Candidates to Be Breakout Sports Stars in the 2nd Half of 2016
Established athletes dominated the overall sports landscape during the opening half of 2016.
Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy and hoisted the Stanley Cup. Peyton Manning ended his career as a reigning Super Bowl champion. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving downed Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors to win the 2016 NBA Finals. Serena Williams dominated en route to winning another Wimbledon championship.
Never fear, those of you looking for emerging sports stars, as 2016 is far from over.
The names Caeleb Dressel, Sydney McLaughlin and Mallory Pugh are three casual American sports fans may not recognize halfway through July 2016. That could change, however, over the next month and before the conclusion of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. All three individuals are scheduled to represent the United States in the Olympics, and all three will have opportunities to shine in front the national and worldwide audiences.
We cannot, of course, forget about the National Football League. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles will be looking to show his offensive output from a season ago was no fluke. Duke Johnson Jr. should receive plenty of opportunities to contribute for what could be a lousy Cleveland Browns offense. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans needs to find the end zone more often than he did a year ago.
New breakout sports stars enter the mainstream every year. Conor McGregor became an international superstar in 2015. Those who didn't cheer on the New York Mets last summer may not have known much about Daniel Murphy at the time. Jamie Vardy is one of several relatively unknown names from 2015 to win the Premier League title with Leicester City.
Ten different athletes from a variety of sports are featured in this piece. Who, if any, will be the biggest breakout star of the year come December 31?
Duke Johnson
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2016 is the year of Cleveland sports.
Stipe Miocic kicked things off by becoming the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. The American Hockey League's Lake Erie Monsters followed Miocic's victory by winning the Calder Cup. Last but not least, the Cleveland Cavaliers made history by winning the franchise's first NBA title.
Why can't the Cleveland Browns have a breakout star for 2016?
Somebody on the Cleveland offense has to produce yardage this upcoming season. Duke Johnson proved he could do it while playing with multiple lackluster quarterbacks during his rookie campaign. While Johnson's rushing yards in 2015 do not leap off a computer screen, he evolved into a legitimate threat in a Cleveland passing attack that featured Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel under center.
Pat McManamon of ESPN.com recently wrote about why Johnson may be better in 2016:
"Johnson missed two games last season and still caught 61 passes on 74 targets. On a bad offense, Johnson finished in the top five in receptions and receiving yard for running backs. New coach Hue Jackson has said that the talent of Johnson and Isaiah Crowell is "extreme," and he sounds eager to create mismatches for Johnson.
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Jackson, truth be told, needs all the help he can get.
Either McCown, whatever is left of Robert Griffin III or unproven rookie Cody Kessler will start at QB for the Browns in Week 1. Cleveland has no real No. 1 option at wide receiver unless Josh Gordon is reinstated in August. Johnson, per Pro-Football-Reference.com, received over 170 touches in 2015.
Jackson should look to increase that number to over 200 this fall.
Mallory Pugh
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Eighteen-year-old United States soccer player Mallory Pugh will not enroll at UCLA until the start of 2017. She will be a little busy this summer representing her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Pugh, who made her way through the youth ranks of the U.S. women's national team, learned earlier this summer that she earned a spot on the Olympic squad. Per Eric Scatamacchia of NBCOlympics.com, Pugh is the only player on the U.S. roster who isn't a professional.
Don't expect Pugh to sit on the sidelines and merely soak-in her first experience on such a massive international stage. U.S. coach Jill Ellis likely expects Pugh to contribute, perhaps as early as the team's first game of the tournament.
That's understandable, as Pugh is able to play at multiple attacking positions.
Pugh scored in her debut with the senior squad this past January. In February, Pugh became the youngest player in women's national team history to play in an Olympic qualifying game, according to USSoccer.com. Pugh's eye for the goal and her versatility as it pertains to her athleticism, along with her ability to fill in where she's needed in the U.S. attack, makes her a menacing threat against opposing back lines.
No wonder Pugh became a mainstay in Ellis' squad.
Expectations are obviously high for the American women heading into Rio. The United States sits atop the overall FIFA rankings heading into the Olympics, per FIFA.com. Several faces and names familiar to even casual fans will feature for the U.S. in Rio.
