The start of the season was delayed by the prolonged players' strike, but sanity prevailed and the season was played. And it was a good thing for the Atlanta Braves, who won the World Series; otherwise, the decade would have been a huge disappointment. The most consistently outstanding team of the 1990's, the Braves have suffered numerous playoff disappointments; this year, they defeated the Indians in the Series, and were able to celebrate.

        This was the first year of the wild-card playoff system; four teams in each league made the playoffs, including the Colorado Rockies, who were in only their third year of existence. Their best player was probably Dante Bichette, who was runner-up in the MVP vote. Bichette's numbers were, of course, inflated by his home park in Colorado. He was a good player, but of his 40 homers, 31 were hit at home. In my own humble opinion, Bichette was not a great player, and likely was not one of the ten best players in he league.
        More runs are scored in Coors Field than in any other park in history. More than in Fenway Park or Wrigley Field or even the old Baker Bowl. The abundance in scoring is caused by the thin air of the Rocky Mountains; there, the physics of baseball are broken down. A ball curves when the air provides resistance against the rotation of the seams; but in Denver the ball doesn't curve, because the thin air provides such little resistance. Pitchers are stripped of their breaking pitches, and are easy prey for strong hitters. And after balls are hit, they travel faster and farther for the same reasons.
        So that's my baseball science primer, and it is why I think many of Colorado's players are overrated. Having said that, the Rockies did make the playoffs this year... but I think that had more to do with underrated pitching than with their overrated hitters. The Rockies have not since returned to the postseason, despite leading the league in runs scored annually.
        Barry Bonds was the best outfielder in the league this year; that, to me, is fairly obvious. Bonds led the league in on-base percentage and OPS, and also had another 30-30 seaosn. Even if Bichette's numbers were the real thing, I would still rather have Bonds.
        Another player who had his best season was Mark Grace of the Cubs. Since 1988, Grace has quietly been among the most most consistent players in the league. He's a Keith Hernandez-type player, a fine defensive first baseman who hits line drives. Grace is not a star, and can't compare with big boppers like McGwire and Bagwell... but he is a lifetime .307 hitter with over 2300 career hits, and at this writing is still playing well. He also won a World Series in 2001... not with the Cubs, of course, but with Arizona.
        The Reds returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1990. Their best player was the MVP, Barry Larkin. At this writing, Larkin has played for 17 years in the majors, all with Cincinnati. Since joining the Reds in 1986, Larkin has been among the best players in baseball. Injuries have been a problem for Barry over the years, but this year he was healthy, and was outstanding. He had a great year at the plate; he also stole 51 bases, and was caught only five times. Larkin has over 2000 career hits and almost 200 home runs, to go along with over 300 stolen bases. Despite the injuries, he has certainly been a better player than many shortstops who are now in the Hall Of Fame.
        Vinny Castilla is another player who has had his numbers sent mile-high by the his home park in Colorado. He followed this season with three 40+ homer seasons, and has over 200 home runs in his career. Actually, Vinny is a good power hitter; in 1997, when he hit 46 homers, he hit 20 on the road. His batting averages, on the other hand, have certainly been aided by the thin air. Vinny is a career .300 hitter, but would not perform so well in another park.