The athletes who had the best 2017

Altuve couldn't have had a better 2017. He not only won the World Series with the Astros, but he was also named AL MVP after hitting .346-24-81 with 32 stolen bases. He won the AL Batting Title for the third time in four seasons, as well.

The Greek Freak has sprouted into an NBA star. He won the Most Improved Player Award in 2016-17, averaging 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. It looks like he's taken another step forward this year, averaging 29.7 points and 10.2 rebounds through November.

Ball has become a national brand, mostly due to the marketing genius of his father, LaVar. After averaging 14.6 points and 7.6 assists per game during his freshman season at UCLA, he was drafted second overall by the Lakers, averaging 9.0 points and 7.2 assists through November.

Bell has been basically unstoppable since returning from a suspension in Week 4 of 2016. He finished with nearly 1,900 yards from scrimmage in only 12 regular season games last year, and he leads the league in rushing yards through Week 12 this season.

Bellinger had a whirlwind rookie season, winning the NL Rookie of the Year with 39 home runs in only 132 games for the Dodgers. He helped lead the team to the World Series, where they lost to Houston in seven games.

Bobrovsky won his second Vezina Trophy in 2016-17, allowing an NHL-best 2.06 goals against. He's started even better this season, with 1.92 goals against through November.

His team hasn't fared well, but Booker is developing into a young star in the NBA. He averaged 22.1 points in his sophomore season, and his points per game has been even better in the early part of 2017-18.

Brady capped off a tumultuous but thrilling 2016 season by orchestrating a 25-point comeback to win Super Bowl LI. He hasn't been too shabby during the 2017 season at age 40, either, throwing for a league-leading 3,374 yards with 26/3 TD/INT through 11 games.

Brees' great performance has been the one constant in recent seasons for the Saints, but he finally has help. Through 11 games, Brees leads the NFL with a 71.3 completion percentage and has more than 3,000 passing yards en route to a 8-3 start as of Week 12. The Saints have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations after three straight mediocre seasons.

Just the 36th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Brogdon was a surprising NBA Rookie of the Year winner in 2016-17. The Bucks guard averaged 10.2 points in his rookie season, and he's taken another step forward this year.

Crosby finished second place in the Hart Memorial Trophy voting with 44 goals and 45 assists in 2016-17. More importantly, he helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup for the second straight year.

Curry didn't lead the NBA in points per game like he did in 2015-16, but he still helped lead a historic Warriors team to another NBA championship this year. He averaged 25.3 points in the process, making more than four three-pointers per game.

Durant was killed by the media after signing with the Warriors in the 2016 offseason, but he accomplished his goal by winning an NBA championship in 2017. Despite a season in which he missed time to injuries, Durant was able to get the last laugh.

Federer turned 36 this year but is still going strong. He won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2017, giving him 19 Grand Slam wins for his career.

Minnesota's center won the WNBA MVP and her second championship in three years. She averaged 18.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, shooting better than 65 percent from the field.

Froome won his third straight Tour de France and fourth in five years, capping off another tremendous year.

Maybe the Browns aren't the most desirable destination for a football player, but Garrett became rich as the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. Despite injury issues, Garrett has been dominant when on the field with five sacks in his first six career games.

Gurley's sophomore season was forgettable, but he's bounced back in new head coach Sean McVay's offense. Through 11 games, he already has a career-high 1,344 yards from scrimmage and leads the NFL with 11 touchdowns. The Rams have started a surprising 8-3 due in large part to his play.

Harden failed to win the NBA MVP in 2017, but that doesn't diminish his incredible season. He averaged 29.1 points and a league-high 11.2 assists per game, as well as made his fifth straight All-Star appearance. He's leading the NBA in points and assists per game this season through his first 21 games.

After falling short of another NBA championship in Cleveland, Irving demanded a trade to get out from under LeBron James' shadow. He was able to have his cake and eat it, too, moving to the Eastern Conference rival Celtics. He's averaged 22.8 points per game as Boston's star, and the team is 18-4.

Jansen was awarded a mammoth five-year, $80 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason, and he had his best year yet in 2017. The closer finished with a 1.32 ERA, 41 saves, and an unbelievable 15.57 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Before 2017, not many people beyond Yankees fans knew about Judge. Now he's a household name after winning AL Rookie of the Year and finishing second in the AL MVP voting. He hit .284-52-114 with a huge 1.049 OPS for the season.

Kimbrel was vastly improved in his second season with the Red Sox, finishing with a 1.43 ERA, 35 saves, and 126 strikeouts in only 69 innings. He was named the AL's most outstanding reliever, as a result.

Jackson was vastly improved for the Tar Heels during the 2016-17 season, averaging 18.3 points per game and winning ACC Player of the Year. He helped North Carolina win the NCAA Tournament and was drafted 15th overall in the NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jackson won the Heisman Trophy following the 2016 college football season, throwing for more than 3,500 yards and rushing for more than 1,500 yards. While he probably won't repeat his Heisman win this year, Jackson has been nearly as productive in his junior season.

