Top 10 NYC-Area Athletes Of The 2010s

No one will mistake the 2010s for the New York area's golden age of sports. The past 10 years brought the region just four appearances in championship events and one world title — and that came in the dawn of the decade with the Giants' encore Super Bowl performance against the Patriots.

This decade certainly fell short of our lofty expectations as New York sports fans. By comparison, in the 2000s, the Yankees, Giants and Devils combined for five championships, while the Mets, Nets and Red Bulls reached their sports' finals. The 1990s? That gave us the '94 Rangers, '95 Devils, the birth of a new Yankees dynasty and even Knicks relevancy.

You get the picture.

But regardless, 10 years of sports in an area with now 11 major league teams is sure to be packed with plenty of memories, good and bad — Linsanity, Johan Santana's no-no, A-Rod's PED suspension, to name a few — as well as some terrific athletes.

Here are the top 10 New York area athletes of the 2010s, as voted on by the WFAN staff. 

Rivera's contributions to the decade were relatively brief, and this was certainly not the era he'll best be remembered for. When you factor in that the Yankees closer missed all but a month of the 2012 season with a torn ACL, he really just played three years, but his accomplishments into his 40s still registered enough with our voters to earn him a spot on this list. In those years, Rivera recorded 126 saves and a sparkling 1.95 ERA. He was selected to three All-Star Games and was voted the Mid-Summer Classic's MVP in 2013. He was a key contributor on two playoff teams, including when the Bombers reached the American League Championship Series in 2010.

In July, Rivera became the first player in history to be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote. 

Jeter's story is much like Rivera's, but his overall body of work in the 2010s is a bit stronger due to an additional year. (He, too, missed nearly an entire season with injuries.) The Captain's four All-Star Game selections are tied for the most among NYC baseball players in the 2010s. Jeter batted .283 with 36 home runs and 243 RBIs from 2010-14, and he led the majors in hits in 2012. He was a member of four playoff clubs, including two that reached the ALCS.

He also displayed his flair for the dramatic, homering in 2011 for his 3,000th career hit and delivering a walk-off single in his final career home game.

Beckham might have brought far more drama than wins to Big Blue, but there's no questioning that he was one of the most electrifying players we saw around these parts in any sport, making dazzling one-handed catches and turning intermediate passes into long scores. 

In five seasons with the Giants, Beckham caught 390 passes for 5,476 yards with 44 touchdowns and was selected to three Pro Bowls. He was voted the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year and became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 300 career receptions. 

Judge's career spans just a little more than three seasons so far, but his impact on the Yankees has been significant, as he has quickly become the current face of baseball's most storied franchise. In his 2017 rookie season, Judge led the American League in homers (52) and runs scored (128). He set the then-MLB record for home runs by a rookie and was unanimously voted the AL Rookie of the Year.

Judge has a .273 batting average with 110 home runs and 246 RBIs in his young career. He's a two-time All-Star and has helped the Yankees reach the playoffs three times — twice to the ALCS. And he has an entire Yankee Stadium section devoted to him, for crying out loud!

'Melo might not have lived up to the expectations of being someone who would turn the Knicks into title contenders, but he was nevertheless a six-time All-Star during his 6½ seasons in New York. Acquired in a February 2011 trade with the Denver Nuggets, Anthony averaged 24.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a Knick. He finished each of his first four seasons in New York ranked in the top six in the NBA in scoring, leading the league with 28.7 PPG in 2012-13.

Anthony also led the Knicks to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2011-14, which might seem like a relatively modest accomplishment, but through the lens of suffering Knicks fans in 2019, seems pretty darn good right about now.

No pitcher among the Yankees or Mets won more games or struck out more batters in the 2010s than CC Sabathia, who was one of the few players in area sports to hang around the entire decade.

The left-hander, who retired after last season, had a 115-80 record, 3.87 ERA and 1,503 strikeouts for the Yanks from 2010-19. He tied for the MLB lead in wins in 2010 with 21 and was selected to three All-Star Games. Sabathia also was a member of seven teams that qualified for the postseason — four of them advancing to the ALCS.

