The idea for this post was proposed to me by my friend Lee, who has been a frequent reader and supporter of my blog. He messaged me about it and I agreed that it was a really good idea for a post. I decided to add a certain criteria for this one. The player had to play the majority of his career games for that team. I can only choose retired players, no currents. Also I decided I would not include any player who made any of my positions lists in an attempt to keep things fresh. So while Ken Griffey Jr. is definitely my favorite Mariners player of all-time, I will be writing about someone different when I do Seattle. And as always the subjects have to have played during my lifetime, so 1980 and forward. Also to keep the post from being too lengthy I will be breaking it up into AL and NL as they are currently aligned in today’s game. So even though the Astros were in the National League for the majority of my life, their representative will be included in the American League post. So without further ado, I present to you My Favorite Player From Every American League Team…Of My Lifetime.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Brandon Webb

Choosing a representative from the Diamondbacks that met my criteria was more difficult than I thought it would be. Many of the franchise’s most memorable players only played a few seasons in the desert. Brandon Webb is an outlier in that regard. He pitched his entire 7 year career for Arizona. While somewhat short for a starting pitcher of his caliber, Webb managed to make a lasting impression. Due in large part to his 3 year stretch from 2006-2008 when he won the NL Cy Young in 2006 and finished runner-up in 2007 and 2008, while making 3 consecutive NL All-Star teams. His career was cut short due to a shoulder injury and subsequent rotator cuff surgeries. Webb was one of the most dominating hurlers in the league in an extreme hitter-friendly park. It would have been interesting to see how his career played out if he hadn’t had his shoulder injury and been forced to retire at the age of 30.

Atlanta Braves: Deion Sanders

Back before he was roaming the sidelines being Coach Prime as the Head Football Coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders was roaming center field for the Atlanta Braves and roaming the secondary for the Atlanta Falcons, becoming a two-sport superstar and earning his Prime Time nickname. Sanders was already an All-Pro NFL cornerback by the time he took his talents across town to Fulton County Stadium to play baseball for the Braves. He famously reworked his Falcons contract to allow him to continue to play baseball with the Braves if they reached the playoffs, which would take place during the NFL season. This led to some incredible history making moments for Deion. He became the only the player to ever hit a MLB homerun and score an NFL touchdown in the same week and he’s also still the only person to ever play in a World Series and a Super Bowl. The World Series in question was the 1992 Fall Classic where the Braves faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays. All Deion did in the series was hit .533 and steal five bases. He was already a favorite of mine because of his two-sport status and his flashy play style, but his World Series performance catapulted him to my favorite player in both sports. To add to the Deion diety, Nike released his signature sneaker, The Diamond Turf in 1993 and it was an instant classic. A turf shoe with a bold rubber Nike Velcro strap across the tongue, it stood out much like Prime Time himself. I wanted a pair of those sneakers so bad. They came out during the beginning of the school year when I was in 6th grade. I’d already gotten my back-to-school shoes for the year but I had to have the Deions. I begged my Mama endlessly and she finally relented. We were set to go to the mall one weekend but the Friday before a kid in my class showed up wearing a pair. The dread of being a “copycat” weighed on me and eventually wore me down. I pivoted to a pair of “Horace Grants” when Mama finally took me to Foot Locker. While I really liked the sneakers I went home with, I regretted the decision not to get the Deions. So much so that I asked for a pair for Christmas. I got them with a matching Diamond Turf windbreaker and I was high stepping through the house like Deion dancing to the endzone. Also, somewhat unrelated but I think worth mentioning, is the pair of Diamond Turf sneakers that my little brother Ben had as an infant and the Diamond Turf batting gloves that I had a few years later. I was surprised by their quality when I got them in the mail after ordering them out of Eastbay. They had a sweatband-like wrist and a stretchy Nike swoosh thing that covered your knuckles (I was unable to find a picture of them through my Google search). Sanders ultimately played four part-time seasons with the Braves before moving on to play with the Reds and Giants. He remained one of my favorite players to watch in both sports and one of the most exciting athletes…Of My Lifetime.

Chicago Cubs: Shawon Dunston

I watched a lot of Chicago Cubs baseball on WGN as a kid growing up and besides Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson, who I covered in my second base and right field posts, my favorite Cubs player was Shawon Dunston. After batting .790 (!) as a high school senior, Dunston was the first overall pick in the 1982 draft and 3 years later he was starting games in Wrigley for the Cubs. I liked Dunston because he played shortstop, the position I primarily played. He always looked cool with his high stirrups, low-top spikes, flip-down sunglasses and oversized wristbands with his picture on them. But the reason I liked him the most is because he threw absolute bee-bees across the diamond to first base. I used to fear for Mark Grace’s safety as a first baseman whenever Dunston fielded a grounder. He threw harder than any other shortstop in baseball and I remember thinking to myself, why isn’t this guy a pitcher? Dunston played 12 seasons in Chicago and made two All-Star teams and is now a member of the Cubs Hall of Fame.

