The Sportsletter - The Sportsletter's 2022 Awards

BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 29, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

Happy Holidays --

We're about to kick off 2023 in a few short days. But first, it's a rewind to the best moments and awards from 2022 (via you, the readers).

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AWARDS

The Sportsletter's 2022 Awards

Photo: Mike Stobe / Getty Images

The team has spoken! Over the past few weeks, we sent out a survey to determine the eight categories and nominations for top performers and moments. From best athlete to biggest trades, here are the winners of 2022, decided by you.

The Sportsletter’s 2022 Awards

Best Season (Male Athlete): Aaron Judge

The story of the year in baseball was Aaron Judge’s epic quest for home run history. The Yankees star slugged 62 home runs to pass Roger Maris (61) for the all-time AL mark. Then he grabbed the MVP award and inked a contract to keep him in New York for the long haul.

Results

1. Aaron Judge (68%)

2. Cooper Kupp (15%)

3. Scottie Scheffler (8%)

Best Season (Female Athlete): Iga Swiatek

Women’s tennis fans experienced a weird year, from the shock retirement of Ash Barty and the farewell of Serena Williams. But Iga Swiatek strung together an epic win streak and a pair of slams (French Open & US Open). The 21-year-old is the newest dominant name in tennis.

Results

1. Iga Swiatek (41%)

2. A’ja Wilson (26%)

3. Lydia Ko (20%)

Team of the Year: Houston Astros

Our Team of the Year pick was the closest vote among readers. The Houston Astros surged to the No. 1 seed in the American League late in the MLB season before capping a 106-win season with their second World Series title in six years. The Warriors and Avalanche were close runner-ups.

Results

1. Houston Astros (26%)

2. Golden State Warriors (25%)

3. Colorado Avalanche (24%)

Photo: Robert Prange / Getty Images

Best Win Streak: Iga Swiatek

Our only repeat winner in the 2022 awards, Swiatek linked together 37 straight wins in the spring and summer. It was the longest win streak in women’s tennis since Stefanie Graf won 66 consecutive matches in 1989-90. Swiatek’s run lasted 135 days. Both Scottie Scheffler (4 wins in 6 PGA events) and the Philadelphia Eagles (11-0 start) were among the other top hot streaks.

Results

1. Iga Swiatek (42%)

2. Scottie Scheffler (28%)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (22%)

Biggest Blockbuster Trade: Christian McCaffrey

Plenty of massive blockbuster trades stole headlines in 2022, but none was bigger than the 49ers swinging RB Christian McCaffrey from the Panthers in the middle of the NFL season. San Francisco has won eight straight games since the acquisition, and Run CMC has been a dominant force.

Results

1. Christian McCaffrey (50%)

2. Juan Soto (40%)

3. James Harden (10%)

Most Memorable Farewell Season: Albert Pujols

The baseball fans came out strong in our poll. We were a bit surprised to see Coach K and Serena Williams not battle for the award of Most Memorable Farewell Season, but Albert Pujols won the hearts of our audience. At 42 years old, Pujols’ farewell campaign was a vintage slugfest that yielded 24 homers to put him in the 700 club (703) by career’s end. He finishes fourth on the all-time list behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714). Elite company…

Results

1. Albert Pujols (45%)

2. Coach K (33%)

3. Serena Williams (21%)

Photo: Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images

Highlight of the Year: Justin Jefferson

A no-doubter… The highlight of 2022 belonged to Vikings WR Justin Jefferson with his one-handed miracle catch in the Vikings-Bills thriller. Jefferson climbed the ladder to reel in one of the greatest grabs in NFL history, let alone 2022. He leads the NFL in receptions (123) and yards (1,756), and ranks sixth in touchdowns (8).

Results

1. Justin Jefferson Catch (50%)

2. Aaron Judge’s 62nd HR (38%)

3. Carlos Alcaraz Behind-the-Back Shot (8%)

Game of the Year: Chiefs-Bills (AFC Playoffs)

There were plenty of great options for Game of the Year, but nothing could compare to the Chiefs-Bills clash in the AFC Divisional Round on Jan. 23. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen combined for more than 700 yards and 7 touchdowns while the Chiefs forced overtime with a last-second field goal, then won it with a strike to Travis Kelce (42-36, OT). Both teams combined for 34 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and they racked up 974 yards of total offense.

Results

1. Chiefs-Bills AFC Playoffs (61%)

2. Duke-UNC Final Four (14%)

3. Astros-Mariners 18 Innings (14%)

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