Correction/clarification: A previous version of the printable bracket had UC San Diego listed twice. UC San Diego is a No. 12 seed. The winner between San Diego State and North Carolina will be the No. 11 seed in the South.

Editor’s note: The men’s March Madness bracket has been revealed. Here’s what to know about the 68-team NCAA Tournament field.

The men’s 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket for March Madness was released on CBS’ Selection Sunday show.

Auburn earned the top seed in the South Region, Duke and Cooper Flagg, who’s dealing with an ankle injury, got the top seed in the East Region, Houston is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, and Florida is the top seed in the West Region. Follow bracket reveal live updates.

Print your blank bracket with team names below. You can also join USA TODAY’s Bracket Challenge and Survivor Pool.

2025 March Madness printable bracket

Click for your 2025 NCAA Tournament printable bracket

SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?

When does March Madness start?

The men’s First Four is Tuesday and Wednesday with the first round starting Thursday. Here is the full men’s schedule.

First Four: March 18-19 
First round: March 20-21 
Second round: March 22-23 
Sweet 16: March 27-28 
Elite Eight: March 29-30 
Final Four: April 5 (San Antonio, Texas) 
National championship: April 7 (San Antonio, Texas)

Are you tired of the coworker who didn’t watch a college basketball game all year or your 9-year-old nephew or the HOA president who doesn’t know the difference between St. John’s and Saint Mary’s winning the March Madness office pool every year? Are you sick of putting in hours and hours of training in January and February watching Mountain West or Horizon League basketball on some obscure channel only to have your bracket obliterated by Happy Hour on Friday afternoon?

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve never won a bracket contest. Never even come close, really. It’s the same story every year. I talk myself into too many upsets that don’t pan out and completely whiff on double-digit seeds that I never considered, mostly because I watched them at some point and thought there was no way they could win an NCAA Tournament game. 

It made for a convenient excuse: I know too much!

But let’s face it, that’s just cope.

Here’s the truth: I stink at this. So do you, though. 

And I think I’ve figured out why.

Every year when the bracket comes out, the first thing we do is look at the matchups that interest us. That’s where the problem starts. 

People who watch college basketball all year long have all this data in our heads that we’ve accumulated over the past 4½ months, and we form opinions in the abstract about what’s going to happen in March. Then when the bracket comes out and we have actual games to pick, some of those ideas inevitably come into conflict. To figure it out, we become too analytical. We overthink everything, leading to a spiral of bad predictions and busted brackets. 

This year, it’s time for a new approach. What if we fill out the bracket before there’s a bracket? 

In other words, rather than going line by line once the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee shows us their work, let’s do our work ahead of time and then apply it as strictly as possible before the individual matchups start twisting our brains into a pretzel. 

Obviously, you can’t account for every single possibility before actually seeing the bracket. But if you have some principles you’re willing to stick to, you can fill those in right away and then let everything else fall into place. 

After watching hundreds of games this season, here are the five tenets of college basketball I’m going to use this year to build my bracket and finally win that office pool (yeah, right). So let’s get to work. 

1. Duke is going to win the national championship

It’s fair to question the quality of Duke’s ACC competition because the league just wasn’t very good this year. But using that to discount Duke by association would be a big mistake. This team showed its quality by rolling through the ACC tournament even without future No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg, who injured his ankle early in the quarterfinal and sat out the remainder of the games. If Flagg is significantly limited, that obviously changes things. But assuming he’s good to go, Duke is the best team in the country.

2. The SEC will get at least five teams in the Sweet 16, but just one in the Final Four 

The SEC’s record-setting regular season resulted in more NCAA tournament bids than any conference in history, and it’s hard to argue against a league that won 88.9% of its non-conference games, nearly all of them back in November and December. That remarkable run set SEC teams up to really boost each other’s bracket metrics once they started playing and beating each other. 

No doubt there are really good teams in that league. But there are also some things to wonder about. 

One of the league’s overachievers — Missouri, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt — will make the second weekend.

That leaves Florida, which is playing its best ball at the right time, to carry the SEC banner all the way to San Antonio.  