Pugh may emerge as the next top star of the bunch.
Tyler Naquin
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It doesn't seem all that long ago when some Cleveland Indians fans were wondering if outfielder Tyler Naquin could be packaged in a trade that helped put the Indians over the top in the American League Central. Cleveland probably can't deal Naquin away anytime soon.
The rookie is the team's best hitter halfway through July.
Naquin, per ESPN.com, leads the Indians in batting average (.324), slugging percentage (.636) OPS (1.023) and triples (five) among players with at least 180 official at-bats as of July 23. Only three members of the Cleveland lineup have hit more home runs.
To think...Naquin almost served as a spectator for this season.
The Indians began the spring with a plethora of options in the outfield. That changed during the year, however, after both Abraham Almonte and Marlon Byrd were suspended for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy.
Naquin has more than filled in for Almonte and Byrd since joining the Cleveland lineup.
Michael Baumann of The Ringer named Naquin as his pick for midseason AL Rookie of the Year. Baumann did mention Naquin's 29.5 percent strikeout rate at the time makes Naquin a candidate to ultimately lose out on that award.
Don't look now, but Naquin isn't slowing down. He launched two home runs in Cleveland's win over the Kansas City Royals on July 20. Per Chris Zakelj of Fox Sports Ohio, Naquin also made some history in the process:
"Naquin is the first Indians rookie since Turner Ward in 1990 to have 6 RBI in one game. Coincidentally, Ward accomplished that feat against the Royals.
He is the first Tribe rookie to have 6 RBI and 2 HR in a game since Cory Snyder in 1986.
He is the first Indian since Paul Sorrento in 1995 to collect 6 RBI from the #8 spot in the lineup.
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The Indians sit atop the American League Central standings and have the best record in the AL as of the posting of this piece. Naquin should receive more than a few at-bats in front of a national television audience so long as the Indians continue rolling through the end of summer.
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Noah Brown
4 of 10The Ohio State Buckeyes featuring a healthy Noah Brown this fall is an example of the "rich" getting even "richer" in college football.
Passionate NCAA fans are likely familiar with Brown's story. The highly touted wide receiver entered last summer with a place in the starting lineup waiting for him, and Brown seemed to be on the cusp of helping Ohio State compete for another conference championship and an opportunity to play for a national title.
That all changed in August, however, when Brown suffered a fractured leg in August. That injury cost him the entire 2015 season.
Brown, as far as we know, is progressing nicely and is on his way to being fully fit and ready to go come the opening weekend of college football. He once again carries high expectations on his shoulders during summer months.
BTN.com's Tom Dienhart recently listed Brown at fourth on his list of the top 10 Big Ten wide receivers for 2016. Dienhart wrote that Brown "could be the league’s best target."
ESPN's Josh Moyer named the trio of Brown, quarterback J.T. Barrett and running back Mike Weber the best offensive triplet in all of the Big Ten. Earlier in July, Steve Helwagen of 247Sports.com predicted Brown will lead Ohio State in receptions during the upcoming season.
Ohio State churning out elite talent on both sides of the football is nothing new. With that said, generating buzz in July is not the same as producing on the field in October and November. Before true evaluations of Brown can begin, let's hope the young man can remain healthy up through the start of the campaign.
Sydney McLaughlin
5 of 10As Steve Politi of NJ Advance Media wrote in July, Willie McLaughlin believed the possibility existed that Sydney McLaughlin, his 16-year-old daughter, could compete for a spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Children often surprise their parents in a variety of ways. Willie recently experienced this, as Sydney earned a spot on the United States track squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics and before her 17th birthday.
The New Jersey teenager who attends Union Catholic High School in New Jersey is headed to Rio and to the Olympics after finishing third in the women's 400-meter hurdles at the Olympic trials earlier this month. Assuming all goes well and McLaughlin competes in Rio, she will be the youngest individual to feature for the U.S. Track and Field team since 1972, according to USA Track and Field (h/t NBCOlympics.com).
The road to Rio was paved with record-breaking performances and also hurdles that went beyond what McLaughlin experienced on the track. Per Cheryl Makin of MyCentralJersey.com, mononucleosis slowed McLaughlin down during the early days of indoor track season. If that wasn't enough, McLaughlin's mother suffered a heart attack in April.
