Athletes who will dominate in 2017

Colorado's hot corner led the NL in two of three Triple Crown categories in 2016, while also winning his fourth straight Gold Glove. He's certainly not far from winning the NL MVP — or the Triple Crown.

Ball has already started to take college basketball by storm in his freshman season, averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He could lead the Bruins back to prominence and head to the NBA later in the year.

Despite a rookie holdout and early-season hamstring injury, Bosa has been dominant at times in his rookie season. He has 7.5 sacks through San Diego's first 14 games, playing in just 10 of them, and could be set to take another giant leap forward next season.

Is 40 the new 30? Brady is set to turn 40 in August, yet he's been an MVP candidate this season and shows no signs of slowing down. He could be set to win another MVP in 2017.

Buechele had an impressive freshman season for the Longhorns and could take the next step forward in 2017 after Texas hired offensive mastermind Tom Herman. Given the mediocre defensive competition in the Big 12, Buechele could enter the Heisman race.

Fresh off a World Series victory with the Cubs, Chapman rejoined the Yankees on a five-year, $86 million contract this offseason. He's the most dominant closer of his time and looked even better last season with control improvement. Rejoining the Yankees and setup man Dellin Betances, Chapman is likely to get back to 100 strikeouts for the fifth time in six seasons.

Crosby leads in the NHL in goals through 27 games, leading a strong Penguins team once again. He's usually been the best offensive player in the league when healthy, and the hope is that he continues to have good luck in 2017.

Curry's points average has taken a slight fall as the Warriors have made way for Kevin Durant. Still, he's shooting better than 40 percent from three and continues to be impossible to stop.

A healthy Davis has been impossible to stop both offensively and defensively, even if the rest of the New Orleans team has been awful. He's a top MVP candidate with nearly 30 points, 11 rebounds and nearly three blocks per game.

Elliott could lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl with his dominance behind the Dallas offensive line. He's not far away from setting a rookie record for rushing and could win NFL MVP. Considering he got off to a slow start in his rookie season, next season could be even better.

Fournette is arguably the top prospect in the NFL Draft after three great seasons at LSU. His production fell off in 2016 due to injury, but he's likely to be a top 10 pick in the draft after the example Ezekiel Elliott set this season. With the right supporting cast, Fournette could be a dominant force immediately.

Harden is well in the MVP race with arguably his best season, averaging nearly 28 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds as Houston's do-everything guard. At age 27, he's still climbing.

Hurts has had a strong freshman season for the Crimson Tide, though he hasn't really piled up stats. That could change next season, as the Crimson Tide loses significant talent on defense and could rely more on the offense. It wouldn't be a surprise if Hurts competes for the Heisman Trophy in 2017.

Jackson already has one Heisman Trophy under his belt, so why not two? He had one of the most dominant offensive seasons in recent memory for the Cardinals, and a favorably schedule next season gives him another great chance to win.

There's no stopping King James, who finally brought a title to Cleveland in 2016. He's got another strong chance in 2017, and his stats have been nearly identical early in the season despite now being past his prime.

The only thing preventing Kershaw from winning the NL Cy Young in 2016 was a back injury. He still had incredible stats, going 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA in only 21 starts. With a more healthy season, Kershaw could win his fourth Cy Young Award.

Mack's great play has helped spur the Raiders this season, who are finally headed back to the playoffs. He continues to develop into one of the top pass rushers in the NFL, with 26 sacks over his last 30 games. His fourth season could be even more dominant.

McGregor has made even more noise outside the octagon, and his challenge to Floyd Mayweather is starting to gain momentum. Regardless, the most recognizable name in UFC has proved that he could dominate the sports media, even when he's not fighting.

Monk could be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but first he will try to bring the Wildcats another National Championship. He's been tremendous so far in his freshman season, averaging better than 21 points per game.

The top-ranked men's tennis player in the world, Murray won his second Wimbledon title and an Olympic gold medal in 2016. It will be hard for him to top that performance in 2017, but he certainly has a chance.

Sale led a bad White Sox team for several years, but now he has the benefit of the Boston roster. The lefty has been arguably the most dominant pitcher in the AL over the last five seasons and could finally reach 20 wins with a much better supporting cast.

It's hard to believe Spieth is still only 23 years old and already one of the best golfers in the world. He didn't have a banner year in 2016 but is looking to rebound after winning the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015.

Could this be the year Stanton stays healthy and puts it all together? The right fielder has played a combined 193 games over the last two seasons to rightfully earned an injury-prone label. When healthy, it's undeniable that he has the most power in baseball and could easily hit 40-plus home runs.

Trout's early career has been as impressive as the greatest players in the history of baseball, with two MVP Awards and five top two finishes in five seasons. He will only be entering his age 25 season in 2017 and seems to only be getting better.

No Kevin Durant, no problem for Westbrook, who is the clear front-runner for the 2016-17 NBA MVP. He's averaging a triple-double for the Thunder and will certainly win the award if his performance continues.