as well as the first boxer in the four-belt era to hold undisputed championships in two weight classes.

She believes her longtime fans saw the process and had waited for her to make the switch. It’s also a nickname she coined and trademarked in 2019 for use on clothing and other gear.

“It’s definitely been picking up a whole lot of momentum in the past year,” Shields said.

Her now-former nickname, “T-Rex,” came from the start of her career when she was age 11 and described her fighting style — a kid at the time, she was tall and lanky with fairly short arms. So the guy she sparred with called her “T-Rex.”‘

“He said, ‘Because your arms are short and you be looking like a little dinosaur when you trying to get us,'” Shields said. “He kind of did a little T-Rex arms and his mouth open and I just started cracking up.”

Childhood laughter led to a realization there was a catchiness to it, turning it into one of the most known nicknames in boxing. Throughout her career, that includes headlining her own pay-per-view card earlier this year, she kept her T-Rex moniker.

But she knew at some point it would be going away. That as her career progressed, she would want something a little different.

While she won’t have an issue being connected to “T-Rex,” she feels like she’s in a situation similar to when Floyd Mayweather switched from “Pretty Boy” to “Money.”

“I’ll always have ‘T-Rex’ inside of me,” Shields said. “But I just felt like ‘The Greatest Woman of All Time’ is ‘T-Rex’ times 10.”

Sebastian Fundora: “The Towering Inferno”

It makes sense that the then-20-year-old Sebastian Fundora had never heard of ‘”The Towering Inferno”‘ when it was suggested to him as a nickname in 2018.

The 1974 Paul Newman-Steve McQueen film came out 25 years before Fundora was born. But when he signed with promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, there was talk of a nickname.

Fundora is 6-foot-6, so Lewkowicz suggested “The Towering Inferno.” Fundora wasn’t really looking for a nickname, but four years later, it remains.

“I didn’t know what it was,” Fundora said. “It was just another nickname for my height. I didn’t really care for it that much, but people really started to like it. So if it works, it works.”

It was a stroke of ingenuity. Fundora feels his fighting style fits the name, despite still never having seen the movie. He feels his high punch rate makes sense with the moniker that first grew on him when he started fighting on television.

Now one of the rising junior middleweight prospects, he’s comfortable with the name and doesn’t mind it. “Why,” he says, “change a good thing?” So good, in fact, he might even decide to see a movie that’s considered one of the better disaster movies of all time.

“That gives me more of a reason to watch it,” Fundora said. “No one tells me that. They just tell me that it’s an old movie.”

Gabriela Fundora: “Sweet Poison”

Freddy Fundora tried to give nicknames to all of his boxing children, other than Sebastian. When he saw his daughter take to boxing, he was struck with an idea: “Sweet Poison,” because it fit her personality.

There’s a connection to the comic book villain Poison Ivy, and the play-on names went from there.

“Outside of the ring I’m a girly girl and I’m always very feminine,” Fundora said. “But then when I go inside the ring, I’m a beast and I’ll destroy whoever goes in my way.”

The 19-year-old junior bantamweight had initially considered “Twisted Sister,” but then decided that would work better on her younger sister instead.

So far, it’s worked. The 5-foot-9 Fundora, who turned pro in May, has won her first four fights.

Danielle Perkins: “Skippity Paps”

Perhaps the weirdest nickname in boxing came from videos of a cat. Seriously. Danielle Perkins, a heavyweight who used to play college basketball at St. John’s, started saying “Give ’em the Skippity Paps” after watching videos of cats on their hind legs moving their front paws.

Fellow USA boxer Naomi Graham was aware of Perkins’ infatuation and called Perkins “Skippity Paps” for the first time. Perkins laughed. So she went with it, even starting to wear t-shirts with cats on them while sparring.

Then she started wearing cat t-shirts for sparring.

“They are all different cats,” Perkins said. “When I go to spar. It just keeps it light.

“I do try to break people’s jaws when I hit them. The least I can do is show up and be friendly.”

Jared Anderson: “The Real Big Baby”

When Jared Anderson was at the Toledo Power gym starting out as a boxer, others would come in, see his size at that time — almost 6-feet, 200 pounds — and wonder how old he was. When they were told he was 13 or 14, most people didn’t believe it.

Since it was a gym that was as much a boxing training center as it was a place for average humans to try and lose weight or gain mass, they would continually be taken by surprise.

“It’s like, ‘Wow, this kid is huge, but he’s still a baby for real,'” Anderson said. “So it just kind of stuck. They always used to say it. I really didn’t like it in the beginning, but it was a good name.”

