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Sep 12, 2024, 07:05 AM ET

Major League Baseball is packed with electrifying players. Whether you prefer five-star talents, powerful sluggers or pitchers throwing triple-digit heat, there are stars bringing excitement to this 2024 MLB season on a daily basis.

But who is the most exciting player in baseball this year? To find out, we put together a 32-player bracket and asked our MLB experts to vote for a champion.

The process was simple: We chose the most exciting player from each of the 30 teams (by virtue of having the best record in their leagues at the time of our voting, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers each got two entries), seeded them by the standings and let our voters decide each matchup.

The result? One superstar who can proudly wear the crown as MLB’s Mr. Excitement.

Jump to: 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Final Four | Championship

First round

Why Judge is here: Judge is the closest player we’ve seen to Barry Bonds since, well, Barry Bonds. His numbers are staggering. His power is immense. His plate discipline is remarkable. Every at-bat is a must-watch. What’s more exciting than that?

Why Crochet is here: The White Sox might be the worst team in MLB history, but Crochet morphing from full-time reliever to All-Star starter has at least been one exciting development on the South Side in 2024.

Winner: Judge

Why Duran is here: Duran is a triple waiting to happen whenever he comes to the plate. This is especially true given the deep center field and unique angles at Fenway Park. His ability to defend that space, whether in center or the corner, doesn’t hurt, either.

Why Skubal is here: The state of starting pitching being what it is, when a pitcher develops into an old-school ace, you have to tune in. Skubal has become the complete package for the Tigers, the kind of pitcher whose turn in the rotation you circle on the calendar when figuring out which game to attend.

Winner: Skubal

Why Ramirez is here: He has provided nearly a decade of consistent quality. He hits for power, steals bases, never strikes out and plays with a crackling sort of energy that makes him feel like he’s far bigger than 5-foot-9.

Why Seager is here: Seager’s version of excitement stems from his excellence. It’s not flashy. It’s not aggressive. He’s just the guy who hits massive home runs in vital moments and goes out and wins World Series MVP trophies. Plural.

Winner: Ramirez

Why Lewis is here: We’re talking about the real-life Roy Hobbs here. No matter how grueling the injury, or how much time he misses, Lewis keeps magic in his bat, consistently providing elite-level production with an absurd knack for belting grand slams. He does it all with a radiant smile, too.

Why Guerrero is here: Blue Jays manager John Schneider calls Guerrero a line-drive hitter with power, a term that has evolved into a cliché but in this case qualifies as the most accurate description. Few players, if any, hit baseballs harder and more frequently.

Winner: Guerrero

Why Soto is here: There might not be a better showman in all of New York City than Juan Soto. He blasts home runs to all fields. He takes balls out of the strike zone with shuffles. He stares pitchers down. He trash-talks catchers. He’s pure entertainment.

Why Joyce is here: Because he throws baseballs very, very hard. Velocity has skyrocketed over the past decade, and Joyce is pushing the boundary to another level. 106 mph? Ridiculous — and exciting.

Winner: Soto

Why Witt is here: Everything Witt does is explosive, whether it’s on the bases, at the plate or in the field. Perhaps more than any player in the majors right now, you walk away from every game Witt plays knowing you have watched someone with transcendent talent and emergent skill.

Why Kirby is here: The major leagues are filled with pitchers who wow you with raw stuff, but Kirby does it with precision and, in this day and age, that makes him special.

Winner: Witt

Why Henderson is here: Henderson does it all. He combines his raw power (36 HRs) and speed (18 SBs) with deft hands while playing the most important position on the diamond outside of pitcher. He has a Rookie of the Year Award and a Silver Slugger Award, and he was an All-Star this year for a reason.

Why Miller is here: With well more than 400 pitches thrown at or over 100 mph this season, it’s not hard to understand why Miller is on this list. On average, nearly every other pitch out of his hand hits the century mark.

