As is our annual tradition here at amNewYork Sports, we’re counting down New York City’s top athletes of the year.
While a “Big 4” championship still eludes the Big Apple — no, we’re not counting the NBA Cup — an MVP was produced in Major League Baseball, while another stakes his claim over at Madison Square Garden.
amNewYork’s Top 25 Athletes of 2025
25) Mitchell Robinson: Perhaps a surprise that he is on this list. The injuries continue to pile up, and he has started just 13 of the 36 regular-season games he has appeared in this year. But the importance of Robinson was on full display in the NBA Cup Final against the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month, and why he eeks his way onto the list over perhaps some other notable New York athletes who play on losing teams. He played just 18 minutes with four points, but hauled down a staggering 15 rebounds, and 10 of them were on the offensive glass. Five of those O-boards came in a 1:06 span in the fourth quarter during a game-changing 16-2 run that put New York ahead for good. He single-handedly out-rebounded the Spurs in the fourth quarter, hauling down eight boards compared to San Antonio’s six.
24) Breanna Stewart: While the Liberty fell significantly short of a title repeat, Stewart remained one of the most productive players in the league, recording 18.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
23) Michael Porter Jr.: Porter has been the headliner of a rebuilding Nets team, averaging 25.6 points per game in his first season with the team after being acquired from the Denver Nuggets over the summer.
22) Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: Once gracing the fields of France with Paris Saint-Germain and Germany with the mighty Bayern Munich, Choupo-Moting made the move to New York this season and immediately carried the Red Bulls’ attack. The Cameroonian international was tied for eighth in MLS with 17 goals.
21) Breece Hall: Overcoming trade rumors throughout the first half of the 2025 season, Hall has reaffirmed himself as a legitimate franchise running back. That makes one whole thing that the Jets have going for them. Hall has 954 yards through 15 games this season.
20) Matt Freese: NYCFC’s goalkeeper has continued to cement his place as a legitimate No. 1 option for the US men’s national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup this summer. He was one of 11 MLS goalkeepers with eight or more clean sheets this season.
19) Justin Haak: Where he might land in free agency, no one knows yet, but Haak’s time at NYCFC appears close to being over. He is hitting the open market as one of MLS’s most dependable defenders. He appeared in 35 matches this season, recording one goal. He was one of just 10 players in MLS this season to record over 3,000 minutes and ranked 16th with 1,747 passes completed.
18) Cam Schlittler: A late-season call-up, Schlittler quickly thrust himself into the conversation of a legitimate front-line starter for the Yankees for years to come. He posted a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts during the regular season, but his magic moment came in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox when he shoved for eight shutout innings, allowing just five hits with 12 strikeouts in New York’s 4-0 victory over their hated rivals to punch their ticket to the ALDS.
17) Igor Shesterkin: Shesterkin has been one of the most overworked goaltenders in the NHL since the start of last season, yet continues to post results. He has faced the most shots (807) and made the most saves (733) this season, yet is still 15-11-3 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.
16) OG Anunoby: A continuous defensive engine, Anunoby has been proven to be offensively versatile enough to supplement the scoring load when needed. His defensive win shares rank 15th in the league this season while averaging 15.5 points on just 11.9 field-goal attempts per game.
15) Jaxson Dart: The intangibles are there for a franchise quarterback, and, at times, Dart has shown that he could be just that in New York. The 22-year-old rookie out of Ole Miss is an imposing dual threat when utilized correctly — he’s thrown for 1,835 yards, rushed for another 407, and has 20 total touchdowns in 10 starts. The problem is that he has regressed under interim head coach Mike Kafka, which could boil down to philosophical issues more than anything.
14) Matthew Schaefer: The No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft is performing as advertised. At just 18 years old, Schaefer is quickly developing into one of the most dynamic defensemen in all of hockey. He already has nine goals with 15 assists in his first 36 games, which is top-end production from a blue liner, let alone one his age.
