As is tradition here, we like to reflect on the year that was by scouring through New York’s cast of characters to rank the top athletes of the year.
That means with 2023 drawing to a close, our list bumps up to 23 featuring stars from 11 different teams in and near the Big Apple.
amNewYork’s Top 23 athletes of 2023
23) Ilya Sorokin, Goalie, New York Islanders
Sorokin finished second in the Vezina Trophy, given to the best goalie in the NHL, back in June — a season in which he led all of hockey with six shutouts to go with a .924 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average. That’s why he squeaks on this list despite a regression during the first three months of the 2023-24 season. While facing an onslaught of shots, he’s 10-4-7 with a .914 save percentage, 3.09 goals-against average, and two shutouts.
22) John Tolkin, Defender, New York Red Bulls
The 21-year-old is one of the bright young stars of American soccer. He broke into the United States Men’s National Team and came in at No. 6 on Major League Soccer’s 22 Under 22 this year. Appearing in 27 MLS matches, Tolkin recorded three goals and six assists.
21) Sabrina Ionescu, Guard, New York Liberty
Ionescu earned her second-career All-Star nod in 2023 behind 17 points per game that is predicated on her lethal three-point shooting. She shot 44.8% from downtown this year, which ranked No. 3 in the WNBA, and her 128 three-pointers made ranked No. 1. Her long-distance prowess was on full display during the WNBA All-Star weekend when she scored 37 out of a possible 40 points to set a competition record across both the NBA and WNBA.
20) Quinnen Williams, Defensive Tackle, New York Jets
The anchor of the Jets’ defensive line, Williams’ pass-rushing has taken a step back from a remarkable 2022 season in which he posted 12 sacks. He has 3.5 this season, but already has more tackles (56) to go with eight tackles for loss, 18 QB hits, one forced fumble, and one safety.
19) Cam Thomas, Shooting Guard, Brooklyn Nets
The Nets needed something to latch on to after trading away Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden last year. Cam Thomas appears to be that. A 22-year-old who averaged just over 10 points per game last season, Thomas leads Brooklyn with 23.5 points per game this season, including a stretch to start the season that saw him record at least 30 points in each of the first three games.
18) Lynn Williams, Forward, Gotham FC
Making the jump to Gotham this season, Williams provided the much-needed goal-scoring surge that was missing. She led the team with seven regular-season goals before tallying the opening goal in the NWSL final in the 24th minute to put Gotham on the front foot.
17) Julius Randle, Power Forward, New York Knicks
With the arrival of Jalen Brunson, Randle doesn’t have to be THE man in New York anymore. However, he still has the ability to take over when necessary. After capping off a 2022-23 season in which he averaged a career-best 25.1 points per game to earn his second career All-Star appearance, Randle is putting up 22.9 points with 9.4 rebounds.
16) Bo Horvat, Center, New York Islanders
Now settled on Long Island after a trade from the Vancouver Canucks to the Islanders in January uprooted his entire life, Horvat is hitting his stride. The first-line center was posting points at a career pace this year with 33 (14 goals, 19 assists) in his first 32 games. That included a career-high 11-game point streak from Nov. 28-Dec. 19 in which he recorded eight goals and nine assists.
15) Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, New York Giants
Now in his second season in the NFL, Thibodeaux has begun to show why the Giants drafted him fifth overall in 2022. The 23-year-old leads the team with 11.5 sacks this season — becoming just the fifth Giant in the last 10 years to post a season of 10 or more sacks.
14) Chris Kreider, Left Winger, New York Rangers
All Kreider does is score, which is why this year has seen him take over third place on the Rangers’ all-time goal-scoring list. He scored 52 goals two seasons ago and followed it up with 36 last year. This season, he’s on pace for 43. It would make him just the fourth player in franchise history to record multiple 40-goal seasons.
13) Pete Alonso, 1st Baseman, New York Mets
There has not been a more prolific slugger in baseball than Pete Alonso since his arrival in 2019 — and this year was no different. Alonso launched 46 home runs with 118 RBI for the third 40-home-run season of his career. No other Met had more than one. He became just the fifth player in MLB history to record three or more 40-home-run seasons in his first five years, joining Ryan Howard, Ralph Kiner, Eddie Mathews, and Albert Pujols.
12) Dexter Lawrence, Defensive Tackle, New York Giants
Lawrence continues to cement his place as one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL. A premier run stopper, he has 50 combined tackles this season with six coming for a loss. He also has 4.5 sacks and 19 QB hits in total, which has helped him earn a grade of 92.8 this season from Pro Football Focus.
