MLB: Aaron Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani, the Epic Showdown for the Most Exciting Player

The Most Exciting MLB Player in 2025

The 2025 MLB season has been filled with memorable moments starring the biggest stars in the sport. Whether you prefer historical home run records, dominance on the mound with spectacular strikeouts, or players who do it all, baseball’s most outstanding talents have put on an unforgettable show. But, who is the most exciting player this year? To find out, we’ve held our second annual 32-player tournament, and our MLB experts have voted for a champion. The process was simple: we selected the most exciting player from each of the 30 teams (with a wildcard addition per league), ranked them according to the classification (after giving Bobby Witt Jr. and Elly De La Cruz the number 1 seeds for reaching the final of this tournament last year) and let our voters decide each matchup. The final result? A superstar who can proudly wear the crown of “Mr. Excitement” of MLB for 2025.Consult the most exciting player on your team:

• AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
• AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
• AL West: ATH | HOU | LAA | SEA | TEX
• NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
• NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
• NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF

First Round

American League1. Bobby Witt Jr. vs. 16. Garrett Crochet Why Witt is here: Our current “Mr. Excitement”, Witt impacts the game with his bat, glove, and speed on the bases. Because he set such a high bar with his outstanding 2024 season, it’s easy to overlook his great performance in 2025, but it’s impossible not to notice the electricity emanating from every element of his game. Why Crochet is here: After his breakout year in Chicago, the big question was whether Crochet could repeat it for the Red Sox. Well, he’s been even better this season, leading the majors in strikeouts and innings pitched, turning the Cy Young race into a competition with reigning winner Tarik Skubal. Winner: Witt 2. Tarik Skubal vs. 15. Colson Montgomery Why Skubal is here: The quality. The intensity. The dominance. In an era when starting pitchers’ opening days are rarely events to mark on the calendar, Skubal attracts the attention of an entire stadium and is a threat to go the distance every time he steps on the mound, and to let out an emotional yell when leaving after another masterful performance. Why Montgomery is here: The White Sox, with a record of 55-89, aren’t exactly filled with excitement, but Montgomery has made a strong impression during his limited time in the major leagues. He hit 14 home runs in his first 43 games and, perhaps most importantly, has given fans on the South Side hope that better days are coming. Winner: Skubal 3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vs. 14 Gunnar Henderson Why Guerrero is here: Let’s give Guerrero extra points for committing to be the face of the Blue Jays for the next 14 years at the beginning of this season. Vladdy Jr. has established himself as a 25-30 home run hitter after his 48 home runs in 2021, but he still hits the ball hard (92.8 mph average exit velocity) and hits it consistently. Why Henderson is here: Like Witt, Henderson set expectations so high early on that it’s easy to underestimate his performance in 2025, especially since his team has faltered this season. Although it’s a long way from his 2024 production, Henderson is close to a 20-home run/30-stolen base season and possesses a strong arm at shortstop. Winner: Warrior 4. Aaron Judge vs. 13. Byron Buxton Why Judge is here: Ask yourself this: Is there anyone in all of sports whose at-bats you