Top 25 MLB stories of 2017, from Aaron Judge to Houston Strong

10. All the home runs

Everyone was hitting home runs in 2017, and I mean everyone. The juiced ball theory has been quietly picking up mainstream support, and there’s no longer any way to ignore it. Certainly not when Scooter Gennett is hitting four homers in a game and 27 on the season. Entering 2017, Gennett had never hit more than 14 in a full season.

All told, 41 players hit at least 30 home runs and 117 hit at least 20. Giancarlo Stanton led the way with 59, but he may not have had the most impressive season. In only 119 games, J.D. Martinez finished third in the league with 45 and homered once every 9.6 at-bats. Nearly a third MLB’s 30 teams had a starting second baseman, traditionally one of the lightest-hitting positions on the diamond, hit more than 20 home runs.

It’s longball or bust most times a major-league hitter steps into the batter’s box.

There are certainly plenty of factors driving this surge in home runs. Yes, there is something up with the baseballs. There are too many scientific studies, let alone anecdotes coming from the mouths of pitchers for there not to be something fishy going on. The rise in blisters points to the balls being wound tighter than in years past. Players are also selling out to hit the ball in the air, realizing their chances of producing are much higher than when the ball is hit on the ground. The treasure trove of data unearthed by the full-scale rollout of Statcast makes it possible for hitters to spend their entire offseasons tweaking their swings to generate the perfect amount of loft.

In some ways, the spike in home runs is actually hurting hitters, who have always operated under the assumption that hitting for more power will equal more dollars in their bank account. Finding a job has become that much more difficult for one-dimensional corner outfielders and first basemen when any spare part can be plugged in to hit 15-20 home runs.