New York's top sports stars going into 2023

Newsday’s seventh annual ranking of New York-area sports stars begins with a throwback to the 2010s, when a young slugger named Aaron Judge ranked No. 1 in both 2018 and ’19.

He’s baaaack! Judge is older, richer and bigger than ever entering 2023, coming off an American League MVP season in which he hit 62 home runs, then secured a new nine-year, $360 million contract from the Yankees.

Beyond Judge, this year’s compendium understandably is heavy with members of Mets owner Steve Cohen’s growing collection of highly paid mega-stars.

Our list of 20 (well, actually 21) for 2023 has the usual rules: Current athletes only! Coaches, executives, announcers and radio hosts are not eligible. And only players based east of the Hudson are included, other than Jets and Giants.

As always, ability and achievement obviously count, but star power counts more.

1. Aaron Judge, Yankees

The big guy eschewed a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension at the start of the season, then showed the world why he was smart to do so.

He passed Babe Ruth and Roger Maris en route to a Yankees- (and AL-) record 62 home runs, along with 131 RBIs, 133 runs scored and a .311 batting average.

But Judge’s appeal goes far beyond mere numbers. He is a big man who has filled the stardom and leadership void the Yankees faced in the post-Derek Jeter Era.

Judge turns 31 in late April. Who knows how long he can remain at the top of his game? But for now, he is the unquestioned star of stars in New York sports.

2. Kevin Durant, Nets

In most cities, Durant would be No. 1. But even in a traditional baseball town, one where the Nets mostly are an afterthought, there is no denying the star power of one of the greatest basketball players alive.

The man known as “KD” has more than 20 million followers on Twitter, more than 13 million on Instagram and a game to match his celebrity. He was averaging over 30 points a game into late December.

3. Pete Alonso, Mets

Even though Alonso lacks the eye-popping numbers (and eye-popping contract) of Aaron Judge, he is the Mets’ version of him – a homegrown slugger who accepts his roles as a team leader and a face of the franchise.

Alonso bounced back from a so-so 2021 to hit 40 home runs and drive in a league-best 131 RBIs in 2022. That was seven more RBIs than a Met had totaled before, surpassing Mike Piazza and David Wright.

4. Max Scherzer/Justin Verlander, Mets

We are treating these guys as an entry. Why? Why not? They have similar resumes, are 1 and 1A on the Mets pitching staff and even share a salary number!

The former Tigers teammates both are three-time Cy Young winners, both are elderly (for athletes), both are righties and both will earn $43.33 million of Steve Cohen’s money in 2023.

Scherzer had his ups and downs in 2022, but Verlander, the newest toy in Cohen’s chest, is coming off a Cy Young Award for Houston on the cusp of his 40th birthday.

5. Kyrie Irving, Nets

Scoff if you must, but again: We are talking stars here, not saints.

The iconoclastic, mercurial guard is among the best-known and talented athletes in sports, even if the Nets maintain a relatively low local profile.

When he returned from an eight-game suspension in November for posting a link to an anti-Semitic film, Irving began to demonstrate the kind of partnership with Kevin Durant the team envisioned when the two initially joined forces in Brooklyn.

6. Saquon Barkley, Giants

Facing free agency and perhaps the end of his time with the Giants, Barkley got off to his best start since his star-making rookie season of 2018.

He easily surpassed 1,000 rushing yards and at times carried a limited, receiver-challenged offense despite being a constant focus of opposing defenses.

Barkley also embraced his role as a locker room leader and the Giants’ most recognizable (and marketable) player as they sought a return to the playoffs.

7. Carlos Correa, Mets

Correa is this high on our list not only because of his considerable ability, but also because of the shocking circumstances of his (tentatively scheduled) arrival in Big Town.

He seemed to be headed for the Giants, then a late glitch opened the door for Steve Cohen to swoop in and grab him for $312 million over 12 years in a wee-hours move that made a bold statement to the rest of baseball. Then another glitch delayed the Mets’ announcement of the deal, adding to the intrigue.

