21 years ago, the original Backyard Baseball game was released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. The game was wildly popular and probably delivers nostalgia for a lot of people that played it a couple decades ago—you might remember popping in the CD-ROM to play. In honor of the 21-year anniversary, these are my picks for the best ten players in the original Backyard Baseball.

1. Backyard Baseball Mlb Players List
2. Baseball Mlb Teams

Description of Backyard Baseball 2003 Windows. If you haven't played Backyard Baseball 2003 or want to try this sports video game, download it now for free! Published in 2002 by Infogrames, Inc., Backyard Baseball 2003 is still a popular baseball title amongst retrogamers, with a whopping 4.2/5 rating.

Honorable Mention

• Jul 25, 2019 Includes MLB pros players Cal Ripken Jr. 3B (Baltimore Orioles) Nomar Garciaparra SS (Boston Red Sox) Derek Jeter SS (New York Yankees) Jose Canseco DH (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) Raul Mondesi RF.
• Baseball has been put on hold for the foreseeable future. Games aren't happening; pitchers have no hitters to pitch to, and hitters have no pitchers to hit against. Well, unless you're Freddie Freeman. The Braves superstar is still getting in some BP, only he's subbed out pitchers like Clayton.

Ricky Johnson, Dimitri Petrovich

10. Angela Delvecchio

Strictly a pitcher that could swing the bat, Angela “Sugar Pop” Delvecchio couldn’t run and couldn’t field. But when she was on her game with enough juice in her juice box on the mound, there might not have been a pitcher more frustrating to hit against. Delvecchio didn’t blow hitters away with gas, but she used her pitchers and hit her spots.

9. Vicki Kawaguchi

Vicki Kawaguchi couldn’t hit, but she’s good at everything else. She isn’t quite the pitcher her brother Kenny is, but she’s well above average there. In the field, Vicki could cover a ton of ground and make plays like a vacuum in the outfield or at one of the two middle infield spots. And while she wasn’t going to threaten for a home run, “Swan” could get on base with bunt attempts.

8. Ernie Steele

The baseball card for Ernie Steele (A.K.A. “Funnybones”) says “everyone loves Ernie because he is so silly.” You don’t want a bunch of jokers on your team, but a well-liked player like Ernie could help bring a group together. Steele is just adequate at hitting and running, but he’s an elite fielder that can step in and do a good job on the mound as a reliever.

7. Mikey Thomas

Mikey Thomas was extremely slow—perhaps the slowest in the game—which made him a potential liability on defense. Ideally, you would hide him at right field and hope not many balls head in that direction—he does have a great arm, so he could throw people out on the basepaths, and a good centerfielder could track down balls in the gap that Mikey can’t get to in time. As a hitter is where Thomas shines, as he could hit moon shots without needing an aluminum bat.

6. Achmed Khan

Achmed Khan wore headphones and listened to music while he played, but it didn’t matter—he arguably had the biggest power swing of any Backyard Baseball character. “Axeman” would just go to work when it was his turn to bat, and the nickname indicates he preferred a down-on-the-baseball approach instead of using a launch angle to hit his bombs.

5. Jocinda Smith

If you have the nickname “MVP”, you better be good at sports—and Jocinda Smith is certainly good at baseball. Smith is said to have the “best swing in town,” but she didn’t seem to have as much pop as some of the other maxed-out hitters in the neighborhood. Basically, Smith was a technically-sound, all-around player that’ll do her job.

4. Kiesha Phillips

Kiesha Phillips is described as “the neighborhood clown,” which probably leads to more swing-and-misses than you’d like to see from someone with so much skill. However, Phillips has a ton of power—only matched by only a few other players—and her ability to cover ground in the outfield (she’s nicknamed “Flash”) makes her one of the best players to build a lineup card around.

3. Kenny Kawaguchi

Do not overlook Kenny Kawaguchi just because he’s in a wheelchair. “K-Man” is an all-around baseball player and probably the best pitcher of anyone, as the nickname indicates. Kawaguchi might not have as much pop at the plate as others, but he is a very good option in the bottom half of batting lineups.