Winner: Henderson

Why Alvarez is here: Put it this way: He might be the guy you most want up there in a big moment, especially in the postseason. And if you’re rooting against the Astros, he’s the guy you don’t want up there in a big moment. With his ability to hit for power and average and avoid strikeouts, sometimes he feels impossible to get out, and he’s capable of hitting the ball 450 feet any time he swings the bat.

Why Caminero is here: This is as much about future potential as present ability, but the game’s top prospect is already flashing the skills that should soon make him one of the game’s top hitters, spraying rocket-propelled line drives all over the field.

Winner: Alvarez

Why Ohtani is here: Ohtani has unmatched raw power and has evolved into a complete hitter. He boasts elite speed and is using it to steal bases more frequently than ever. And next year, he’ll resume reeling off triple-digit fastballs and mind-bending splitters from the pitcher’s mound. What more do you want? A cute dog, perhaps? He’s got that too.

Why Doyle is here: Hit the ball practically anywhere in center field, and Doyle will catch it. Try to take an extra base, and there’s a pretty good chance Doyle will throw you out. If you want outfield defense, it doesn’t get any better. Oh, and he can hit too.

Winner: Ohtani

Why Lindor is here: Lindor is a dynamic leadoff hitter, elite shortstop, first-rate base stealer and consummate leader with a magnetic personality. Want to see exciting? Head on over to Citi Field, watch him impact games in every way, and listen to those MVP chants showering Lindor every night.

Why Crow-Armstrong is here: We all knew Crow-Armstrong had the tools to play an excellent center field and wreak havoc on the bases. The question was whether he could hit at the major league level. He’s proving he can, and that has been a big deal on the North Side.

Winner: Lindor

Why Chourio is here: Because he is doing the sorts of things in his rookie season done by only the very best players in MLB. The last 20-year-old as good as Chourio? Fernando Tatis Jr.

Why Skenes is here: In a game that has deemphasized starting pitching to the point that the ace is an endangered species, Skenes is a hulking, sneering strikeout machine with an unmatched ability to create an undeniable buzz around his starts.

Winner: Skenes

Why Merrill is here: Merrill waltzed into a clubhouse filled with exciting players and snatched the bid with a propensity for the dramatic. He’s still only 21, but he is already the guy you want up in clutch moments.

Why De La Cruz is here: He hits tape-measure home runs. He leads MLB in stolen bases. He throws 100 mph across the diamond. His entire tool set is a starter kit for excitement.

Winner: De La Cruz

Why Betts is here: Betts can do just about anything. He can bowl. He can ball. He can podcast. More specific to this exercise, though: He can throw you out from right field or rob you of a hit at shortstop. He can work a count and spray a base hit the other way or he can take you deep on the first pitch. And whatever he does, he’ll look so cool doing it, it seems unfair.

Why Edwards is here: Edwards was called back up by the Marlins in early July and hasn’t stopped hitting. He has elements of Luis Arraez‘s bat-to-ball skills but with significantly more speed. And he has been playing a pretty decent shortstop, too.

Winner: Betts

Why Sale is here: Ronald Acuna Jr. might have won this bracket a year ago, but he’s injured, so we turn to Sale and his funky sidearm delivery that earned him the nickname “The Condor” as Atlanta’s rep. He’s also back to being one of the best starters in the majors, with a chance to win the NL pitching Triple Crown (leading in wins, ERA and strikeouts).

Why Winn is here: With potential future Hall of Famers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado both on the downslide, Winn feels like the guy to represent the Cardinals. Hey, everybody loves rookies, and Winn’s flashy defense and rocket arm at shortstop make him a regular on highlight reels.

Winner: Sale

Why Harper is here: As beloved as any player is by his hometown fans, Harper’s at-bats remain must-watch TV, and when he hits one out in Philly, there are few moments in the sport as electrifying. Go watch his series-clinching home run against the Padres in the 2022 NLCS.

Why Wood is here: In his short time in the majors, Wood has established himself as an intimidating presence at the plate with top-end exit velocity numbers. At 6-7, 234 pounds, he hasn’t even filled out yet. Dream on that power potential, Nationals fans.