King James fell short of winning his second straight NBA title with Cleveland, but he still had an outstanding 2016-17 season with 26.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. He's been even more outstanding through 21 games this season, averaging 28.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists.

Kluber won his second AL Cy Young Award with a truly remarkable year. He went 18-4 with a 2.25 ERA and 265 strikeouts in 203.2 innings over only 29 starts.

Christian McCaffrey who? Love has been phenomenal stepping in as Stanford's starting running back this season, with 1,848 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns, averaging 8.6 yards per carry.

The Wooden Award winner in 2016-17, Mason capped off his four-year career at Kansas by averaging 20.9 points per game. He was drafted 34th overall by the Sacramento Kings following the college season.

The hype was real for Matthews, apparently. The first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft garnered 164 of 167 first place votes to win the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie. He finished with 40 goals and 29 assists in his rookie season. He's followed up that campaign with more than one point per game through his first 22 contests this season.

Just a part-time player in his sophomore season at North Carolina, Maye was put on the national radar with an incredible NCAA Tournament. He won the South Regional's Most Outstanding Player award after hitting a game-winning shot vs. Kentucky. Stepping in as a starter early this season, Maye has averaged 20.1 points and 9.4 rebounds in seven games.

After much talk, Mayweather finally fought MMA star Conor McGregor in the boxing ring. He was able to win the fight and earn a guaranteed $100 million in the process.

Mayfield is the frontrunner to win the 2017 Heisman Trophy, and the Sooners could make even more noise in the College Football Playoff. Despite some controversy for his behavior, he's had an incredible season with 4,097 yards passing and 37/5 TD/INT heading into the Big 12 Conference Championship.

McDavid beat out Sidney Crosby relatively easily to win the Hart Trophy at age 20. He led the league in 2016-17 with 100 points, including a staggering 70 assists. His 2017-18 season has started nearly as well.

McGregor finally got his match against Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring and earned a guaranteed $30 million in the process. He showed himself far more competitive as a boxer than many anticipated, but the fight was stopped in round 10.

Nadal had another outstanding year, winning the French Open and U.S. Open. At age 31, he's already won 16 Grand Slams.

Plum had quite a year, winning the AP Player of the Year in women's college basketball. After her win, she was the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars.

The highest paid sports star in the world, according to Forbes, Ronaldo became the all-time top-scorer in the top five European leagues in 2017. His club team, Real Madrid, was also able to win the Champions League.

It wasn't a perfect 2017 season for Ryan, but he did win the NFL MVP for his accomplishments during the 2016 season after throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. Of course, the Falcons blew a 25-point league in Super Bowl LI. Ryan has been good again this season, but not up to the standard he set last year.

Sale was ripe for a change of scenery, and got traded last offseason from the White Sox to Boston. He had his best season, leading the AL in strikeouts and innings while winning 17 games and posting a 2.90 ERA. However, he finished second in the AL Cy Young voting. Sale has now finished in the top six in voting in six straight seasons, but has yet to win the award.

Scherzer won his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award and third Cy Young overall, all but solidifying his status as an MLB Hall of Famer. He went 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA and NL-leading 268 strikeouts. Scherzer also had his first child following the season.

Spieth finished second to Justin Thomas on the money list in 2017, with more than $9.4 million in earnings.The 24-year-old also won the Open Championship this year.

While Miami didn't have much team success, Stanton had an incredible season en route to his first MVP Award. He fell just short of the 60 home run milestone, hitting .281-59-132 with a 1.007 OPS for the Marlins. Following the season, he's been mentioned in trade rumors as the new Marlins ownership tries to cut costs.

Thomas was golf's money leader in 2017, earning more than $9.9 million. The 24-year-old won the PGA Championship and also had a top 10 finish at the U.S. Open.

Truex Jr. was the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, showing great consistency all season.

What a year to be Justin Verlander. Traded from Detroit to Houston in late August, he had one of the best stretches of his career with a 1.06 ERA in five starts. He didn't let up in the playoffs, allowing nine runs in 36.2 innings, winning ALCS MVP and his first World Series. Following the season, Verlander and model Kate Upton married.

Watson didn't win the Heisman last season, but he became a true legend with his heroics to win the College Football National Championship over Alabama. Following the season, Watson was drafted 12th overall by the Texans and was the buzz of the league before suffering a season-ending knee injury at the end of October.

Wentz is the clear favorite for NFL MVP through Week 12. While leading his team to a 10-1 start, Wentz has thrown for more than 2,600 yards and 28 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

No Kevin Durant, no problem. Westbrook won the NBA MVP in his first season without Durant, averaging a triple-double and a league-leading 31.6 points per game.

It's been a great year for Williams on and off the court. She won the Australian Open early in the year, giving her 23 career Grand Slams. She also gave birth to her first child in September.