Favorite Baseball Players of My Lifetime
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by user Andersed
Note: I'm "just" 18.
Also note: I just happen to get attached to certain players. I draft them over and over again on my fantasy team for no particular reason. That explains the inordinate amount of younger players on here.
C: Joe Mauer, Twins - I really went out on a limb with this one. Actually, it's cool that Mauer grew up in the Twin Cities, was drafted No. 1 by the hometown team, and now hits almost .400 while managing a few incredible pitchers. Besides, I have to prepare for my fall move to Minnesota.
1B: Ryan Howard: So Howard, like Mauer, is on my first place fantasy team. A lot rides on this league. It's the last before my friends and I split and head to colleges all over the place, and I win $180 with a victory. Howard has incredible raw power to all fields, still hits for average (ha, Adam Dunn!), and smiles a lot. I love guys who smile when they play sports. They're FUN.
2B: Chase Utley: Utley has been on my fantasy team the last two years (I promise the next guy has never, and probably never will, be on my team). He makes regular web gem appearances, plays a position that I need to learn soon, and hits with balance. For some reason, guys who hit .300, knock 25 homers, and drive in 100 runs are pleasing in an odd sort of way.
SS: Omar Vizquel: Vizquel's been gone from Seattle since basically the time where I began to understand baseball. It's too bad because his defensive wizardry is a sight to see. He plays shortstop like non-Americans play soccer, with freedom, creation, and marvelous control.
3B: Jeff Cirillo...KIDDING! Actually, Ryan Zimmerman: You might note the emphasis on defense and balance so far. That's because I don't really appreciate donkeys who smash the ball out of the park or Juan Pierres who can't hit a ball 250 feet. Zimmerman is a rookie who leads his team. He's improving daily as a hitter and makes almost-nightly Webgem appearances. I'm not exaggerating.
OF: Rich Amaral: Whenever I went to games in the old Seattle Kingdome with my dad, I wanted only to be there for the starting lineups. This meant running up endless ramps to our (inevitably) third-level seats and peering through the tunnel towards the big screen in scared anticipation. I only hoped that Rich Amaral, the Mariners' first utilityman extraordinaire, would be in the lineup somewhere, at some position. Amaral was never remarkable. He was never good. But something made me like him. Ten years later, I really wish I knew what that was. If someone else commenting knows who Rich Amaral is, it makes this entire post worthwhile. Please.
OF: Ken Griffey Jr.: I wonder what life would've been like for Seattle and Junior alike if he'd never been traded. Perhaps he would never have had all those hamstring problems. Perhaps he'd be approaching 700 homers in the near future. Junior still made one of the most increidble catches I've seen in person when he robbed Albert Belle of a first-inning homer in the Kingdome. His ability was as breathtaking as Ichiro's. The crowd buzzes with anticipation when Ichiro prepares to nail some runner stupid enough to break on a sac fly, just like it used to buzz every time Junior stepped to the plate, stood up straight, and waggled his bat around. He's a sad story now.
OF: Aaron Rowand: I liked this guy before he ran into a wall. Ask my friends: I drafted him three straight years in the late rounds of our fantasy drafts. Then eventually dropped him when I realized he wasn't actually that great offensively. But he's a winner, he plays hard, and he has a nice mix of power and speed.
SP: Chris Capuano: I don't much about this guy except that he gets the job done and that nobody else knows much about this guy. He's a lefty, he's in the Final Man vote for the All-Star Game, has no chance of beating Nomar, and he strikes out a lot of hitters even though he doesn't throw hard. You have to appreciate pitchers who are smart. There's nothing more beautiful than a smart and efficient pitching performance. Coincidentally, Capuano leads the league in quality starts.
RP: Soapbox time: Good relievers are a dime a dozen, so I'll use this spot in commemoration of former Seattle Mariner (and PIttsburgh Pirate) reliever Josias Manzanillo. One day in the clubhouse Josias made the fateful decision not to wear a cup. Later, during the game, he made another mistake right down the middle of the plate. It was hit back at Josias. The man went on the DL. I'll stop now.
I'd love to hear how other people develop favorite players and whether or not you all think I'm crazy.
Originally on http://sportsctc.blogspot.com/
Date
Wed 07/05/06, 10:42 pm EST
