2017 Annual Season Database available now!
The 2017 Baseball Season: Houston Strong
by Steve Ehresman
The 2017 baseball season was a year of extremes. Long balls, winning streaks, and hurricanes dominated the headlines. Powerhouse franchises struggled in the post-season, while newcomers to October baseball pushed their way to the forefront. Altogether, the 2017 season delivered explosive offense, historic performances, and a feel-good finish for a city in need of heroes.
With National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton (59 HR, 132 RBI), American League Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge (52 HR), J.D. Martinez (45 HR), Khris Davis (43 HR), Joey Gallo (41 HR), Nelson Cruz (39 HR), and National League Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger (39 HR) blasting away, a record-setting 6,104 long balls were launched in 2017, obliterating the old record of 5,693, set in the 2000 season. In addition, Colorado Rockies teammates Charlie Blackmon (213 hits, 137 runs, 37 home runs, 104 RBI, .331) and Nolan Arenado (187 hits, 100 runs, 37 home runs, 130 RBI, .309) absolutely crushed it, helping to make 2107 a year for the ages.
In addition to heavy hitters, the 2017 season featured stand-out mound performances by Cy Young Award winners Corey Kluber (18-4, 265 strikeouts, 2.25) and Max Scherzer (16-6, 268 Ks, 2.51. Likewise, Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 202 Ks, 2.31) and Justin Verlander (15-8, 219 Ks, 3.36) made contributions that helped put their teams into the Fall Classic
Beyond the avalanche of home runs and strikeouts, the 2017 MLB season featured wild-ride streaks by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cleveland Indians. Celebrating their 60th season in Los Angeles, the Dodgers, eventual National League Champions, won 104 games, the most in MLB for 2017; however, on their way to that total, the Dodgers became the only team ever to win 15 of 16 games and to lose 15 of 16 games in the same season. One of the most impressive streaks in MLB history was compiled by the Cleveland Indians who won 22 straight games, setting a new American League mark and coming within 4 games of the overall record of 26 straight games, set by the 1916 New York Giants.
The 2017 season was a year for upstarts, as the Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Minnesota Twins exceeded expectations and qualified for the post-season. Similarly, in the Bronx the New York Yankees put together a campaign that took them further than spring-time prognosticators had anticipated. On the other hand, the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Indians, the Washington Nationals, and the Chicago Cubs, favored by many to boogie down at the Big Dance, succumbed to superior talent in the rarefied October air.
Nevertheless, when the history of the 2017 MLB season is recorded for posterity, one story will stand alone: that of the World Series Champion Houston Astros. In June 2014, Sports Illustrated put George Springer of the Houston Astros on its cover with the headline story “Your 2017 World Series Champs.” Whether SI was lucky or prescient is a discussion best left for the patrons of sports bars. What is beyond question is the excellence of the 2017 Astros. Led by American League MVP Jose Altuve (39 doubles, 24 home runs, 81 RBI, 32 stolen bases, .346), the ‘Stros put together a 101-61 campaign, besting the New York Yankees in a 7-game ALCS and defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in one of the greatest Fall Classics in the long history of autumn baseball. By the way, that George Springer kid was pretty good in 2017, swatting 29 doubles, blasting 34 home runs, driving in 85 runs, batting .283, and winning the MVP for the World Series.
After Hurricane Harvey had devastated Houston only weeks before, the Astros created a legacy that transcends sport and reminds us that even amid despair, dedication, teamwork, and perhaps fate can produce champions when we need them most. As we are reminded in The Sandlot: “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” In 2017, the Houston Astros became legends.
The 2017 Annual Season Database is Available Now!
This season database is a companion product for the Diamond Mind Baseball version 11 game. To use this database, you must also have Diamond Mind Baseball version 11. The game software provides you with all of the tools you need to play simulated games, make roster moves, produce dozens of statistical reports, generate league schedules, and more.
Note: Two new ballpark image files have been added for the 2017 season, Minute Maid Park (removal of Tal's Hill in center field) and SunTrust Park (opened in 2017). These image files are available for free download from our Park Images page.
