True, he's no longer a Marlin, but months after the team traded him for prospects, second baseman Luis Arraez remains the Marlins' best player. In a day and age when baseball analytics have taken over and a new statistic is born seemingly every day, batting average is no longer in vogue. While batting average may be going the way of the blue-footed booby, that straightforward data point says a lot about Luis Arraez. For by that measure, he is the LeBron James of baseball. In his first —and, as it turned out, only — season with the Marlins, all Arraez did was threaten to break the storied .400 threshold in batting average, a feat accomplished only 42 times in Major League Baseball history (the last time was 1948, when Artie Wilson of the Birmingham Black Barons did it). Arraez tailed off as the Marlins' 2023 season wore on, but he still finished at .354 — best in MLB. Now he's playing for the San Diego Padres. Such is the unfortunate lot of the Marlins fan.

David Beckham brought the best player in the world to Inter Miami in 2023, which, in turn, makes him the Best Team Owner in Miami. It's not all that complicated. The addition of Lionel Messi and a slew of his favorite soccer-playing friends took Inter Miami from a sleepy team playing off Commercial Boulevard in Broward County to an iconic franchise with more followers on social media than any team in all of sports. Not bad! Beckham has climbed to the top of Miami sports owners through more than just his impressive good looks, pedigree, and reputation. He worked tirelessly behind closed doors to convince Messi to join Inter, a monumental move that's done just as much for soccer in Miami as Pat Riley bringing LeBron James to play alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh did for basketball. They say you need to bet big to win big, and Beckham did just that. Banking on his relationship with Messi paid off, and then some.

Johnell Davis has entered the transfer portal, meaning he will not be an FAU Owls basketball team member in 2024-25. Luckily for him, this is an award for past performances, which he has delivered at Boca Raton in spades. Davis — regarded by many as the greatest player in FAU history — helped the school achieve its best season in program history in 2023, with Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. He was named first-team All-C-USA and C-USA Sixth Player of the Year, and, oh yeah, the Owls made it to the NCAA Final Four, by far their greatest season of all time. Davis followed up his fantastic 2023 play with another solid season for the Owls in 2024, and now he's on to either the NBA or another school where his talents will be on full display, likely on a national stage. His time in Boca will be forever remembered, regardless of his next stop. And he'll go down as one of the greatest college basketball players in South Florida history.

For the third consecutive year, University of Miami's primary kicker, Andres Borregales, once again put on a kicking clinic, earning 2023 First-Team All-ACC honors and becoming a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award to recognize the top kicker in the nation. In the regular season, he nailed 21 of 25 field goal attempts and successfully converted 41 of 42 extra point attempts across 12 games. Borregales was reliable when the rest of the Hurricanes squad was anything but, and he was a lead-pipe lock to put the pigskin between the uprights when the team needed him most. When a kicker puts on the sort of reliable display Borregales has over his career, you have to find ways to reward him. In this case, New Times is pitching in by awarding him the title Best College Football Player of 2024.

To say the man, the myth, the absolute South Florida AM sports radio legend, Brendan Tobin, continues to outwork the competition would be an understatement. He's going above and beyond to ensure he laps all comers. Between his midday show airing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on WQAM 560 with co-host and former star NFL running back LeRoy Hoard to his widely popular late-night YouTube video streams, Brendan is burning the candle at both ends while also finding time in the middle to be knowledgeable on all things boxing and martial arts. With a career in local radio spanning more than a decade, Tobin has cemented himself as a local legend and a voice fans hope to hear for many more decades. From pulsed whale calls when the Miami Heat were rumored to be after a star player to his hilarious Marlins Macho Man character, you never know what you'll get next from Brendan. That makes him all that much more notable, thriving in an industry that is increasingly up against the drive of a new digital world.

The voice of Florida Atlantic University sports, Ken LaVicka, is more than just a sportscaster — he's a fixture in the homes of those who root for the Owls. LaVicka was a must-follow during the Owls' incredible run to the NCAA Final Four during March Madness in 2023, offering a fly-on-the-wall view of all things FAU that included everything from the team boarding the bus to his preparations for the big games in storied arenas such as New York's Madison Square Garden. In the fall, LaVicka routinely begins the morning of an Owls' game by offering social media followers a sunrise view of the stadium where he will call games just a few hours later. His connection to the fanbase on social media is just one example of how the voice of a local team can do more than just explain to the fans what they're seeing, making the game more enjoyable. LaVicka brings to FAU precisely what the team needs: a recognizable voice and, at times, a cheerleader in a sports scene cluttered with many options. Those extra points — in addition to his spectacular vocal chops — make him the finest sportscaster in town.

This recent University of Miami grad is just getting his journalism career started — and yet, he's already one of the most coveted rising sports reporters in the industry. Derryl Barnes Jr., originally from the suburbs of Chicago, has always stood out, landing internships at both ESPN and the Wall Street Journal during his undergrad years. He recently received the honor of the Oscar Pope Lift Every Voice Fellowship, which gives students of color with a passion for sports journalism the opportunity to work with TNT Sports during NBA All-Star Weekend. He also won the 2024 Jim Nantz Award from the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA), several College Television Awards from his work on UMTV's SportsDesk, and roughly 20 other regional and national awards. As this issue was being prepared for press, Barnes shared that he's taken a job with Front Office Sports. Though he's just getting started, he's the next Bryant Gumbel —

Walking distance from the Miami Heat's home at the Kaseya Center is 94 feet of concrete where ballers of all shapes and sizes chuck up bricks and swishes, each shot carrying its own hoop dreams. The Pace Park basketball court's central location draws players from all over Dade to run game. The winds pushing off Biscayne Bay can make three-pointers challenging, but the shadows from the nearby skyscraping Edgewater condos make up for it, giving players respite from the harsh afternoon sun. Even more refreshing for vampires and hoopers with day jobs is that the court has lights, so you can play after the sun sets, all the way until the park closes at 10 p.m.

A former roller-hockey rink in the shadow of the new Florida Panthers' practice facility is the local pickleball hotspot. The space was recently renovated into six lit, free-to-the-public pickleball courts, where there's paddle action literally from sunrise through sundown. Some are labeled as challenge courts where the winners stay on or as "four on, four off." What makes the Holiday Park pickleball courts special is its level of play — let's just say it's not for amateurs before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on weekdays. If you've been winning too often at your local courts, hit Holiday Park to be quickly humbled by a grunting, sweaty pickleball bro or senior player to totally kick your ass. The system here is easy, too. Just place your paddle in a respective court's queue to get in on the next game.

Remember tennis legend Chris Evert? She was Martina Navratilova's nemesis on the court. She took home 18 grand slam titles throughout her incredible career. She's also from Fort Lauderdale, and there's a world-class tennis center in her hometown bearing her dad's name. The Jimmy Evert Tennis Center is nothing new — it's been a South Florida tennis breeding ground for tennis talents like Jennifer Capriati and Brian Gottfried. Today, it has 18 pristinely kept clay tennis courts. What makes it the best is the classy yet approachable ambiance. The courts are easy to book in advance for a fee via its pro shop, and if you want to fly solo, there's a ball machine rental for honing those skills.