2. Pete Wheeler

Nicknamed “Wheelie”, the name fits for Pete Wheeler, who is a little slow in the mind but not slow in athletic ability. Wheeler’s Backyard Baseball card calls his swing “legendary” if he makes contact, as his power rivals anyone in the game. The fastest of the characters probably has the most natural ability of anyone; he’s not in love with baseball like the top player on the list, but he makes amazing things happen for his team without even realizing it.

1. Pablo Sanchez

Pablo Sanchez doesn’t speak a lick of English, but that doesn’t affect his ability on the diamond. He’s an elite five-tool player that’s arguably the best contact hitter, power hitter, fielder, and baserunner of all the kids. In a pinch, the “Secret Weapon” can get on the bump and dominate there, too. The multi-sport athlete has small shoulders, but he can legit carry his team to victory, and his legendary presence makes his squad the favorite no matter who the other eight players are. His theme song is even the best. Pablo Sanchez is the greatest sports video game character of all-time.

Bonus: The best team names in Backyard Baseball

1. Melonheads (Mighty Melonheads is the classic)

2. Bombers

3. Socks

4. Rockets

5. Giants

6. All Stars

7. Monsters

8. Hornets

Backyard Baseball Mlb Players List

9. Wombats

10. Fishes

You ever see Aaron Judge smash a home run and say to yourself, “Wow, that swing just reminds me of Keisha Phillips!” Well, you’re in luck. Here are my top 10 Backyard Baseball players along with their carbon copies currently playing in the MLB. Each Backyard Sports character’s attributes will be listed at the bottom of the article.

10. Vicki Kawaguchi – Billy Hamilton

Vicki Kawaguchi is often overshadowed by her wheelchair-bound brother Kenny. But Vicki has two things that Kenny doesn’t have: fielding and functional legs. Her combination of speed and defensive prowess in the outfield matches speedster Billy Hamilton. You can also kinda see a similarity in the face–okay, maybe not.

9. Stephanie Morgan – Francisco Lindor

Stephanie “Bubbles” Morgan looks the part. She never takes off her baseball cap and mitt–even wearing it while playing other sports like soccer and football. Her all-around skills give off vibes of Cleveland Indians star Francisco Lindor. Morgan claims that her father played in the minor leagues and thus inspired her passion for the game. Similarly, Lindor’s father worked day after day with his son serving up grounders and batting practice.

8. Sally Dobbs – Charlie Blackmon

I know what you’re thinking, “No one ever liked Sally Dobbs! She wasn’t even that good!” That’s kinda the point. Why aren’t more people talking about Charlie Blackmon? And why aren’t more people drafting Sally Dobbs? Both Charlie and Sally house all-around games and puzzling hair styles.

7. Mikey Thomas – Nolan Arenado

Mikey “Nugget” Thomas’ eyes might be one millimeter apart, but his power cannot be overlooked. Thomas and Pablo Sanchez are the only Backyard characters on this list with a perfect 10 batting rating. Arenado’s power is just as apparent, but his defensive prowess on the corner is also surprisingly comparable to Thomas.

6. Kenny Kawaguchi – Marcus Stroman

If you drafted Kenny Kawaguchi and didn’t immediately dub him as your all-time pitcher, then I would question your judgment. Kenny’s arms are gigantic due to constantly lugging around that wheelchair, and his stuff on the mound was filthy. Enter Blue Jay Marcus Stroman. While Stroman doesn’t roll around in a wheelchair, Stroman has an elite presence on the mound, and Stroman’s dad definitely has Kawaguchi’s arms. These two flamethrowers even share a similar smirk in their photos.

5. Angela Delvecchio – Madison Bumgarner

Often overshadowed by her slick-haired brother Tony, Angela Delvecchio boasts what Tony has very little of–talent. Delvecchio is actually the best pitcher in the game, and boy does she come up clutch just like San Francisco’s own Madison Bumgarner. Along with their dominance on the mound, both Delvecchio (8 in batting) and Bumgarner (16 career homeruns) are surprisingly good batters.

