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As we look forward to 2025, let’s take a minute to look back at the stories you, the reader, found the most interesting in 2024. I’m Levi Weaver; Ken Rosenthal is off this week. Welcome to The Windup!
Rundowns: Our most-clicked stories of 2024
It’s basically a one-section newsletter today, plus some quick updates below this. Allow me to explain: Here at The Windup, one of our goals is to write about the things you care about, so we figured, since it’s the end of the year, that it would be interesting to look back at the most-clicked stories of the year. It’s sorta like Spotify Wrapped (except we pay our writers).
So here’s a starting lineup of nine stories that you clicked on the most this year. (One note: We skipped any that were very of the moment — do you need trade predictions for a deadline that passed almost five months ago? You don’t.)
Here we go!
9. “As World Series dream slips away, a reality check awaits Yankees, Aaron Judge” — Ken Rosenthal, Oct. 29
With the Yankees trailing the World Series 3-0 and clearly outclassed by the Dodgers, Ken read them for filth, pointing out they had emerged from a weaker American League bracket. At the center of the failure to compete: Aaron Judge, who had a fairly wretched postseason. The Yankees answered that night, winning Game 4 by a score of 11-4, but that was their only win of the World Series. Things have not gotten materially better for them since.
8. “Baseball Hall of Fame tiers: Which active players are on course for Cooperstown?” — Jayson Stark, July 5
Next month, the announcement will be made that Ichiro Suzuki (and maybe some other guys, too!) has been voted into the Hall of Fame. But back in July — just before the Class of 2024 was inducted into Cooperstown — Stark looked even further ahead, asking who among active players was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. But the obvious ones — Mike Trout, Justin Verlander, etc. — weren’t as interesting to me as the categories further down, in which Stark tried to crystal-ball the futures of players like Julio Rodríguez and Ronald Acuña Jr.
7. “Yes, thankfully, Giants bullpen catcher Alex Burg survived his viral video moment” — Andrew Baggarly, April 23
If you missed it, here’s what happened: Giants closer (at the time) Camilo Doval was warming up in the bullpen. He reared back, hurled the ball, and … the lights went out. The Oracle Park dramatic closer’s intro had begun. We might never have known about it, but the TV broadcast happened to catch the moment where bullpen catcher Alex Burg was left to blindly attempt to catch an MLB-speed fastball in the dark. Fortunately, everyone was OK.
6. “Angels manager Ron Washington criticizes player after his own squeeze bunt decision backfires” — Sam Blum, May 15
It’s not often you hear a manager publicly call a player out, but that’s exactly what Ron Washington did after Luis Guillorme failed to get a squeeze bunt down in a 7-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Even more curious: Washington’s agitated insistence that Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero — who had walked two batters in the inning — was throwing strikes.
5. “MLB Player Poll 2024: Worst organizations, the most overrated peer, best vibes guy and more” — MLB Staff, June 10
Speaking of somewhat controversial quotes, it turns out baseball players will say some things if you give them the promise of anonymity. In this year’s version of the player poll, we got opinions on everything from the most overrated player (Jazz Chisholm Jr.) to which organization has the worst reputation among players (the A’s). It wasn’t all negative though. Mookie Betts was voted the best “vibes” guy, and while Shohei Ohtani was voted the best player in the sport, I was surprised to see that Juan Soto didn’t get a single vote.
4. “Top 100 MLB prospects 2024: Keith Law’s rankings, with Jackson Holliday at No. 1” — Keith Law, Feb. 5
It’s a big hit every year, and this one was no different, with Law’s annual top-100 list giving us insight on the game’s next wave of stars, busts and in-betweeners. Rounding out the top five after Holliday: OF Jackson Chourio (Brewers), C Ethan Salas (Padres), SS Jordan Lawlar (Diamondbacks) and IF Junior Caminero (Rays).
The top pitcher on the list? No. 10 Paul Skenes, who would go on to win NL Rookie of the Year by going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 games for the Pirates.
3. “What we learned watching World Series games 3-5 with major leaguers” — MLB Staff, Oct. 31
In this case, “MLB Staff” includes names like Tommy Pham, Max Stassi, Adam Ottavino, Trevor Williams, Rob Refsnyder and Jameson Taillon, who watched World Series games and weighed in with their insight as big-league players. While that is, in and of itself, a very cool thing to be able to read, I’m not an idiot. I know that this quote was what skyrocketed this link into the top three:
The Athletic: You have any take on the Mookie Betts/Yankees fan interaction? What would you do in that spot?
Pham: Buddy touching me would be a problem. Keep your hands to yourself.
2. “Ranking MLB’s worst contracts: Not all megadeals are worth the cost” — Cody Stavenhagen, Dec. 2
People love an excuse to say, “I told you so.” Barring that, fans are always up for a little schadenfreude at the expense of their favorite team’s bitter rivals. If that team happens to be the Angels or Yankees, you’re going to love this one.
Of course, Anthony Rendon’s contract tops the list. Back in May, I used some charts to illustrate just how little production the Angels have gotten from Rendon and Trout over the last few years. This, unfortunately, is how time tends to do its nasty work.
1. “MLB City Connect: All 29 uniforms ranked, from the so-so to the sublime” — MLB, Culture Staff
I am not surprised that this was the most-clicked link in the newsletter this year. I once wrote a similar article ranking baseball caps, and it has *wait, let me check for accuracy* 669 comments. A lot of them are angry. About baseball caps.
This one blew that one out of the water, currently sitting at 940 comments. People love to talk about sports fashion, I suppose, and everyone — myself included, because I’m not pretending to be above this fray — has an opinion about what makes a good City Connect uniform.
The spoiler is that apparently there is no correlation between good baseball and good City Connect uniforms: The Dodgers finished in last place, and the Rockies took the top spot.
Handshakes and High Fives
We’ll be back on Thursday with our regular twice-a-week schedule. In the meantime, here are the major stories since our last newsletter:
The A’s are leaving Oakland, but team president Dave Kaval, who was central in the process of the team departing, won’t be joining them in Sacramento. He’s stepping down at the end of the year.
The top 40 Big Board is looking a bit more picked over these days. Here are a few free agents who have new homes:
While we’re doing end-of-year lists, how about Jayson Stark weird-and-wilding us through the 2024 season, plus the most bizarre injuries of the year?
Wonder who has the best front office in baseball? Pfft … how about the best front office in the four major American sports leagues?
Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko Tanaka are expecting their first child.
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Sam Blum’s roundup of testimonials from those in baseball who knew Rickey Henderson best.
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(Top photo: Rhona Wise / USA Today)
