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As the 2017 MLB campaign ends, what made it unique and the trends that will continue in 2018
A key trade for Justin Verlander helped the Astros win the World Series, but core players like Jose Altuve are a good reason why they can repeat in 2018.  Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images

As the 2017 MLB campaign ends, what made it unique and the trends that will continue in 2018

With one of the most competitive Major League Baseball campaigns in recent memory concluding with a World Series for the ages, the pages on the calendar are preparing to turn towards the hot stove season of the winter. But before the rumor mill begins to spin too quickly, it’s a prime time to put a bow on the 2017 season that was.

Far too much happens on over the course of a complete MLB slate to attempt an all-inclusive review. If comprehensive nostalgia what there is a taste for, I would recommend delving into the archives of the Getaway Day series from the summer that was. Instead, here is a sampling of the highlights, obscurities and remarkable outcomes of a thrilling MLB season that has freshly inked its final chapter.

The moments that made the 2017 campaign like no other 


Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Chris Taylor shortstop Corey Seager and the Dodgers celebrate the 6-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium on July 25, 2017. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers chase for the greatest season ever

From June 1 through July 31, the Dodgers played 51 games – and only lost 10. It was a part of a phenomenal stretch that saw the club pull to the top of the National League hierarchy, and set a bit of history in the process. The eventual National League Champions were at their most potent in July, when they posted a 27-3 record that was the best single month winning percentage since the New York Giants went 24-3 in August of 1936. 

Giancarlo Stanton’s tear

While the 26 home runs he hit before the break were a nice touch, what Giancarlo Stanton did after after the All-Star break was truly something to behold. The Miami masher posted an August record of 18 bombs, which included a stretch where he went deep in 10 of 12 games, with six coming consecutively. For a while, it looked as if he could mount a run at the single-season record, but he ultimately finished with 59, the most since Ryan Howard’s 58 eleven years ago. 

Adrian Beltre’s 3,000th hit

Beltre cracked hit number 3,000 on July 30 in an appropriate fashion, hustling into second base for a double against the Baltimore Orioles. It was the second milestone of the season for the twenty-year vet, who also connected for his 600th double earlier in the same month. 

Cleveland's epic winning streak

On August 23, the loss at the hands of the Boston Red Sox would be last taste of defeat the Cleveland Indians would experience for three weeks. The Tribe embarked on were beginning what would become an American League record 22-game winning streak, breaking the previous record of 20 by the 2003 Oakland A’s. When the streak was ended on August 24 by the Kansas City Royals, it stood as the second-longest in Major League history behind a 26-game unbeaten run by the 1916 New York Giants.

During the streak, the Tribe did not simply win, they dominated. They outscored opponents 139-35, issuing seven shutouts and only trailed in four of 189 innings over the span. Only once did they win via walk off, which came in their 22nd, streak capping victory.

Bruce Mitchell takes a knee

The social and culture battle royal that has engulfed sports and the nation finally made its first appearance in Major League Baseball on September 23. Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell became the first Major League Baseball player to actively take a knee in protest during the National Anthem. Maxwell placed his hand over his heart during the display, while teammate Mark Cahna put his hand on his shoulder.

A home run derby for October

The fifth game of the World Series was such a momentous affair that it immediately moved to heights of being able to simply be referred to as "Game 5," and everyone will know what that means. The Dodgers and Astros embarked on one of the greatest heavyweight slugfests in baseball history, in a game that saw five lead changes over five plus hours, including three swings of direction come via three-run home runs. In the end, an Alex Bregman base hit capped a tremendous 13-12 victory for the Astros that will be remembered for a long time to come.

Astros win their first title

In a year that saw the Astros reach 30 games above .500 at one point, before ultimately being passed up for control in the American League after an injury plagued August. It was also a season where they were dispatched from their home due to a hurricane, only to be resurrected by resurgent former Cy Young winner that came to town in Justin Verlander and an MVP front-runner in Jose Altuve. The Astros fight to the finish paid off with the first World Series championship in the franchise’s history – one which required them to go through the three highest payrolls in the game to do so, as well.

Breakout players for 2017 


New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge introduced himself to baseball in a big way in 2017.  Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Cody Bellinger

The Dodger surge through the standings coincided with the arrival of Bellinger at the heart of the Dodger lineup. With a penchant for hitting his homers in pairs (he produced six multi-homer games), Bellinger was the thump that was needed to convert the Dodger lineup into the relentless machine it became. In the end, the 22-year-old set a National League record with 39 home runs, en route to helping seal a fifth-straight NL West title for L.A.

Aaron Judge

There has never quite been anything like the big swinging Yankee right fielder, who looks more as if he would fit in with Jets or Giants in the Meadowlands, than stalking the base paths of Yankee Stadium. Judge became a full-blown sensation over the summer, as his epic home run total climbed, so did the mania around him. It even saw a portion of the right field stands in Brooklyn be renamed and decorated in his honor as "The Judge’s Chambers."

Meanwhile, his growing penchant for going deep rewrote the record books, as Judge broke Mark McGwire’s 20-year-old record for rookie homers when he connected for his 50th long ball on Sept. 25. Judge jump-started the Yankee revival and turned a rebuilding season into one that nearly yielded a World Series appearance.

