Attention all children of the 90’s and early 2000’s. Backyard Baseball is back and more accessible than ever.
Backyard Baseball recently launched a soft comeback in 2024 via a mobile edition in the Apple and Google App Stores, but now the comeback is even stronger. Late last week, it was announced that the classic sports video game was now launching on Nintendo Switch and PS5, officially making it the most accessible that it has been in decades.
Fans of Backyard Baseball know that this was one of the more popular computer games in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and it was an absolute staple in many childhoods. I grew up in a house with two older brothers and video games were always present. There were times where one of us would be playing XBOX, another would be playing PS2 and another would be on the family computer.
Backyard Baseball probably killed my family computer and slowed it down at an unbelievable rate back then, but we loved it. We also loved Backyard Football, Backyard Hockey, Backyard Soccer and even Backyard Basketball. Like I said, it was a staple.
While these other sports were fun to play, nothing hit quite as hard as Backyard Baseball and no one stood out more than Pablo Sanchez, who is widely regarded as the athlete of our generation. Right up there alongside Jon Dowd, Happy Gilmore, and Benny the Jet Rodriguez. Pablo was always the undisputed #1 overall pick in any Backyard draft and real-life children strived to be like him.
When I fired this game up on PS5 the other day, nothing else mattered more than selecting Pablo Sanchez to be my centerpiece. He is the athlete of our generation. Growing up, girls wanted to be with Pablo and boys wanted to BE Pablo. He was an international sensation that could be plugged into any lineup of any sport and steal the show. He was the perfect embodiment of THAT kid we all knew in our neighborhood who was just significantly better than everyone else. Pablo confidently struts into the batters box with his belly popped out and his bat ready to deliver some damage to any pitch thrown its way. His elite walk-up music blares through the neighborhood and when people hear that music, they stop what they are doing and watch a legend go to work. Even the parents of all the players in the league acknowledge that he is the best athlete on the planet.
But who else should be selected to play behind him? In my opinion, the second pick of the draft has always been easy for me and it remains that way now in adulthood. Pete Wheeler is the fastest kid alive and should be rostered in all formats. The kid makes contact and it’s an automatic single and consider the fact that no player in the league can catch him stealing, he can easily turn it into a metaphorical triple. He is dumb as rocks, but he hits bombs and steals bases like prime Rickey.
Next up in my power rankings is Kiesha Phillips who is a rockstar in the corner outfield spots. She has shocking speed and an uncanny ability to hit the piss out of baseballs. It always felt like she was the most prolific power hitter in the league and is a must-add for my roster. After Keisha, I got to give a nod to my boy Kenny Kawaguchi. He is not the greatest hitter, but he is an absolute assassin on the bump. His slowball will leave the best hitters in proverbial knots and he will paint a masterpiece on the corners all game long. He is a must-draft as he is a threat to throw a complete game shutty every time he goes out there.
After Kenny, I always look in the direction of Rocinda Smith who gives “Righty Carlos Delgado” vibes as she is a pure hitter. She is not the all-around monster that Keisha Phillips is, but she will smoke baseballs out of the park and give you as solid defensive prowess in the infield as well.
Next up is another fan favorite and a staple to any team I have ever drafted in this game…Achmed Khan. People know him as the kid with the headphones, but I know him as one of the more talented athletes in the neighborhood. Everyone had that kid in little league growing up who was super skinny and did not look athletic, but shockingly always crushed the ball. That is Achmed Khan and he is an absolute problem for pitchers. Sign him up and put him in the 3-hole immediately.
I will highlight two more must-draft players here as there is much room for creativity and roster-filling at this point. I am a loyal guy and I stick with the players who helped me all throughout my childhood and two more favorites of mine are Mikey Thomas and Ricky Johnson. Ricky is a solid relief pitcher option to have on the squad and he is a lowkey menace on the basepaths. He does not get on base often but when he does, he can wreak some havoc. Like I said, I am a loyal guy who sees through his faults and will always keep him on my side.
Mikey Thomas, however, a power hitting monster. Any pitch that even somewhat hangs in the zone is subject to being destroyed by him. He is always dripping snot and hacking up a damn lung on the field, but he plays through the pain and continues to find ways to hit dingers. God help you if you hit a ball with him that does not go over the wall because he is an absolute liability on the basepaths. His insane power is solid enough to eliminate the speed concerns and plop him in the middle of the order.
This game is just the best and seeing all these characters again has been surreal. All these old memories I have of building teams and playing the game have been flooding back over the last week. Playing in all of these old stadiums has been incredible and I can not believe they literally released the computer version of the game for consoles. I am a sucker for nostalgia, and it is sometimes all I look for. Backyard sports has hit a literal home run with this move and they should do this for all other sports as well.
They have seemingly even confirmed in recent tweet replies to fans that Backyard Baseball 2001 will be coming soon too. That is the one that had all of these lovable characters in it PLUS the likes of Ken Griffey Jr, Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza and more superstars who dominated the league at that point in time. I absolutely NEED that to be coming soon to fully max out the nostalgia meter.
Long live Backyard Sports.
