MLB All-Stars – Tony Gwynn, Don Mattingly, and My Favorites

Outfielders

March 31, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics former player

after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before an opening day baseball game against the Cleveland Indians at O.co Coliseum. The Indians defeated the Athletics 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

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Now, to the outfield.  I really struggled here.  There are just not enough spots for all of my favorites.  I can tell you that Rickey Henderson is out there though.  Rickey has that combination of power and speed that I mentioned with Alomar earlier.  He also has the flash that I always found to be so entertaining.

Everything he did looked cool to me.  It could have been his home run trot or his first step on a stolen base.  He’s a lock for me.

Next, I have to go with Tony Gwynn.  I loved his ability to hit almost as much as I loved his personality and goofy laugh.  He’ll always amaze me in the fact that he didn’t look like a great athlete towards the end of his career.  He was heavier and slower than his younger years in the MLB and certainly his basketball days in college.  However, that “bad body” still achieved the most success for him.  He was driven and worked hard at his craft.  I always appreciated that.

My third outfielder will be patrolling centerfield.  He’ll be running around with another “bad body” and making sensational catches while driving in critical runs.  Kirby Puckett was a ton of fun to watch.  He could do it all, but he didn’t look the part.  He’s a lot like Gwynn in that sense.  Also, like Gwynn, he left us far too soon

Next: Designated Hitter and Pitchers