It is with great pleasure that we have brought back the Notinhalloffame MLB Regular Cup, and let us explain how this works:

For every regular-season game, we anointed the best five players with descending points, 5-4-3-2-1. 

We know the following:

• The top players for the MLB NIHOF Cup are not always the best in the league, as injuries keep players out of games, and a premium on staying healthy can help pile up points. It also does not hurt to be a top player on an average or mediocre team, as they can amass Cup points more easily than elite players on loaded squads.
• In Baseball, it is more common than in Basketball and Hockey for a player to accrue points with a single Home Run in a game, which favors position players. Starting Pitchers have a hard time with approximately 30-35 Starts and throwing fewer innings than previous generations. This is also true for closers not made for this process.
• Please remember that this is NOT necessarily who we think were the best players this year and does not reflect overall consistency. Treat this the way we did: as a fun process and more of a compilation of temporary statistical domination.

Here is the current top ten after games concluded on June 9.

1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees: 109 Cup Points in 54 Games. (#1 Last Week).  5.2 bWAR, 62 Runs, 95 Hits, 23 Home Runs, 55 Runs Batted In, .396/.493/.771 Slash Line, 1.264 OPS & 250 OPS+.

2. Pete Alonso, New York Mets: 105 Cup Points in 60 Games. (#2 Last Week).   2.9 bWAR, 41 Runs, 75 Hits, 17 Home Runs, 61 Runs Batted In, .301/.396/.594 Slash Line, .990 OPS & 182 OPS+.

3. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets: 83 Cup Points in 64 Games. (#3 Last Week).   2.4 bWAR, 42 Runs, 73 Hits, 14 Home Runs, 38 Runs Batted In, .283/.354/.488 Slash Line, .842 OPS & 141 OPS+

4. (TIE) Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox: 79 Cup Points in 68 Games.  (#5 Last Week).  2.4 bWAR, 45 Runs, 71 Hits, 14 Home Runs, 57 Runs Batted In, .280/.409/.516 Slash Line, .925 OPS & 157 OPS+.

4. (TIE) Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers:  79 Cup Points in 65 Games.  (#4 Last Week).  3.1 bWAR, 67 Runs, 76 Hits, 23 Home Runs, 39 Runs Batted In, .291/.387/.628 Slash Line, 1.015 OPS & 184 OPS+.

6. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners: 77 Cup Points in 64 Games. (#6 Last Week).   3.4 bWAR, 44 Runs, 63 Hits, 26 Home Runs, 53 Runs Batted In, .266/.373/.641 Slash Line, 1.014 OPS & 192 OPS+.

7. (TIE) Jacob Wilson, The Athletics: 73 Cup Points in 64 Games. (Not in the Top Ten Last Week).   2.7 bWAR, 36 Runs, 93 Hits, 8 Home Runs, 38 Runs Batted In, .366/.402/.520 Slash Line, .922 OPS & 159 OPS+.

7. (TIE) Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals:  73 Cup Points in 66 Games.  (#6 Last Week).  3.4 bWAR, 35 Runs, 75 Hits, 8 Home Runs, 37 Runs Batted In, .291/.349/.492 Slash Line, .842 OPS & 135 OPS+.

7. (TIE) Manny Machado, San Diego Padres: 73 Cup Points in 65 Games. (Not in the Top Ten Last Week).  2.6 bWAR, 45 Runs, 78 Hits, 10 Home Runs, 34 Runs Batted In, .320/.382/.516 Slash Line, .899 OPS & 150 OPS+.

10. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers: 72 Cup Points in 56 Games.  (#9 Last Week).  2.3 bWAR, 36 Runs, 73 Hits, 9 Home Runs, 41 Runs Batted In, .351/.418/.591 Slash Line, 1.009 OPS & 185 OPS+.

Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson and Washington’s James Wood fell out of the Top Ten.

Notably, 888 baseball players have earned at least 1 point, up from 857 last week.

This past weekend, the UFC announced that Mark Kerr will be entering the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the UFC HOF Class of 2025.  He will be inducted as part of the Pioneer Wing.

The ceremony will take place on June 26 as part of International Fight Week.

A Division I Champion from Syracuse at 190 pounds, Kerr made his MMA debut in 1997 and would win two tournaments in UFC, at UFC 14 and UFC 15, respectively.  He never competed in the UFC after that, but instead mainly competed in Pride over the next few years.  “The Smashing Machine” had a lifetime record of 15-11 and was considered one of the most influential fighters of his day.

