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These were the 10 most searched players on Baseball Reference in Pennsylvania in 2022

Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were two of the most searched players in 2022. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Earlier this week, Baseball Reference released their 10 most searched player pages of 2022, which, frankly, was much more interesting to examine than the average person’s Spotify Wrapped.

Sports Reference — the Philadelphia-based parent company — was nice enough to release an even more specific list to Phillies Nation, the 10-most searched players in the state of Pennsylvania in 2022:

Aaron Judge – In his age-30 season, Judge put together the greatest contract year in MLB — and perhaps sports — history. He hit an American League record 62 home runs, en route to winning the AL MVP. He became a free agent after the season, ultimately returning to the Yankees on a nine-year/$360 million deal.
Albert Pujols – The future Hall of Famer had a magical final season, returning to the St. Louis Cardinals and hitting 24 home runs. On Sept. 23, Pujols became the fourth player in MLB history to join the 700 Home Run Club. He also likely got a search boost in Pennsylvania when the Phillies faced the Cardinals in the NLWCS.
Kyle Schwarber – The Phillies inked Schwarber to a four-year/$79 million deal on March 20, and he responded by leading the National League with 46 home runs during his first season in red pinstripes. For good measure, Schwarber added six more home runs in the postseason.
Bryce Harper – After winning the NL MVP in 2021, Harper was limited to just 99 regular season games in his fourth season with the Phillies. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in November, Harper is going to miss a sizable chunk of the 2023 season. But when on the field, Harper is one of the most dominant offensive players of this generation.
Nick Castellanos – On March 22, the Phillies signed Castellanos to a five-year/$100 million deal. From an individual sense, he struggled mightily in his first season with the Phillies, and a decent amount of the trips to his Baseball Reference page were likely to compare his disappointing 2022 production to what he had done in prior seasons.
Shohei Ohtani – After winning AL MVP in 2021, Ohtani finished runner-up to Judge in 2022, again putting together one of the most historically-unique seasons the sport has ever seen. He’ll likely climb up even higher on this list in 2023, given that he can become a free agent after the season.
Trea Turner – This one is pretty easy to figure out. For much of the summer, there was speculation and reports about the Phillies pursuing Turner in free agency after the season. They ultimately landed him on a 11-year/$300 million deal, so Turner should become a mainstay on this list.
Justin Verlander –

The Phillies faced off with Verlander both in the final series of the regular season and in the World Series. After he won his third AL Cy Young Award and second championship, Verlander departed Houston for a two-year/$86.6 million deal with the division-rival New York Mets.
Mike Trout – Now a 10-time All-Star, Trout’s Baseball Reference page is evergreen content. It likely got a spike when the Angels visited Philadelphia in early June, and Trout’s local ties give him an extra following in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But you could be in Siberia and the three-time AL MVP’s page would be fun to look through.
Noah Syndergaard – Syndergaard didn’t pitch against the Phillies when the Angels were in town during the early days of the Rob Thomson era. But he was acquired by the Phillies before the trade deadline, and ultimately ended up playing a role for them during a World Series run. He’s now headed back to the West Coast, having signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers.