Major League Baseball players and staffers used to hit the golf links or organize pickup basketball games on their off days, but now they’re turning to a new hobby: Pickleball.

A new ESPN report detailed how the sport is taking off among teams throughout the league. High-stakes matches and regularly updated pickleball power rankings have become the talk of several clubhouses, and there are a few players in the show who would hold their own at any local open play.

Learn more about baseball’s new obsession below.

Also in this issue:

• Why mixed doubles rocks 🤘

• Our MLP team has a new logo 👀

• A lot on the line in Atlanta 🍑

• A new way to test pickleball paddles 👨‍🔬

• New Jersey pickleballers fight fee increase 😱

• The case for the JOOLA Scorpeus 🦂

Let’s cook. 🧑‍🍳

JOOLA PRO IV GIVEAWAY

ONLY THREE DAYS LEFT TO ENTER!

We are excited to partner with Joola to give away 15 of their brand new PRO IV Series pickleball paddles. Winners can choose from their choice of paddle! Good luck!

SIGN UP HERE and also get 100 BONUS ENTRIES HERE!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Why we love mixed doubles

Rarely do women get a chance to go head to head with men in pro sports. But in pickleball mixed doubles, they get to do just that, and every point is an opportunity to show they can compete with even the best men on a level playing field.

In this throwback point from 2023, it’s Parris Todd across the net from world No. 1 Ben Johns. She matches him volley for volley and gets the final say, punctuating the epic hands battle with a roar and a shake of the head.

🔗 Watch Parris Todd go to work

NASHVILLE CHEFS

Meet Cheffrey, our new MLP mascot

We put out a cry for help a few weeks ago seeking new logo ideas for our Major League Pickleball Team — the Nashville Chefs.

While we got many great submissions, one man rose to the occasion: Jay Jordan Uy.

Not only did he come up with a new logo, but he delivered a full rebrand with a new mascot, Cheffrey. Wielding a worn cutting board, Cheffrey’s ready to smash overheads to make his signature pickle purée.

Jay will be joining the team at the MLP Austin event, so if you see him give him a fist bump for creating the greatest logo in pickleball history!

POLL

FEATURED STORY

How Major League Baseball players and staffers got hooked on pickleball

A recent ESPN story has detailed how hotly contested pickleball matches have become the norm throughout Major League Baseball, replacing basketball and even golf as the preferred off-day activity among front office members, coaches, umpires and some players.

As pickleball has exploded in popularity and more courts have been built in cities across the country, it has given those in baseball a convenient outlet for their competitiveness while on the road. Some teams even built courts at their spring training facilities in Arizona and Florida.

Some teams, like the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres, put together tournaments on their road trips. In one instance, the Padres even had to take a break from pickleball because the competition between the front office staff and the coaches was getting too heated.

"It's a bunch of alphas going after it," manager Mike Schildt said. "I'm not going to lie to you. It got so competitive, we had to take a break."

NOTABLE MLB PLAYERS WHO WOULD PROBABLY BEAT YOU

8x All-Star Mookie Betts: He has said in the past he loves pickleball and used to play regularly, but he told ESPN he's back to playing more golf these days.

"I'm playing shortstop now," the Dodgers star said. "I don't have time to be doing all that running and stuff."

6x All-Star J.D. Martinez: He’s preparing to transition to professional pickleball after his baseball career. That might come sooner rather than later, as he’s currently a free-agent and could end up retiring this year if a team doesn’t pick him up this season.

“I see pickleball as a sport I’ll be involved in for the long run,” he said while announcing a partnership with JOOLA earlier this year.

🔗 More details on the pickleball obsession sweeping through MLP

THE PROS

Second PPA Tour Slam of the season will have a lot on the line

The PPA Tour Atlanta Pickleball Championships are still about a month away, but already there are several interesting storylines that have developed ahead of the second Slam of the season.

Through the first 9 tournaments -- about halfway through the PPA Tour schedule -- there have been a few shakeups to the normal order of things, as Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters have been beaten multiple times already in mixed doubles and gender doubles.

ATLANTA OFFERS BIG OPPORTUNITY

As the second of four Slams on the season, 2,000 ranking points will be up for grabs in Atlanta. It’s a big chance for Waters and Johns to send a message to the rest of the field that they are still the top dogs and the ones to beat in the biggest tournaments.

