What (non-superstar) players are your favorites?

[Dragonbait]

Jeff D'Amico

 

Always liked him..

 

And don't forget Brooks Kieschnick.

[joepepsi]

Mark Loretta has always been one of my favorite players. Weeks. Branyan. Sheets.

 

Brian Roberts. Werth.

 

Nick Markakis. He just showed up and played like a perfect No. 3 hittin' RF veteran right away.

 

I always like Zaun too. Hopefully I still will this year.

[Nottso]

Jeff D'Amico

 

Always liked him..

 

And don't forget Brooks Kieschnick.

I claim senility. Great choices, Myday2001.

[Kelbysdaddy]

i've always been a fan of paul konerko and mark derosa. i also think todd helton is underrated(should be a hall of famer). i think justin morneau, even with his mvp and all star games, is underappreciated. he kinda gets looked over since mauer is on the same team. he most likely is considered a superstar, but doesnt get his props most of the time. matt garza is a fav of mine as well.

[craigharmann]

Seth Mc Clung

[swab]

Jeff Cirillo was always a favorite of mine.

[brewersbucks2323]

Lou Whitaker, Matt Nokes, Rickie Weeks and Dave Bush.

[rwa12]

All-Time is Shawon Dunston, loved watching him play. Current list would include Rickie Weeks, Troy Glaus, Scott Podsednik, and Turnbow

[Patrick425]

I'll go with what I know is a very popular choice on this board:

 

David Eckstein. I don't care what anyone says. I love the way he plays the game.

 

I also always liked Scott Rolen..but I'm guessing he might fall in the superstar category.

 

Craig Counsell

[TooLiveBrew]

I love the way he plays the game.

 

Is it just that he hustles? Or is part of it making the most of physical talent? I've never understood what people find appealing about the way he plays.

[joepepsi]

I love the way he plays the game.

 

Is it just that he hustles? Or is part of it making the most of physical talent? I've never understood what people find appealing about the way he plays.

I think it's that he's not very good and you can picture yourself being him if you just would have tried harder. Sort of like Craig Counsell.

 

I mean guys like Braun or Prince are just so obviously talented it's hard to identify with them. Sure they had to work hard to get where they are, but the God given talent is hard for a schmuck like me to comprehend. With Eckstein or Counsell, or some guy like that, you can at least delude yourself that if you'd worked harder in Little League and played Legion Ball and didn't go drinking so much in college, well, maybe, with a little luck you could have made it to the majors too.

[MillerParkSouth]

Gabe Gross. Still kind of upset that we dealt him, although Butler looks very promising.

[GAME05]

my definition of a non-superstar: someone, if he were a FA, who would still not be pursued by the Yankees. it's not meant solely as Yankee bashing. i think it makes sense.

 

old: Greg Brock (he hit a HR almost right at me when i was a kid) and Glen Bragg (saw him break a bat around his back on a missed swing. coolest thing ever. I also rooted for Jeffrey Hammonds since everyone else hated him and he routinely won the team Humanitarian award. and Nick Neguebauer(sp). Dave Nilsson and Charlie O'Brien.

 

now: Zumaya and Fernando Rodney. obviously Branyan. Jamie Moyer and Tim Wakefield. of course Brad Nelson (if minor-leaguers count). Kerry Wood and Mark Prior (I have a soft spot for would-have-been HOFers)

[pingman]

Tommy Hanson

Jason Heyward

[Ando Calrissian]

This is going back a little ways, but when I was a kid I was a huge of Brett Butler, Robby Thompson, and Pete Incaviglia.

[Funketown]

No love for Jamie Moyer?

 

Besides him, Brooks Kieschnick comes to mind.

 

Nyjer Morgan, Andrew McCutchen, Russell Branyan, to name a few others.

[snyttri]

Rickie Weeks

Walt Wiliams

Wilbur Wood

Tommy Harper

Derek Turnbow

Lew Burdette

Rico Carty

Jeff Cirillo

Rick Reichardt

Davy Jones

Curt Flood

[Patrick425]

joepepsi[/b]]

TooLiveBrew[/b]]I love the way he plays the game.

 

Is it just that he hustles? Or is part of it making the most of physical talent? I've never understood what people find appealing about the way he plays.

I think it's that he's not very good and you can picture yourself being him if you just would have tried harder. Sort of like Craig Counsell.

 

I mean guys like Braun or Prince are just so obviously talented it's hard to identify with them. Sure they had to work hard to get where they are, but the God given talent is hard for a schmuck like me to comprehend. With Eckstein or Counsell, or some guy like that, you can at least delude yourself that if you'd worked harder in Little League and played Legion Ball and didn't go drinking so much in college, well, maybe, with a little luck you could have made it to the majors too.

I guess it's part of what Joe Pepsi stated. I'm 5'8"..so I have always rooted for the smaller guys. Part of it is also that everyone seems to hate him. With guys like Carlos Lee and Manny Ramirez who show very little hustle at all...how can you hate a guy because he "hustles too much". Really? Not trying to start a tangent here...already had a discussion about this Eckstein a year or two ago and I know I'm not going to convince anyone to like Eckstein. I will just never understand all the hate.

 

If I want to show my son an example of the right way to play baseball I'm going to point to guys like Eckstein, Counsell, Weeks, or Fielder (I have always like the way Weeks and Fielder run out every ground ball as hard as they can) over a guys like Ramirez or Lee.

 

Tommy Hanson

Jason Heyward

Yeah, these are two of my favorites also...but I might be biased, since they are on my fantasy team.

[truecrew]

Gabe Kapler always one of my favorites.

 

Francisco Cabrera just off of one hit.

[jjkoestler]

I think of David Eckstein along the same lines as Jim Leonhard (Badgers, Jets). I have a huge amount of respect for both guys. They both succeeded because they busted their butts despite not being blessed with size, strength, etc.

[derflotr]

Rafael Furcal

Yadier Molina

Pat Neshek

Curtis Granderson

Jair Jurrjens

Garret Anderson

Mike Cameron

[logan82]

Rickie Weeks is my favorite player(or Hart, right now he is 1B since he hasn't been playing well). I don't really get to attached to any players for the most part. I cheer for the Brewers. Doesn't really make much sense to me to get to attached to any players.

[razzzorsharp]

Chad Billingsley

[sheetswannabe]

Brooks Kieschnick

Russell Branyan

Rickie Weeks

Grady Sizemore

Victor Santos (Night games only)

Chris Young

James Loney

[Mr QL]

Craig Counsell, Russell Branyan, Seth McClung, and you can't forget about Brian Shouse.