Rhys Hoskins

Despite their massive debut seasons, both Judge and Bellinger were known quantities coming into season. The same cannot be said for Hoskins, who tore through the minor league ranks for much of the year before emerging from anonymity to become one of the most dangerous hitters in the game by the end of the year. Hoskins’ penchant for going deep saw him hit 10 home runs in his first 17 Major League Games, a record start to a career. Ultimately, he hit 18 homers just over a month and a half – and 47 overall between Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia.

Surprising and notable developments in 2017 


"Miami Marlins chief executive officer Derek Jeter" was an unexpected development in 2017.  Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Big names around the sale of the Marlins: In what was no doubt a joyous day for baseball fans in south Florida, the Marlins were finally pulled from the notorious clutches of Jeffery Loria, as the club was sold to a new ownership group headlined by Derek Jeter; after everyone from Jeb Bush, Tagg Romeny to Pitbull were involved in bidding.

Dodgers' record slide: For all the heights of their season, the Dodgers also hit an incredible low. After dropping 11 straight games in the first two weeks of September, the eventual National League champs became the first team since the 1956 New York Yankees to have both a winning and losing streak of 10 or more games in the same season.

Indians tumble: A phenomenal bounce-back defense of their American League Championship, highlighted by the American League record 22-game winning streak and the best record in junior circuit, was cut short when the Indians fumbled a 2-0 lead in the AL Division Series and dropped three straight games to the New York Yankees.

Verlander trade: What could go down as the greatest deadline deal in baseball history was a thrilling process than nearly came up short. After previous declining to do so, the Tigers and Astros convinced Justin Verlander to waive his no-trade clause to complete a deal to move him to Houston, with the trade papers reaching MLB officials with only seconds left before midnight struck on the August trade deadline. It ultimately played out as inches becoming miles, as Verlander went on to go undefeated in the Astro uniform and won MVP of the American League Championship Series.

An unexpectedly short leash: While it is no surprise that there were the usual handful of managers who were relieved of their post following a disappointing season, expectations were unusually high this season, as the sickle was swung at a trio of managers whose years ended in the postseason. Joe Girardi, Dusty Baker and John Farrell were all fired from their respective posts with the Yankees, Nationals and Red Sox, in a surprising sweep of management that combined for a .577 winning percentage this year.

Carlos Correa caps them all: A World Series that was chock full of memorable moments on the field was perhaps upstaged in its last moments by a gesture off it. Carlos Correa had the ultimate carpe diem moment in Series history, when he turned a postgame interview into a proposal to his girlfriend, Miss Texas USA Daniela Rodriguez. After setting a record with seven postseason home runs, the most ever by a player younger than 23, Correa helped more than his team get a ring.

Unique 2017 developments


Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger is part of the long ball trend this season.  Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

A collective record for the long ball: It was a year for the long ball like none before it. Stanton, Judge and Bellinger dominated the home run highlights, while Scooter Gennett and J.D. Martinez provided a pair of four homer games. Joey Gallo and Khris Davis both topped 40 dingers, while 17 different teams hit 200 or more. When it was all said and done, 6,104 total homers were hit on the year, over 400 more than the previous single-season league record set 17 years ago.

Twins' turnaround:After a late-season rally, the Twins made their way back to the postseason for the first time since 2010. In the process, they also became the first team to make the postseason a year after having 100 losses. Minnesota had the first pick in June’s Amateur Draft due to their ineptitude of the year prior.

Diamondbacks' turnaround: Joining Minnesota in making a big swing of fortune were the Diamondbacks, who reversed their record of a year ago to 93-69, in route to winning claiming the NL Wild Card berth.

Let the big dogs eat:The meeting of the Astros and Dodgers in the World Series marked the first time in 47 years that two 100-win teams faced off in the World Series.

Epic October turnaround trend continues: With Houston’s World Series victory, it marked the third straight victor who had lost at least 90 games three seasons before turning around to take it all. The Cubs lost 92 games in 2014 before their title two years later, while the Royals lost 90 games in 2012 before their title in 2015.

Trends that should continue in 2018 


Pressure will continue to build on the Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper in 2018.  Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Astros will remain a task: While staying at the top is tough, Houston is set to return in remarkably intact condition. The entire starting lineup and starting rotation is tabbed to return, as well as much of the bullpen. Having Verlander onboard for a full year will be a plus, and if they can avoid the injury woes that were a mid-summer speed bump this year, they could easily improve on this year’s 101 wins.

Home runs will stay up: With the increased emphasis on swing plane and many batters taking bigger cuts earlier in the count than ever before, the uptick in home runs is here to stay. If for no other reason than the shifting science of approach at the plate.

Big ticket August trades: While the end of July trade deadline remains a date of big ticket activity, the increased volume of difference-making August deals is likely to stay a part of the game moving forward as well. Teams are more willing to take on strategic salary movements that come to play in the weeks after selling franchises give up on their hopes for a September turnaround. It will become more and more common to land a Verlander or Jay Bruce closer to September.

The spotlight on Bryce Harper, Manny Machado will intensify: As the countdown for two of the game’s most precocious premier talents to reach free agency enters the fourth quarter, the discussion on their future destinations – as well as price tags – will continue to climb. While Harper is likely to play out his full stay in D.C., it will be interesting to see if the Orioles decide to cash out on Machado early to gain a king’s ransom in return before his likely departure.

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