10 Names True Sports Fans Should Be Talking About Right Now
Javier Baez has catapulted himself into the general sports consciousness with a stud performance in the MLB postseason.
At the start of October, Baez was far from the most famous player on even his own Chicago Cubs team. But since then, the infielder's contributions have been crucial to a National League Division Series win and have even prompted headlines such as this one on a column from Bob Nightengale of USA Today: "Javier Baez establishing himself as Cubs' next big star."
For sports fans who pride themselves on being "in the know," this guy should be a topic of conversation right now.
And he's not the only one.
For instance, who is the Heisman dark horse? Who is the next up-and-coming shooter in the NBA? These are the barroom conversations all the true sports junkies should be having.
And OK, you don't have to know all 10 of the following names to be a "true" sports fan, but if you do it would certainly prove you are on top of things.
David Ross
1 of 10
At 39 years old, Chicago Cubs backup catcher David Ross became the oldest catcher to homer in a postseason game during the NLDS.
Ross is retiring after the 2016 season, a fact Cubs fans surely know but general sports fans might not. His retirement has taken a back seat to those of Boston Rex Sox slugger David Ortiz and even New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira.
And, yet, Ross has put forth a solid, 15-year career in the big leagues. He has played for seven different teams but is absolutely beloved by his teammates and fans in Chicago.
For instance, upon signing a $184 million contract with the Cubs, Jason Heyward gave Ross (his former teammate with the Atlanta Braves) the gift of an upgraded hotel suite on the road for his family—for the entire season.
Fans at Wrigley Field gave Ross a standing ovation during his final regular-season home game, and former teammate Robin Ventura said, per Vinnie Duber of CSN Chicago: "Not often do you see a backup catcher with such a response. But he's a different guy, and he's earned that."
Donnel Pumphrey
2 of 10
The Heisman Trophy race is headlined largely by big-name quarterbacks like Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Ohio State's J.T. Barrett.
But the dark-horse rumors are always fun. Take Donnel Pumphrey at San Diego State, for example. The running back is leading the FBS in total rushing yards in mid-October.
With 220 yards against Fresno State, Pumphrey added to his lead over the nation's second-leading rusher, Jamaal Williams of BYU. He has racked up 1,111 yards in six matchups for an incredible average of 185 yards per game.
In September, Pumphrey broke Marshall Faulk's SDSU rushing record. Ben Kercheval of CBS Sports wrote: "A back listed at 5'9" and 180 pounds, who in high school held offers from four FBS programs—including just one Power Five school—cementing himself as an all-time program great and a player to watch at a talent-heavy position nationally? Believe it."
In other words, keep an eye on this guy. ESPN's Michael Eaves called him "maybe the best-kept secret in all of college football" on SportsCenter, via Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Dario Saric
3 of 10
The NBA is teeming with big-name superstars—Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Dwyane Wade—this list goes on. So who is flying under the radar?
The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten a lot of offseason talk in the wake of landing highly touted forward Ben Simmons as the top draft pick. Could this be the season things finally start to turn around for the recently dismal franchise? Will "The Process" finally produce results?
The Sixers actually have more than one uber-hyped rookie on the team. Center Joel Embiid has technically never seen NBA action despite being drafted in 2014.
Meanwhile, Croatian forward Dario Saric was also drafted in 2014 but spent the past two seasons playing overseas. And now, with Simmons injured and out for several months, Saric could be the starting power forward on a team under a very large microscope.
76ers coach Brett Brown said, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "I love coaching Dario. He's tough. He's smart. He's everything that we thought he was going to be."
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Nneka Ogwumike
4 of 10
Nneka Ogwumike is the best player in the WNBA and her team is battling for a title. Yes, sports fans should be talking about her.
In September, the Los Angeles Sparks forward was named the 2016 WNBA MVP. According to a news release from WNBA.com, Ogwumike locked up 31 of 39 first-place votes.
The former Stanford standout and 2012 No. 1 draft pick led her team to a 26-8 record. She averaged 19.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. At one point, she made a record 23 shots in a row and led the league in field-goal percentage with 66.5, the second-highest mark in league history.
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "With her inside play and increasingly effective outside game honed during long winters playing in Russia—she made 16 of 26 three-pointers this season—she performed like a combination of the Sparks' two other former league MVPs, Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker."
As for the WNBA Finals, Ogwumike contributed 21 points and nine rebounds in the Sparks' Game 3 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, but after a Lynx victory in Game 4 the series is headed to a rubber match.
Lorenzo Alexander
5 of 10
Guess who is leading the NFL in sacks through Week 6? Hint: It's not Von Miller.
No, Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander sits atop that stat category with eight sacks in six games.
Three of Alexander's sacks came in a 30-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5. After the Bills' 45-16 drubbing of the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6, Robert Quinn of Bills Wire wrote, "When the Buffalo Bills signed Lorenzo Alexander as an unrestricted free agent during the offseason, nobody could have expected the impact that the 33-year-old veteran journeyman would have defensively."