4. Luanne Lui – Clayton Kershaw/Byron Buxton

Try to compare Luanne Lui to just one player. It is impossible. Luanne is the youngest player in the Backyard league, but her combination of speed on the base paths and deadly fireballs from the mound are unparalleled. Kershaw is the most dominant pitcher in the league right now, and Buxton might be the second fastest behind Billy Hamilton. I can only assume that both Kershaw and Buxton could still compete in the MLB while holding on to Luanne’s iconic pink teddy bear.

3. Pete Wheeler – Dee Gordon

Pete Wheeler may go down as the fastest video game character of all-time. Don’t let his ginger comb over fool you, Pete can straight up fly on the base paths and has possibly the greatest range of any outfielder in Backyard history. Put Wheeler in center field, and you won’t even need any other outfielders. Dee Gordon can just about match Wheeler’s speed on the bases, but their abilities to hit for a high average is really what links these two. In April of 2016, Gordon was banned 80 games for a performance-enhancing drug violation. The Backyard Baseball league is still waiting to hear back on Pete’s urine sample.

2. Keisha Phillips – Giancarlo Stanton

Give either of these players a chance at the plate with the coveted “Aluminum Power” power-up, and you can kiss that baseball goodbye. Phillips’ sheer brute force at the plate is just unfair. The same can be said about Stanton. He currently leads the MLB in home runs with 37 holding off New York Yankees rookie Aaron Judge. One thing that Phillips has that Stanton lacks? Surprising speed on the bases. Keisha is a 9 in running while Stanton only has 1 stolen base on the year. Don’t let the love handles fool ya, before you know it, Phillips will have stolen second base.

1. Pablo Sanchez – Mike Trout

You should have seen this coming. Pablo Sanchez will not only go down as the best Backyard Baseball character of all-time, he will go down as the greatest ATHLETE of all-time. Pablo may be the most overpowered video game character this world has ever seen, and if you didn’t select him with the first pick, I would question why you are even playing this game. Mike Trout is the MLB equivalent of a cheat code. Trout continues to amaze year after year with an outrageous WAR and just consistent production. This year marked the first time Trout has spent on the DL, and in his return, he has done nothing but continue to turn heads and give his struggling team a chance. Unfortunately for Trout, he doesn’t also dominate on the mound like Pablo ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

1 Pablo Sanchez – Secret Weapon:
August 18 Right/Right
Batting: 10
Running: 9
Pitching: 5
Fielding: 10

2 Keisha Phillips – Flash
April 2 Right/Right
Batting: 9
Running: 9
Pitching: 4
Fielding: 6

3 Pete Wheeler – Wheelie
October 13 Left/Left
Batting: 8
Running: 10
Pitching: 2
Fielding: 7

4 Luanne Lui – Lulu
January 27 Right/Right
Batting: 6
Running: 10
Pitching: 9
Fielding: 4

5 Angela Delvecchio – Sugar Pop
December 20 Right/Right
Batting: 8
Running: 4
Pitching: 10
Fielding: 1

6 Kenny Kawaguchi – K-Man
November 20 Right/Right
Batting: 3
Running: 8
Pitching: 7
Fielding: 4

7 Mikey Thomas – Nugget
October 19 Left/Left
Batting: 10
Running: 4
Pitching: 4
Fielding: 7

Baseball Mlb Teams

8 Sally Dobbs – The Boss
November 11 Right/Right
Batting: 7
Running: 7
Pitching: 7
Fielding: 7

9 Stephanie Morgan – Bubbles
August 15 Right/Right
Batting: 8
Running: 7
Pitching: 5
Fielding: 8

10 Vicki Kawaguchi – Swan
November 5 Right/Right
Batting: 1
Running: 9
Pitching: 5
Fielding: 10