stop everything to watch more than Judge? Yes, he cooled down from his historic start and, sure, his elbow injury mid-season seems to have sapped some of his power. But Aaron Judge is still Aaron Judge. Why Buxton is here: Baseball fans have been waiting a long time to see what a healthy Buxton could do for a full season, and (for the most part) we’ve gotten the answer this season, and the results have been spectacular. The Twins’ center fielder has demonstrated immense power (pace for over 30 home runs and a Home Run Derby appearance) and elite speed (21 steals and 99th percentile sprint speed). Winner: Judge 5. Roman Anthony vs. 12 Nick Kurtz Why Anthony is here: Just 71 games into his major league career, Anthony’s at-bats are already becoming must-see events at Fenway. For all that Anthony has done since being called up to the majors in June, his most exciting moment of 2025 came when he hit a 497-foot grand slam in Triple-A. Unfortunately, we may have seen him for the last time this season after he went on the injured list with an oblique injury earlier this month. Why Kurtz is here: This was a surprisingly difficult choice given that the A’s also employ the Home Run King and a contact hitter with unique talent. But Kurtz is having one of the best rookie seasons the sport has seen in a long, long time, highlighted by a six-hit, four-home-run game, and if you’re tuning in to watch the A’s right now, it’s surely to see what all the fuss is about regarding their hard-hitting rookie. Winner: Kurtz 6. Jeremy Peña vs. 11. Zach Neto Why Peña is here: When Peña burst onto the scene during the Astros’ championship run in 2022, he was a very exciting player with one clear flaw: his on-base percentage. While he’ll never lead the league in walks, the Astros shortstop has improved his OBP by hitting over .300 at a time when that’s rare. And he’s done it while maintaining the parts of the game (elite arm and speed, 20-homer power) that made him exciting to begin with. Why Neto is here: We debated giving Mike Trout a lifetime spot on this list, but Neto has become the current must-watch Angels player, as he is on the verge of joining the 30/30 club in his second full season. Winner: Peña 7. Cal Raleigh vs. 10. Junior Caminero Why Raleigh is here: Is there a better nickname in sports right now than “Big Dumper”? And Raleigh has leaned into this more than ever this year with everything from his bat options to his team’s screens on the scoreboard. Of course, there’s also the matter of him having the best power season by a catcher and putting a 60-home run season within reach in the last month. Why Caminero is here: Take a moment to watch this home run, the bat flip, and the trot around the bases from the Dominican Winter League. We’ll wait. Now, let’s talk about what Caminero has done in the majors: he’s already hit 40 home runs and driven in 100 runs this season, and he didn’t turn 22 until July 5th. Yes, Rays fans are going to see a lot of home run celebrations in the coming years. Winner: Raleigh 8. Jacob deGrom vs. 9. Jose Ramirez Why deGrom is here: Here’s a general rule: if deGrom is healthy, he’s on this list. Sure, strikeout rates and overall dominance have declined from his peak days in New York, but deGrom is still among the elite in the game. And averaging more than a strikeout per inning at 37 is nothing to scoff at. Why Ramírez is here: Ramírez has spoiled us a bit with the consistency of his overall brilliance. When the dust settles on this season, he’ll likely have finished his fourth 30-plus home run season, as well as his fourth 30-plus stolen base season. And watching a perennial MVP contender do this every year while listed (perhaps generously) at 5-foot-8 never gets old. Winner: Ramírez

