Who is the Bay Area's most popular athlete?

The Golden State Warriors are the best team as the NBA playoffs start. They're the most exciting team in their sport. They have a charismatic star who will be named the league's most valuable player in a couple of weeks, a player who is perhaps the league's most popular.

But he's the second-most-popular active athlete in the Bay Area.

With the NBA playoffs opening, the baseball season getting rolling and the NFL draft approaching, it's time for my sort-of annual column – naming of the most-popular Bay Area athletes. It's based on how beloved they are among both casual and passionate fans. Disagree? Feel free to comment online and tell me about how I hate the Raiders or Sharks.

Here's the top 10 list, counting down, with apologies to Klay Thompson, Joe Thornton and the entire Oakland A's roster. After all, there are just 10 spots.

10. Departed 49ers. Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, Mike Iupati and coach Jim Harbaugh all would have been contenders for the list (well, all but Iupati), so they are placeholders at No. 10.

9. Draymond Green, Warriors. Among core basketball fans, he's higher up the list. By the end of the playoffs, he will likely also move up with general fans, too. He is a ball of energy, enthusiasm and diverse skills, universally considered "the heartbeat" of the Warriors.

8. Hunter Pence, Giants. The kale-eating, scooter-driving outfielder became a favorite with his preacher-like "sermons" during the 2012 playoffs and World Series. Now he's a fixture in San Francisco, a twitchy, energetic favorite who hits in the middle of the order and rarely has a day off (except now, when he's out with a broken forearm).

7. David Carr, Raiders. Makes it by default – the Raiders have a lot of fans and he's their best young quarterback in a generation. Carr could become a fixture on the Bay Area sports scene, assuming the franchise doesn't move away.

6. Mike Krukow/Duane Kuiper, Giants. The team's TV announcers have been together for two decades and fans feel like they're part of the family. They are, if you watch 150-plus games a year.

5. Billy Beane, A's. It's not by design, but Beane, the A's general manager, trades away every player who could possibly make this list. He's also the only Bay Area sports figure who's been the focus of a blockbuster movie.

4. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers. His position is as close as royalty as the Bay Area sports scene has: 49ers quarterback. While not Joe Montana or Steve Young (or even John Brodie), Kaepernick led the team to three straight NFC championship games. Next season will be crucial – will he become an elite quarterback or slide into being an average QB on a mediocre team?

3. Madison Bumgarner, Giants. His performance in the World Series was unprecedented – in baseball, not just Giants history. The fact that it came after a really good season and that Bumgarner has a John Wayne persona made it even more striking. And he's 25.

2. Stephen Curry, Warriors. If you're a Warriors fan, you're lucky: You get to follow one of the most remarkable careers in NBA history. Curry is creative, funny, likable and the greatest shooter in NBA history.

1. Buster Posey, Giants. Who else? He's played five years in the major leagues and has won three championships, a rookie of the year award and was MVP – all for a team that hadn't won a title in nearly 50 years. Young Giants fans think the team always has a great player with a perfect baseball name. They don't. Sometimes the best player is named Bobby Murcer or Randy Winn.

Brad Stanhope is a former Daily Republic editor. Reach him at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.