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10 MLB things to be thankful for this year

Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty

As Americans spend the day giving thanks to the things that matter most in their lives, why not take a moment to appreciate some of the stuff we find fun? Here are 10 things we're thankful for in MLB this year:

1. Star power

What a time to be a baseball fan. A lot of young stars became superstars this year, and several more showed they're not far behind. The league is headlined by phenoms like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, and there's at least another dozen players worthy of being on the cover of a video game. Clayton Kershaw, Giancarlo Stanton, Manny Machado, Kris Bryant, Jose Fernandez, Paul Goldschmidt, Lorenzo Cain, Buster Posey, Nolan Arenado, and the list goes on. That's to say nothing of icons like Albert Pujols and David Ortiz; controversial ones like Alex Rodriguez; and just plain old "we're in our prime" superstars like Josh Donaldson and Joey Votto.

Thirteen of the top 15 players in WAR this season were 29 and younger, and the top 10 had an average age of 25. We're watching something special.

2. Bryce Harper

No superstar this year was better than Harper, whose Bondsian season will literally be emboldened on Baseball-Reference for the rest of time. We're thankful we got to watch Bryce lead the league in runs, homers, OBP, slugging, OPS, and WAR. He also hit .330. We're especially thankful it was only his age-22 season.

3. New playoff teams

For the first time since 2009, the St. Louis Cardinals or San Francisco Giants weren't in the World Series; the Toronto Blue Jays made the playoffs for the first time since 1993; and the Kansas City Royals won their first championship in 30 years. The playoff teams were compelling, the American League West came down to the final day of the season, and half the league was still in contention midway through August. Thank you, Bud Selig, for the second wild card.

4. The bat flip

This year's playoffs also produced one of the greatest series, games, innings, and at-bats in postseason history. The seventh inning of Game 5 of the ALDS was dramatic, controversial, and heart-stopping - and that was before Jose Bautista's dramatic bat flip became perhaps the most enduring image of the 2015 baseball season.

Joey Bats. Joey Throws.

5. No-no drama

Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, and Shelby Miller were among a long list of pitchers who kept baseball fans scrambling for the remote this year trying to keep up with one no-hitter watch after another. Miller and Carrasco each flirted with late-inning no-nos in multiple outings, while Scherzer tossed two of the seven in MLB. And he came within inches adding three perfect games!

6. Statcast

Thank you, Major League Baseball, for creating a way to quantify how terrifyingly strong Giancarlo Stanton is. Stanton slugged all five of the Marlins' longest projected homers in 2015, each of them traveling further than 470 feet. Thanks to MLB Statcast, baseball's growing list of statistical lexicon now includes exit velocity, route efficiency, and spin rate. Nerd on.

7. Bartolo Colon

It was another banner year for baseball's undisputed hero, Bartolo Colon. The burly right-hander continued to defy age and gravity with a series of feats that left even the most staunch Colon supporters in awe. Colon drove in a career-high four runs this year, he struck out 44 batters to one walk to open the season, became the oldest pitcher to win a clinching LCS game, and he produced arguably the most impressive defensive highlight of 2015.

Watching New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon never gets old.

8. Villainous Royals

Every sport needs a villain, and the world champion Royals made for a surprisingly good one. Whether it be Yordano Ventura ...

... or Yordano Ventura ...

... or Yordano Ventura, the Bad Boy Royals produced some of the most memorable - if unforgettable - moments of the 2015 season.

9. Year of the trade

Dating back to last Thanksgiving, it's been an exceptional year of turnover in baseball. David Price, Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, Matt Kemp, Troy Tulowitzki, Yoenis Cespedes (twice), Johnny Cueto, and Josh Donaldson were among an All-Star roster of players who have switched uniforms in the last 365 days. Fantasy baseball has never looked so real.

10. Rob Manfred

Pace of play, fan safety, defensive shifts, Pete Rose, and everything in between, Manfred's wasting no time addressing the game's most polarizing topics. Tough decisions lie ahead for baseball's new commissioner, both on and off the field, but if the first 10 months are any indication, we should all be thankful he's the one making them.

(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)

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