Because Major League Baseball was once the shining star of the sporting stage—it still dusts off the National Pastime moniker from time to time —it is sometimes easy to think that “then” was better than
“now”.
We are regaled by our parents (or grandparents) with stories about the likes of Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Harmon Killebrew, Sandy Koufax, or others dominating the sports section of the daily newspaper. Even in more contemporary times, many of us can still recall the nation turning its lonely eyes to Ted Williams emerging from Fenway Park at the All-Star Game or the Boston Red Sox completing a comeback for the ages.
But please (please, PLEASE!) do not let this fractured media maelstrom convince you that baseball is in any way “lesser” between the white lines. In fact, though the sporty side of Taylor Swift is mostly NFL fodder, one could say baseball is in its Superstar Era at the moment.
Four examples from 2025…
Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners)
- 159 G, 705 PA, 110 R, 60 HR, 125 RBI, 14 SB, .247 BA, .948 OPS, 7.3 WAR (bold denotes league-leader)
Even with zero context, one would look at that stat line and think “this is one of the greatest offensive seasons ever”. Now consider: the affectionately-named Big Dumper did it while squatting behind home plate wearing what are often referred to as the “tools of ignorance” for 121 of those games. Never before in the history of this great game has a catcher matched that kind of hitting prowess with defensive durability.
Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
- 158 G, 727 PA, 146 R, 55 HR, 102 RBI, .282 BA, 1.014 OPS, 6.6 WAR
One year after establishing his own 50-50 club, Ohtani didn’t slow down at the plate whatsoever. Oh yeah—he also ascended the mound again following his late-2023 UCL tear surgery. The results: 47 IP, 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP. Ho hum—just a Cy Young Award-pace as he worked back into flamethrower form.
Do you know how many MLB players have hit 50+ home runs and struck out even a single batter in the same season. Well, besides Ohtani, one—some guy named Babe Ruth in 1921.
Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates)
- 32 GS, 10-10 W-L, 187.2 IP, 216 K, 42 BB, 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 7.7 WAR
This black-jersey’d buccaneer is baseball’s unquestioned ace. Only Pittsburgh’s pitiful ownership situation and their ultra-cautious usage of the young (23) fireballer hold him back from further dominance.
His 1.96 ERA through 55 starts is the best beginning to a MLB career since 1913—when the ball was basically a soggy sphere of mush. That 0.95 WHIP? The best for a Pirates pitcher since Babe Adams posted a 0.90 in 1919.
Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
- 152 G, 679 PA, 137 R, 53 HR, 114 RBI, 124 BB, .331 BA, 1.144 OPS, 9.7 WAR
Ho hum—just more mind-boggling bat-smithing from the big man. His 62-home run ‘22 campaign will always be remembered for that number alone, but his rate stats were actually better this year. He has averaged (averaged!) a 1.117 OPS & 203 OPS+ over the past four years. That’s roughly equal to peak Mickey Mantle (1955-1958).
Baseball may not lead SportsCenter or dominate social media algorithms like it once defined ESPN (Baseball Tonight) or was the cornerstone of the morning doorstep fish wrap. But make no mistake—the stars today are just as talented and exciting (perhaps more so at the exact moment) as the celestial talents of yesteryear.