3. The Big Ten will flop 

It’s been 25 years since the league’s last men’s basketball title, and that’s not going to change this time. Between Michigan State, Michigan and Maryland − the top three teams in the regular season − there wasn’t a single nonconference win worth talking about. That’s enough reason to be deeply skeptical of how this league shook out. 

But you know who did have some good non-conference wins? UCLA (Arizona, Gonzaga) and Oregon (Texas A&M, Alabama). Those teams, though, had to deal with a brutal travel schedule that undoubtedly impacted their ability to win on the road. 

So what I’m going to do with that information is pick those schools to win one round more than their seed suggests and put a ceiling on Michigan State (Sweet 16), Michigan (round of 32), Maryland (round of 32), Wisconsin (round of 32) and Purdue (first round). The Big Ten will be shut out of the Final Four and prove to be a mediocre conference by the end of this tournament. 

4. The battered bluebloods won’t pull any miracles

Seeing schools like UConn and Kansas with far worse seeds than normal will make it tempting to pick them as upset possibilities. Don’t. The numbers are pretty clear. UConn just doesn’t have the juice defensively with this team to really bother elite opponents, while Kansas just wasn’t a very good team away from home. They earned their seeds. Don’t be fooled by the branding. 

5. The trendy mid-majors aren’t the ones to be worried about

Every single year, there’s a team that nobody wants to see in their bracket, according to the pundits. This year, it’s Drake, Colorado State and Grand Canyon. Lots of people in your pool are going to pick them simply because the college basketball analysts are going to hype them up as upset possibilities. We’re not falling for it. Instead, Utah State and High Point — two teams with great offensive metrics — will be worth a shot to pull first-round upsets. 

But as the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed on Selection Sunday, a titan is missing from the coverage on CBS: Greg Gumbel.

However, the presence of the longtime host of the Selection Sunday bracket reveal show was still felt on Sunday as CBS opened its show with a tribute to Gumbel.

Gumbel, who died in December at 78 years old from cancer, had anchored the network’s Selection Sunday show and NCAA Tournament coverage for 25 years. He was considered the quintessential voice of March Madness for many, as his voice greeted men’s college basketball fans on Selection Sunday and throughout the tournament with the iconic CBS March Madness soundtrack in the background.

That isn’t the only tribute being made to Gumbel by CBS on Sunday. As noted by Seth Davis on X (formerly Twitter), the entire CBS production crew is wearing Rolling Stones shirts today in honor of Gumbel, who was a big fan of the band.

Can your picks survive March Madness? Join our Survivor Pool to find out

Watch: CBS pays tribute to Greg Gumbel

Here’s a look at the tribute video to Gumbel that CBS opened the network’s Selection Sunday show with:

The 2025 NCAA Tournament gets underway with the First Four on Tuesday, March 18 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The first set of first-round games will start on Thursday, March 20.

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Auburn secured the No. 1 overall seed, with Florida also earning a No. 1 seed.
The previous record of 11 teams was held by the Big East Conference in 2011.
Only South Carolina and LSU, out of the SEC’s 16 teams, did not make the tournament.

The Southeastern Conference entered Selection Sunday with a chance to make history.

Not only did the top conference in men’s college basketball make history, but it destroyed it with 14 teams making the cut for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Texas snuck in as a No. 11 seed and will play Xavier in the First Four.

The previous record for the most teams a conference sent to the NCAA Tournament was 11, set by the Big East in 2011. UConn won the national championship that season.

Here’s what you need to know about the SEC teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament:

How many teams did SEC get in March Madness?

The SEC had two No. 1 seeds in Auburn and Florida, with Auburn being the No. 1 overall seed. Alabama and Tennessee earned No. 2 seeds, while Kentucky earned a No. 3 seed. Texas A&M was a No. 4 seed, while Ole Miss and Missouri are No. 6 seeds. Mississippi State is a No. 8 seed, while Georgia and Oklahoma earned No. 9 seeds.

John Calipari led Arkansas to a No. 10 seed in his first season there, as did Vanderbilt’s Mark Byington.