Alexander has managed to stand out among his own teammates, including Pro Bowl defensive linemen Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams.
After dropping the first two games of the season, the Bills have since defeated the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Rams and Niners to put together their first four-game win streak since 2008. Their defense is allowing 17.2 points per game, tied for fifth fewest in the league.
Jose Ramirez
6 of 10
The Cleveland Indians are playing in the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2007. In tow, they've got Cy Young pitcher Corey Kluber, All-Star reliever Andrew Miller and All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor.
But they've also got breakout star Jose Ramirez. The 24-year-old infielder stepped in to help fill the void left by injured outfielder Michael Brantley in 2016 and hit .312/.363/.462 while also nabbing 22 stolen bases.
Manager Terry Francona said, per Matthew Florjancic of WKYC: "He did such a good job with it, not only did it help with the absence of Michael, but also, told us that we have not only an every-day player, but a good one. That's what you hope for when somebody gets a chance, but I think he kind of took it to an extreme. He's a really good player."
In September, Dan Szymborski of ESPN.com called him "the most clutch hitter in baseball."
In the Indians' three ALDS games against the Boston Red Sox, Ramirez smacked five hits in 10 at-bats and scored four of Cleveland's 15 total runs.
Kyle Connor
7 of 10
Hockey fans are certainly familiar with No. 1 draft pick Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, especially after that incredible four-goal debut.
They are likely also familiar with rookies such as Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets and Dylan Strome of the Arizona Coyotes, who, along with Matthews, have established themselves as Calder Trophy favorites as the 2016-17 NHL season opens.
But take note, hockey fans: Youthful talent is abundant right now.
Take Laine's teammate Kyle Connor, for example. Connor was drafted at No. 17 overall in 2015 and had an incredible freshman season at Michigan. He led the country in goals (35) and points (71).
Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News called Connor's college season "ridiculous," adding: "Connor led the nation in scoring and was robbed of the Hobey Baker Award by voters who likely saw his freshman place card and decided 'he can wait.'"
He didn't wait, and now he's a party of a rookie duo that looks, on paper, to be pretty legit.
Devin Booker
8 of 10
Most NBA fans have probably heard of Devin Booker—13th overall draft pick in 2015, taken by the Phoenix Suns. But how much attention are they really paying to the 19-year-old shooting guard? Do they even have time to address him between news of the latest Kevin Durant quote or LeBron James' laundry habits?
The Suns went 23-59 in 2015-16—so not exactly in the thick of things. For his part, Booker put up 13.8 points per game in 27.7 minutes per.
Lauded as a natural shooter, Booker has been lighting up the NBA preseason. He scored 19 points in the opener against the San Antonio Spurs and later exploded for 34 against the Portland Trail Blazers in just 30 minutes of playing time.
ESPN Insider Chad Ford wrote: "Both Booker and [rookie forward Marquese] Chriss have showed enormous potential this preseason. If both of them can hit their ceilings, the Suns will be in a very good place."
ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton added: "It's hard to think of many 19-year-old wings as skilled as Booker; most of the successful one-and-done players of this ilk have relied more on athleticism than shooting ability. Beyond that, Booker's patient play with the ball is exceptionally precocious."
Michael Keane
9 of 10
Expect to hear the name "Michael Keane" with increasing frequency as the January transfer window approaches in England.
There were rumors, according to Fox Sports, that folks at Manchester United were "kicking themselves" over losing Keane in January 2015 when Burnley signed the defender for just £2.5 million. John Cross of Mirror later reported Manchester United will actually receive a percentage of any transfer fee should Keane leave Burnley. That said, Keane has still proved to be an emerging talent.
The 23-year-old has been a big part of Burnley's promotion back to the Premier League and therefore substantially increased his value. He is now reportedly worth closer to £25 million and has drawn interest from clubs like Chelsea and Leicester City.
Keane was also called up to the England squad in early October.
His former manager at Blackburn Rovers, Gary Bowyer, said, per Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph: "Even though he's in the England squad now, I know for a fact that he won't want to stop getting better. He's a very cool customer with the ball at his feet and he can play full-back."
Javier Baez
10 of 10The Chicago Cubs have some big-time stars on their roster—Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta and MVP favorite Kris Bryant, just to name two.
And yet, anyone watching the National League playoffs has surely caught some incredible heroics on the part of Cubs infielder Javier Baez.
The 23-year-old hit an eighth-inning solo shot in Game 1 of the NLDS that would prove to be the game's only run. In Game 4, he drove in the go-ahead run in the Cubs' incredible ninth-inning comeback. In Game 1 of the NLCS, Baez became the first Cub to steal home in the postseason since 1907.
Not only that, but he has played unreal defense (much like he has all season long). No really, it is incredible to watch—his quickness, balance and ability to make magician tags are all unreal.
Catcher David Ross said, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune: "He is the best defensive player I've ever played with, and that says a lot."
But for real, check this out.
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