It followed him through his time with Team USA. When he turned pro in 2018, Anderson considered changing it. He even floated out some possibilities on Facebook — one being the “T-Town Bully.” For the quasi-contest on social media, he had different logos made up by a friend’s cousin and then let fans decide.

“A lot of my older fans told me the bully wasn’t a good look,” Anderson said. “Nobody really likes a bully and I understood it and where it was coming from. I kind of liked the name at first, being young-minded, but it’s good for promotional reasons and everything.

“Plus, I was never like that, I was never a bully in school or anything, so it’s not good to pretend to be something you’re not.”

And so “Big Baby” still won out. Anderson said he’s done shopping for nicknames. It might not be the most original name in the world — former NBA player Glen Davis and fellow heavyweight Jarrell Miller are nicknamed “Big Baby,” too — but he’s “The Real” Big Baby, and it works for him.

Jamel Herring: “Semper Fi”

Herring’s nickname is self-explanatory. As a former Marine, it just made sense — even if at first he didn’t care whether or not he had a nickname at all.

“It just fit,” Herring said. “‘Once a Marine, Always a Marine’ is what we go by, and ‘Semper Fi’ means ‘Always Faithful.’ I took it as I always stayed faithful to the Corps, always stayed faithful to my craft in boxing.

“So that’s why I’ll continue to stick with ‘Semper Fi’ as my nickname.”

Herring sees parallels in his time with the Marines — two deployments to Iraq in 2005 and 2007 — and his career in boxing. He credits how he mentally handled fighting to his time in the Corps, where he dealt with difficult situations constantly — enough to have a book written about his life.

He thought about changing his nickname at one point in his career, but then Herring saw it mattered for reasons bigger than himself. When other current and ex-Marines heard the nickname, they knew he was one of them. He found Marines began rooting for him because of it. They felt connected to him.

And even though he’s the WBO junior lightweight champion, he prefers “Marine” to “Champ” when people call out to him.

“I don’t have to say much. They just know,” Herring said. “Sometimes they’ll say ‘Hey Marine,’ before ‘Hey, Champ.’ That tells you right there, where I came from.”

Josh Taylor: “The Tartan Tornado”

Taylor was sparring with experienced pros before his debut and was dominating, so much so that people in the gym started calling him “The Tornado.” Taylor liked it, but being Scottish is part of his pride, part of his soul. So he wanted something clearly Scottish in there as well.

“So I said, ‘What about ‘The Tartan Tornado,'” Taylor said. “And we stuck with that.”

While that’s the public nickname, there is another one his friends call him with a deeper backstory. Sometimes, Taylor goes by another name: “Hank.”

“Hank” is derived from the 2000 Jim Carrey comedy “Me, Myself and Irene,” where Carrey played a Rhode Island state trooper with dual personalities — Charlie Baileygates, and his alter-ego, Hank.

“Hank” doesn’t necessarily describe Taylor’s personality, but rather a combination of what he does in the ring and some poor decisions with his locks.

“In one sparring and training camp, I went and got a haircut and the barber butchered me and gave me a ‘Hank’ haircut,” Taylor said. “Went back to the gym and was shadowboxing and [former two-division world champion] Carl Frampton came up with ‘Hank.’

“It kind of stuck. Sometimes in the gym, I’m hyperactive and a bit crazy sometimes …”

Taylor prefers to go by “The Tartan Tornado” — “Hank” is more of an inside joke — but he doesn’t mind it. It suits his boxing style, how he moves and, yes, the haircut he still has to this day.

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CFP Bubble Watch: Who’s in? Who’s out? Who’s close ahead of first committee ranking?

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November 4, 2025

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CFP Bubble Watch: Who's in? Who's out? Who's close ahead of first committee ranking?

The College Football Playoff selection committee will reveal its first ranking at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday on ESPN, giving us our first look at what the 12-member group thinks about the playoff pecking order after 10 weeks.

It’s far from over, as teams still have ample opportunities to build — or bust — their résumés.

Separation, though, is starting to occur, and the Bubble Watch is tracking it for you. Teams with Would be in status below are featured in this week’s top 12 projection, a snapshot of what the selection committee’s ranking will look like when it’s released later Tuesday. For each Power 4 conference, we’ve listed teams as Last team in and First team out. These are the true bubble teams hovering around inclusion. Teams labeled Still in the mix haven’t been eliminated, but have work to do. A team that is Out will have to wait until next year.

