The Christmas rise of Jalen Brunson and the Christmas fall of Tommy DeVito got us to thinking: Who are the most beloved athletes in the area as we flip the calendar to 2024?
Let’s lay out the parameters for the inexact science of whom we are ranking:
• We’re talking about the most beloved players and not the best players. Certainly Juan Soto has the ability to crack this list in the future, but not before he has played a game in pinstripes.
• But yes, performance matters. If the Cedar Grove-raised DeVito develops into a career backup, he still would be a fan favorite, but he would not be the one selling the most jerseys.
• This list is for a) professionals, not collegians and b) performers, not coaches. St. John’s fans: Rick Pitino does not qualify on two counts.
• We’re talking about the New York City area and not New York state. Take your Josh Allen complaints elsewhere.
• This is one person’s list and has a bias toward inclusivity. You could make a case for a handful of Mets (really!), but what fun is that?
And fun is the point here when constructing a hierarchy that mostly exists to capture a snapshot of the New York City sports ecosystem at a point in time and, if we’re being honest, to inspire some debate during a quiet pocket of the New York sports calendar.
Without further ado: Counting down the 10 most beloved athletes in the area as of Dec. 27, 2023. Argue away:
10. Breece Hall, Jets
We’re giving the spot to Hall over Sauce Gardner in what amounts to a toss-up. Both are young. Both are explosive. Both are well-liked. Both are being wasted.
In an otherwise familiar, dreary Jets season, Hall’s bounce-back from a torn ACL has been a bright spot. There is something special about Hall’s game that inspires wonder: Even on an often inept offense, any time he touches the ball, he can dash past every defender on the field. His 83-yard rush way back in Week 1 against the Bills remains the longest run by any NFL back this season.
9. Gerrit Cole, Yankees
Doesn’t that $324 million contract suddenly look like a bargain? Since signing his megadeal with the Yankees before the 2020 season, Cole has led the majors in innings, pitched to a 3.08 ERA and been the fifth-most valuable pitcher in baseball, as measured by FanGraphs’ WAR. He was brilliant in the 2022 postseason and brilliant for the 2023 regular season, which lifted him to his first Cy Young Award. There were not many reasons to watch the Yankees in September, but Cole’s persistent excellence kept fans tuning in.
8. Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty
As the Liberty and the WNBA try to rise into a higher stratosphere of attention, the team and league will rely in part on a dynamic, do-everything, homegrown player who does everything off the court, too. The point guard continued to grow in her fourth pro season, averaging 17 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists — and setting a league record with 128 made 3s, able to launch from anywhere — for the superteam that fell in the Finals to the Aces. Off the court, she seems to recognize her duty to grow the game in becoming the cover athlete of NBA 2K24 WNBA, launching her own signature shoe and partnering with Kevin Durant’s media company, Boardroom.
7. Edwin Diaz, Mets
Maybe you prefer homegrown Brandon Nimmo or Francisco Lindor here, both smiling presences and excellent, consistent performers. But neither brings the electricity of Diaz, whose trumpet-backed entrance (and fastballs and sliders) will be must-see next season in his return from a torn patellar tendon. The Mets never recovered from the World Baseball Classic loss of Diaz, who is as likable off the mound as he is intimidating on it. He pulled off what so many have failed to do in New York in rebounding from a rocky start to his tenure to become a fan favorite.
6. Artemi Panarin, Rangers
Go ahead and argue for Chris Kreider, a staple since 2013. Or maybe Mika Zibanejad deserves this slot. But as of today, there might not be a more beloved Rangers player than the Breadman, who belongs in the Hart Trophy conversation.
No team has been better in the Eastern Conference than the Rangers, and few have played at the level of the winger, whose 44 points over 32 games has put him on a pace to crack 100 points for the first time in his career in his fifth season with the Rangers. It is not just Rangers fans but his own teammates who remain stunned at Panarin’s growing game.
5. Garrett Wilson, Jets
There are several young Jets stars who can make a claim at a top-five spot, but Wilson wins a tiebreaker through his intersport-appeal: Mets fans can root for Brett Baty’s former favorite target, too. Wilson is a gifted route-runner and an acrobat on a football field, consistently pulling off impossible catches from a hard-to-believe stable of quarterbacks over the past two seasons. It takes someone special to stand out on the other end of passes from Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian.
4. Pete Alonso, Mets
Recent seasons have brought superstars such as Lindor, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to the Mets, but the clubhouse has belonged to Alonso throughout. Since the slugger debuted in 2019, no one in baseball has pummeled more home runs than his 192. He shoulders the blame during bad times and spreads credit during the good times. Alonso is approachably goofy yet serious about his work, a narrowly focused lumberjack in a sport that is short on personality.
How much will the intangibles and Alonso’s well-earned likability matter to the Mets when it comes to discussing a contract extension with the 29-year-old, who can become a free agent after next season?
3. Saquon Barkley, Giants
“Touched by hand of God,” that famous Dave Gettleman quote, will follow Barkley forever. It is not just his freakish athleticism and speed and vision and hands, but it is how the Penn State product is the entire package. There have been no complaints or excuses from the two-time Pro Bowler during another miserable Giants season. He is always thoughtful and accountable.
