Status: RETIRED HERO Troy Glaus was a four-time All-Star, World Series MVP, and fan-favorite of the Anaheim Angels. A shoulder injury in 2004 caused him to miss much of the season. He was plagued by injuries for the rest of his career. When he became a candidate for Hall of Fame voting after his retirement, […]
Billy Wagner
Status: RETIRED HERO He grew up in a poor and unstable family in rural Virginia. Naturally right-handed, Billy Wagner learned to pitch left-handed after breaking his right arm twice as a kid. He concluded a 16-year MLB career with seven All-Star nods, 422 saves, and the highest strikeouts per 9 innings ratio of all-time (for […]
Jimmy Key
Status: RETIRED HERO As one of the greatest control pitchers of his time, Jimmy Key pitched in four All-Star Games, won two World Series rings, and was runner-up for two Cy Young Awards. He was a consistently great pitcher throughout his career, but also injury-prone. He never received serious consideration for the Hall of Fame, […]
Brian Giles
Status: RETIRED HERO Brian Giles spent his entire fifteen-year MLB career being a star player for small-market teams. As a result, he’s perhaps one of the most underrated players out there. He played in only two All-Star games, though by my count, he should have been in at least six All-Star games. In fact, he […]
Alfonso Soriano
Status: RETIRED HERO Alfonso Soriano was a seven-time All-Star. Although he was best known for his time with the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, his best season was in 2006 with the Washington Nationals. During that season, he joined baseball’s exclusive 40-40 club by hitting 46 home runs and stealing 41 bases. Only four […]
Moises Alou
Status: RETIRED HERO Moises Alou didn’t wear batting gloves when he hit. Instead, he’d toughen up his hands by urinating on them before games. He enjoyed pranking teammates he caught sleeping in the clubhouse. Moises came from a Dominican baseball family. His father Felipe was a star player in his own right, and managed several […]
Luis Gonzalez
Status: RETIRED HERO Luis Gonzalez is a 5-time All-Star. He spent his best years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and became the first player to have his number retired by the Diamondbacks. He hit 57 home runs in 2001, the third-most in National League history by a left-handed hitter. Gonzalez was a mediocre hitter during the […]
Jason Giambi
Status: RETIRED HERO He was one of those people who’s just good at every sport. In high school, he played baseball, basketball, and was quarterback for the school football team. He excelled at them all. Jason Giambi went on to play baseball for his college team, the Long Beach State 49ers, where he was a […]
Alexi Casilla
Status: FAILED PROSPECT Alexi Casilla was my #4 prospect in 2006. He had a 44% chance of someday becoming an MLB All-Star. Casilla played in the MLB between 2006 and 2014. His best season was in 2012, when he batted .241 with 1 home run and 21 stolen bases for the Minnesota Twins. He went […]
What Matters the Most?
One of our primal instincts is the desire for tasks to be completed. It’s aggravating to see something partially completed, but with nobody making a move to progress it toward completion. That’s especially true when something is almost done, but not quite. I think this is what drives people to collect things. A collector’s ultimate […]