SEC teams in NCAA Tournament

Here’s a look at all the SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament and their seeds:

Auburn (No. 1 overall)
Florida (No. 1)
Alabama (No. 2)
Tennessee (No. 2)
Kentucky (No. 3)
Texas A&M (No. 4)
Ole Miss (No. 6)
Missouri (No. 6)
Mississippi State (No. 8)
Georgia (No. 9)
Oklahoma (No. 9)
Vanderbilt (No. 10)
Arkansas (No. 10)
Texas (No. 11)

March Madness record for most teams from one conference

The SEC set the record by sending 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Big East set the previous record in 2011 with 11 teams in the tournament.

Here’s a look at the conferences with the most teams sent to the NCAA Tournament:

1. SEC, 2025: 14 teams
2. Big East, 2011: 11 teams
T3. ACC, 2018: 9 teams
T3. ACC: 2017: 9 teams
T3. Big East, 2012: 9 teams
T6. Big Ten, 2019: 8 teams
T6. SEC, 2018: 8 teams
T6. Big East, 2013: 8 teams
T6. Big East, 2010: 8 teams

How many schools in the SEC?

With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma ahead of the 2024-25 academic year, the SEC has 16 teams in the conference. Only South Carolina (12-20, 2-16) and LSU (14-18, 3-15) did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament this season.

Both newcomers in the Sooners and the Longhorns did qualify in their first season in the conference.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers ended their four-game losing streak Sunday with a 107-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

It was only part of the good news for the Lakers faithful.

Luka Doncic led the way with 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists after missing the team’s previous game while resting a sprained right ankle. Improving health were at the operative words at Crypo.com Arena.

LeBron James watched the game in street clothes while missing his fourth consecutive game with a groin injury. But when asked about James’ condition, Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game, “We’re ramping up. It’s day to day.’’

The Lakers appeared to be ramping up against the talented but struggling Suns.

NBA MOCK DRAFT: Selection Sunday edition

NCAA TOURNAMENT: Printable men’s and women’s brackets

Before James suffered the injury, the Lakers had won eight straight and 20 of 24 games. But during the four-game slide, with the playoffs about a month away, the Lakers slid from the No. 2 seed to the No. 5 seed.

With his team getting healthier, Redick said he’d like for the Lakers get back to playing “a high level defensively.’’

“I think it starts there,’’ Redick said during a pregame session with the media.” I do believe we need to be whole for that to happen. Just the nature of our roster, it works when everybody’s out there and I think that’s one thing.

“I think the health is another thing, but our identity that we’ve built and that I believe will continue into late March and early April and through the end of the regular season is an identity built on toughness and playing hard and our defense, and again, when we’re whole we have a lot more optionality to play different ways offensively, so all that stuff goes together.’’

While James and injured starting forward Rui Hachimura watched from the bench, center Jaxson Hayes returned to the starting lineup after missing four games with a knee contusion. He had an immediate impact. Hayes scored eight points in the first quarter, during which the Lakers led by as many as 20 points. Hayes finished with 19 points and six rebounds.

Doncic, who missed the Lakers’ 131-126 loss at Denver on Friday, prompted cheers simply taking the court for pregame warmups to his signature Slovenkian music. They grew only louder when the game began.

Doncic had 17 points, six assists and four rebounds at halftime and the Lakers led 54-37 at the intermission.

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It may have taken a while, but the final round of the 2025 Players Championship finally came to a close today … but with no outright winner. So get ready for playoff golf on Monday.

After a four-hour weather delay due to blustering winds, Sunday came down to the final hole and a tie for the lead between Rory McIlroy and unlikely contender J.J. Spaun. Now the two will tee it up again Monday morning at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Midway through Sunday’s final round, this looked like McIlroy’s tournament to lose. He started play on the 14th hole with a three-stroke lead over Spaun, but gave it away by the time the 18th rolled around. While McIlroy bogeyed 14, Spaun birdied 14 and 16 to surge into a tie atop the leaderboard heading into 18. It was a great turnaround for Spaun, who came into the final round of play at -12, but had shot +2 prior to 14. The final five holes reinvigorated his chances of winning.

After a par for McIlroy on 18, it was up to Spaun to knock in a birdie. He needed to sink a 30-footer for the win. It didn’t fall, coming up less than a foot short for the win.

He did par the hole thing, meaning we the pair were all knotted up at -12, two shots ahead of the next closest contenders.

How will the playoff work?

The Players Championship instituted their current playoff format in 2014, an aggregate system that sees each of the tied golfers play the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes again with the best score being declared the winner.

