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On Saturday, Cincinnati Reds Phenom Elly De La Cruz accomplished something that no other Reds player has done since 1919. In just a two-pitch span, the rookie stole 2nd, 3rd, and Home to break a 5-5 tie and eventually give Cincy an 8-5 victory. On the Bally Sports Cincinnati broadcast, Play-by-Play announcer John Sadak called De La Cruz “The Most Thrilling Man in Baseball.”
Now, there is no shortage of debates over who the best players are in the sports world. Whether in a specific sport or a specific position, you can use stats to back up your argument of why Player A is better than Player B. On Monday’s edition of the Fan Midday Show with Brian Noe and Jimmy Cook, the popular debate throughout the show was not who the best players are, but who the most thrilling players are across the MLB, NFL and NBA. This is something that requires more than just stats to prove- it’s the eye test. So, according to Brian and Jimmy, here are the most thrilling players in the country right now.
MLB
Most Thrilling: Shohei Ohtani and Elly De La Cruz.
These ones seem pretty easy, right? Ohtani is being compared to Babe Ruth, and at this point in the season, the AL-MVP Front Runner has already knocked 100 hits and struck out 100 batters for a third straight year. Noe said on the show today that he was “Team Shohei” while Cook hitched his wagon to the Elly train. Don’t forget, De La Cruz hit for the cycle against the league’s best team just 15 games into his career. No matter which order you put them in, Ohtani and De La Cruz are the two most electric players in the league.
NFL
Most Thrilling: Patrick Mahomes.
Honorable Mention: Lamar Jackson, Tyreek Hill.
Jimmy and Brian both agree that Patrick Mahomes is the most thrilling player in the league. When debating between Mahomes and Jackson, Brian says that the Chiefs Quarterback stands head and shoulders above his Baltimore counterpart (and the rest of the league) in terms of production, and when you combine that with his thrilling nature you have a clear answer for the most electrifying player in the league.
“Lamar, he’s throwing like 33 TDs, 20 picks combined over the last two seasons- somewhere around there. Mahomes, he wouldn’t be caught dead with those numbers with body parts falling off. He’s just a much better quarterback… The playmaking ability, the weird arm angles, the pirouette, he’s throwing Kareem sky hooks to running backs for touchdowns.” Noe stated.
At what point will Anthony Richardson enter the conversation among the most thrilling players in the NFL? According to Brian and Jimmy, that might come sooner than expected. Even if he lacks consistency, the highlight reel plays will give him the electricity that people crave- similar to the Lamar Jackson argument. He might not put up the gaudy numbers in year one, but we can count on a few SportsCenter Top 10 appearances if he starts a lot of games like Brian expects.
NBA
Most Thrilling: Steph Curry.
The two show hosts are in lockstep here as well, and it’s not even close. Brian’s “greatest shooter of all time” sits atop the electricity charts and they both agree there is no debate.
Jimmy says that “It’s no longer just highlight dunks that make my jaw drop to the floor. I want stuff that I’ve never seen before. And that type of separation in his complete game that Steph is able to get with 35, 40 footers, and beyond? It’s breathtaking.”
If you were to debate the best players in the NBA, guys like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James enter the conversation, among others, but that is what makes this debate so unique. Jokic goes into the 2023-2024 season defending back-to-back regular season MVPs, a Finals MVP, and a world championship but according to the show hosts, this is more than a numbers game. Jokic does not play a thrilling style of basketball, he instead is extremely steady in every aspect of the game. He just doesn’t make a ton of “wow” plays and that keeps him behind Curry.
To listen to Brian Noe and Jimmy Cook’s debate over the most thrilling athletes in sports, download the podcast containing the conversation below! You can always listen to the Fan Midday Show from 12pm-3pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan, but you can watch and interact with the show by going to the 107.5 The Fan YouTube Channel.