8. Francisco Lindor, Mets

Lindor struggled in 2021 to live up to his 10-year, $341-million contract in its first season, but in ’22 fans saw more of the production – and effervescent personality – they thought they were getting from their shortstop.

He finished with 26 home runs, 107 RBIs and a batting average of .270.

Now he has a left-side-of-the-infield partner in Carlos Correa that will be the Mets’ version of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, presumably minus the drama.

9. Jalen Brunson, Knicks

Landing Donovan Mitchell would have made for a heck of a bookend offseason move for the Knicks, but failing that, they did well in adding free agent Brunson from Dallas.

His ties to Knicks president Leon Rose – and having his father, Rick, on the staff – helped deliver the sort of in-his-prime point guard (and leader) the team long has needed.

Into late December, Brunson was averaging more than 20 points and more than six assists.

10. Adam Fox, Rangers

Jericho’s favorite NHL defenseman dropped from first place to fifth in the Norris Trophy voting from 2020-21 to ’21-22, but that was no slight against a guy who continues to be one of the best at his position on Earth.

Fox had 11 goals and 63 assists last season and started this one at a similar pace. But his skills are best appreciated watching him and his seemingly effortless style, not reading a stats sheet.

11. Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty

After becoming the first WBA player with at least 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a season, the third-year guard out of Oregon was named a second-team WNBA All-Star.

In a game against eventual league champion Las Vegas in July, she recorded the first triple-double in league history in which the triple-doubler scored at least 30 points.

She was a member of the gold-medal-winning United States team at the 2022 FIBA World Cup tournament.

12. Sauce Gardner, Jets

By Week 15, opponents had caught on to the young cornerback’s skill level, as the Lions did not bother throwing a single pass his way at MetLife Stadium.

Call it Gardner’s Island?

He has the skill, personality and memorable nickname to make it big, and he has been one of several potential stars among Jets and Giants rookies this season – including the Jets’ Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall and Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal.

13. Gerrit Cole, Yankees

Cole is not the dominator his contract suggests he should be, but his 3.50 ERA, team-record 257 strikeouts and league-best 33 starts in 2022 were solid. Then again, he yielded a league-most 33 home runs and allowed five runs (three earned) in five innings in Game 3 of the ALCS.

14. Mathew Barzal, Islanders

Early in Barzal’s career, some fans fretted the flashy forward would flee as a free agent when he got the chance. Instead, he and the team made a big commitment to one another before this season with an eight-year, $73.2-million deal. Barzal led the team in assists into late December.

15. Daniel Jones, Giants

The sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has not exactly lit up the league in his four years, but as he approaches free agency, Jones has cleaned up his turnover problem, become an effective game manager and is a sneaky-fast ballcarrier, not to mention a quiet but effective leader.

16. Igor Shesterkin, Rangers

The young Russian has far to go en route to Henrik Lundqvist-style superstardom, but he is off to an excellent start as the next great Rangers goaltender. He won the Vezina Trophy last season and while early in 2022-23 his statistics took a step back, his puck-stopping talent remains evident.

17. Edwin Diaz, Mets

Few players in New York sports history have reinvented themselves as thoroughly as Diaz has, going from a lead-blowing bust to the best reliever in baseball and the inspiration for a game-entering trumpet tribute that grew into a pop culture phenomenon. Diaz’ work was rewarded with a five-year, $102-millon contract.

18. Quinnen Williams, Jets

The Jets have players who get more attention at flashier positions, but there is little doubt internally about who the team’s best player is. It’s Williams, a force in the middle of the defensive front who had 11 sacks in his first 13 games of 2022 and regularly discombobulates opposing offenses.

19. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees

Is he an injury prone enigma? Sure. But when Stanton is hot, there is no one who hits baseballs harder and more dramatically. He finished 2022 with 31 home runs and 78 RBIs in 110 games, partnering with Anthony Rizzo (32 homers) in leading the Yankees’ non-Aaron Judge big hit parade.

20. RJ Barrett, Knicks

Jalen Brunson’s arrival to run the Knicks’ floor show has helped make players such as Barrett and Julius Randle more effective. Barrett has fashioned a consistently productive career in his four seasons in New York after being taken third overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. And he’s still only 22!

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.