Winner: Harper

Why Carroll is here: The reigning Rookie of the Year has shown he can do everything: He had 25 home runs, hit a league-leading 10 triples and stole 54 bases in his first season, and he is in double digits in all three categories again this year.

Why Snell is here: Snell was having a ho-hum season after winning the 2023 NL Cy Young Award, but after coming off the injured list in July, he showed up in a big way. A no-hitter last month wowed the baseball world, as he has a 1.30 ERA since healing up from a groin ailment. His second-most-thrown pitch — his curveball — has produced a .100 batting average against and is one big reason he’s on this list.

Winner: Carroll

Second round

Aaron Judge vs. Tarik Skubal

Skubal’s dominance on the mound pushed him past Duran in our closest opening-round matchup, but the AL Cy Young favorite was no match for the AL MVP favorite.

Winner: Judge

Jose Ramirez vs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Five-tool player vs. power-packed slugger is a question our voters had to answer often in our voting. Ramirez’s all-around talent kept this one close, but the Blue Jays’ biggest bat survived.

Winner: Guerrero

Juan Soto vs. Bobby Witt Jr.

The bracket gave us one of the most intriguing early AL showdowns. Soto’s brilliance at the plate couldn’t sway our voters against Kansas City’s five-tool superstar.

Winner: Witt

Gunnar Henderson vs. Yordan Alvarez

Alvarez is the current-day Big Papi, and that was just enough to get him past Baltimore’s do-everything shortstop in our closest matchup of the second round.

Winner: Alvarez

Shohei Ohtani vs. Francisco Lindor

Who has the edge in a meeting of the two NL MVP favorites? When it comes to excitement, Ohtani’s 50/50 quest proved to be the difference.

Winner: Ohtani

Paul Skenes vs. Elly De La Cruz

Expect to see these two compete in our bracket for years to come, but even the game’s most exciting young starting pitcher couldn’t stop De La Cruz here.

Winner: De La Cruz

Mookie Betts vs. Chris Sale

Sale had some supporters in a battle of former Red Sox teammates. Betts had more.

Winner: Betts

Bryce Harper vs. Corbin Carroll

Carroll’s all-around ability garnered him multiple votes, but not enough to take down the face of the Phillies.

Winner: Harper

Third round

Aaron Judge vs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The battle of AL East sluggers belonged to Judge, in unanimous fashion.

Winner: Judge

Bobby Witt Jr. vs. Yordan Alvarez

Two AL semifinal matchups, two unanimous outcomes. Many of our voters circled Witt vs. Judge when our bracket was released — and both players have cruised through to make that AL final a reality.

Winner: Witt

Shohei Ohtani vs. Elly De La Cruz

The excitement De La Cruz brings at shortstop was just enough to get him past the Dodgers’ DH (for 2024) — but this result could look a lot different when Ohtani returns to the mound next season.

Winner: De La Cruz

Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper

Betts’ ability to do a little bit of everything, including handle multiple positions, swayed our voters in a meeting of former MVPs.

Winner: Betts

Final Four

Aaron Judge vs. Bobby Witt Jr.

An AL championship matchup so close we had to turn to our emergency tiebreaking panel, which opted for Witt’s dynamic skill set over Judge’s unmatched power.

Winner: Witt

Mookie Betts vs. Elly De La Cruz

The NL final pitted two players who can wow at the plate, on the basepaths and in the field — but only one does it while standing 6-5 at shortstop.

Winner: De La Cruz

Championship

Bobby Witt Jr. vs. Elly De La Cruz

De La Cruz can do everything. Witt can do everything. But Witt’s ability to do it all while hitting .333 put our 2024 MLB Mr. Excitement over the top, according to our voters.

Winner: Witt

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Panthers win big in Game 1: Grades for both teams, players to watch for Game 2

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6 hours ago

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May 21, 2025

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Panthers win big in Game 1: Grades for both teams, players to watch for Game 2

  • Ryan S. Clark

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    Ryan S. Clark

    ESPN NHL reporter

      Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

  • Kristen Shilton

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    Kristen Shilton

    ESPN NHL reporter

      Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

May 20, 2025, 11:10 PM ET

One team had four days to prepare, while the other barely had 48 hours. And yet … the Florida Panthers — after beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 on Sunday — once again applied an aggressive approach in a 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday.