11) Mathew Barzal, Right Winger, New York Islanders
The acquisition of Bo Horvat forced Barzal to move away from his natural center position, but the returns have been good, so far. In his first 32 games, he had 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists). That’s 16 points fewer than he had all of last year in 58 games.
10) Ali Krieger, Defender, Gotham FC
The two-time Women’s World Cup winner with Team USA ended her career on top in November when the 39-year-old center-back helped Gotham FC win the NWSL title. If not for her, the club might not have even made the playoffs as she made a vital goal-line clearance in the regular-season finale to clinch a postseason berth. She was named a finalist for NWSL Defender of the Year as a part of a backline that allowed 24 goals this year, which ranked third-fewest in the league, and 205 shots, which was the lowest. Krieger also led Gotham in blocked shots, interceptions, and successful passes.
9) Francisco Lindor, Shortstop, New York Mets
Lindor’s third season with the Mets was his best, posting an .806 OPS with 31 home runs, 98 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. He became just the fourth Met in franchise history to record a 30/30 season, joining Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson (three times) and David Wright.
8) Noah Dobson, Defenseman, New York Islanders
While Dobson’s defensive game continues to improve, the 23-year-old is producing at a Norris Trophy-caliber pace. The Islanders blueliner had 34 points in his first 33 games (five goals, 29 assists) which featured 16 helpers in a 10-game stretch from Nov. 28-Dec. 16. He’s on pace to become just the second Islanders defenseman to flirt with a point-per-game pace in a season alongside the legendary Hall of Famer, Denis Potvin.
7) Kodai Senga, Starting Pitcher, New York Mets
The 30-year-old right-hander’s first season in Major League Baseball after making the jump from Japan probably didn’t go as expected. While he was being eased into a more taxing workload, he should have had the protection of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer ahead of him in the rotation. That wasn’t the case as both future Hall of Famers struggled with injuries and inconsistencies before they were traded away in July. Senga, however, blossomed. He went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 166.1 innings — paced by the dastardly ghost forkball that befuddled hitters all year. Senga became just the 14th pitcher since 1920 to record 200 or more strikeouts in his rookie season, which helped him earn a spot as a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year while finishing seventh in the NL Cy Young voting.
6) Jack Hughes, Center, New Jersey Devils
At just 22 years old, Hughes is everything the Devils could have imagined and more when they drafted him No. 1 overall. Finishing in the top 10 in the 2023 Hart Trophy voting after scoring 43 goals with 56 assists (99 points) last year, Hughes is at it again this season with 14 goals and 25 assists (39 points) in just 27 games.
5) Artemi Panarin, Left Winger, New York Rangers
Panarin has been as good as advertised since he signed with the Rangers five years ago, but the 2023-24 season is shaping up to be his best. In his first 32 games, he had 18 goals with 26 assists for 44 points. That’s a 112-point pace for the entire season, which would set a new career high by 16 points, which he set two years ago.
4) Aaron Judge, Outfielder, New York Yankees
A toe injury was the main factor that sidelined Judge for 56 games in 2023, but the Yankees’ slugger still put on a remarkable showing of power. In 106 games, he hit 37 home runs with 75 RBI to go with a 1.019 OPS. If he had played as many games as he did last year when he hit an AL-record 61 home runs (157), Judge’s pace would have seen him hit 55 home runs.
3) Jalen Brunson, Point Guard, New York Knicks
Finally, the Knicks have a franchise floor general. In his first year with in New York after being signed in free agency, he helped lead the Knicks to their first postseason series victory in a decade while averaging a career-high 24 points and 6.2 assists. He’s been even better to start this season, averaging 26.1 points per game across his first 29 to go with 5.9 assists.
2) Breanna Stewart, Forward, New York Liberty
Stewart’s first year with the Liberty after spending her first six WNBA seasons with the Seattle Storm could not have gone much better. She averaged a career-high 23 points to go with 9.3 rebounds, which earned her league MVP honors — the second time in her career she’s won the award. Her efforts also paced New York to its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2002.
1) Gerrit Cole, Starting Pitcher, New York Yankees
The 33-year-old right-hander took home his first-career Cy Young Award this season, going 15-4 with 222 strikeouts, and a 2.63 ERA, which led the American League. So did his win percentage, his 209 innings pitched, his 165 ERA+, and his 0.981 WHIP. He was unanimously voted the AL Cy Young winner, becoming just the sixth Yankee in franchise history to win the award where he joined Bob Turley (1958), Whitey Ford (1961), Sparky Lyle (1977), Ron Guidry (1978), and Roger Clemens (2001).
