The Sportsletter - The ESPYs & HR Derby Rankings

BY JEFF YODER

JULY 12, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

We’re ending the week with a list-heavy edition. The 2024 ESPY Awards took place last night with over 25 category winners. Plus, the Home Run Derby field is set, so we ranked them. And we’re crowning champions at Wimbledon, the Euros, and Copa America this weekend. T-minus 12 days to Paris. 🏅

Letter Rip!

  ESPYS   

The 2024 ESPY Award Winners 🏆

Photo: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images

Patrick Mahomes & A’ja Wilson Captured Top Honors at Celebrity-Filled 2024 ESPY Awards

The annual summer celebration of this year’s best moments in sports took over Los Angeles last night at the Dolby Theatre. Ciara kicked off the ceremony with a performance while Serena Williams played host and sang a Jamie Foxx song dedicated to Maria Sharapova. Guest appearances featured Andy Reid, Candace Parker, Draymond Green, Jennifer Garner, Lil Wayne, Rob Lowe, and many more. The show also honored sports stars who passed away this year — Willie Mays, Bill Walton, and Jerry West. Countless stories and highlights from the past year make it too hard to recap everything, so here’s a list of every major award winner. Enjoy!

Top Awards

Best Men’s Athlete: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Best Women’s Athlete: A’ja Wilson (Aces)

Best Men’s College Athlete: Jayden Daniels (LSU)

Best Women’s College Athlete: Caitlin Clark (Iowa)

Sport-Specific Awards

Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)

Best NFL Player: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Best NBA Player: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)

Best NHL Player: Connor McDavid (Oilers)

Best WNBA Player: A’ja Wilson (Aces)

Best Soccer Player: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

Best Golfer: Scottie Scheffler

Best Tennis Player: Coco Gauff

Best Driver: Max Verstappen (F1)

Best UFC Fighter: Sean O’Malley

Best Boxer: Terence Crawford

Records, Comebacks & Team

Record-Breaking Performance: Caitlin Clark (Iowa)

Championship Performance: Jaylen Brown (Celtics)

Breakthrough Athlete: JuJu Watkins (USC)

Comeback Athlete: Simone Biles (Gymnastics)

Best Play: Lamar Jackson (Ravens)

Best Team: South Carolina Women’s Basketball

Other Awards

Icon Award: Nick Saban

Arthur Ashe Courage Award: Steve Gleason

Jimmy V Perseverance Award: Dawn Staley

Pat Tillman Award for Service: Prince Harry

Read More

E!: 2024 ESPY Awards Red Carpet Arrivals

ESPN: Watch: Serena Williams’ Opening ESPYs Monologue

B/R: ESPY 2024 Winners: Awards Results, Top Moments & Social Media Reactions

  MLB   

HR Derby Power Rankings 📊

Photo: Mary DeCicco / Getty Images

The Field of 2024 MLB Home Run Derby Participants is Set — Let’s Rank Them (Objectively, Of Course)

The last few MLB Home Run Derby participants were penciled in this week, including Jose Ramirez (Guardians), Adolis Garcia (Rangers), and Teoscar Hernandez (Dodgers) in the last 48 hours. That completes the final eight-man field. The two biggest HR hitters in 2024 aren’t involved — Aaron Judge (Yankees) and Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) — but that won’t stop the show from featuring some of the biggest bats. Mets’ two-time champion Pete Alonso (18 HRs) is back for a shot at Ken Griffey’s all-time record of three Derby crowns. Rangers’ Adolis Garcia (17 HRs) has the home-field advantage at Globe Life Field.

Let’s rank the field based on a variety of factors — this year’s performance, derby experience, and what we call the “Show Factor” (projected crowd noise on a scale of 1-10).

2024 Home Run Derby Rankings

1. Gunnar Henderson (Orioles)

Home Runs: 27 (MLB Rank: 3rd)

1st Home Run Derby / Show Factor (8/10)

2. Jose Ramirez (Guardians)

Home Runs: 23 (MLB Rank: T-5th)

2nd Home Run Derby / Show Factor (7/10)

3. Adolis Garcia (Rangers)

Home Runs: 17 (MLB Rank: T-20th)

2nd Home Run Derby / Show Factor (10/10)

4. Pete Alonso (Mets)

Home Runs: 18 (MLB Rank: T-15th)

5th Home Run Derby / Show Factor (8/10)

5. Marcell Ozuna (Braves)

Home Runs: 24 (Rank: 4th)

1st Home Run Derby / Show Factor (5/10)

6. Teoscar Hernandez (Dodgers)

Home Runs: 19 (MLB Rank: T-12th)

1st Home Run Derby / Show Factor (5/10)

7. Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)

Home Runs: 15 (MLB Rank: T-29th)

1st Home Run Derby / Show Factor (7/10)

8. Alec Bohm (Phillies)

Home Runs: 11 (MLB Rank: T-78th)

1st Home Run Derby / Show Factor (4/10)

Read More

MLB: The Complete 2024 HR Derby Field is Set

ESPN: MLB All-Star Home Run Derby 2024: Breaking Down the Field & Batters to Beat

