Your Favorite Players over the Years

[revo]

The exaggerated passing of Pedro Guerrero got me thinking -- who have your favorite players been over the years?

- Steve Garvey was my first favorite from when I started paying attention to baseball in 1975 when I was 5, until he left via free agency to San Diego after the 1982 season
- Pedro Guerrero took the mantle over from Garvey and he was my favorite until he was traded to STL during the 1988 season
- Kirk Gibson became my favorite when he signed with the Dodgers for the 1988 season

Haven't really had any faves since then.

[Sour Masher]

I didn't have a father growing up, so I didn't get into baseball until I got talked into joining fantasy baseball when I was 15. From there, all of my favorites have been players I drafted/auctioned that performed great for me--especially ones I drafted relatively late or got relatively cheap. that is what got me actually watching baseball. So, I have no particular team loyalty. I just liked guys who were steals for me in fantasy that got me into their teams and style of play.

The first of these was Paul Molitor. Loved his approach and admired his abilities as an aging vet. First year I had him was my first year playing and watching baseball--1993. I got him a few rounds later than he should have gone, because guys in that first year of the league had an age bias, and Molitor was already 36 at the time. It didn't stop him from getting 211 hits while hitting .332, with 22 homers, and 22 steals. I enjoyed rooting for and watching him play for my whole high school career and early into college. In fact, he helped me win my first title in 1996. It still amazes me that he played 161 games and hit .341 at age 39.

He is still one of my favorite hitters, and while I generally agree with the notion that DH-types have to do a hell of a lot to overcome the fact that they didn't play defense or didn't play it well, I was very happy when he made the HOF easily. He deserved it.

[umjewman]

Mookie Wilson and Strawberry growing up. Early 90s Mets were a black hole, and I didn't follow baseball from 94-98 for the most part after the strike ruined my 14th birthday (strike declared on my actual birthday).

After I came back, Edgardo Alfonzo and John Olerud were my two faves.

Wright and Reyes always were top of the list from the time they were called up as well.

[hacko]

I loved the Indians from the 90's after suffering horrible teams in the 60,70,80's I was in heaven when :
Albert Belle
Thome
Manny
Carlos Barega
Omar
rolled into town.yikes how could I forget Kenny Lofton!!!!

On those bad childhood teams
Leon "daddy wags" Wagner
Chico Salmon
Sudden Sam Mcdowell
Oscar Gamble
Large Lenny Barker
of course Gaylord Perry

Current crop is starting to grow on me.
Kluber - Kipnis - Lindor & " Miller time!!!!"

not a player but a big fan of Tito

after watching him up close at Spring training - he is the most important cog to the Indians Success

[bryanbutler]

Brooks Robinson as a youngling.

after a few dead years, Cal Ripken Jr.

haven't really had any true "favorites" since then. liked matt williams, tony gwynn, a few others, but none that really rise that much above the others...

[Vecmizer]

Johnny Bench was my first and will always be my favorite. I liked Eric Davis and Ryne Sandberg a lot. I loved to watch Nolan Ryan and JR Richards as well.

[Pogues]

Oh, I can play this game! I always have a favorite ball player, since I can remember.

Started out with Pete Rose. When I became aware of baseball in the late 70s he was with the Phillies, my team growing up. I also really liked Tom Herr, mostly because he is the only player ever to graduate from my high school to make the big leagues.

After Rose I adopted Gerald Young as my favorite. Anyone remember him??

Then Kevin Seitzer. No, not OUR Kevin Seitzer!

Jim Thome took over for Seitzer and stayed my favorite for YEARS.

Now, I'm going to go with Francisco Lindor and Matt Adams. It's a bit of a tie. Though I really like Carrasco and Kluber. I also was a pretty big fan of Albert Belle, even in his asshole years. And when I went to school in western PA I was a Bonds fan because the Pirates fans out there didn't like him very much. So to rub it in, I told my Pirate fan friends he was the greatest. I'm just that kind of asshole.