Practically every championship team has developed certain characteristics it has relied upon over time. That includes the Panthers. One of the ways they’ve advanced to three consecutive conference finals has been to gain a second-period lead. Taking a 3-1 advantage into the final period of Game 1 led to the Panthers winning their 28th straight playoff game in which they’ve led after two frames.

Exactly how did both teams perform? Who are the players to watch next game, and what are the big questions facing the Hurricanes and Panthers ahead of Game 2 on Thursday?

The way that the Hurricanes owned possession was instrumental in how they beat both the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals in order to reach the conference finals for the second time in the past three seasons. They had that control in Game 1, with Natural Stat Trick’s metrics showing that their shot share was 56%.

But it was moments of lack of control that proved crippling — which was the case when a turnover led to A.J. Greer giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. The Panthers were also able to execute those quick-passing sequences, which accounted for why they went 2-for-3 on the extra-skater advantage against what was the top penalty kill entering the conference finals, at 93.3%. — Clark

Florida picked up where it left off in Game 7 of its second-round Eastern Conference playoff series against Toronto on Sunday — by dominating another opponent.

The Panthers and Hurricanes exchanged chances early in the first period, but once Carter Verhaeghe had Florida on the board it was in control to the finish.

That’s not to say Carolina didn’t push back. The Hurricanes generated some superb opportunities in the second period, and Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky had to be sharp, which has been his resting state since midway through that second-round clash with Toronto. Bobrovsky delivered another dialed-in performance that outclassed Frederik Andersen — arguably the postseason’s top goalie heading into Tuesday’s game — and backstopped the Panthers to another victory.

Florida got contributions from everywhere, starting with its 5-on-5 play and carrying on to the second power-play unit (which scored after the Panthers had gone 15 minutes without a shot on goal in the third period). Despite that lull, it appears all systems are still go for Florida. — Shilton

Three Stars of Game 1

Bobrovsky made 31 saves for the Game 1 victory, allowing two goals. The Panthers have now outscored their opponents 17-4 in their past three road games — in large part due to Bob. The plus-13 goal differential is tied for third highest over a three-game span on the road in a single postseason.

Greer scored the eventual winner, his second goal in his past four games. For context, he had two goals in his final 45 regular-season games this season.

Ekblad scored his seventh career playoff goal, which moves him into a tie with Gustav Forsling for second most by a defenseman in franchise history; Brandon Montour had 11 during his time with the Cats. — Arda Öcal

Players to watch in Game 2

Chatfield was unable to go in Game 1, which meant the Hurricanes would be without one of their top-four defensemen, who is averaging more than 20 minutes per game this postseason. That led to Scott Morrow making his playoff debut.

It proved to be a bit of a difficult outing for the 22-year-old, who spent the majority of this season playing for the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate. Morrow was on the ice for three of the Panthers’ goals, while his delay-of-game penalty — for playing the puck over the glass — led to Sam Bennett‘s power-play goal that pushed the lead to 4-1 with 13:52 remaining.

Morrow would log a little more than 12 minutes in ice time, which was the least by a Hurricanes defenseman by more than four minutes. Chatfield’s return ahead of Game 2 would bring one of Carolina’s more venerable figures this season back into the mix. But if he misses Game 2? That would force Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour to examine his options. — Clark

play

0:37

Panthers in complete control after Sam Bennett’s power-play goal

Sam Bennett’s power-play tally fuels the Panthers to a three-goal lead over the Hurricanes in Game 1.

There was one fight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals and, surprising no one, it featured Marchand. The Panthers forward took issue with Carolina defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere appearing to shoot a puck at him, and dropped the gloves.