Adding to his impressive resume was that Sabathia was a highly respected leader in the Yankees clubhouse.

The mention of John Tavares' name might elicit the ire of Islanders fans today, but there's no denying that the center was the face of the franchise for the 2010s, one who twice ranked among the NHL's top four in scoring. 

Tavares, who ranks in the top five in franchise history in assists and points, was selected to five All-Star Games and led the Isles to four playoff appearances. His goal against the Florida Panthers in the second overtime of Game 6 in 2016, which gave the Islanders their first playoff series victory in 23 years, was the team's signature moment of the decade.

Manning can say something that no one else on this top-10 list can: He won a world championship during the 2010s. His 38,379 passing yards and 241 touchdowns this decade alone would make him the Giants' all-time leader in both categories. 

Among his other accomplishments in the 2010s, Manning was a three-time Pro Bowler, extended his consecutive starts streak to 210 (third all-time among QBs) and, of course, led Big Blue to a Super Bowl XLVI victory, earning his second Super Bowl MVP trophy in the process. (NFL.com ranked Manning's fourth-quarter bomb to Mario Manningham while standing in the shadow of his own end zone No. 15 on its list of top clutch moments in Super Bowl history.)

DeGrom has arguably assembled the most consistent resume of excellence of any player on this list. 

The Mets pitcher has gone 66-49 with a 2.62 ERA and 1,255 strikeouts during his six years in the big leagues. And as anyone who has watched the Mets will attest, that record doesn't do justice to deGrom, who has often been the victim of poor run support.

His past two seasons were exceptional, as he won back-to-back National League Cy Young Awards. DeGrom led the majors in 2018 with a 1.70 ERA and topped the NL with 255 strikeouts in 2019. Talk about deGromination! 

The right-hander was also voted the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year, was selected to three All-Star Games and helped the Mets reach the World Series in 2015. 

Before the Rangers began their rebuild a couple of years ago, they were a perennial playoff team, and Lundqvist was an enormous reason why. His 314 wins in the 2010s alone are more than any other goalie in franchise history. King Henrik has a .916 save percentage and 2.41 goals-against average for the decade. He won the 2011-12 Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goaltender and tied for the NHL lead in wins in the lockout-shortened 2013 season.  

With Lundqvist between the pipes, the Blueshirts reached the playoffs seven straight years from 2011-17, which included three Eastern Conference finals appearances and one Stanley Cup Final. HONORABLE MENTION

Dellin Betances, Yankees — Reliever was selected to four consecutive All-Star Games from 2014-17. Has 2.36 career ERA.

Robinson Cano, Yankees/Mets — From 2010-13 with the Yankees, the second baseman hit .312 with 117 homers and 428 RBIs. Was selected to All-Star Game all four years.

Taylor Hall, Devils — Won the 2017-18 Hart Trophy and was selected to three All-Star Games. 

Brook Lopez, Nets — The franchise's all-time scoring leader averaged 19.5 points per game from 2010-17. Was an All-Star in 2012-13.

Nick Mangold, Jets — The center's five Pro Bowls trail only Carmelo Anthony (six) for most all-star game appearances by a local athlete in the decade. Was a first-team All-Pro in 2010.

Darrelle Revis, Jets — Was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro during his five years, over two stints, with the Jets in the 2010s.

Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees — Pitcher had a 75-43 record and 3.75 ERA from 2014-19 — and a 1.76 ERA over eight career postseason starts.

David Villa, NYCFC — A four-time All-Star and 2016 Major League Soccer MVP.

David Wright, Mets — A three-time All-Star who had a .282 average, 102 homers and 409 RBIs in the decade. Member of 2015 World Series team.

Bradley Wright-Phillips, Red Bulls — Two-time MLS All-Star who led the league in goals in 2014 and 2016.