National League

1. Elly De La Cruz vs. 16. Francisco Lindor Why De La Cruz is here: The Reds shortstop was awarded the No. 1 seed in the NL because he made the finals a year ago and will likely go far in the tournament in the coming years (he doesn’t turn 24 until the offseason). Although he has slowed down a bit since his 67 steals in 2024, there are few things more visually pleasing in the sport than tuning in to watch a 6-5 left-handed shortstop with elite speed and a cannon for an arm who is a threat to go far every time he stands at the plate. Why Lindor is here: Lindor was a draw with Juan Soto for the Mets’ pick in this tournament and earned our NL Wild Card spot (which, unfortunately for the New York shortstop, comes with a No. 16 seed). Lindor is a must-watch player in every phase of the game as he knocks on the door of his second 30/30 season in his career, and he does it all with a characteristic smile and visible joy for the game. Winner: De La Cruz 2. Brice Turang vs. 15. Brenton Doyle Why Turang is here: It was tempting to make this entry simply “the Brewers” because everything Milwaukee does is a team effort, but Turang is the role model for the Brew Crew’s emphasis on athleticism, and his power surge has only increased the excitement he brings to a game. Perhaps most impressive about Turang is that he keeps getting better, as evidenced by his .351/.418/.687 batting line since August 1st. Why Doyle is here: Most of the headlines surrounding the Rockies, the worst in MLB in 2025, have been exciting for all the wrong reasons, but Doyle’s ability to dazzle is a positive reason for Colorado fans to tune into their team’s games. A Gold Glove winner in 2024, the center fielder can make the impossible look routine in the spacious Coors Field outfield and is on the verge of achieving his second consecutive 20/20 season while posting big numbers offensively in the second half. Winner: Turang 3. Kyle Schwarber vs. 14. James Wood Why Schwarber is here: Let’s start with this: All-Star Swing-Off. Then let’s add: four-homerun game. There’s nothing like a Schwarbomb, and this year, we’ve already seen more of them than ever. Why Wood is here: What bad luck for the young Nationals star. Like Schwarber, tape-measure home runs that make an entire crowd stand up are Wood’s calling card. Unfortunately, that also comes with a lot of swings and misses, as Wood is on pace for 222 K’s, which would put him third on the all-time single-season list. On the plus side, a hitter named Kyle Schwarber once struck out 215 times in a season, and he’s done well. Winner: Schwarber 4. Pete Crow-Armstrong vs. 13. Paul Skenes Why Crow-Armstrong is here: We all knew PCA could run. We all knew PCA could defend. But no one expected PCA to be on the verge of a 30-homer season after he only hit 10 in 123 games a year ago. A second-half slump has hurt the center fielder’s MVP case, but Crow-Armstrong remains one of the sport’s true highlight reels. Why Skenes is here: This matchup pits two of baseball’s most exciting young stars against each other, and Skenes can thank his team’s record for that. Nonetheless, at just over 50 career starts in the big leagues, Skenes still draws more attention than any other ace in the game with his filthy and deep repertoire of elite pitches. Winner: Skenes 5. Shohei Ohtani vs. 12. Ronald Acuña Jr. Why Ohtani is here: Ohtani reached the Final Four of this tournament a year ago, when he wasn’t pitching. Now, he’s back on the mound and still going to hit 50 home runs at the plate. No, he’s not running as much as he did during his 50/50 season of 2024, but no one else in the history of the sport is capable of doing all the things Ohtani can do in a single game. Why Acuña is here: Certainly, it’s been a season that Acuña and the Braves would rather forget, and his long injury history likely means that things like 40/70 campaigns are a thing of the past, but there are still few players in the game who can match his combination of tools, results, and style. And we challenge you to find a better throw this season than the one Acuña made against the Yankees in July. Winner: Ohtani 6. Fernando Tatis Jr. vs. 11. Kyle Stowers Why Tatis is here: Simply take a look at the sea of red that is Tatis’ Baseball Savant page. Like hard-hit lines? Tatis’ hard-hit rate is in the 94th percentile. More into elite defense? Tatis is among the best in the sport in range and arm strength. Want top-tier speed? He’s got that too. And Tatis does it all with a style that ensures everyone knows he’s there. Why Stowers is here: Often, excitement is associated solely with the impact of five-tool and all-around players. If that’s what you’re looking for, Stowers isn’t your man. But if you’re interested in breakout offensive stars who keep crushing the ball, do yourself a favor and tune into a Marlins game. Once there, you can marvel at a hitter who ranks in the 98th percentile for barrel percentage and 93rd percentile for hard-hit rate this season. Winner: Tatis 7. Juan Soto vs. 10. Corbin Carroll Why Soto is here: The criteria for this tournament is to be the player we are most likely to pay to watch play, and no one is getting more money than the $765 million man of baseball. The Mets hitter has left behind a slow start in his first season in Queens and is doing the Juan Soto things again, including turning even his walks into must-see events. And just to add excitement, Soto has stolen 29 bases this year, more than double his previous personal record. Why Carroll is here: The D-backs star is among the best in the sport at the things that happen to be the most fun to watch. He’s a strong candidate to lead the NL in triples for the third straight season. He’s already set a career high with 30 home runs. He steals bases in bunches. And he secures a position in the outfield defensively despite being listed at 5-10, 165 pounds. Winner: Soto 8. Jung Hoo Lee vs. 9. Masyn Winn Why Lee is here: We present this catch. Yes, that’s Lee securing the ball with his knees after tracking it down in right-center field. No, you’ve never seen anything like it before because we’re sure there’s never been a play like this in the history of the sport. Combine that ability to do the unimaginable with an old-school approach to putting the ball in play and running the bases, and it’s no wonder Lee has quickly become a fan favorite in San Francisco. Why Winn is here: St. Louis knows a thing or two about defensive shortstops, and it’s all about the glove for Winn. Long known for his rocket arm as a former two-way star, Winn is tied with Witt for the most outs above average in the sport and is one of three shortstops averaging over 90 mph on his throws. Winner: Lee

