ESPY Awards 2018: List of Nominees and Predictions for Event's Top Categories

The stars regularly come to Los Angeles to pick up their awards. Whether it's the Oscars or the Emmys, it's all about glitz, glamour and recognition.

The sports world has followed in that direction, and it happens on perhaps the most appropriate day of the year. The sports calendar is largely empty on the day following the MLB All-Star Game, and that's when the ESPYs are handed out to the top athletes, teams and newcomers in sports. 

The event will be broadcast Wednesday by ABC at 8 p.m. ET. Danica Patrick, who retired from auto racing after this year's Indianapolis 500, will host. She is the first woman to take on that role in the history of the ESPYs.

After walking down the red carpet and the introductions during the opening monologue, the show will move on to the awards.

The best male athlete, best female athlete and the best championship performances are among the most cherished awards that are presented.

Let's take a look at some of the most anticipated categories.

Best Male Athlete

Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

James Harden, Houston Rockets

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Harden and Brady both had sensational years for the Rockets and Patriots, respectively, but neither were on championship teams, and that's going to make it difficult for either one to pick up the hardware.

Harden averaged 30.4 points per game this season, and Brady won his third Most Valuable Player award and he was sensational in the Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.

Ovechkin overcame years of frustration in the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Capitals overcame deficits in all four rounds to win the first championship in team history. Ovechkin not only had a brilliant year for the Caps with 49 goals and 38 assists, he showed tremendous leadership during the postseason.

While Harden, Brady and Ovechkin are all deserving candidates, our vote goes to Altuve. He has been a remarkable performer for the Astros. He had a slash line of .346/.410/.547 during Houston's championship season in 2017, and he had 204 hits, 112 runs scored and 24 home runs. Altuve also belted seven home runs during the three rounds of the postseason.

In a sport with powerful giants like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, Altuve has more than proved his worth at 5'6".

Best Female Athlete

Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx, WNBA

Mikaela Shiffrin, Skiing

Chloe Kim, Snowboard

Julie Ertz, Chicago Red Stars/United States Women's National Soccer Team

This award could go to any of the candidates. Kim is sure to get plenty of support after winning the gold medal in the halfpipe in the Olympics. The 17-year-old handled the pressure of the moment and came through with a near flawless performance.

Ertz has been one of the stalwart performers for the United States women's national soccer team, and she is deserving of any honor bestowed on her.

However, our vote goes for Fowles, She averaged 30.8 points and 10.4 rebounds last year, and the 6'6" center connected on 65.5 percent of her shots from the field. She also led the Lynx to the WNBA title.

Best Championship Performance

George Springer, Houston Astros

Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles

Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors

Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova Wildcats

Springer was a man possessed in the World Series for the Astros. He had a slash line of .379/.471/1.000 in the seven games and he bashed five home runs for his victorious team while scoring eight runs and driving in seven.

The Wildcats had a brilliant season and capped it with a championship performance in the NCAA title game. DiVincenzo had a brilliant game off the bench for head coach Jay Wright, as he scored 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Durant deserves the honor as he scored 43 points as the Warriors clinched the title in Game 4 of their championship series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He connected on 15-of-23 shots, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Best Game of the Year

Houston Astros defeat Los Angeles Dodgers, World Series Game 5

Georgia Bulldogs defeat Oklahoma Sooners, Rose Bowl

USA Women's Hockey defeats Canada, 2018 Winter Olympics

The Astros' victory over the Dodgers in Game 5 was an epic contest that saw Houston rally to defeat the Dodgers 13-12 in 10 innings as Alex Bregman drove in the winning run in the extra frame with a single off Los Angeles reliever Kenley Jansen.

Georgia's triumph over Oklahoma was a back-and-forth affair that featured explosive offense from both teams.

However, the game of the year was the triumph by the American women over their archrivals from Canada in the gold-medal game in the Winter Olympics. The Americans had been tormented by Canada in championship games over the years, and the Americans finally got the win in a nail-biting shootout.

Here's a link to all the awards that will be handed out Wednesday night.