Cincinnati Reds: Chris Sabo

Chris Sabo broke into the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds in 1988 and made an immediate impact, being named to the All-Star team and winning the NL Rookie of the Year. His performance and his gritty play style that was reminiscent of his manager, Pete Rose, quickly made him a fan favorite. I liked those things about Sabo but it was his signature sports goggles that made me a fan. I’m not exactly sure why, but I was always fond of athletes who wore them. Sabo, Lakers greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, Eric Dickerson, Horace Grant. I remember seeing a few baseball players who wore glasses but Sabo was the first player I remember sporting the sports goggles. They made a lasting impression on me and apparently with Reds fans as well. When I went to Great America Ballpark to see the Braves take on the Reds this past summer I saw more than a few Sabo throwback jerseys being worn.

Colorado Rockies: Todd Helton

I like athletes that excel in multiple sports. I like hearing about how JT Realmuto was a standout quarterback before deciding to play baseball or how Tom Glavine was was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL. I also like hearing about pro athletes that have a past connection such as how Matthew Stafford was Clayton Kershaw’s catcher in high school. Todd Helton checked both of those boxes. He played both baseball and football for the University of Tennessee. He was the backup quarterback Heath Shuler, who went on to be drafted 3rd overall in the 1994 NFL Draft. In his junior year Helton was the starting quarterback before suffering a knee injury opening the door for freshman qb Peyton Manning. I don’t remember Helton quarterbacking in college. He only appeared in 12 games, attempting only 75 career passes. When he made it to the Majors with the Rockies and I learned of his college connection to Peyton, I was instantly intrigued and he became a favorite of mine. His on the field play didn’t hurt either. Helton was a 5x All-Star, 4x Silver Slugger winner, 3x Gold Glover and won the NL batting title in 2000, hitting a ridiculous .372.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Fernando Valenzuela

Fernando Valenzuela made his Major League debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers 15 days after I was born in 1980. I was obviously too young to remember the first few years of his career, but I was the perfect age to catch the tail end of Fernando-Mania. He was arguably the best pitcher in baseball at the time when I just started learning about the sport. I am somewhat bummed that I was still dirtying diapers when Valenzuela was dominating the diamond at Dodger Stadium during his historic rookie campaign in 1981. All he did that year was start the season 8–0 with five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. He went on to lead the league in complete games (11), shutouts (8), innings pitched (192.1) and strikeouts (180) while winning the NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards and helping the Dodgers win the World Series. Oh, and he also won the Silver Slugger that year for good measure. His outstanding performance continued for the next 5 seasons and Fernando made 6 consecutive All-Star teams from 1981-1986. 1985 or ’86 is around the time I started following baseball and Fernando was still at the top of his game and quickly became one of my favorite players. My parents used to get me a set of baseball cards for Christmas every year. Before the baseball card boom of the late ’80s and early ’90s we had little or no knowledge of baseball card value. I used to break my sets, trade cards out of them, even draw on some of them. When I was in second grade I made a baseball card bulletin board for show-and-tell. I went through my sets and picked out all my favorite cards and proceeded to stick push pins through them to attach them to the board. One of those cards was Fernando Valenzuela. A girl in my class was looking at it and trying to pronounce his name. She called him “Fozzy Valentine”. It was funny at the time and stuck in my head all these years, just like Dodger ace, Fernando Valenzuela.

Miami Marlins: Dontrelle Willis

My favorite Marlins player, Dontrelle Willis, actually has a lot of similarities to the previous player I talked about, Fernando Valenzuela. They were both lefty pitchers with distinct deliveries. Both pitchers could swing it pretty good at the dish. Both also came out of seemingly nowhere to have dominant rookie seasons that included making the All-Star team, winning NL Rookie of the Year and a World Series Championship. All of these similarities are many of the reasons they were two of my favorite players. Back in 2003 when the franchise was still the Florida Marlins and played their home games at Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Hard Rock Stadium, The D-Train broke onto the baseball scene. He was a shot in the arm for both the Marlins and MLB in general. Willis pitched with a youthful exuberance that made him an immediate fan favorite. I was one of those fans. Willis was simply fun to watch, easy to root for and definitely my favorite Marlin.

Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder

If you happened to read my American League version of this post topic then you might remember that my favorite Detroit Tiger was Cecil Fielder. So, when his son Prince made it to the majors with the Milwaukee Brewers, I was instantly intrigued. As it were, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and Prince evidently inherited his father’s propensity to place pitches out of the park. Besides his long ball hitting lineage, I was also a fan of Fielder because of his size. Atypical athletes are always interesting to me and Prince definitely fit that category. Listed at 5’11” and 275, though I firmly believe he tipped the scales north of 300, Fielder was a big round guy that hit big round trippers. He remains the youngest player in NL history to hit 50 homers in a season when he reached the number in 2007. It started a streak of six consecutive seasons where he totaled at least 30 homers, placing himself as one of the premier power hitters in the game. Altogether Prince made 6 All-Star teams and won 3 Silver Sluggers before being hampered by back problems later in his career. Remarkably he ended his career with 319 home runs, the exact same total as his father.

New York Mets: Darryl Strawberry

The New York Mets teams from the mid to late 80’s were filled with great players and colorful characters. Doc Gooden, Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dykstra, Mookie Wilson etc., but perhaps the best of the bunch was Darryl Strawberry. Strawberry was the first overall pick in the 1980 MLB draft and arrived in New York 3 years later with high expectations. He delivered immediately winning NL Rookie of the Year and then making 8 consecutive All-Star teams starting in 1984. He helped bring home a title with the Mets in 1986 in the classic World Series against the Red Sox. Strawberry was a true superstar in the sport and perhaps the best player in the game. He was easy for me to like. He had a cool surname. He had a sweet lefty swing. He hit for power and average, had good speed and a strong throwing arm. Much like his teammate, Doc Gooden his career was altered by substance abuse and a once surefire hall of fame trajectory was turned into a what could’ve been story. Strawberry did manage to battle back from his substance abuse issues and was a key contributor on two Yankees World Series winning teams, although he was a shell of the player he was when he became on of my favorite players with the crosstown Mets.

Philadelphia Phillies: Lenny Dykstra

One might assume that because of his diminutive stature that Lenny Dykstra might’ve been an underdog story. But that wasn’t actually the case. He was a highly touted prep athlete in baseball and football at Garden Grove High School in Orange County California. He was drafted by the Mets in the 13th round in 1981. He quickly rose through the minors and was heralded as one of New York’s best prospects. He made a name for himself and also a nickname for himself, Nails, in New York with his gritty play style and fearlessness. He was the leadoff hitter for the 1986 Mets World Champion team and a fan favorite but was traded to the Phillies in June of 1989. In his first full season in Philadelphia Dykstra took his game to the next level, leading the league in hits and on base percentage while making his first of 3 career All-Star teams. He went from somewhat of a niche player/cult hero to being a bonafide baseball star. I liked Dykstra back during those days because of his playing style and his aggressive approach to the game. But I became an even bigger fan of his later in life after reading and watching videos about Dykstra stories and his exploits both on and off the field. A lot of it borders on unbelievable and admittedly a lot of it is deplorable, but either way it’s very entertaining. Just like Dykstra’s baseball career.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Sid Bream

Sorry Bobby Bonilla, I’ve found a loophole that I feel compelled to exploit. Although Sid Bream technically meets my self imposed criteria for this list because he played the majority of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he’s only a favorite player of mine due to his tenure with my home team Atlanta Braves. Bream broke into the bigs with the Dodgers before being traded to the Pirates where he would spend the next 6 years of his career. He was something of a mid-tier player and really the only reason I knew he was is because of collecting baseball cards. That all changed in 1991 when he signed as a free agent with the Braves and became their starting first baseman. Up until 1991 the Braves had been historically horrible during my lifetime. Or at least the years I remember, they won the division in 1982 but had turned into perennial cellar dwellers since. The Braves were so bad that they were literally giving away tickets in 1991. There was a program in place in Georgia in which grade school kids who made the honor roll could send off for free tickets. I took full advantage of this and my parents were happy to take me to Fulton County Stadium on multiple times to take advantage of the free tickets I’d scored us. On one such occasion in June of ’91 we went to a game to watch Atlanta face off against Sid’s former team the Pirates. The Braves were improbably in first place at the time and the house was packed on that Friday night. Bream came up big by hitting a grand slam that produced a deafening roar from the home crowd. I’d never heard a crowd so loud in my life before. Maybe due to the fact that most of the games I’d been to before then had attendances so small you could count the spectators without much trouble, but still, the sound was impressive. It would not be the last time that Bream played the role of hero against his ex-team and the next time he did so propelled him to Braves legend status. The following year in Game 7 of the NLCS, Bream scored the most improbable run in Braves history. With Atlanta trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the 9th, the Braves managed to push across a run and trailed by one with the bases loaded and two outs. Bobby Cox went to the bench for a pinch-hitter, little used third string catcher Francisco Cabrera. With Sid standing on second base as the winning run, Cabrera laced a single into left field. Bream, not the fleetest of foot by any measure, busted it around third and came chugging home and then Sid slid. For what seemed like an eternity Braves country held its collective breath waiting for the umpire’s call…safe!!! His Braves teammates mobbed him at the plate and dog piled on top of him with unbridled joy. Bream’s run sent the Braves to their second consecutive World Series. I remember sitting on the floor of our living room watching this game with my Mama. We practically gave ourselves tennis elbow from doing “the chop” with the homemade tomahawks she’d crafted for us from a foam garden kneeler pad. Much like the Braves players on the field we celebrated in jubilation as Sid slid across the plate with the winning run. The play came to simply be known as “The Slide” and immortalized Sid Bream as a Braves legend.

