The season’s been over for two months now, but the year is just coming to a close. We thought it would be fun to look at TOC’s top ten most-viewed articles from the year and reflect a little bit. A lot of sites are doing this, and since we’re absolutely not unique or original, we figured we’d go ahead and join the party too.
NB: some of these articles were posted before our redesign in March, so if the formatting on them is a bit off, my apologies.
–Jameis Winston wants to be a two-sport star, and the Rangers could be interested.
Remember when Jameis Winston’s baseball aspirations were still a thing? Since that article was posted, Winston won one National Championship as Florida State’s quarterback, and is two wins away from a second. He also didn’t create much buzz during the Seminoles’ baseball season, was involved in a few off the field incidents, and is projected to be one of the first two quarterbacks taken in May’s NFL Draft. I think his baseball future is very much in doubt at this point.
–Where will the rest of the top free agents land?
Unlike this offseason, there wasn’t much movement in the free agent market until after the calendar turned to January. Nine of the top 30 free agents were still available near the end of the month. Two of those nine players ended up staying unsigned until after June’s MLB Draft, while the rest signed before the season started – and most ended up in bizarre places. Nelson Cruz, A.J. Burnett, Ervin Santana, and Kendrys Morales all ended up finding new homes this winter, and Stephen Drew likely will as well.
–Sucker punch at home plate results in wild brawl in Australia.
I still can’t believe this happened. Australian Baseball fever – catch it!
–The worst defunct MLB mascots.
This post was created in response to the Cubs’ announcement that Clark the Cub would be serving as their mascot in 2014. Clark wasn’t all that offensive and mainly made appearances at charity events, but he still could wind up on this list when it’s revisited years down the road.
–Insane brawl erupts in Cuba.
Our readers must really like brawls. This insane brawl was more explosive than the Australian one featured above.
–Grading each team’s offseason.
Royals get a C+, win the AL pennant. Giants get a C-, win the World Series. Aside from those whiffs and a couple others, I think my grades ended up doing a good job reflecting what happened last winter in relation to what actually happened on the field.
–Best and worst midseason trades for each franchise over the last 20 years.
This article took a lot of work, and it was received very well. Look for an offseason sequel coming very soon.
–10 of the best outfield throws ever seen by mankind.
Just in case you wanted to remember Yoenis Cespedes and his absolutely ridiculous arm.
–Each MLB team’s best first round pick over the last decade.
Naturally, controversy ensued after I put this together and fans started squabbling over what constituted value. Maybe I could put something similar together this spring before the Draft.
–Players most likely to be traded by July 31st.
Hey, the top four players we listed were all traded! Of the rest, Alex Rios was awful and hurt, Denard Span solidified his hold on center field, Kurt Suzuki got a contract extension from the Twins, and Ben Zobrist STILL HASN’T BEEN TRADED.
Happy New Year, everyone. Here’s to another great year in 2015.