The 12-member selection committee doesn’t always agree with the Allstate Playoff Predictor, so the following categories are based on historical knowledge of the group’s tendencies, plus what each team has done to date.

The conferences below are listed in order of the number of bids they’re expected to receive, ranked from the most to least. Check back Tuesday night after the rankings reveal show for an updated bubble watch that will reflect the selection committee’s latest ranking.

Jump to a conference:
ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten
SEC | Independent | Group of 5
Bracket

SEC

Would be in: Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

Last team in: Ole Miss. The Rebels are in a safe spot, but they’re not a lock if they don’t run the table. With remaining games against The Citadel, Florida and at rival Mississippi State, there’s no possibility of a “good loss” remaining, and historically, losing in November has been far more damaging to playoff hopes than losing earlier in the season. Ole Miss shouldn’t lose; it has at least a 72% chance of winning each of its remaining games and has the seventh-best chance in the country (43%) to win out. If an upset occurred, though, the Rebels would join the two-loss club and might not win a debate with other two-loss teams that had more statement wins — and didn’t lose to an unranked opponent. The Rebels’ remaining schedule strength is No. 56 in the country. With a second loss, Ole Miss would be banking on wins against Oklahoma, Tulane and LSU to impress the committee enough for an at-large bid.

First team out: Texas. The Longhorns got a significant boost this week in part because three teams above them fell out — Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Miami — but also because they earned another CFP top 25 win against the Commodores. The head-to-head win against Oklahoma also could help them with the committee. If Texas is ranked No. 11 or No. 12 by the committee, though — and the ACC and Group of 5 champions are outside of the committee’s top 12 — the Longhorns would be elbowed out during the seeding process to make room for the fourth- and fifth-highest ranked conference champions, which are guaranteed spots in the playoff.

Still in the mix: Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt. The Sooners earned a huge résumé boost with their win at Tennessee and have what should be a CFP top 25 win against Michigan. For two-loss Vandy, a close road loss to Texas isn’t an eliminator. Where the committee ranks Tennessee after its third loss will impact both of their résumés as a common opponent. Missouri’s lone losses were to Alabama and Vanderbilt, but the Tigers don’t have anything yet to compensate for those. That could change Saturday with a win against Texas A&M.

Out: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee

Big Ten

Would be in: Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon

Last team in: Oregon. The one-loss Ducks have a more challenging second half of the season, and the committee is about to learn how good this team truly is. So far, Oregon’s best win was Sept. 13 at Northwestern. The Ducks have been passing the eye test, but their opponents have a winning percentage of 47.2% — ranked No. 116 in the country. The committee will still respect the double-overtime win at Penn State, but also recognize that the Nittany Lions weren’t playing at an elite level even with James Franklin on the sideline. With road trips to Iowa and Washington — both respectable two-loss teams — and a Nov. 22 home game against USC, Oregon has a chance to further entrench itself in the top 12 or tumble out.

First team out: USC. The Trojans’ two losses were on the road to respectable teams (Illinois and Notre Dame) by a combined 12 points. Their best win was Oct. 11 against Michigan, but the Trojans could really boost their résumé this month and completely flip the script with Oregon if they can win in Eugene on Nov. 22. According to ESPN Analytics, USC has the fourth-best chance in the Big Ten to reach the playoff (17.3%), just ahead of Michigan. The only game they’re not favored to win is Nov. 22 at Oregon. If they can pull off that upset for a 10-2 finish, the committee would definitely consider the Trojans for an at-large spot.

Still in the mix: Iowa, Michigan, Washington. These teams could be ranked by the committee Tuesday night, but Michigan will probably have the shortest climb into the conversation. The head-to-head loss to USC will be a problem in both the Big Ten standings and the CFP ranking, but if USC loses again and their records are no longer comparable, it can be overcome. Then, there’s a head-to-head loss to Oklahoma. Still, Michigan has a 13.2% chance to reach the playoff, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor. The Wolverines still have a chance to beat Ohio State and earn one of the best wins in the country en route to a 10-2 finish.

Out: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin

Big 12

Would be in: BYU, Texas Tech

Last team in: Texas Tech. If Texas Tech loses to BYU on Saturday but still wins the Big 12, it’s a CFP lock. The problem is that if the Red Raiders lose a second conference game, they will need some help to reach the Big 12 championship. So, a loss to BYU could be devastating to their conference and CFP hopes. If the Red Raiders beat BYU on Saturday, but lose to the Cougars in the Big 12 championship game, Texas Tech would still have a chance at an at-large bid as the Big 12 runner-up. The Red Raiders would be able to claim a win over the eventual Big 12 champs, which would be a much-needed boost to their résumé. It would depend in part on how the game unfolded. The Cougars are the Red Raiders’ only remaining opponent with a winning record, as Texas Tech ends the season against UCF (4-4) and at West Virginia (3-6).