A movie about his life starring Dwayne Johnson will be released this October.

We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Mark Kerr on his impending induction.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that UCLA has announced the nine-person Class of 2025.

The incoming members are:

Tracey Milburn Bailey, Women’s Soccer, 1998-2000.  A three-time All-Pac-10 selection, Milburn Bailey had a phenomenal 2000 Season, where she scored 13 Goals, was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, led her school to the first-ever College Cup, and the first National Championship Game.  She later played professionally for the Washington Freedom of the Women’s United Soccer Association.

Mike Franks, Men’s Tennis, 1956-58.  Franks was a two-time All-American who led UCLA to a team championship in 1956.  In all three of his seasons with the Bruins, UCLA won at least a share of the conference championship.  He later competed at Wimbledon three times.

Cyndi Gallagher, Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach, 1988-2019.  A student-athlete herself at UCLA, Gallagher had a stellar career with a 202-107-2 record in dual meets.  She led the Bruins to two Pac-10 Titles (2001 & 2003), was a two-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year, and 11 of her athletes competed in the Olympics. 

Jason Kapono, Men’s Basketball, 2000-03.  Kapono scored 2,095 Points at UCLA (third all-time) and was an All-Pac-10 Selection in all four of his years with the Bruins.  He later played over 500 Games in the NBA, and won a Championship with the Miami Heat in 2006.

Brittani McCullogh, Women’s Gymnastics, 2008-11.  McCullough earned four All-America honors (one in vault and three on the floor) and in 2010, she won the Pac-10, Regionals, and National Titles on the floor exercise.

Kimberly Po, Women’s Tennis, 1990-91.  Po won the 1991 Pac-10 Doubles Title with Stella Sampras, and the pair were the runner-up for the National Championships.  Professionally, she won Mixed Doubles at the 1999 U.S. Open with Donald Johnson.

Sheena Johnson Tosta, Women’s Track and Field, 2001-04.  A ten-time All-American, Johnson Tosta won six Pac-10 Titles and was a two-time NCAA 400m Hurdle Champion.  She later competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, winning a Silver Medal in the latter.

Lisa Willis, Women’s Basketball, 2003-06.  Willis compiled 1,677 Points and 368 Steals for the Bruins and was also a two-time All-Pac-10 Selection and the MVP of the 2006 Pac-10 Tournament.  She later played four seasons in the WNBA.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the incoming members of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that Texas Tech has announced the eight-person Class of 2025.

The Red Raiders' 2025 Hall of Fame Class spans multiple sports and will be formally inducted on November 7, with additional recognition during Texas Tech’s home game against BYU.

The 2025 Texas Tech Hall of Fame Class members are:

Ryan Aycock, Football, 2000-03.  Aycock helped the Red Raiders reach a bowl game in all four of his seasons, and the defensive back recorded 11 Interceptions and 338 Tackles. 

Janine Beckie, Women’s Soccer, 2012-15.  Beckie led Texas Tech to its first NCAA Tournament appearance, and then went on to the next three.  She also led the Red Raiders to their first conference title and set a school record with 57 Goals.  Internationally, she starred for Canada and won Olympic Gold in 2021, and professionally, she helped Manchester City win two FA Cups and two League Cups.

Gabriella Dominguez, Women’s Golf, 2009-13.  Dominguez finished eighth in the 2012 NCAA Championship, which is the same season she set the school record with a 72.8 scoring average.

JaCorian Duffield, Men’s Track and Field, 2011-15.  Duffield is one of the best High Jumpers in Red Raider history, having won the National Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

Aaron Hunt, Football, 1999-2002.  Hunt was a phenomenal pass rusher for Texas Tech, having recorded 34 Sacks, 46.5 Tackles for Loss, and played a part in two bowl wins (2002 Tangerine and 2003 Houston).  He later played ten years in the Canadian Football League.

Matt Kastelic, Baseball, 1995-96.  Kastelic was a three-time All-America Selection, and Texas Tech had a 100-29 record in his games played.  He helped the Red Raiders reach their first two NCAA Tournaments and win their first Conference Tournament.  Individually, Kastellic batted .389 with a school-record 97 Stolen Bases.

B.J. Symons, Football, 2001-03.  Symons threw for an FBS record 5,833 Yards in 2003 under the explosive Mike Leach offense and held 11 NCAA records after he left the school. 

Cierra White, Track and Field, 2012-15.  White, a three-time Big 12 Champion sprinter, was an 11-time All-America honoree.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the incoming members of the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Fame.