13) Bo Horvat: Horvat was off to the best start of his decade-plus career with 19 goals in 32 games before getting hurt earlier this month. While he has missed some time, he enters the holiday break still ranked within the NHL’s top 10 in goals scored and has made a serious case to be considered for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.
12) Cody Bellinger: Bellinger’s first year with the Yankees continued his resurgence from a mid-career crisis earlier in the decade. His 29 home runs and 98 RBI in Pinstripes were the most he’s recorded since winning the 2019 NL MVP Award with the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he hit 47 and drove in 115.
11) Francisco Lindor: Despite dealing with numerous injuries, Lindor appeared in 160 games and led the National League in plate appearances (732) and at-bats (644). He also posted his second 30/30 season of the last three years with 31 home runs and 31 RBI.
10) Carlos Rodon: It all finally came together for the southpaw, now in his third year with the Yankees. Rodon led the American League by making 33 starts while going 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 195.1 innings pitched.
9) Artemi Panarin: Panarin is flirting with a point-per-game pace for the fifth-straight season with the Rangers as their most consistent playmaker. It’s about the only thing going right for a team that continues to disappoint at the start of the Mike Sullivan era.
8) Karl-Anthony Towns: Yes, his name continues to emerge in trade talks in hypothetical deals for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Yes, his defense down the stretch last year was nothing short of a liability. Still, Towns produces as one of the best offensive big men in the game. He was an All-Star starter back in February and is averaging 21.6 points with 11.6 rebounds per game this season.
7) Brian Burns: All eyes were going to be on rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter this season, but Burns has been the anchor of Big Blue’s pass rush. The veteran defensive end ranks second in the NFL with 15 sacks, trailing only Myles Garret of the Cleveland Browns, who is on the precipice of setting a new single-season record.
6) Pete Alonso: Betting on himself with that two-year bridge deal with an opt-out, Alonso played his hand as well as one could in that situation. The Polar Bear hit 38 home runs with 126 RBI and set the Mets’ career franchise record in round-trippers with his 253rd on Aug. 12. His franchise record finishes with 264 in total, as the Mets allowed him to walk in free agency earlier this month to the Baltimore Orioles on a five-year, $155 million deal.
5) Edwin Diaz: Another foundational Met that was allowed to walk in free agency this winter, signing a three-year, $69 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Diaz ended his time in New York with a flourish. He won the Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year with a 1.63 ERA, 28 saves, 0.873 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched.
4) Max Fried: After signing the richest contract for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history to join the Yankees last winter, Fried lived up to the hype and filled the role as staff ace after Gerrit Cole went down with season-ending Tommy John surgery in March. Fried went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA and 198 strikeouts, won a Gold Glove, and finished fourth in the AL Cy Young voting.
3) Juan Soto: Overcoming a slow start to life in Queens, Soto came around and lived up to the hype of the 15-year, $765 million contract he signed with the Mets last December. The superstar right fielder had one of the best all-around offensive seasons in team history, leading the National League with a .396 on-base percentage, 38 stolen bases (a career high), and 127 walks. He also mashed 43 home runs with 105 RBI and a .921 OPS while finishing third in NL MVP voting.
2) Jalen Brunson: He was the lynchpin that led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Final appearance back in May, and now the superstar point guard is putting together one of the finest seasons in franchise history. Through his first 26 games this season, he is averaging 29.1 points per game, which included a 47-point melee on Dec. 21 against the Miami Heat — three games after dropping 25 in the Knicks’ NBA Cup Final victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Only Bernard King (32.1 in 1984-85) and Richie Guerin (29.5 in 1961-62) have averaged more points per game in a single season as a Knick.
1) Aaron Judge: The Yankee captain continues to rewrite the offensive history books in the Bronx. He won the American League batting title with a .331 average, also led the league with a .457 on-base percentage, .688 slugging percentage, and 1.144 OPS. Judge also launched 53 home runs, moving past Alex Rodriguez, Yogi Berra, and Joe DiMaggio on the team’s all-time home run list with 368, which now ranks fourth. It was good enough to win his third AL MVP in the last four years, making him just the 13th player in MLB history with three or more MVP awards.
