Top plays from 2019 MLB season
10. Pete Alonso walks off Home Run Derby
The New York Mets first baseman was a tour de force during his first campaign in the majors. Before breaking MLB's single-season rookie homer record, Alonso won an epic long-ball derby with three walk-off dingers, including that blast to beat Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays in the final.
9. J.P. Crawford throws from ground
The Seattle Mariners were awful in 2019, but Crawford's jaw-dropping web gem here was one of the team's few highlights. The 24-year-old shortstop looks like a future Gold Glove winner while making one of the best plays of the season.
8. Aaron Hicks ends wild Yanks-Twins game
Hicks' diving catch was the perfect way to finish a 14-12 slugfest in extra innings. In a contest filled with back-and-forth offensive outbursts, a defensive play decided the game between the two contenders.
7. Lorenzo Cain dazzles at Coors Field
At the time of this eye-popping snag to steal a surefire homer, Cain still hadn't received a Gold Glove Award yet. The two-time All-Star was finally rewarded with one at the end of the 2019 campaign for his outstanding work in center field.
6. Rays relay vs. Astros in ALDS Game 4
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who started the play, called Willy Adames' laser to catcher Travis d'Arnaud "the most incredible relay throw from an infielder" he's ever seen. What makes the throw even more impressive is that Jose Altuve, the Houston Astros baserunner, is a speedster who has finished with the most stolen bases in baseball twice.
5. Mookie Betts guns down Avisail Garcia
Don't run on Betts. The Boston Red Sox superstar owns a cannon, and for some reason, Garcia thought trying to stretch a double into a triple was a good idea. Garcia's reward? He'll now live forever on Betts' personal highlight reel.
4. Ramon Laureano doubles up Blue Jays in style
If there's one thing the baseball world learned in 2019, it's that Laureano is a damn good center fielder. This insane unofficial 8-2-4 double play was the first of many breathtaking moments last season from the 25-year-old Oakland Athletics outfielder.
3. Jackie Bradley Jr. did what!?
Baltimore Orioles reliever Branden Kline was given a front-row seat to Bradley's larceny at Camden Yards. The Boston Red Sox outfielder dazzled with a game-saving catch to rob Trey Mancini of a walk-off homer in extras. This might be the best of Bradley's many spectacular grabs.
2. Jose Altuve sends Astros to World Series
When something is accomplished for only the 11th time in MLB history, it's going to be very high on a compilation of the season's top plays. Altuve's blast sent the Astros to the World Series for the second time in three years, knocking the New York Yankees out of the postseason in the process. The dramatic homer came with two outs in bottom of the ninth after the Bronx Bombers tied the game in the top of the inning with a two-run round-tripper from DJ LeMahieu.
1. Stevie Wilkerson makes play of the year in Game 162
The Baltimore Orioles rookie outfielder waited until the final game of the season to make one of the best catches in recent memory. Every aspect of this homer-robbing grab is insane, including the leap, reach, foot plant, and balancing act. The Orioles were an abomination in 2019, but this catch is freakin' awesome.
(Video source: MLB.com)