First team out: Utah. The Utes are in a tricky spot because their two losses are to the Big 12’s best teams — BYU and Texas Tech. Utah still has the third-best chance to reach the Big 12 title game (22.8%), but will need some help to get there. Utah’s best wins are against Arizona State and Cincinnati, but the Utes have a hard time earning an at-large bid without beating at least one of the best teams in their league.

Still in the mix: Cincinnati. The Bearcats are included here because they still have an 18% chance to reach the Big 12 title game, according to ESPN Analytics. They have only one league loss, which gives them some slim hope. Their other loss was in the season opener to Nebraska.

Out: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, UCF, West Virginia

ACC

Would be in: Virginia

Last team in: Virginia. Like Georgia Tech, Virginia also has a road loss to NC State as its lone blemish, but it was an early four-point loss, while the Yellow Jackets lost to the Wolfpack by double digits. Virginia also has a head-to-head win against Louisville. That’s the Hoos’ best win of the season, and likely their only one against a CFP top 25 opponent. That’s why it’s unlikely Virginia is ranked in the top 12 in the initial CFP top 25. Virginia would still be in, though, if it wins the ACC even if it’s ranked outside the committee’s top 12 — just like three-loss Clemson was last year.

First team out: Louisville. The Cardinals lost at home in overtime to Virginia on Oct. 4, but earned a statement win Oct. 17 at Miami. Louisville will probably have only one win this season against a CFP top 25 team, which will make earning an at-large bid difficult. Louisville’s best shot would be to run the table, have teams above the Cardinals lose, and win the ACC. Louisville has a 10.6% chance of winning the ACC, fourth best behind Georgia Tech, Miami and Virginia.

Still in the mix: Georgia Tech, Miami. The odds of earning an at-large bid dropped significantly, but any team that has a chance to win its league will have a chance to lock up a playoff spot, and they’re both in contention to play for the ACC title. Georgia Tech has the best chance to reach the ACC championship game (72.3%), followed by Virginia (51.1%) and Miami (28.5%), according to ESPN Analytics. Georgia Tech still has the highest chance to win out (40.5%) and win the league (41.2%).

Out: Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Independent

Would be in: Notre Dame. The playoff stars aligned for Notre Dame in Week 10, when Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Miami all lost, opening the door for the 6-2 Irish to move back into the top 10 after beating Boston College. The question is whether the selection committee will honor Miami’s season-opening 27-24 win against Notre Dame because they have the same record. It’s one of several tiebreakers, but not weighted, and if the committee deems the Irish the better team and not comparable now, Notre Dame can be ranked higher. Notre Dame has the best chance of any team in the country to run the table (68.3%), but the Nov. 15 trip to Pitt will be difficult. The Panthers, winners of five straight, are playing well and have a bye week to prepare for the Irish. The Irish’s playoff position will remain tenuous until the clock runs out at Stanford and they’re 10-2.

Group of 5

Would be in: Memphis. As the projected winner of the American this week, Memphis would earn a playoff spot as the committee’s fifth-highest-ranked conference champion. The Tigers’ Oct. 25 win against South Florida was critical in the league race, but the loss to 3-5 UAB is an ink stain on their résumé that can be overcome with a conference title. Memphis has at least a 57% chance to win each of its remaining games, according to ESPN Analytics.

Still in the mix: South Florida, North Texas, James Madison, San Diego State. The committee would consider South Florida’s head-to-head wins against Boise State and North Texas.

Bracket

Based on our weekly projection, the seeding would be:

First-round byes

No. 1 Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
No. 2 Indiana
No. 3 Alabama (SEC champ)
No. 4 Texas A&M

First-round games

On campus, Dec. 19 and 20

No. 12 Memphis (American champ) at No. 5 Georgia
No. 11 Virginia (ACC champ) at No. 6 Ole Miss
No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 BYU (Big 12 champ)
No. 9 Texas Tech at No. 8 Oregon

Quarterfinal games

At the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential and Allstate Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

No. 12 Memphis/No. 5 Georgia winner vs. No. 4 Texas A&M
No. 11 Virginia/No. 6 Ole Miss winner vs. No. 3 Alabama
No. 10 Notre Dame/No. 7 BYU winner vs. No. 2 Indiana
No. 9 Texas Tech/No. 8 Oregon winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State

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Ohtani, Judge up for consecutive MVP awards

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8 hours ago

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November 4, 2025

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Ohtani, Judge up for consecutive MVP awards

  • Associated Press

Nov 3, 2025, 09:16 PM ET

NEW YORK — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge are in the running for consecutive MVP awards.