Second Round

American League1. Bobby Witt Jr. vs. 9. Jose Ramirez There are many players in this tournament who would have been beaten by Ramírez’s “everything” package in Round 2, but the current champion “Mr. Excitement” is not one of them. Winner: Witt 2. Tarik Skubal vs. 7. Cal Raleigh Raleigh’s power season has had fans around the world tuning in to see what the “Big Dumper” would do next, but even a 50-home run season from a catcher wasn’t enough to beat the AL’s best pitcher here. Winner: Skubal 3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vs. 6. Jeremy Peña After Peña outdueled Neto in one of our closest first-round matchups, the Astros shortstop was no match for the Blue Jays’ face. Winner: Warrior 4. Aaron Judge vs. 12. Nick Kurtz Even though Kurtz made it onto this list a little over a year after being recruited from Wake Forest is quite an achievement, but we’re talking about Aaron Judge, and the Yankees hitter won this matchup by pulling away. Winner: Judge

National League

1. Elly De La Cruz vs. 8. Jung Hoo Lee The only unanimous winner on the NL side of the tournament in this round, De La Cruz has the ability to surprise at 6-5 which made him an easy pick. Winner: De La Cruz 2. Brice Turang vs. 7. Juan Soto Surprise alert: Although the Brewers’ team record propelled Turang to a good seed, Soto made his way to the next round. Winner: Soto 3. Kyle Schwarber vs. 6. Fernando Tatis Jr. By far the closest matchup of the tournament so far, this one came down to a single vote, but Tatis’ overall brilliance gave him the edge over Schwarber’s power-focused game. Winner: Tatis 5. Shohei Ohtani vs. 13. Paul Skenes This matchup was circled by many of our voters as soon as the tournament was released, and for good reason. But Skenes’ dominance on the mound wasn’t enough to defeat Ohtani now that the Dodgers star is back to doing his two-way thing. Winner: Ohtani

Elite Eight

American League1. Bobby Witt Jr. vs. 4. Aaron Judge Revenge! Witt beat Judge in this tournament a year ago, when the two stars were battling for AL MVP honors. However, Judge got his revenge this time, with his unmissable at-bats surpassing Witt’s overall brilliance in the eyes of our voters. Winner: Judge 2. Tarik Skubal vs. 3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Skubal aced another test, easily defeating Guerrero in this round and setting up an epic ace-versus-batter showdown with Judge for the AL championship. Winner: Skubal

National League

1. Elly De La Cruz vs. 5. Shohei Ohtani Another rematch! This matchup looks very different from how it was a season ago, when De La Cruz looked like a threat to steal 70 or even 80 bases and Ohtani was limited to DH while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Two-way Ohtani got his revenge, outdueling De La Cruz and reaching the league championship round. Winner: Ohtani 6. Fernando Tatis Jr. vs. 7. Juan Soto After a fairly consistent dose of chalk in the rest of the Elite Eight, the round ended with two players looking to add to their surprise-fueled careers. Tatis’s complete game got him this far, but it wasn’t enough to beat Soto, as our voters pointed out the way an entire stadium stops to watch each of his at-bats. Winner: Soto

Final Four

American League2. Tarik Skubal vs. 4. Aaron Judge

How to choose between a true ace who is a must-see on the way to another Cy Young season and the most physically imposing hitter in the sport? Well, our voters leaned towards Judge, but it was closer than you might think, with one panel member throwing up their hands at the final result and saying: “They’re crazy, the only guy I’m paying to see is Skubal”.

Winner: Judge

National League

5. Shohei Ohtani vs. 7. Juan Soto Ironically, our NL championship featured members of the same teams that met in last season’s NLCS, and the result was the same, with a Dodger moving on and a surprising Mets run coming to an end. Winner: Ohtani

Championship

Aaron Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani

You can admit it. This is the showdown you were hoping we’d have here, right? The biggest names in the sport, facing off head-to-head (just as they did in last October’s World Series).

Although a voter presented a convincing case