Mom has since recovered, and daughter will soon be running and hurdling in front of the world.
McLaughlin is remaining grounded and keeping her expectations realistic, according to Politi. Her father, on the other hand, is daring to dream about seeing his daughter on the medal stand.
"It's not impossible," he said to Politi. "If she puts it all together for three rounds, she could very well make herself in a position to get on the podium."
August races will offer invaluable experience for a young track star still finding her feet among the world's best. What a story it will be, though, if McLaughlin brings more than just memories back with her from Rio.
Mike Evans
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The 2014 NFL draft may, a decade from now, be remembered for providing the league with the best wide receiver draft class in history. Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants is already a superstar. Sammy Watkins and Kelvin Benjamin both flashed glimpses of brilliance when healthy over the past two seasons. Allen Robinson and Jarvis Landry are two other noteworthy examples.
Texas A&M product Mike Evans entered the spring of 2014 with the skills and tools needed to be a top-tier WR. Pro-Football-Reference.com lists Evans at 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds. He does not possess the softest hands in NFL history, but Evans more than makes up for that with his ability to go above any and all defensive backs and recover passes.
Evans finished his debut season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 12 receiving touchdowns—a stat that made him a favorite among fantasy football owners who took a chance on him two years ago.
Evans didn't play terribly in 2015. His overall catches improved from 64 in his rookie campaign to 74. He ended the year with only three TDs, however, a disappointing number for somebody supposed to be an ideal red-zone target.
Earlier this month, New Orleans Saints reporter Mike Triplett listed Evans as his "rising star" for a piece published on ESPN.com:
"It's hard to consider Evans underrated after he racked up more than 2,200 yards in his first two NFL seasons. But I still think he is underrated, probably because he inexplicably caught only three touchdown passes last season after grabbing 12 as a rookie. Otherwise, Evans was dominant down the stretch. Over the final 11 weeks, he had four games with at least eight catches and 126 yards.
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Remember, also, that the instability that plagued the Tampa Bay offense in 2014 is now but a memory. Quarterback Jameis Winston silenced all doubters with an impressive rookie year and took steps this past offseason to improve physically. Per ESPN's Jenna Laine, Winston "lost about 20 pounds" thanks to offseason workouts.
A healthier and more mature Winston should mean only good things for Evans.
Stipe Miocic
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division is filled with a list of individuals who, simply put, have little new stuff to offer the promotion or mixed martial arts.
Fabricio Werdum is closer to retirement than to his prime. Cain Velasquez is a former UFC champion who will likely have another shot at the gold somewhere down the road. Alistair Overeem, Junior Dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski and others have all been through multiple rodeos.
Stipe Miocic may not be a fresh face in MMA, but he is offering something different and new atop the division as the UFC Heavyweight champion.
Miocic won his first UFC title this past spring when he knocked out Werdum in the first round at UFC 198. The match occurred in Werdum's native country of Brazil, but no hometown advantage prepared Werdum for the counterpunch that sent him to the mat and rocketed Miocic to the top of the rankings.
Miocic will get to play the role of the hometown hero later this summer.
"Cleveland, we’ve got a champion, baby!” Miocic yelled during his post-victory interview in May (h/t WashingtonPost.com). The champion from Northeast Ohio, who delivered a pro sports title to Cleveland roughly one month before the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Finals, is scheduled to defend his belt in downtown Cleveland at UFC 203 on September 10. The previously mentioned Overeem will look to match Miocic and play the role of spoiler on that night.
One victory, however impressive it is, does not make a superstar. Miocic will receive a hero's welcome from the Cleveland faithful in front of a worldwide audience on September 10. That atmosphere, coupled with Miocic retaining his title, could help make him the breakout UFC star of 2016.
Michael Fulmer
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The AL Rookie of the Year coming out of the AL Central seems like a solid bet heading into August.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Fulmer is making a case for more than just ROY honors this summer. As of July 21, Fulmer, per Baseball-Reference.com, held a 9-2 record following a victory over the Kansas City Royals on July 17. Fulmer has surrendered only 20 earned runs across 14 starts. His two registered losses are Detroit's only two losses of the campaign to occur when Fulmer began the outing on the stump.
