Likeable Players on Each Baseball Team (NL)

published August 4, 2009

Continuing yesterday's article, here are the most likeable players from the NL that we can all root for.

Arizona Diamondbacks - Justin Upton - One half of the ridiculously talented Upton brothers, there is no telling how good these two can be. They are tremendously talented, and could be great hitters with speed. They are among the finest defenders in the game. They also have a chance to become fantastic power hitters, similar to the way Hank Aaron became one (after being scouted as a great defender with great speed).

 

Atlanta Braves - Tommy Hanson - Hanson is a newcomer, having pitched only 10 games this year as of today. He is also the reason why the Braves let go of Tom Glavine, a face of the Braves organization for over a decade. This kid has amazing stuff and could potentially be a Cy Young award winner down the line. He's pitched at least three games this year while very sick, and actually did well! He's already won June's rookie of the month. Many other commendations are sure to follow.

 

Chicago Cubs - Carlos Zambrano - Though Zambrano can sometimes be a polarizing figure, I find there's far more to like about him than to dislike. He is widely regarded as the best hitting pitcher in the majors. He plays the game with intensity, sometimes way too much intensity. Many remember when he took his aggression on the poor gatorade machine earlier this year after being ejected. He also threw out the umpire, one of the better anti-umpire moments ever.

 

Cincinnati Reds - Brandon Phillips - Here's a young animated kid, already with an all-star appearance a gold glove, and a Roberto Clemente award on his resume. The Roberto Clemente award is given to the oustanding players on and off the field. He also is became the 2nd 2nd baseman in history to have a 30/30 year (30 HR and 30 SB). He's a fan favorite because of his friendly and goofy demeanor, and the sky's the limit for his on field skills.

 

Colorado Rockies - Todd Helton - Troy Tulowitzki is a rising star among the Rockies, but Todd Helton is the man and has been the man for quite a while now. He's been a career long member of the Rockies and will most likely finish his career there. He has what people call a dry wit, and is one of the funniest guys out there. I remember him sliding head first into 2nd base even though he was safe by a mile. He looked up to the umpire, said something, and the umpire could not stop laughing.

 

Florida Marlins - Hanley Ramirez - Hanley came up through the Red Sox farm system as a kid with a ton of 'raw talent.' What that means, is he can hit the ball a ton, but he swings at bad pitches. It means he'll make a lot of unnecessary errors as well. The Sox traded him to Florida, and all he's done is turned into one of the best in the bigs. The scary thing is he's improved his hitting and fielding each year. If this continues, he may overtake Pujols soon as the best in the majors.

 

Houston Astros - Wandy Rodriguez - Having the name Wandy is reason enough to like this pitcher. He broke into the bigs in 2005, and he too has improved significantly every year. He's currently having his best year, and giving Roy Oswalt some pressure to become the staff ace. It would be nice to see this guy continue to improve and for the name "Wandy" to become a household name.

 

LA Dodgers - Orlando Hudson - Orlando Hudson is the quintessential athelete. What ever he decides to do athletically, he was bound to be good at. He was a stand out in baseball, basketball, and football, where he was a quarterback and a punter. He instead went to baseball and has become one of the best defensive players in the game. Him being a .300 hitter is just icing on the cake.

 

Milwaukee Brewers - Prince Fielder - Son of King Cecil Fielder, this kid is only about 5'11. Like his dad, he's really fat and can hit the ball hard - and everyone loves a fat guy that hits the ball hard. He swings the bat as hard as he can everytime, and it shows. He won the home run derby this year with some absolute bombs. He led the league in HR's in 2007 with 50, a rare accomplishment in the post-steroid era. He already has 140 career homeruns - and he's only 25!

 

New York Mets - David Wright - The Mets have had more injuries than the Vietnam War. Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, John Maine, J.J. Putz, Billy Wagner, Gary Sheffield and more have missed a ton of time. That's about $60 million is salary erased for most of the season. The one mainstay has been David Wright. He;s already a 4 time all-star and a 2 time gold glover. He also kind of looks like Steve Carell and Luke Wilson, two very likeable actors.

 

Philadelphia Philles - Raul Ibanez - Ibanez has always been a good player. This year, at the tender age of 37, he's become a fantastic player. There was a column that hinted at his steroid use, but it was pure speculation and not based on any evidence. Ibanez responded by saying, "You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool?anything you can test. I'll give you back every dime I've ever made if the test is positive." He been in the majors for a long time and never been implicated. He's just a friendly guy who wants to play ball.

 

Pittsburgh Pirates - Andrew McCutchen - It's hard to find many brights spots in the Pirates roster, as they've undergone a complete overhaul of their opening day roster. Andrew McCutchen is a rookie this year who has already opened eyes with his speed and defense. Then he opened a lot more eyes when he hit 3 HR's in one game a couple days ago. He's already become a fan favorite. He another guy to watch for. Will be become a lead-off base stealer, or will he develop power and become a middle of the line-up guy?

 

San Diego Padres - Adrian Gonzalez - Adrian is a former #1 pick who's quietly lived up to expectation. He plays for a lowly Padres team and is the only presence in the line-up. His home run total has gone up every year since 2004, and this is in Petco park, widely regarded one of the hardest parks to hit home runs in. He unfortunately may not be a Padre for much longer, so put him in a hitter friendly park and the results will be scary.

 

San Francisco Giants - Pablo Sandoval - There's not much to dislike about the Giants third baseman nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda." He's a switch hitter, and can also throw with either hand. Despite his pudgy frame, he has some acrobatic maneuvers, diving for balls, jumping over tags, doding pitches. He's also had some clumsy moments, once tripping over 2nd base. Yes Kung Fu Panda is the perfect nickname for this guy, and if you've seen him play, you'll know why right away why it's so perfect.

 

St. Louis Cardinals - Albert Pujols - Pujols is the best player in the majors right now. We all are rooting for him to continue to play well, and to never ever get caught with any form of steroids. So far, so good. What you don't often see is that Pujols is an intense knowledge of hitting. I heard him on an interview talking about hitting once, and it was like Neils Bohr talking about quantum mechanics. He plays the game right, and as long as he remains clean, he will be the face of not only the Cardinals, but the face of baseball.

 

Washington Nationals - Ryan Zimmerman - He is probably the best player on the worst team. He's also the most likeable. He had a 30 game hit streak earlier this year, the longest of anyone this year. He also started a foundation to fight Multiple Sclerosis called ziMS. If the Nationals get good anytime soon, it will be around this young star who is signed for 4 more years.