If the golfers are still tied after playing the three holes, they will go into sudden death starting on the Par-3 17th and moving to the Par-4 18th afterwards, if necessary.

When was the last time there was a playoff at the Players?

In 2015, Rickie Fowler defeated both Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner in a playoff. Garcia was eliminated after the 18th, but Fowler and Garcia needed one more hole to determine a winner. Fowler birdied 17. Garcia made par, giving Fowler the biggest win of his career.

What are the golfers playing for?

The Players Championship is considered by many to be the PGA Tour’s unofficial fifth major, bringing a lot of attention and respect to the winner.

The prize pool is nothing to scoff at either. The winner will take home $4.5 million, with second-place claiming $2.725 million.

Has McIlroy ever won the Players Championship?

In 2019, McIlroy became the first player ever from Northern Ireland to win the Players Championship. Ironically, he accomplished the feat on St. Patrick’s Day.

When will the playoff start?

The playoff will begin at 9 a.m. ET on Monday with coverage on the Golf Channel. Fans can also stream the event with Peacock or through the NBC Sports app.

Stream the Players Championship with Peacock

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MEDLEY, Fla. — Napheesa Collier co-founded the Unrivaled women’s basketball league with Breanna Stewart. She won the league’s 1-on-1 tournament and its $200,000 cash prize. And she has added another Unrivaled accolade during the league’s historic inaugural season.

Collier was named Unrivaled Most Valuable Player, jogging onto a stage and waving to fans during a pregame ceremony before the league’s semifinal playoff games on Sunday night.

Collier led Unrivaled with 25.7 points per game, and was instrumental in the Lunar Owls clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the postseason with a 13-1 record during the regular season. She was also named to the All-Unrivaled First Team earlier this week.

‘Phee, you are the queen of the highest court in the land. That’s not only because for your remarkable achievements as a world-class top athlete, but also what you’ve co-created with Breanna Stewart,’ Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler said.

‘What you’ve co-created has changed the trajectory for your fellow players, for every stakeholder in basketball, and every lover in basketball. Unrivaled is going to be a very important chapter in sports history. Congrats on being our amazing first MVP of Unrivaled.’

Collier led Unrivaled with 25.7 points per game, while her 10.6 rebounds ranked fourth in the league. She was one of four players to average a double-double – joined by Stewart, Alyssa Thomas and Angel Reese.

Collier also led Unrivaled with a 61.3 shooting percent from the floor, two steals per game and co-led the league with Brittany Griner with 1.4 blocks per game.

The Lunar Owls outscored their opponents by 170 points during the season.

Collier also won Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament. She beat Katie Lou Samuelson in the first round, Rickea Jackson in the second round, her Lunar Owls teammate Courtney Williams in the quarterfinal, and beat Aaliyah Edwards in the final. She also secured $10,000 for each of her club teammates — Williams, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, and Shakira Austin by winning the tournament.

‘I just have to say I wouldn’t be here without my team and my coaches,” Collier said. ‘They pushed me everyday to be my best …. This is not a solo award. This is a team award, and I want to say ‘thank you’ to them.’

Collier was ruled questionable to play in Sunday’s semifinal game against the No. 4 Vinyl, but was in uniform and jogged onto the stage for her MVP ceremony.

Josh Berry has his first career NASCAR Cup Series win.

The Hendersonville, Tennessee native won Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, passing Daniel Suarez in the final laps to get the win in his 53rd career start.

Berry, 34, is in his first season with Wood Brothers Racing after running his rookie Cup season with now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. Previously Berry had driven part time for Spire Motorsports (2021), Hendrick Motorsports (2022) and Legacy Motor Club (2022).

‘Vegas has been so good to me,’ Berry said to FOX Sports pit reporter Jamie Little after the win. ‘I’ve had so many great moments here. Just struggled in the NextGen car. This whole 21 team, everybody at Wood Brothers Racing, they gave me a great car today.’

Berry added the relationship he’s had with Team Penske since making the switch from Stewart-Haas Racing to Wood Brothers Racing has been massive for him. Wood Brothers Racing is a sister team to Team Penske.

‘They welcomed me with open arms and tried to help me accelerate the learning process as much as I can,’ Berry said.

