Every season I try and take a look from afar at the stories excited me the most. More often than not only a few will be the stories that MLB are trying to sell to the national audience. More importantly, I like to reflect on the games and players that I saw in person. No matter how technologically sound a television broadcast may be, we only see what the directors and cameras show us. We have to take their word that what they show us is the most important thing happening.

Whether you only attend one game during a season, or are lucky enough to see 30-80 games per year like my friends, Steve, Jon and Toms-you may see something truly extraordinary. Or you may see an entire lineup go 1-4 and score two runs. No matter how much you plan things out, what you’ll see on a give day is a matter of luck.

Obviously, two of the bigger national stories this past year were home run centric. Aaron Judge’s pursuit of 61/62 homers captivated the nation for the last 2 months of the season. Albert Pujols’s chase for 700 was a bigger surprise and maybe more heart-warming because 2022 was his final season. Either way, both were calculated and properly marketed (something MLB has problems with) events that hopefully won’t blow up in their faces.

The Justin Verlander return from the dead was a nice story and the upheaval in the postseason was also good for the game. Having different teams in the playoffs keeps things fresh-even if it means the Dodgers got ousted by a different California rival.

I loved the Baltimore Orioles story and not just because they won 31 more games (83) than they won in 2021 (52), but because they played great baseball. Theirs was an exciting, well-played brand and they continued to compete for a playoff berth after they made a lousy couple of trades at the deadline.

I also really enjoyed watching Christian Javier and Houston’s version of Ghidorah throw two no-hitters, one against the ’22 Yankees and in the World Series against the Phillies. He’ll never have to accomplish that again-he’s earned a place in history. I’m also pretty sure the experience wouldn’t have been any more impressive had I been at either game.

While not as spectacular, I was moved by Yadier Molina and everything he accomplished in his 19th season with the Cardinals. Even when everyone was celebrating his record with Adam Wainwright for most starts by a battery, he was never portrayed as cuddly.

For his entire 19-year career, he was a HOF irritant. Ask any fan in the NL Central-he’s never been marketed differently. He came to play every dang day and didn’t use the DH or 1B to his benefit. He never pretended to be anyone’s friend, a media darling. He instigated and stood his ground, unlike the boor at the end of the bar or fan of that other team down the aisle. Pujols’s self-imposed defection to the Angels made him irrelevant in the NL Central (until his return). I recall when I saw the Angels play 3 games in Minnesota, the reception for him was so-so at best. They neither adored nor feared his bat in the lineup-that was reserved for Mike Trout.

We’ve all witnessed the miraculous image boosts that certain players have received as their careers wind down. Sometimes the player makes an effort to change and are effective in doing it. We’re witnessing that right now, but the player is as sincere as Eddie Haskell. Molina is a not-so Lumpy Rutherford with a few more tattoos and a spot in Cooperstown.

Unlike previous years, my performance of the year, wasn’t based on a single game. Last season, the games that I couldn’t forget were primarily minor league games. I saw a remarkable (and unlikely) number of walk-off games under crazy circumstances.

Even though the Brewers Corbin Burnes fell short in his quest to repeat as NL Cy Young, he had a very solid season and was unworldly in a five-game span that I witnessed first hand.

Burnes made five starts and received only 7 runs of support from the woeful Brewers offense, yet went 2-1 with the team losing those other two starts. By definition, each of the starts was a quality start. He threw 34.2 innings, allowed only 14 hits and 3 earned runs (0.97 ERA). He struck out 47 batters and only walked 7, while allowing 2 homers (both solo-shots). After one of those starts, I admitted he wasn’t completely on his game and seemed to be struggling with command and control, but it was still a solid, quality start. I have some friends that wouldn’t have enjoyed some of these low-hit outings and at the time, a couple moved rather slowly given the end resultsm but the overall performance was the most impressive sample size I’ve witnessed since Jake Arrieta’s run in 2015-16.

I don’t expect any single player to replicate what I’ve detailed here, but I’m looking forward to whatever happens in 2023. If I can get to more games this year, I’ll improve my odds of seeing something different.

Get out and see a few games-you don’t know what you’ll get and that’s the fun of baseball.