San Diego Padres: Khalil Greene

I first caught wind of Khalil Greene during his senior season at Clemson in 2002. He was getting some national attention and reasonably so. He hit an incredible .480 and won numerous player of the year awards, carrying the Tigers to the College World Series in the process. I was immediately drawn to Greene due to his eye popping stats as well as the way he played the game. He absolutely raked and was silky smooth at shortstop. But what set him apart to me was his look. He had long blonde hair jutting out from underneath his cap that resembled Tanner Boyle from Bad News Bears. He was also one of the first players I remember wearing the super thick exaggerated eye black. After his college career was over he was drafted 13th overall by the Padres and I just knew that he was going to be the next big thing. That never really came to fruition as Greene was only .245 career hitter in the majors. That didn’t stop me from being a Khalil Greene fan, enjoying watching him play or rooting for his success.

San Francisco Giants: Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson looked more like he should be a front man for a rock band than the stopper at the back end of the Giants bullpen. And that’s exactly why I liked him. Of course the look would’ve been meaningless if Wilson didn’t match it with his personality and more importantly, his performance. Wilson took over the Giants closer job late in the season in 2007. The next season he retained that role and flourished, making the All-Star team and collecting 41 saves. Two years later he led the league in saves with 48 and was a crucial part of the 2010 San Francisco World Series Championship team. Wilson pitched a lot like he looked, aggressive and intimidating. He seemed perfectly suited to pitch as a closer and he looked and played the part well. The beard, the tattoos, the bright orange cleats, the House of Pain Jump Around entrance music. It all fit and was the reason why Wilson was one of my favorite players.

St. Louis Cardinals: Vince Coleman

The St. Louis Cardinals teams of the mid 1980’s were basically a track team in disguise. If they had been a literal track team then Vince Coleman would’ve definitely been running the anchor leg of the relay. He wasn’t just the fastest player on the team, he was the fastest player in baseball. He entered the league in 1985 and began producing massive stolen base numbers immediately. He swiped 110 bags his first year on his way to winning NL Rookie of the Year. He followed that up with 107 and 109 steals the next two seasons. It appeared that Lou Brock’s career stolen base record was in serious jeopardy. Coleman led the league in stolen bases the first five years of his career and amassed an astonishing 549 steals during that time span. I was fascinated by Coleman’s stolen base prowess as a kid and also liked that he switch hit and wore the double ear flap helmet as well as the red low top cleats he wore. Sadly, Coleman’s career took a turn for the worst after he left the Cardinals and signed with the Mets as a free agent in 1991. He was never the same player as he was in St. Louis when he captured my attention with both sides of his baseball cards.

Washington Nationals: Marquis Grissom

Once again I’m invoking my newly discovered “Sid Bream clause.” This one is a little different however. I was genuinely a fan of Marquis Grissom before he joined the Braves in 1995. He was coming off back-to-back All-Star and Gold Glove winning seasons in Montreal before being traded to Atlanta. But when Grissom secured the final out of the Braves 1995 World Series win, he also secured a spot as one of my favorite players. It’s one of my favorite sports memories. The Braves had finally broken through and won a title after being so close for the past few years. I’ve discussed it before but I was watching that game with my friend Julius, who is no longer with us. Nowadays every time I think about the 1995 Braves team or Marquis Grissom, I think of Julius. And I smile.