Josh Berry career stats

Josh Berry’s win at Las Vegas was his first win in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has five career top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes.

Josh Berry hometown

Josh Berry is from Hendersonville, Tennessee, which is just outside of Nashville and the same hometown as two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden.

Does Josh Berry know Taylor Swift?

Josh Berry attended Hendersonville High School at the same time Taylor Swift was there. He was a couple of years behind her, they weren’t close, but Berry remembers being impressed by Swift’s performance in the school’s talent show.

What car does Josh Berry drive

Josh Berry drives the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.

Josh Berry sponsor

Josh Berry is sponsored Motorcraft, Eero and Harrison’s.

Follow sports writer Austin Chastain on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ or reach him via email at achastain@gannett.com.

The first week of NFL free agency is in the books. Teams across the league have given out hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to improve the quality of their rosters. There were some big-money deals that many expected while some players earned surprisingly high figures on the open market.

As of March 16, the Carolina Panthers lead the league in free agent signees with 15 and the Minnesota Vikings lead the way in total spending, per OverTheCap. Defensive lineman Milton Williams signed the biggest deal of free agency with a four-year, $104 million deal with the New England Patriots with $63 million guaranteed.

As the rate of deals slows down, there are still many notable veteran players in free agency left who could be contributors for teams around the league. These experienced players could add a wrinkle on offense or defense to push a team into contention.

Here are the top 25 remaining players left in free agency as of March 16:

Top 15 remaining NFL free agents

1. OT Cam Robinson

Previous team:Minnesota Vikings

Robinson wasn’t the top free-agent tackle on the market after a solid but unspectacular season with Jacksonville and Minnesota in 2024. Still, he’s entering his age-30 season and the 2025 NFL draft lacks year-one starting tackle depth. A team looking for a short-term solution at the position should give him a look.

2. WR Amari Cooper

Previous team:Buffalo Bills

Buffalo dealt for Cooper mid-season but the veteran wideout didn’t have an outsized impact on the Bills’ offense in their run to the AFC championship game. He was dealing with a nagging wrist injury that likely impacted his career-high drop rate in 2024. He’ll be 31 before the season starts and isn’t a No. 1 option for a passing game anymore but offers a proven track record as a productive route-runner.

3. CB Rasul Douglas

Previous team:Buffalo Bills

Cornerback can be a volatile position but Douglas has been consistent over the last few years. He took a step back in 2024, but from 2021 to 2023, he had at least four interceptions and 13 passes defensed per season. He’ll turn 30 right before the season and is a good fit for zone-heavy teams looking for a depth piece or short-term starter.

4. WR Stefon Diggs

Previous team:Houston Texans

Houston traded for Diggs a year ago, and he was one of the top 20 wide receivers in production before a season-ending ACL injury in Week 8. His recovery status will be a concern but, like Cooper, he still has the experience to provide a team with another proven option in the passing game as he enters his age-31 season.

5. G Teven Jenkins

Previous team:Chicago Bears

Guards Will Fries and Aaron Banks got big-money deals in the first week of free agency and Jenkins offers another younger option at the position on the open market. The tackle-turned-guard has been an impact starter when he’s on the field. The downside is he’s played 45 of 68 possible games since being drafted by Chicago in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.

6. CB Asante Samuel Jr.

Previous team:Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers’ second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft missed significant time last season for the first time in his four-year career, playing just four games for Los Angeles. There are concerns his injury is more of a chronic issue than a one-season anomaly. When he’s on the field, he’s productive. Samuel Jr.’s notched six interceptions and 37 passes defensed in 50 games.

7. QB Russell Wilson

Previous team:Pittsburgh Steelers

With a down year in the NFL draft for quarterbacks, free agency didn’t offer many good choices at the most important position in the NFL. Wilson had an okay season with the Steelers last year but the offense fizzled out down the stretch. He can still throw deep entering his age-36 season but he’s lost most of the mobility that made him a dangerous player in Seattle years ago.

8. QB Aaron Rodgers

Previous team:New York Jets

Rodgers’ stint in New York went poorly as the four-time MVP had a down season in his first full year as the Jets’ starter. He’s entering his age-41 season and, like Wilson, has lost much of the mobility that made him a playmaker for much of his career. His vision, accuracy and arm talent are still there but he’s not the MVP he once was. Whichever team signs him will have to sign off on the off-field intrigue he brings as well.

