My Favorite Baseball Player on Each Team (PART 1)
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by Romiezzo
Falcon02520 inspired me to write this article. I will write about my favorite baseball player on each team and tell them why they are my favorite. I will also discuss the sleepers on each team.
And FYI, I'm talking about players' careers, so if I pick Mark Teixeira for the Braves for example, it'll be for what he has done for the team they're currently on as well the teams he has played for.
===Los Angeles Angels: Vladimir Guerrero=== 
Ever since I've watched baseball, it has amazed me to see how well Vlad has done in his career so far. He's not one of those guys that you talk about when you're talking about the 500 home run club, but in 12 seasons, he has hit 359 homers and has a .325 career average. I've always loved watching him play, even when he was on the Expos. The other thing is that everything he does offensively is without the aid of batting gloves. The reason behind it is that he is used to because he used to work at a farm as a child, and he got used to the ropes that he pulled bringing uncooperative bulls in the barn every day. In 2002, he was one home run shy of becoming a member of the 40-40 club, which is a really elite club. It's also amazing to see how he just crush pitches with ease, whether in the strike zone, to his ankles, or over his head. He has a hell of an arm, and just love watching him play, whether it's out on the field, an All-Star Game, or the 2007 Home Run Derby.
Sleepers: Orlando Cabrera, Francisco Rodriguez
===Houston Astros: Craig Biggio 
I think this is everyone's favorite player on the Astros. He is such a class act on and off the field. Even though I liked both teams in the 2005 World Series, I wanted the Astros to win mainly because I would've liked to see Craig Biggio get a ring. (Probably) The best moment of this season for me so far was to see Craig Biggio get his 3,000th hit. The reason why I loved it so much was because he went for second base. Even though he was out, that hit proved that he had two things that are still shown in the 41 year old besides the fact that he has a lot of talent: he hustles the most out of anyone I know; he is 41 years old, and never slacks off. The second aspect he had in that 3000th hit was the desire to win; how many times would you see a man who tries to go for second base when the ball is not past an outfielder? That definitely said something right there. The other thing that I like about him is the fact that he played three different positions in his career: outfield, catcher, and second base. He is a utility guy, and is willing to play any position just to play the game of baseball, and that is what I like to see in any player, whether it be in the Major Leagues, Little League, or my own teammates; that and sportsmanship, which Biggio definitely has.
Sleepers: Brad Lidge, Brad Ausmus, Lance Berkman
Oakland Athletics: Eric Chavez 
Eric Chavez. Every Oakland fan knows him, but I don't know if anyone else does. All the third basemen I have heard in this group, or anywhere else for that matter, are Mike Lowell, Alex Rodriguez, David Wright, Miguel Cabrera, and Aramis Ramirez (and not much of Cabrera and Ramirez). Eric Chavez is definitely one of, if not the, best defensive third baseman in the Major Leagues today. He has won six straight gold gloves in the hot corner, and has a career fielding percentage of .968 at third base, which is better than .013 points better than 10 time gold glove winner, Mike Schmidt, and only 0.003 less than the man who is considered to be the best third baseman of all time: Brooks Robinson. He may not be the best at offense, even though he had a hot bat from 2001 to 2003, but Eric Chavez's defense cannot be counted out in my opinion.
Sleepers: Dan Haren, Mark Ellis
Toronto Blue Jays: Vernon Wells 
Many of you probably thought I would've said Roy Halladay. Even though he's a good player, and I like him, you're wrong. I like Vernon Wells more than Halladay. I don't know why. Vernon Wells is definitely a great player when he is on fire, and he is the key to the Blue Jays winning many victories, both with his glove and with his bat (which is a reason why the Blue Jays aren't even close to second place). He has won three straight Gold Gloves and is usually a player that can help you offensively by hitting about 25 homers and 90-100 RBIs per season.
Sleepers: Roy Halladay, Alex Rios, Troy Glaus
With all of the criticism that he has had, I'm still saying that Andruw Jones is my favorite pick. Brian McCann probably will be in a couple more years, but you cannot forget all of the things that Andruw Jones has done for the Atlanta Braves. He has been the main reason why the Braves won championships from 1996-2005 (10 years). Even though he doesn't hit much for average (he never did by the way, excluding the year of 2000), he still puts big power numbers for the Braves. Excluding this year, combining all of the homers he has hit in his 9 full seasons, he has hit about 34 homers, 153 hits, and 101 RBIs per season. Let's not forget about his defensive side. He has won eight straight Gold Glove awards, and is (or was) considered the best fielder from the 1990s-2000s.
Sleepers: Mark Teixeira, John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Brian McCann, Chipper Jones
Ben Sheets has done great with the Brewers, especially this year, going 10-4. The reason why he is my favorite is because he is the main pitcher for the Brewers, and also because when he has a wicked fastball, as well as one of the best curveballs I have ever seen in my life. Sheets is also the pitcher that the Brewers depend on the most. He's their ace, and does what he does best.
Sleepers: Geoff Jenkins
St. Louis Cardinals: Scott Rolen 
This team is probably the toughest for me to decide. You've got Albert Pujols, who is just an amazing hitter who EVERYBODY likes (except his opposing pitchers), David Eckstein, who is one of the most diligent, hustling players I've seen, and you've got Jim Edmonds, who can still make tremendous plays at his age (if you don't believe me, watch Sports Center today; I think he made #2 on the list of top 10 plays). Believe it or not, it's not any of these guys; it is none other than the guy in the hot corner, Scott Rolen. He is just amazing. I love watching him play third base. He is just amazing. He (probably) has the best range out of any other third baseman, and he has a career fielding percentage of about .966. He has won 7 Gold Gloves, and is probably considered one of the best active fielders in the game today. Even though he does not hit like he used to, Rolen has still been a factor as to why the Cardinals have won so many game every single year in the new milennium. In his prime, you could expect him to hit 25-30 homers and collect about 100-110 RBIs per season, but he's been injured over the past couple of years, and hasn't been the same since.
Sleepers: Albert Pujols, David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds, Chris Carpenter (?)
When he started as a rookie in 2002, a time when I didn't have a favorite team (I was neutral), I was watching the Yankees play on TV. The bases were loaded, and the ballgame was in favor of the Yankees, 4-0. Alfonso Soriano came up, and he crushed a pitch for a grand slam. It was that day forward when I started to like Alfy more and more. Besides a little bit better defense from him, what more could you want? I don't know how he can swing a 40+ ounce bat. That is just nuts! He has been selected to the All-Star game six straight times. Whether he is an outfielder or a second baseman, he's such a great player, and one of the best fastball hitters I've seen, which makes me wonder how he can swing a 40+ ounce bat so fast. He's the kind of player that I like: a player who hits for power, and can steal bases. He could've been the only player in MLB history to have two sepearate years where he stole 40 bases and hit 40 homers (he was 1 home run shy in 2002 and he did it in 2006). He's so fun to watch, and I'd like to see him do well in the next 30 games so the Cubs can make it to the playoffs.
Sleepers: Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee, Kerry Wood, Ryan Theriot
...TO BE CONTINUED