  WIMBLEDON   

Women's Semis: Underdog & Under Pressure

Photo: Robert Prange / Getty Images

#31 Barbora Krejcikova Keeps Wimbledon Cinderella Story Alive While #7 Jasmine Paolini Survives Longest Semifinal in Tournament History

Last year’s 2023 Wimbledon women’s final was one for the record books. World No. 42 Marketa Vondrousova took down 7-seed Ons Jabeur to become the second-lowest winner in tournament history. Now, after another year of top-seed upsets, it’s 31-seed Barbora Krejcikova with history looming. The Czech 28-year-old rallied to knock off #4 Elena Rybakina in three sets to set up the finale with Italian #7 Jasmine Paolini. Paolini also needed to rally for a third-set tiebreaker to oust unseeded Donna Vekic — the longest women’s semifinal in Wimbledon history (2 hours, 51 minutes). She also went to the finals at the French Open. Now, Paolini's under pressure to finish her first grand slam.

Women’s Singles (Semifinals)

#7 J. Paolini def. D. Vekic (2-6, 6-4, 7-6)

#31 B. Krejcikova def. #4 E. Rybakina (3-6, 6-3, 6-4)

Men's Semifinals

M: #3 C. Alcaraz vs. #5 D. Medvedev (Fri. 8:30 am)

M: #2 N. Djokovic vs. #25 L. Musetti (Fri. 10:30 am)

Read More

AP: Jasmine Paolini Wins Wimbledon’s Longest Women’s Semifinal

BBC: Barbora Krejcikova Remembers Late Mentor Jana Novotna After Wimbledon Finals Berth

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

Paul Skenes Throws Record 7 No-Hit Innings

Phillies Sweep Dodgers for NL Supremacy

Tyler Stephenson Hits 2 HRs in Reds’ Win

🏀 WNBA

Liberty def. Sky (91-76)

Ionescu (21) & Stewart (19) Combine for 40

⛳️ Golf

Justin Thomas (-8) Leads Genesis Scottish Open

First Lead in PGA Tour Event Since 2021

🚴 Tour de France

Stage 12: Biniam Girmay Brilliant in 3rd Stage Win

Tadej Pogacar Holds Overall Lead

  STORYLINES   

🏅 Break Dancing’s Olympic Debut

Breaking will make its Olympic debut in Paris, but not without controversy. While some celebrate its inclusion in this summer’s Games, others in the community say a corporate competition isn’t staying true to the art form’s hip-hop roots. (SI)

🏛️ NCAA Finalizing Antitrust Settlements

Plaintiff’s attorneys and college athletic leaders are targeting next week to file a long-form agreement with the courts in the NCAA’s landmark settlement of antitrust cases. Looming future revenue-sharing issues are on deck. (Yahoo! Sports)

⚾️ MLB All-Stars: By The Numbers

MLB fully unveiled its All-Star class for 2024 on Sunday, with 77 players officially named All-Stars. That number is sure to grow in the coming days with injury replacements. Let’s look at some of the fascinating statistics. (FOX Sports)

  NEWS   📰 

⚽️ Jurgen Klopp Reportedly Turns Down Opportunity to Coach USMNT (SI)

🏈 Bill Belichick Joining ‘Inside the NFL’ for Upcoming 2024 Season (ESPN)

🏈 Safety Jamal Adams Agrees to 1-Year Deal With Titans (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Packers RB Josh Jacobs Slams Raiders Culture After Exit (CBS Sports)

🏀 Kyle Lowry Returns to 76ers on 1-Year Contract (B/R)

🏈 Monte Kiffin, Defensive Coordinator Who Revolutionized Football, Dies at 84 (USA Today)

⚽️ CONMEBOL Opens Investigation Into Uruguay-Colombia Brawl (ESPN)

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE   🗓️

The Weekend Must-Watch List

🎾 Wimbledon (Women's Semifinals)

M: #3 C. Alcaraz vs. #5 D. Medvedev (Fri. 8:30 am)

M: #2 N. Djokovic vs. #25 L. Musetti (Fri. 10:30 am)

🏆 Finals: Saturday (W) & Sunday (M)

⚽️ International Soccer Finals

EURO:  🇪🇸 Spain vs. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England (Sun. 3:00 pm, FOX)

COPA:  🇦🇷 Argentina vs. 🇨🇴 Colombia (Sun. 8:00 pm, FOX)

⚾️ MLB

Yankees-Orioles Series

Cubs-Cardinals Series

Rangers-Astros Series

Full MLB Weekend Schedule

MLB Draft (Sun. 7:00 pm, MLBN/ESPN)

🏀 WNBA

Liberty at Sky (Sat. 1:00 pm, ABC)

Fever at Lynx (Sun. 4:00 pm, ESPN)

Full WNBA Weekend Schedule

🚴 Tour de France

Stage 13: Agen > Pau (Fri.)

Stage 14: Pau > Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla D’Adet (Sat.)

Stage 15: Loudenvielle > Plateau de Beille (Sun.)

*All Times ET

  POLL   📊

Poll Results: Olympics Hype 🏅

The Olympics are just 12 days out. Yesterday, we asked: Which traditional Summer Olympic sports category is your favorite? To no one’s surprise, track and field is the main draw.

Track & Field — 53%

Swimming & Diving — 23%

Gymnastics — 19%

Weightlifting — 5%

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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