I feel like this is just an exercise in reciting the most prominent player for each MLB team - where most collectors' lists would likely mirror each other in one way or the other.
Still, it's nice to be participate and get my own mind churning - as is, I had to do some thinking because for each of the 30 MLB teams, there maybe different types of players that stood out and I just had to pick one dude.
I wanted some rule where it could be only active players or at least players from the last 30 years - in some instances, I gave myself an 'out' as far as picking a different player than I'd originally thought, but for transparency, the name of the replaced player is crossed out.
Inspired by Fuji and Night Owl Cards - here is my list of the players that pop into my mind whenever I think about each MLB team
Angels - Mike Trout
Houston Astros - Nolan Ryan; someone like a Craig Biggio or Jeff Bagwell were the other choices that made more sense, but I always liked the Ryan card with the Nike Air cleats cameo.
Oakland Athletics - Rickey Henderson
Seattle Mariners - Ichiro
Texas Rangers -
Juan Gonzalez Josh Hamilton; the original pick was Gonzalez, though Ivan Rodriguez ended up in the Hall of Fame and would have been my first choice.
However, Hamilton was the guy who was the biggest superstar for about a 5-year period before he crashed and burned - for better or for worse, Hamilton ends up being the first guy that pops into my head, when thinking about the Rangers.
Minnesota Twins - Kirby Puckett
Kansas City Royals - George Brett
Chicago White Sox - Frank Thomas
Detroit Tigers -
Cecil Fielder Miguel Cabrera; Fielder may have been an 'old school' nod back to the junk wax era early 1990s. Maybe Justin Verlander would have been the first player on my mind after Cabrera.
Cleveland Indians -
Albert Belle Jim Thome; I thought Belle was the ultimate bad ass and guy you certainly most thought about on the Cleveland Indians of the 1990s, but Thome had that lasting power even as he moved on.
New York Yankees -
Mariano Rivera Derek Jeter; the question here is whether Jeter will match Rivera's feat as far as 100 percent votes for the Hall of Fame.
Boston Red Sox - Dustin Pedroia
Baltimore Orioles -
Cal Ripken Jr. Adam Jones; Ripken Jr. is the obvious choice, but I liked Jones as a guy in the past 10-15 years, established himself as a team star, even if he was only a minor star at best as far as the numbers go.
Tampa Bay Rays - Evan Longoria
Toronto Blue Jays - Roy Halladay
Los Angeles Dodgers -
Sandy Koufax Andre Ethier; I went from Koufax to Ethier, but like Jones from the Orioles, he was a prominent team star, even if he was only a minor star at best as far as the numbers go.
San Francisco Giants - Buster Posey
Arizona Diamondbacks - Paul Goldschmidt
Colorado Rockies - Todd Helton
San Diego Padres - Tony Gwynn
St. Louis Cardinals - Albert Pujols
Milwaukee Brewers - Robin Yount
Chicago Cubs -
Ernie Banks Ryne Sandberg; as far as current players, Kris Bryant or Anthony Rizzo would probably be the first I'd think about, but I'll give the nod to the Hall of Fame second baseman.
Pittsburgh Pirates - Andrew McCutchen
Cincinnati Reds - Brandon Phillips
Atlanta Braves -
Chipper Jones Ronald Acuna Jr.; Freddie Freeman had a case here, though [to his credit I guess], he is a little boring and regardless of the numbers he puts up, just doesn't stick out for me when I think about the Atlanta Braves.
Washington Nationals - Bryce Harper
New York Mets -
David Wright Jacob deGrom; I definitely think deGrom whenever the New York Mets were mentioned; Wright was the franchise player for the longest time, but it's like he couldn't get onto the field the past four years and finally had to call it quits.
Miami Marlins - Jose Fernandez
Philadelphia Phillies - Chase Utley
