Jordan Spieth turned 22 on Monday.
This has been quite a year for 22-year-olds across sports, prompting ESPN Stats & Information to wonder, is Spieth the best 22-year-old athlete in the world?
The case for Spieth
With his victory at the U.S. Open, Spieth became the youngest golfer in the modern era (since 1934) to win two majors. If he wins the PGA Championship in mid-August, he’ll be the youngest in the modern era to win three majors and the third to win three majors in one season (joining Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan) regardless of age.
Spieth has four wins on the PGA Tour this season, twice as many as any other player. He has $9.2 million in winnings this season, more than twice as much as any other player.
Other contenders:
Harper has hit 27 home runs, tied for the most in the National League.
He is in the top five in all three of the National League Triple Crown categories (batting average, home runs and RBIs). Should he win the Triple Crown, he would be the youngest to do it since Ty Cobb won in 1909 (RBIs were an unofficial statistic then).
Harper also leads the majors in slugging percentage and ranks second in on-base percentage. Should he lead those categories at the end of the season, he would be the third-youngest player to lead the majors in them, trailing Cobb and Stan Musial.
Davis led the NBA in player efficiency rating in 2014-15, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in that statistic. The only players in NBA history who finished with a higher PER in an entire season are LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
Davis finished fifth in MVP voting, the only player in the top 10 in MVP voting under the age of 25.
And, he was the only player to finish in the top five in MVP voting and Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Beckham led the NFL in receiving yards per game last season (108.8 yards).
He became the youngest player in NFL history with double-digit touchdown catches in a season who also averaged more than 100 receiving yards per game.
He won the “Best Play” award at the 2015 ESPYS and is on the cover for Madden 16.
Who’s the best 22-year-old athlete? Give us your choice in the comments.