What Barkley means to the team and to the area helped bring him back this season for $10.1 million in guaranteed money, but did not buy him long-term security. How much will Barkley’s relationship with the fan base continue to matter for the 26-year-old running back as he hits free agency again?
2. Jalen Brunson, Knicks
It is remarkable how quickly Brunson — who has yet to become an All-Star and who has played just one-plus season in New York — has endeared himself to Knicks fans. In short order, the lefty has emerged as the exact player fans have thirsted over for decades: Brunson has broken the point guard curse; guided the Knicks to their first conference semifinals in 10 years and then elevated his game in Year Two; and, as an undersized, arguably under-gifted athlete, is an underdog story that invites criticism, which in turn invites Knicks fans to shower him in praise.
The Knicks, run by an owner who leverages his team and fortune to exact petty revenge on his enemies and a team president who refuses to speak publicly, are not always easy to like. Among his many other talents, Brunson is rare camouflage.
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
That story that went viral this week, of Judge sitting near DeVito at a New York restaurant and quietly picking up the quarterback’s bill, perfectly encapsulates Judge both in personality and in aura. Yes, he is a larger-than-life superstar, but he is one who makes it a habit to know the smaller characters in his kingdom.
Judge wears the crown in New York not just because he is a uniquely gifted superstar, and not just because he is the face of the Yankees, but because he embraces his role within the environment. The California native does not have to be up to date on who the latest quarterback of the Giants is, but he is a person who takes his captain role seriously and must have his finger on the pulse of the city — his city.
A few top contenders not mentioned above who could join next year’s edition: Francisco Alvarez, Mikal Bridges, Jack Hughes, Daniel Jones, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Aaron Rodgers, Breanna Stewart, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Anthony Volpe, Quinnen Williams.
The inevitable became official Tuesday, when the Yankees gave up on Estevan Florial.
The former top prospect was sent to the Guardians in a swap for righty Cody Morris, who will be used as pitching depth (either as a reliever or starter).
Morris has struggled to stay healthy through the past few seasons, but it still qualifies as a bit of a surprise the Yankees received anything in return for Florial, who had cleared waivers early in the 2023 season.
In 2018, the talented young outfielder was the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees’ system (according to MLB Pipeline), behind only Gleyber Torres. Florial was ranked No. 1 a year later with Jonathan Loáisiga, Albert Abreu, Deivi García and Clarke Schmidt rounding out the top five. But the now-26-year-old has not been able to turn terrific tools — including power that helped him slug 28 home runs with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season — into major league production.
In 134 total major league plate appearances over the past four seasons, Florial struck out 41 times. In a Yankees outfield that has added Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo (along with Trent Grisham and Oscar Gonzalez), there wasn’t an avenue toward Florial finding playing time and learning how to better make contact.
Morris has pitched to a cumulative 3.41 ERA in 31 ⅔ major league innings over the past two seasons. The 27-year-old notably has two minor league options remaining, so he likely will begin the season at SWB and could be called up and down often.
The woebegone Pistons set a new NBA record for the longest single-season losing streak in history on Tuesday night when they squandered a fourth-quarter lead at home to the Nets.
The overall record, including multi-season skids, is 28 losses in a row. The Pistons can tie that record Thursday in Boston and break it Saturday when they host the Raptors.
Kevin Kiermaier — who acknowledged he was open to signing with the Yankees and seemed like an intriguing fit with the Mets — landed back with the Blue Jays on a reported $10.5 million pact that seems a bit light.
If the Mets encounter outfield struggles this season, remember the relatively cheap, solid veteran presence they could have added.
Kiermaier, even at 33, was one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball last season while swinging a respectable lefty bat. He is not a star, but his .741 OPS in 129 games and strong contact skills, combined with his elite defense at a premier position, probably should have made him a bit richer this offseason.
But the Yankees added Soto, Verdugo and Grisham — the latter two more costly than Kiermaier, commanding roughly $14 million combined — and stayed away. The Cubs likely will make a run at Cody Bellinger. The Mets traded for the Brewers’ Tyrone Taylor and apparently were content with the younger, less-proven option.
There are plenty of unknowns in the Mets’ outfield, most importantly the status of Starling Marte. The 35-year-old will attempt to bounce back after a dreadful season marked by more physical issues after he underwent groin surgery the previous offseason.
Kiermaier could have provided further insurance if Marte cannot rebound and could have pushed Nimmo (who quietly regressed a bit defensively into a league-average center fielder last season) to a corner. That kind of addition seems valuable enough to warrant an $11 million offer that could have beaten the Blue Jays’.
Maybe the Mets have further plans, but this non-signing bears tracking.
???? The Giants have to make a call between Tommy DeVito and Tyrod Taylor as Sunday’s starter: The Post’s Mike Vaccaro argues for turning back to DeVito to further find out what they have in the rookie quarterback.
???? Aaron Rodgers got pretty defensive about the idea he had taken a Jets roster spot and money away from a fringe player (fullback Nick Bawden, specifically) when he was activated from injured reserve in order to continue practicing. Rodgers said it wasn’t his idea.
⚾ The Mets are showing strong interest in Lucas Giolito as a fallback rotation option, reports The Post’s Mike Puma.
???? What’s up with Immanuel Quickley’s playing time?
???? Igor Shesterkin is so back, baby.