9. CB Mike Hilton

Previous team:Cincinnati Bengals

Hilton took a step back in 2024, as did much of the Bengals’ defense, but he’s still a proven slot cornerback with consistent production and coverage skills. He’s entering his age-31 season so he’s far from his heights as a defender but could shore up a position of need for playoff-ready teams.

10. G Brandon Scherff

Previous team:Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars moved on from Scherff and signed former Raven Patrick Merkari to get younger at one of the guard spots entering 2025. Scherff, a five-time Pro Bowler, will turn 34 late this season but hasn’t dropped off much with age. He had one of his best seasons in pass protection in 2024 and should be a good option for teams needing a plug-and-play starter at one of the guard spots.

11. Edge Azeez Ojulari

Previous team:New York Giants

Ojulari was a second-round pick by the Giants in the 2021 NFL draft but struggled to stay on the field after his rookie season. He played in all 17 games in 2021 but has missed 24 of 51 games since then due to injuries. Still, he’s entering his age-25 season in 2025 and has racked up 22 sacks in 46 career games. He’s at the very least a rotational pass rush piece who won’t command big money. That’s enough upside to look past the injury concerns.

12. C Garrett Bradbury

Previous team: Minnesota Vikings

Bradbury is slightly undersized for the position at 6-foot-3 and 306 pounds but his impressive footwork and body control make him an asset against both the run and pass. The former top-20 pick from the 2019 NFL draft has been a reliable starter for the Vikings for years with just 11 games missed over six seasons. Minnesota’s signing of Ryan Kelly in free agency made Bradbury an expendable piece. He’ll be 30 by the start of the season and could be an experienced starter to help teams with a young quarterback.

13. WR Keenan Allen

Previous team:Chicago Bears

Chicago traded for Allen last season and he repaid them with 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s not the same Pro Bowl receiver he was for years with the Chargers entering his age-33 season in the NFL but he’s one of the better route runners of his generation. He won’t be the top target of the passing game but teams looking for a possession receiver in the slot could use his skillset.

14. Edge Za’Darius Smith

Previous team:Detroit Lions

Detroit traded for Smith during the season last year and reaped the rewards with four sacks in eight games. He’ll turn 33 this upcoming season but remains an effective edge piece who uses speed-to-power well. He’s big enough at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds to line up at multiple spots on the defensive line.

15. OT Jedrick Wills Jr.

Previous team:Cleveland Browns

The Browns opted against bringing the former top-10 pick back after two injury-shortened seasons in 2023 and 2024. He’ll be 26 years old by the start of the 2025 NFL season and has the draft pedigree and tools to be at least a developmental piece who teams could take a chance on this year. It’s a low-risk investment.

Joey Gallo was released by the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, leading to the two-time MLB All-Star taking to social media to announce he would trying his hand at pitching.

Gallo was one of baseball’s most prolific power bats, hitting the sixth-most home runs in the league from 2017 to 2021, including 41 and 40 in the two years to start that stretch. Now 31 and without a team, Gallo has always struggled with strikeouts and his career batting average is a mere .194.

Gallo had his most success with the Texas Rangers, who selected him in the 2012 draft. A two-time Gold Glove winner, Gallo made his debut in 2015 and became a regular in 2017, earning All-Star nods in 2019 and 2021. The Rangers traded him to the New York Yankees at the 2021 deadline, which is when Gallo’s drop-off began.

He had a .660 OPS in 140 games for the Yankees, who unloaded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers the following summer. Gallo spent 2023 with the Minnesota Twins and 2024 with the Washington Nationals, hitting .170 with a .685 OPS and 244 strikeouts in 505 at-bats over the past two seasons before signing with the White Sox for spring training. Gallo was 2-for-20 with no home runs, one walk and 11 strikeouts in 21 Cactus League plate appearances before his release.

Gallo displayed one of the strongest outfield arms in baseball – ranking in the 90th percentile as recently as 2012 – so he may have a future on the mound, but he’s never pitched at the professional level. There’s certainly precedent for position players making a switch, but it is historically a rarity for an All-Star caliber player like Gallo.

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