The breakout athletes of 2018

Andujar finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, following a spectacular year for the Yankees. Playing 149 games, mostly as the team's starting third baseman, he hit .297-27-92, adding more power to a historically powerful lineup.

Barzal was the 2017-18 Calder Trophy winner with a breakout year for the Islanders. He tallied 85 points in 82 games, including 63 assists.

A good player before 2018, Baez became a star this season. He finished second in the AL MVP vote after hitting .290-34-111, and he also won his first Silver Slugger.

It's been a surprise opportunity for Conner in Pittsburgh with Le'Veon Bell holding out all year, and he's making the most of it. The second-year running back is well on his way to a 1,000-yard rushing season with 849 yards in 11 games, and 453 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns.

Doncic was considered by many to be the most NBA-ready player in the 2018 draft class, and he's proved that prediction.The international forward is averaging 19.1 points and 6.6 rebounds through 18 games for the rebuilding Mavericks.

Freeland was a decent back-end starter for Colorado in his 2017 rookie campaign, but he became an ace for the Rox in his sophomore campaign. The Denver native went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA in 202.1 innings, an amazing feat considering he pitched his home games at Coors Field. The performance led to a fourth-place finish in the NL Cy Young vote.

A good player before last season, Hall took his game to the next level. He won the Hart Trophy, scoring 93 points in only 76 games for the Devils, including 39 goals.

Haskins had the tough task of replacing J.T. Barrett at Ohio State, but he's been up to the challenge. He's in the running for the Heisman in his first year as a starter, completing more than 69 percent of his passes for 4,081 yards and 42 touchdowns through 12 games.

The Golden Knights were the story of the 2017-18 NHL season, advancing to the Stanley Cup in their expansion year, and Karlsson was their biggest breakout star. He won the Byng Trophy after tallying 78 points and the best plus-minus in the league (49). The momentum has continued, with 19 points in 26 games to start 2018-19.

Indy's defense has made marked improvements this season, and Leonard's arrival is a big reason. Through 10 games played, the second-round pick out of South Carolina State leads the NFL with 114 tackles and has added four forced fumbles and an interception.

The biggest story of the 2018 NFL season has been the arrival of Patrick Mahomes. He's been everything the Chiefs could have hoped for and more when they drafted him in 2017, leading the team to a 9-2 record with 3,628 yards passing and 37 touchdowns.

Transfers from NC State, Nevada twin brothers Caleb and Cody Martin took the NCAA Tournament by storm, helping their team advance to the Sweet 16, where they lost 69-68 to Loyola-Chicago. The brothers have the Wolf Pack off to another blazing start early this season, with hopes of making another Mountain West and NCAA Tournament run.

France claimed the 2018 World Cup, and Mbappe was its breakout star. At age 19, the speedy striker had a key goal in the Final and won the Best Young Player Award.

Everyone is wearing a mustache in Pullman in honor of Minshew's amazing season. The East Carolina transfer has taken well to Mike Leach's offense, completing more than 70 percent of his passes for 4,477 yards and 36 touchdowns through 12 games.

The big award debate after the 2017-18 NBA season was Rookie of the Year between Ben Simmons and Mitchell, but just the fact that the 13th overall pick out of Louisville was in the conversation was remarkable. He's quickly become Utah's go-to player, averaging 20.5 points per game in his rookie season and 20.6 points per contest through 17 games in his follow-up.

What a year it's been for Murray. First, he was drafted and signed by the Oakland A's for nearly $5 million to play baseball. Then he was granted permission to play football at Oklahoma this year, and he's become a Heisman candidate by completing more than 70 percent of his passes for 3,674 yards and 37 touchdowns, while adding 853 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns in 12 games.

The hype seemed insurmountable, but Ohtani matched it when he was healthy upon his arrival to MLB in 2018. At age 23, he had a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts and hit .285-22-61 in 104 games to easily win AL Rookie of the Year. He's expected to spend all of 2019 as a hitter, as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.

Playing in Indiana just seems to agree with Oladipo. The former Hoosiers star had a breakout season after getting traded to the Pacers last year for Paul George, averaging 23.1 points and a league-high 2.4 steals per game. He's continued to play well this year, with 21.4 points per in 16 games.

Simmons was the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft but missed that campaign due to injury. He rebounded to win Rookie of the Year in his true rookie season as Sixers point guard, averaging 15.8 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per contest.

Snell was good during the second half of 2017 and didn't let up at all for the Rays this season. He won the AL Cy Young after going 21-5 with a league-best 1.89 ERA in 180.2 innings.

Nick Saban turned to his freshman quarterback when the Crimson Tide were struggling vs. Georgia in the national championship, and his left arm won them the game. He followed up that breakout performance to become the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in his sophomore season, completing 69 percent of his passes for 3,189 yards and 36/2 TD/INT in 12 games.

The third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Tatum is looking like the pick of the draft. He quickly became a star with 13.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign and has started this year with 16.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 21 games.

The expectations for Torres this season were limited considering his return from Tommy John surgery, but the top infield prospect greatly exceeded them. He hit .271-24-77 in 123 games for the Yankees at age 21, finishing third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.

With the opening of the 2018-19 college basketball season, Williamson has been the talk of the basketball world. The Duke freshman was a YouTube sensation before he ever set foot on campus, and he's been as advertised with 20.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, along with some truly highlight-reel dunks.

A good player for the Marlins over five seasons, Yelich became a star after being traded to Milwaukee. He won the NL MVP after hitting .326-36-110 with 22 stolen bases. Yelich led the league in batting average, slugging (.598) and OPS (1.000).