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Must See MLB?

Ken Jones Written by Ken Jones, Monday March 02 2009
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While I love the concept of Spring Training, and the words “pitchers and catchers report” always bloom a warm spot in my heart during the winter months, I really don’t live and die with the daily reports from Arizona.

 

 I don’t want to see the prospects that we’ll be trading away before they ever get to the majors. I don’t want to watch guys tiptoe through games to try and reach April in one healthy piece. And there are far too many inconsistent performances at this early point in the season. We’ll have plenty of inconsistent performances to choose from later on. 
 
Besides, I like Opening Day to be like Christmas morning, and if you’ve already spent a month tracking your new toys, you can’t be nearly as excited. I’d much rather think about a revitalized Andruw Jones than watch him struggle in the last week of February.
 
So I’ll take a month to get my head back into the game. I watch “The Natural” and “Field of Dreams”. I try to read a baseball book or two. I pour over the schedule and try to find good roadtrip possibilities. And I sit back and try to figure out which players I should make sure that I see play.
 
Now, I love going to the game just to see the game. I really don’t care who we are playing. My obsessive-compulsive self has already seen every team at least once, so that checklist is good. And even if I couldn’t name a single player on the opposing team, I’m still more than willing to go and spend three hours eating peanuts and watching ball. But sometimes, legends come through town, and shouldn’t you make an effort to see that for yourself?
 
During the early and mid 90’s, as the Dallas Mavericks were winning a game every three weeks or so, there were entire seasons that I would base my game attendance on making sure that I could say I saw the greatest players in the game. Magic. Michael. Larry. Shaq. Barkley. Hakeem. And I did the same for the Rangers. Nolan. Bo. Boggs. Ripken. Gwynn. Bonds (pre-freakishly large head).
 
But who should I be looking for this season? What players are so incredible that I should make sure that I see them play, if for no other reason than to one day claim I saw them in person? Looking at the top 25 players on ESPN’s Fantasy Baseball Rankings, a few names jump out. Several I’ve already collected. But there are a whole bunch who I either don’t appreciate, or I’m just not that impressed with.
 
Statistically speaking, Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins leads that last category. The Florida shortstop is ranked number two on the list, and maybe I’m missing something, but I’m pretty sure that as the economy tanks and a recession crushes America, Hanley Ramirez isn’t the guy I’m saving up my money to go watch perform. Same with Miggy Cabrera (#8), Dustin Pedroia (#15), and the punctuationless CC Sabathia (#18). 
 
If I hadn’t already seen them, A-Rod, Jeter, and Ichiro Suzuki would probably make the list. Vladimir Guerrero absolutely, and that’s without knowing that he treats games against the Rangers like its “Free Homerun Balls For All The Fans” Nights. Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, and Ryan Howard make the list because in a launching pad like Arlington, any mistake pitch could end up places you didn’t think a baseball could land. If Manny decides to be Manny this year, he’s on the list. The pitchers who can go out and crush the will from a team on any given night – and I’m talking to you Webb and Lincecum – are probably on the list. Physical oddities like Prince Fielder and Randy Johnson probably are on the list, especially as new Giants starter Johnson gets closer to hitting magic win number 300 this year. (Hmmmm, he’s at 295, the Rangers are in SF in June….hmmmmm…) By the way, if you don’t see the Rangers by default all the time, Texas has a couple of candidates on the list, starting with the incredible Josh Hamilton.
 
But who else? Do you think Mets infielders David Wright or Jose Reyes are must see players? Ryan Braun or Grady Sizemore? Mercenary Mark Teixeria? Cubs catcher Geovany Soto, the catcher of the future, who has spring-loaded knees and surgically-implanted lasers in his eyes? What players would you go out of your way to see play in person?

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6 comments


0 up down 0
Ken JonesKen Jones, over 3 years ago said:

Becca - I'll tell you when it hit me. Old Arlington Stadium, Oakland A's vs. Rangers, followed by a Beach Boys concert. And Dave Henderson knocked a HR that cleared our group in the bleachers by 20 rows. And we weren't anywhere near the wall. Just amazing. I suddenly realized Hendu might be pretty good.

0 up down 0
Ken JonesKen Jones, over 3 years ago said:

Come on, Tom. Gotta be Roy Hobbs at number one on that list... Next column: Greatest Movie Baseball Players.

0 up down 0
BeccaBecca, over 3 years ago said:

Ken, I want to see Julio Franco come out of retirement. In all seriousness, so many of the guys you mentioned I've seen, yet never realized their greatness. I just remember hating Vlad the Impaler for launching countless bombs in Arlington. Never taking notice of the legend he's becoming.

0 up down 0
tomtom, over 3 years ago said:

I want to see Willie Mays Hayes, Pedro Cerrano and Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn. Maybe Kit Keller too.

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Ken Ken , over 3 years ago said:

Thanks Eddie. I haven't gotten down to see the Mavs much since they moved to AAC, so I've missed most of the big NBA names the last few years. No cheap seats at the Hanger. I got to see Ryan Howard and Philly when they came to Arlington last year, so he is done. Santana is on the list for sure, Tim Lincecum absolutely. Pitchers are tougher to get checked off. You generally only have one shot at them, verses three shots in a series with field players. And for some reason, the dominant closers never make my list of must see players. I suppose its because if I get to see them, I want to see them get beat...

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Eddie ChinnEddie Chinn, over 3 years ago said:

Ken, I loved this piece. You share some of the same perspectives that I do about baseball. I'm a Texan by birth (currently living in the Nashville area) so I've been to countless Cowboys, Rangers, and Mavericks games and am a fan of each until I die. Besides Hamilton, I'd have to say that Hanley, Howard, and Santana would be on my list of players I haven't seen play yet. I'd like to see Kobe, Shaq, Paul, Lebron, and Dwight Howard.