Marchand received a four-minute penalty and 10-minute misconduct for the interaction, which saw him herded out for the remainder of the third period. Marchand will be back and ready to rumble in Game 2. He was a noticeable presence in Game 1 prior to the tilt with Gostisbehere, putting the screen on Andersen that set up Sam Bennett‘s power-play goal to essentially ice the Panthers’ victory.

Will Marchand carry a sour taste into Game 2 after Gostisbehere didn’t engage much after the apparent puck shot incident? If any player has made a career out of getting under an opponent’s skin, it’s Marchand. He’s already setting a tone early for how the Panthers want to rattle their latest foe. — Shilton

Big questions for Game 2

How do the Canes respond to their worst defeat in more than a month?

The last time the Canes lost by more than three goals was April 13, a 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs. Since then? They’ve not had many defeats at all, and the two they had this postseason were close. The first was an overtime loss to the Devils in Game 3 — a series that they would win in five games — while their lone defeat to the Capitals was in Game 2, which became a two-goal loss only when Tom Wilson scored an empty-netter.

This postseason has seen the Hurricanes recover from defeats in which the margins were tight. How do they go about finding the cohesion that eluded them in what was a three-goal loss to open the conference finals? And will it be enough to even the series at 1-1 — or will they head to South Florida in 2-0 series hole? — Clark

Are the Cats headed for a crash?

The Panthers are riding on some degree of adrenaline at this point after traveling from Florida to Toronto and then directly to Raleigh after their Game 7 victory. While they didn’t exactly look fatigued in Game 1 against Carolina, it’s still fair to wonder if all those miles are going to catch up to the Panthers with another quick turnaround heading into Game 2.

The Hurricanes know what to expect now — if they didn’t before — and will be ready to make adjustments. And if they were perhaps too rested from having been off for several days prior to Florida rolling in, the Hurricanes have no excuse to not be better on home ice by the time Game 2 comes around.

Carolina showed early in the third period that it’s a better team than the scoreboard’s final tally. The Hurricanes have their legs under them now. Whether that spells trouble for Florida? We find out on Thursday. — Shilton

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Hurricanes D Morrow makes playoff debut in loss

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May 21, 2025

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Hurricanes D Morrow makes playoff debut in loss

  • Greg WyshynskiMay 20, 2025, 01:19 PM ET

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      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield was out for Game 1 of their Eastern Conference finals series against the Florida Panthers, opening the door for 22-year-old Scott Morrow to make his postseason debut in his club’s 5-2 loss.

Chatfield missed Game 5 against the Washington Capitals in the previous round with an undisclosed injury. He skated on Tuesday in Raleigh ahead of Game 1 but was eventually ruled out.

With Chatfield out, Morrow got the call. He’s in his second NHL season, having played two games in 2023-24 and 14 this season, with six points and 15:48 in average ice time. Morrow has been considered one of the best defensive prospects in the Hurricanes’ system since they selected him 40th in the 2021 NHL draft. He spent three seasons with UMass before turning pro in 2024.

Morrow, who had 39 points in 52 games for the AHL Chicago Wolves this season, was eased into the action against the formidable Panthers. He finished with 15 shifts, covering 12:18 of ice time. He had three shots on net but finished with a minus-3 rating.

Morrow is a right-handed defenseman like Chatfield, while Alexander Nikishin shoots left-handed. Coach Rod Brind’Amour said that was going to be a factor in his decision.

“He’s been around a little longer, knows our system a little better than I think Nicky does,” Brind’Amour said of Morrow before the loss. “He played well when he came up. I think he’s earned the right to have a shot, so we’ll see.”

This series is a rematch of the 2023 conference finals that saw the Panthers eliminate Carolina in four games. Game 1 of that series, also held in Raleigh, was a four-overtime classic that ended with a Matthew Tkachuk goal just 13 seconds before it would’ve gone to a fifth extra session. Though the score was much different Tuesday night, the 1-0 series deficit is the same for Carolina headed into Thursday’s Game 2.

