My Favorite Players of All Time - AL East Edition

I am trying to find some ways to entertain myself a bit as I blog and enjoy my collection so I thought I would start a series of posts where I will declare my favorite all time player for each team in baseball.  Figure it is a good way to think about baseball and dig into my collection to share some cards that probably haven't made their way onto the blog.

I will start with the AL East Division.

Baltimore Orioles - Brooks Robinson

I am not old enough to remember watching Brooks Robinson play but I do a lot of baseball reading and have always been impressed with his career.  I imagine him leaping left and right spearing line drives to earn the awesome nickname of the Human Vacuum Cleaner - can you think of a better nickname for a defensive wiz?  Couple that with an MVP, 18 All-Star games and 16 Gold Gloves and it makes quite an impression on a kid.  An impression that has stayed with me most of my life and hasn't been surpassed by the likes of the modern day Iron Man.

Honorable Mention - Jim Palmer, Cal Ripken Jr. & Adam Jones


Boston Red Sox - Fred Lynn

I do remember watching Freddy Lynn play during his last couple years of his Red Sox tenure and into him time with the Angels and Orioles and short stints with the Tigers and Padres.  I was only 4 when he won the MVP and ROY award in the same season but remember being impressed by that feat when he was traded to the Angels.  I couldn't understand why the Red Sox would let him go.  He was definitely behind Rice and probably Yaz until I went to college and USC and discovered Lynn had starred there before going pro.  One of my favorite cards in my Lynn collection is an auto of him that features him in a Trojans uni.  Had to go with a cool oddball Sox card here.

Honorable Mention - Jim Rice, Pedro Martinez & Carl Yastrzemski


New York Yankees - Reggie Jackson

I love Reggie.  I collect his cards, have a replica early 70s A's jersey, have read 2 of his books and read countless articles.  Generally egotistical players that earn nicknames like the Straw That Stirs the Drink would be off putting to me (unless you are Giant and the All Time HR Champ) but Reggie is different.   His clutch play, winning wherever he goes and all the drama filled moments and stories put him at the top of a very impressive list of Yankees.


Honorable Mention - Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig & Thurman Munson


Toronto Blue Jays - Roy Halladay

When prepping for this post my mind went instantly back to some of my favorites from the 80s (as my honorable mentions illustrate).  This was a time where my baseball fandom was mostly shaped.  But then I thought about Roy Halladay and how amazing it was to watch him pitch.  He was so dominant and came up big in the clutch.  He was a guy I cheered for, tried to get on my fantasy teams and overall enjoyed everything about him as a player.  I am so happy he made the Hall of Fame and so sad he isn't around to enjoy it.

Honorable Mention - Jesse Barfield & Dave Steib


Tampa Bay Rays - Carl Crawford

The Rays were the hardest team for me in this division and may be for the entire league. I just don't have many strong ties to them and haven't seen them play all that much.  They aren't a big draw for national TV and don't play the Giants too often.  I went with Carl Crawford because I had him on my fantasy team for a few years during his peak and he did pretty well for me.  I also like guys that use their speed to make a difference in the game.

Honorable Mention - Scott Kazmir & Evan Longoria

I had fun putting this together and digging up cards to share.  I will try to put one out every week or so until I make it through the league.  Next up will be the AL Central.