For Waters, it will be her first tournament in 2025 playing without Catherine Parenteau by her side. Instead, she'll team up with Anna Bright -- a partnership that is expected to continue through the remainder of the season. In case you missed it last week, Waters and Parenteau surprisingly split up after losing in the women's doubles final at the PPA Tour North Carolina Open earlier this month.

For Johns, it's a chance to reclaim his spot at the top of the men's doubles rankings. He's currently 1,100 points behind Federico Staksrud in "The Rank" (the 52-week rolling point total) and 500 points behind Andrei Daescu in "The Race" (the 2025 season-long point total).

Speaking of Daescu, we caught up with him recently to talk about his breakout season and learn more about how he got to where he is in pickleball.

Looking to catch the action in Atlanta in person? Buy tickets here.
Want to play alongside the pros? Register for the amateur events here.

🔗 An early look at some interesting partnerships in the ATL

THE WHITE LOTUS MOM IS NOT FAN OF PICKLE

‘You’re dropping out of (tennis) society … for this?’

We gotta give credit for the creativity on this video, which depicts Victoria Ratliff, the mom from White Lotus, passing judgement on a group of pickleball players at open play.

Check it out here.

PADDLE CORNER

UPA-A introduces ‘destructive testing’

There were two bits of paddle-related news that caught our eye in the past week.

🧪 NEW PADDLE TESTING PROCESS

The United Pickleball Association of America -- the governing body of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball -- recently released more information about a new "destructive testing" process that has been incorporated into UPA-A paddle testing. The new test, known as an "Accelerated Break In Standard" (ABI), is meant to determine how a paddle's performance changes over time by breaking it down in a “controlled and systematic manner,” according to the UPA-A.

🔗 Learn more about how it works.

🤫 CALIFORNIA TOWN MANDATES QUIET PADDLES

Pickleball players who play at Lang Park in Laguna Beach, California, will be required to use "quiet" paddles going forward after the city council there passed a law that fines people for using the louder traditional paddles. The city council took action after several years of complaints from residents of a nearby senior community, according to The Orange County Register.

🔗 Is this the future of public pickleball?

In what could only be described as a win for the good guys, pickleball players in Ocean City, New Jersey, recently fought back against a proposed court fee increase that would have raised the price of a season pass by a whopping 275%.

After the proposal was introduced, members of the pickleball community inundated their City Council members with calls and also met with Mayor Jay Gillian to oppose the increase, according to the Ocean City Sentinel.

Previous cost of a season pass: $60
Original proposed new cost: $225
New cost after negotiating with the mayor: $100

That’s still a fairly significant increase, but it sure beats the alternative.

Council members ultimately approved the new rate on a 6-1 vote. And there was much rejoicing in Ocean City, we’re sure.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Is the JOOLA Scorpeus the most underrated paddle in pickleball?

The JOOLA Perseus and Hyperion shapes have gotten a lot of love over the years, and for good reason — they’re great paddles.

But the Scorpeus shape seems to fly more under the radar, when it might actually be the paddle a lot of amateur players could play their best with.

The square paddle face increases the size of the sweet spot and the lower swingweight makes the Scorpeus more maneuverable, which means players have more control over the direction and speed of their shots.

But it’s not a traditional “control” paddle in terms of softness. Both the 14mm and 16mm Scorpeus Pro IV paddles offer good pop and power, so you get the benefit of maneuverability and a big sweet spot without sacrificing how aggressive you can be.

A true win-win.

🔗 Shop the Scorpeus ProIV

QUICK HITS

• Life goals: A pickleball court in the basement

• Full send: Pickleball in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

• What you think you look like vs. what you actually look like

• New obsession: Pickleball in the dark

• POV: You turn your driveway into a pickleball court

• Oh my: We’re drilling body bags now?

• No chill: This bronze match got out of control

REP THE KITCHEN

Become a Chef with The Kitchen merch!

Check out our classic t-shirts, crewnecks, hoodies, and hats on our website here. Use code KITCHENFAM for 15% off. Let’s cook.👨🏻‍🍳