[Pogues]

I loved the Indians from the 90's after suffering horrible teams in the 60,70,80's I was in heaven when :
Albert Belle
Thome
Manny
Carlos Barega
Omar
rolled into town.

I know what you mean. Especially after the boating accident a few years prior, it was nice to have a winning team with these guys.

[madducks]

As a kid in the 70's my favorite players were all Pirates of course. Al "Scoop" Oliver and Jerry Reuss were my first two before they were both traded. Followed by Dave "The Cobra" Parker, Willie "Pops" Stargell, Kent "Teke" Tekulve, and Manny Sanguillen.

During the early 80's another one was Mike "The Hit Man" Easler and he along with the other "Family" Pirates would be gone by mid-decade. Also was a fan of Tony Pena. Then in the late eighties and into the nineties it was Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, and Doug Drabek.

The Pirates were awful for the next 20 years and the only guys i could really root for during this period were Jason Kendall, Brian Giles, and Jason Bay. But they didn't stay very long.

Started becoming a fan of other team's players for the first time in the late nineties. Ken Griffey Jr and Alex Rodriguez (initially) were impossible not to like. The post-season exploits of Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Roger Clemens made me a big fan of those guys. And of course there was that Maddux guy who excelled despite not being as overpowering as those other great pitchers. And then Ichiro took American baseball by storm in 2001. Loved watching him gun down base runners. Still do.

In more recent years as the Pirates have become respectable again it's been Neil "The Pittsburgh Kid" Walker, Andrew "Cutch" McCutchen, Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, Geritt Cole, Jameson Taillon, and Tyler Glasnow.

[Gregg]

When I was 6 or 7 I was Eddie Mathews when I played 3B sandlot baseball. There was no T-ball and we were not yet old enough for little league.

Then Willie Mays. After the Braves moved I could pick up late night SF games on my transistor radio.

Andre Dawson as a Cub became my favorite.

My first favorite fantasy player was my $3 Dante Bichette. Later my 2nd round reserve pick of Albert Pujols (10 bucks when activated). I had him for five years.

I don't know if I have a favorite now. But I sure do like to watch the glove work of Baez and the hitting of Schwarber.

[dslaw]

1st favorite was Frank Howard and the Senators. Then it was Johnny Bench who got me hooked on the Reds so favorites after Bench were Mario Soto (only good player on the Reds by then) then Barry Larkin. Once Larkin retired the Reds had no one likable so it was Griffey Jr (looked so effortless on the field yet so good) and now Verlander (went to Old Dominion like I did).

[harmon]

Harmon Killebrew growing up, huge Twins fan so Oliva, Carew, Tovar, Allison....loved all those guys. Discovered roto in 1990 and have been devoted to NL since then. My current flame is Tom Murphy.

[TranaGreg]

Tony Fernandez - loved watching him day in & day out up here
Cal Ripken Jr. - I learned so much by watching him play - a guy who never looked spectacular but always made the play ... and that consecutive game streak is hard to fathom in today's world (2,632 consecutive games; that's just a bizarre number)
Griffey Jr - how could any baseball fan not love him???
Roy Halladay - loved watching his discipline & work ethic, I'd get to the park early just to watch him go through his pre-game routine.
Tulo - current fave, I'm only now appreciating how unbelievably consistent this guy is in the field.

[virgonomic]

Ernie Whitt - loved his follow-through to one knee
Kelly Gruber - had swagger, power and wore the cool #17
Roberto Alomar - did it all. I remember his ALCS home run off Eck like it was yesterday
Marcus Stroman - love his energy

[Piney Boy]

Mike Schmidt. Being a Phillies fan I grew up at the right time and he was the best they ever had.
Roy Halladay - What a machine. Wow.
Greg Maddux - Hated him for being a Brave. Loved to watch him pitch. One of the best I have ever seen.
Chase Utley - Harry Kalas said it best-"Chase Utley you are the man".