The year 2015 can only be described as a smashing success for all of us at Baseball Essential. We continued growing, adding new writers, making connections in the baseball world, all while putting our best foot forward in regard to creating interesting and unique baseball-only content. Our writers covered multiple major league teams from the press box, including the ALDS in Houston, the first round of the MLB Draft, the Hall of Fame induction, and the Winter Meetings, and also had the pleasure of interviewing many up-and-coming prospects and already-established MLB veterans. Our writers broke stories, earning recognition by MLB Network. This year could not have gone better for us as we grow as a site, and we thank the loyal readers who have helped us approach nearly 2.5 million views for 2015.
As one of the lead editors for the site, I have had the pleasure of reading (as well as writing) nearly all of the posts that have passed across our fine site this year. Here are ten of my favorites as 2015 draws to a close.
The Kansas City Royals are Impossible to Hate — This post really showed me how crazy fans of the Kansas City Royals are. Contemplating a recent sweep of the Baltimore Orioles at the hands of the Royals, I fired off a few paragraphs about why I actually kind of liked the eventual World Series champs. It went viral in Royals Land, and was shared over 27,000 times. I briefly became a cult hero for Royals Twitter.
Robert Murray calls Toronto David Price’s first choice — This is one of the more important posts for BBE this year. Robert Murray has been an incredibly hard-working asset for our site, and has developed relationships with many MLB sources. His source told him David Price would love to return to Toronto. MLB Network ran with the report, as did many Canadian news stations. Robert was ultimately interviewed on air. The Blue Jays did not even make Price an offer, and everyone in The 6ix hated Robert for a few days.
A Decade of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball — Yes, it is actually always Red Sox vs. Yankees.
Predicting the Value of Bryce Harper’s Next Contract — I initially predicted 10 years and $380 million. I will now revise that to 10 years and $400 million in light of Zack Greinke receiving $206 million over six years.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Ready to Follow in Dad’s Footsteps — Vladdy was awesome. Vladdy Jr. is going to be awesome.
Zack Greinke won’t be going anywhere — Yes he will. I was wrong. So wrong.
It’s Time to Un-Retire the Numbers — Jeff Snider is a great writer. I wish he wrote more. This is one of his best posts of the year. It earned him mention during a Chicago Cubs broadcast. Take the time to read through everything Jeff has written for our site. From fast food in the minor leagues to entitled young players, Jeff always has a fresh take on baseball.
The Moment I Knew the Mets’ Young Pitchers were Special — One of the bigger breakthroughs for Baseball Essential this year was developing a relationship with big-league reliever David Aardsma. Here is his insider’s view on the development of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard.
A Boston Red Sox Fan Gives Thanks — Gabe Bogart is one of our more entertaining writers. Here is his semi-satirical look at the Red Sox with a Thanksgiving slant.
The Real Problem with the Chase Utley Slide — The Chase Utley slide shook up the playoffs. Now, it will probably shake up the MLB rulebook. That’s a step in the right direction. Baseball has a problem as a sort-of contact sport with no rules really governing how to handle actual hard contact between its players.
Really, this list just scratches the surface of all the great baseball opinion, analysis, and reaction the great team of writers at Baseball Essential put together this year. On to even bigger and better things in 2016!
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