When all is said and done, Fulmer may be a legitimate contender for ROY and Cy Young honors.
Fulmer, as Will Burchfield of CBS Detroit claimed, is one of the big reasons the Tigers remain alive in the playoff picture before the start of the fourth full weekend of July. Detroit trails the red-hot Cleveland Indians by 7.5 games in the division standings as of the posting of this piece. The Tigers are one of a handful of clubs in the thick of it as it pertains to wild-card playoff berths.
It's difficult to imagine where the Tigers would be without Fulmer. Eliminate even a few of the wins he is responsible for this season, and the Tigers would potentially be as low as fourth in the AL Central standings.
Assuming Fulmer maintains his form through September, one cannot count the Tigers out.
The Tigers will play every division foe multiple times between now and October. Every series gives Detroit a change to gain ground on the Indians and also in the race for a wild-card spot. Fulmer may be seen as one of baseball's top young guns by this fall, particularly if the Tigers give him the ball with the team's season on the line at some point over the next few months.
Caeleb Dressel
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The United States will feature multiple recognizable swimmers during the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Ryan Lochte is a veteran of the pool who first became known roughly a decade ago among fans who pay attention to the sport once every four years. The numbers, most notably his medal count, tell us that Michael Phelps is the greatest competitive swimmer in Olympic history.
Phelps' successes made him a celebrity beyond the water, and the argument could be made that Phelps is the most famous Olympian who isn't a member of a NBA franchise competing in Rio this summer.
Caeleb Dressel may be America's next swimming sensation.
Whatever happens in Rio, the 2016 Summer Olympics will be somewhat disappointing for Dressel. He originally attempted to qualify for the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly. After scratching the butterfly off his list during qualifying, Dressel managed to only qualify for the 100-meter freestyle.
As Nick Blank of First Coast News explained, Dressel missed out on qualifying for the 50-meter freestyle by .29 seconds.
This does not mean you'll only see him in the pool once during the Olympics. Dressel is eligible for the individual event and U.S. relay team in the 100-meter freestyle.
Per David Gardner of SI.com, Dressel began breaking age-group records in sprint races when he was 13 years old. A deviated septum threatened his career during his high school years, but all of that is behind him now. Dressel is ready for his spotlight on the world's stage.
Dressel may not secure a historic medal haul in Rio. Remember Phelps did not win gold at his first Summer Olympics back in 2000. The 2016 Olympics present an opportunity for Dressel to win a medal or two, but a handful of swims could also give us a look at a future American superstar.
Blake Bortles
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Think of some of the established QBs in the NFL not named Tom Brady or Cam Newton.
Maybe Russell Wilson came to mind because he already has two Super Bowl appearances and a championship under his belt. Drew Brees will one day be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan are a few other examples.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles threw more touchdown passes last year than all of those examples. Only Brady finished the campaign with more (36). Bortles, Eli Manning, Carson Palmer and NFL MVP Cam Newton ended the season with 35 TDs.
Bortles is not yet an established NFL superstar for multiple reasons. For starters, the Jaguars won only five games in 2015. You couldn't be blamed for paying little attention to Jacksonville last December. It also doesn't help Bortles' cause that he matched those 35 touchdowns with 18 interceptions, an alarming number of turnovers for a QB entering his second year under center.
Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union explained in July 2016 that Jacksonville offensive coordinator Greg Olson and quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett presented Bortles with a "to-do list" for this past offseason. One of the assignments on that list involved Bortles reaching out to accomplished current NFL QBs.
Bortles, per O'Halloran, spoke with Aaron Rodgers and Carson Palmer. Solid choices.
2016 will be the third straight season the trio of Bortles and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns have played together. While one can teach mechanics such as footwork and fooling defensive backs with pump fakes and quick glances, chemistry and comfort level is something that only comes with time. Bortles may not equal the 35 touchdowns he tossed a year ago. That won't be a problem if he limits costly miscues and avoidable mistakes during games.
Jacksonville will play meaningful football this holiday season if Bortles continues to make positive strides between now and December 1.
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