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Panthers use right ‘recipe’ again, crush Canes

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May 21, 2025

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Panthers use right 'recipe' again, crush Canes

  • Greg WyshynskiMay 20, 2025, 11:18 PM ET

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      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, no team had scored more than four goals against the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025 postseason. No team had scored more than once against their league-best penalty kill. Most importantly, no team had beaten them at home in front of their raucous “Caniacs.”

That is, until the Florida Panthers came to town Tuesday night. Florida humbled Carolina 5-2 to take a 1-0 series lead — 48 hours after eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs in a Game 7 on the road.

“There’s a lot of emotion in a Game 7. To be ready to compete as hard as you can, knowing that [Carolina] had a few days rest and they’re playing in front of their fans? It was a huge win. Huge win and really happy,” said Panthers forward A.J. Greer, who scored the Panthers’ third goal.

After a physical opening to the game that saw the teams trade 11 hits before a second shot on goal was registered, Carter Verhaeghe broke through on the power play for the 1-0 lead for Florida.

“We wanted to be ready for this game. We know how hard they play here in this building especially, so we wanted to be ready for this game and I think obviously we got rewarded there early,” Florida captain Aleksander Barkov said.

Carolina’s Sebastian Aho was in the penalty box for a retaliatory penalty against the Panthers’ Anton Lundell, who had cross-checked him. The Hurricanes’ penalty kill had stopped 14 of 15 power plays at home and 28 of 30 overall in the playoffs until that Florida goal.

Verhaeghe said the Panthers wanted to start this series strong after dropping the first two games to Toronto in the second round.

“It’s a tough building to play in. This gives us a lot of confidence that we can get a win here. We had a tough start to the last series going down 0-2. That’s one thing we wanted to do this series — at least win the first one,” he said.

Florida’s second goal was indicative of the kind of night it was going to be for Carolina. Forward Logan Stankoven missed a point-blank chance on Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. At the other end, a great Panthers forecheck led by Evan Rodrigues forced a rare turnover from Carolina center Jordan Staal, setting up a chance for Aaron Ekblad to make it 2-0.

All night, the Panthers responded any time it seemed the Hurricanes could grab momentum. Aho scored late in the first period on a goal that was reviewed for a possible kicking motion — Florida coach Paul Maurice said there wasn’t enough on the ice to disallow the goal nor enough on the replay to have the refs overturn it — but the Panthers answered with Greer’s goal at 3:33 of the second period.

“We know what to do. We know the recipe. When everyone’s going and there’s a commitment to play a solid Panthers hockey game … it’s not easy, but it makes it hard for them,” Greer said.

From there, the Panthers added goals from Sam Bennett on a power play and Eetu Luostarinen at even strength in the third. “They got the two power-play goals. That was the difference in the game. We’ve got to kill those,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said.

Jackson Blake‘s late power-play goal was all Carolina could muster against Bobrovsky and the Panthers.

Maurice said his team handled the significant shift in style well from Toronto to Carolina in Game 1.

“I didn’t love our game tonight, but I understood it. Game 1 is that first look at what your game looks like against a completely different opponent. So we will have to continue to build that game and get better,” he said. “I thought they had good chances that they didn’t finish on. Sergei [Bobrovsky] was very strong.”

Bobrovsky made 31 saves, outplaying counterpart Frederik Andersen (five goals on 20 shots), who had been one of the playoffs’ top goaltenders entering the series. The Hurricanes crashed his net looking for chances, including one sequence in which Andrei Svechnikov‘s hip collided with Bobrovsky’s head.

“It’s OK. It’s the playoffs. They try to get under the skin. I just focus on my things and try not to think about that,” Bobrovsky said.

As expected, emotions did run high at times and forward Brad Marchand was in the thick of it. He earned four minutes for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct after a sequence in which Carolina defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere shot the puck at Marchand following a hit he felt crossed the line. The two then had something close to a fight, although Gostisbehere’s gloves didn’t come off.

“Just heated. I was pretty pissed off. He tried to take a run at me. I shot the puck at him. We had a little [tussle],” Gostisbehere said.

Game 2 is Thursday night in Raleigh.

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