The Giants won the World Series for the third time in five years.

Clayton Kershaw became the first pitcher to ever win four straight MLB ERA crowns.

I lost my virginity (sorry, Mom).

A lot went right in 2014. Which players saw everything come together in the fantasy game in 2014? Let's explore.

C - Devin Mesoraco, Russell Martin, Yan Gomes

Drafted as a second catcher in mixed leagues, Mesoraco was a revelation, as he led NL backstops with 25 homers and was second with 80 RBIs. He only appeared in 114 games, which made the numbers even more shocking. His .893 OPS was nearly .040 points clear of Buster Posey. Be wary of the doubling of his HR/F ratio compared to his first three seasons, though. Martin hit .290 with a .832 OPS, his best totals since 2007 and he drove in 67 runners, a 6-year high. He also lived off a .336 BABIP. Don't forget this guy hadn't hit .240 the previous three seasons and his total of 11 homers was a four-year low. Gomes built on a solid 2013 with a full season of at-bats. The result was a .278-21-74-64 line. The 120 Ks in 485 at-bats isn't promising, but in total, what is going on here seems sustainable. 

1B - Anthony Rizzo, Adam Lind, Lucas Duda

Rizzo continued to improve against lefties hitting .300 and that led a .286 batting average. He also socked 32 big flies and scored 89 times thanks to a strong .386 OBP. Further growth is still possible for the 25-year-old lefty swinger. Lind hit a career best .321 though he appeared in just 96 games. He was almost entirely kept away from lefties and excelled hitting .354 with a .942 OPS against righties. He made a lot of contact as well with a career best 15.1 K-rate. Duda hit 30 homers with 92 RBIs, really he did. Duda virtually matched his 2013 numbers in BB-rate, K-rate, GB/FB and line drive rate. Even his HR/F was a near match. So why the growth? Playing time, of course. After 318 at-bats in 2013, the Mets let him role for 514 at-bats in 2014. Boom goes the dynamite. 

2B - Anthony Rendon,

Rendon was looked at as a "professional" hitter when he was drafted. He had 98 games to establish himself as a rookie and in year two, he exploded all over the diamond. Rendon hit .287, an expected mark, but it was his overall game that stood out. Mostly, though, he would settle in as a 15-20 HR bat. He hit 21 in his first full season. Double-digit steals were possible too. He swiped 17. He also played 153 games with 128 of those contests coming out of the #1 or #2 hole in the batting order. The result was 111 runs scored, the best mark in the NL. In the AL, Dozier hit 23 homers, stole 21 bags and scored 112 runs. No infielder in baseball, regardless of position, could match those numbers. Dozier only hit .242, but his stupendous first half catapulted him to a fantasy MVP effort for a middle infielder.

3B - Todd Frazier, Casey McGehee, Josh Harrison

Frazier said he would run and that he did, swiping 20 bases. Falling just one dinger short of 30 homers, you can make an argument that he was the most complete third baseman in baseball last season, as he also drove in 80 runners while scoring 88 times. No major growth other than the thefts, just a consolidation of his skills. McGehee will be hard-pressed to repeat in San Francisco. Returning from Japan, he was on waivers in nearly every 12-team mixed league at the start of 2014. He hit .287 and drove in 76 runs, but he only had real value because he cost nothing on draft day. Casey hit just four homers and has 13 in his last 274 big league games during which time he's only scored 92 times - in 274 games, folks. Tip the cap, but don't expect a repeat. Harrison was challenging for the NL batting title to the end, as he hit .315 with 13 homers, 52 RBIs, 77 runs scored and 18 steals. His value was enhanced by his positional flexibility—17 games at second, 72 at third, eight at short, 52 in the outfield. Hard not to be concerned about his .353 BABIP and there's not a ton of long ball pop here with 20 homers and a 5.8 HR/F ratio in 1,052 career at-bats. 

SS - Alexei Ramirez, Dee Gordon

Ramirez is about as consistent a producer as the shortstop position has to offer. He stole 20 for the 3rd straight season and after two seasons with nine homers, he returned to the 15 homer level he flashed his first four big league seasons. There's nothing new to report but he's got something few seem to possess - consistency. Gordon played every day and by seasons end, he led baseball with 64 steals, hit .289 and scored 92 runs. His outlook is dimmed in 2015, though, as he's only second base eligible, and even with his speed, he will be hard pressed to repeat that .346 BABIP. Also, 31 walks in 148 games? Take a free pass, kid. 

OF - Michael Brantley, Nelson Cruz, Christian Yelich

Always one of my personal favorites, Brantley put it all together and exploded in a way no one ever thought possible; Brantley had the third best average in the majors (.327), went 20/20, drove in 97 and scored 94 times. Know how many guys hit all five of those numbers in 2014? One. Even if we drop the numbers to .290-20-90-90-20, how many qualify? One. I spent $4 on him in Tout Wars last year (mixed league). Cruz finally stayed healthy and led baseball with 40 homers while driving in 108 and scoring 87 times. Out of nowhere, really, given that he had failed to hit 30 homers the previous five seasons while he had only one other season of 90 RBIs in a career that began back in 2005. He won't repeat with the Mariners. Yelich simply grew into his game. The 23-year-old may still develop some more power —he hit only nine homers but he stole 21 bases, scored 94 times and knows how to get on base with a .365 OBP through 206 big league games. Dare we suggest that his skills line up very closely to those of Mr. Brantley before his breakout '14 campaign?

SP - Corey Kluber,

My claim to fame in 2014 was my love of Kluber that I shared with the fantasy universe. Those that followed my lead picked up the AL Cy Young winner for absolutely nothing on draft day. Why did I have faith? Mechanics, stability, strikeouts and grounders. Couldn't have come through any stronger than Kluber, as he won 18 games, posted a 2.44 ERA and had a 1.09 WHIP over 235.2 innings. That effort was thanks to a whopping 10.27 K/9 mark, a simple inability to throw balls (1.95 walks per nine), and a 48 percent ground ball rate. He wasn't even aided by the BABIP gods (.316). Can't expect a repeat in wins or strikeouts, but he should still be a rock in '15. The other pitcher I pushed hard was Mr. Ross. Tyson merely needed to stay healthy, which he did for the most part throwing 195.2 innings. He might rely too heavily on his slider for long-term success (41 percent of his pitches), but when he was on, batters stood no shot. Ross had 195 strikeouts with a scintillating 2.58 GB/FB ratio that was the second best mark in baseball to Dallas Keuchel. Even with a slightly worse than league average 3.31 BB/9 mark, Ross still posted a solid 1.21 WHIP.

RP - Francisco Rodriguez, Zach Britton, Mark Melancon

Depending on your draft date, K-Rod may not have even been rostered in mixed leagues. From anonymity to 44 saves, his best mark since setting a big league record in 2008 with 62, Rodriguez had a total of 13 saves in 2012-13. He didn't issue any free passes on his way to the best K/BB ratio he had posted since 2002 (4.06). It's rare to see a 32-year-old do that (he'll be 33 by the time you read this). Britton doesn't have the skills I want to see in the 9th, but when the Orioles turned to him, they never looked back. Britton went 37-for-41 in save conversions but has the air of Jim Johnson about him, and that's not a plus. Britton struck out just 7.31 batters per nine and somehow posted a 75.3 percent ground ball rate that will be impossible for him to repeat. Melancon stepped up when Jason Grilli went down. His 2014 effort was virtually identical to 2013. The only difference? In 2014, Melancon worked the 9th leading to 33 saves whereas he spent way more time working a setup role in '13 (16 saves).