Ohtani joined Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto as finalists for the National League honor. Judge, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez are in the mix for American League MVP.

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt and Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy also could be repeat winners when the results are announced next week. Skubal, Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown and Boston Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet are finalists for the AL Cy Young Award.

Brown secured an extra selection for Houston after the first round in next year’s amateur draft under the collective bargaining agreement’s prospect promotion incentive. He earned the pick because he was among the top 100 prospects from at least two of Baseball America, ESPN and MLB.com heading into the 2023 season, accrued a full season of service in his rookie season and had a top-three finish in Cy Young voting before he became arbitration eligible.

Ohtani is going for his second MVP award with the Dodgers and his fourth overall. He also won with the Angels in 2021 and 2023. Judge is trying for his third MVP win — all with the Yankees.

Ohtani, 31, hit .282 with 55 homers and 102 RBIs in 158 games this year, helping the Dodgers win a second straight World Series championship. The Japanese right-hander also went 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts in his return to the mound after a second major elbow surgery.

Judge, 33, batted .331 with 53 homers, 114 RBIs and a major league-leading 1.145 OPS in 152 games with New York. He also was voted MVP in 2022.

While Ramírez was terrific once again, the AL MVP race is expected to come down to Judge and Raleigh, a switch-hitting catcher who led the majors with 60 homers for Seattle during the regular season.

The top three finishers in voting for each of the major individual awards presented annually by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America were announced Monday night on MLB Network. Balloting is conducted before the postseason.

World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers is a finalist for the NL Cy Young, along with Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes and Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez. Skenes was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton and Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin are competing for top NL rookie this year.

The finalists for AL Rookie of the Year are Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and the Athletics’ duo of Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson. Kurtz hit .290 with 36 homers and 86 RBIs in 117 games for the A’s, and Wilson batted .311 in 125 games.

Vogt was joined by Toronto’s John Schneider and Seattle’s Dan Wilson as finalists for AL Manager of the Year. Philadelphia’s Rob Thomson and Cincinnati’s Terry Francona are in the mix for the NL honor with Murphy.

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Braves promote bench coach Weiss to manager

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8 hours ago

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November 4, 2025

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Braves promote bench coach Weiss to manager

The Atlanta Braves hired Walt Weiss as manager Monday, turning to their longtime bench coach in hopes of a turnaround after they missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

Weiss, 61, managed the Colorado Rockies from 2013 to 2016, going 283-365 and never finishing higher than third place. He inherits a talented Braves team that finished 76-86 and was ravaged by injuries.

Atlanta returns a strong core led by former MVP Ronald Acuna Jr, first baseman Matt Olson, third baseman Austin Riley, future star catcher Drake Baldwin and a rotation featuring Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach. After a fourth-place finish, Atlanta still could be among the favorites in the National League East, with division champion Philadelphia looking at significant changes over the winter, New York trying to rebound from a late-season collapse and Miami still at least a year away from contention.

Weiss emerged as the favorite to take over from Brian Snitker, who led Atlanta to its 2021 World Series title and accepted a senior adviser role with the team after the expiration of his contract following the 2025 season. Weiss joined Atlanta in 2018 as bench coach and had been Snitker’s consigliere since.

A 14-year major leaguer, Weiss was a glove-first shortstop who won a World Series with Oakland in 1989. The Braves will need a new shortstop for the 2026 season after Ha-Seong Kim opted out of his contract Monday.

Much of Atlanta’s team for next season is already in place. Center fielder Michael Harris II, left fielder Jurickson Profar and second baseman Ozzie Albies are slated to return, along with catcher Sean Murphy, who could be traded or split time at catcher and designated hitter with Baldwin. Though Atlanta is flush with starting-pitching options — young right-handers Hurston Waldrep and AJ Smith-Shawver, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, along with right-handers Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder and left-hander Joey Wentz are candidates — its bullpen is a work in progress, with closer Raisel Iglesias headed to free agency this winter.

In a busy offseason of managerial hirings, Weiss was the seventh new manager installed. San Diego and Colorado, which also needs a new head of baseball operations, are the lone teams remaining without a manager.

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