Clayton Kershaw, 28, Dodgers Pitcher
Last year’s rank: T17
With Matt Kemp and Zack Greinke gone and Yasiel Puig’s hype having subsided, Kershaw is the undisputed face of one of baseball’s biggest brands. The Dodgers’ ace could supplant Kobe Bryant as the active athlete in L.A. with the most influence within his organization. A “down year” in 2015 for Kershaw (16-7, 2.13 ERA) didn’t add to his collection of Cy Young awards, but he is one of his generation’s best pitchers.
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