Most Important Player: Your MLB team

[LSN80]

The premise of this thread is pretty simple. What player on your hometown team is most important to the success of your team? The criteria here is entirely your own. Some thoughts to consider.

1. Leadership: Some would consider this to be as important as any statistic. The most talented of teams have completely underchieved because they havent had that clubhouse leader, the man to hold the dugout together and keep egos in check.

2. Staff Ace: Pitchers are a little more difficult to determine as being invaluable because they dont pitch every day, and starters only pitch every five. But theres something to be said for the pitcher that can stop a losing streak simply by going out and throwing zeros.

3. Rising Star: For those of us who have sufferred through mutliple losing seasons, like myself with the Pirates, a rising star can be more important then an established veteran one. Even if the statistics arent there right away, they show enough flashes of brilliance that make you believe your team truly has someone to build around.

4. Veteran Star: Obviously, theres something to be said for the consistent veteran whose put up numbers year after year. The guy opposing pitchers gives nothing good to hit.

These are obviously just some of the criteria used to determine said player. Feel free to add your own with whatever intangibles work for you.

 

[Megatron]

My favorite MLB team is the Detroit Tigers. Thus, my answer to this question isn't difficult at all. It's Miguel Cabrera, without a doubt. While guys like Magglio Ordonez, Victor Martinez, and Justin Verlander are all important in their own ways, but should Cabrera underperform or be injured, this team will be nothing more then a middle of the pack team in the AL Central. Why? Because he's one of the most popular players on the team, and he's the best player not only on the team, but the most complete hitter in the entire AL. He's a legitimate MVP candidate each and every year, and should he produce similar numbers to last year, the Tigers will be contending in the divisional title race until the final day. And I think he will, because he's too good not to.

 

[The Brain]

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think the most important player for my Cubs right now is Starlin Castro. This kid just turned 21 a couple weeks ago and I’m calling him the most important player. Sadly I think that’s more of a reflection of the rest of the team. The Cubs have some nice pieces but there’s just been something missing the past couple years. There was a certain fire in this team in 2008 which led to them running away with the division. Somewhere in the off season between 2008 and 2009 that fire was put out. All of a sudden the Cubs looked old. Some of the guys looked like they aged five years in just one. Soriano is past his prime, Ramirez has become injury prone, Lee (now on Baltimore) looked like he just didn’t care, Fukudome hasn’t lived up to the hype, Zambrano is a basket case, and I’m not sure who the real Soto is yet.

Castro hasn’t proven himself quite yet, but he’s off to a great start. The best thing about him is his energy. He adds a spark to the team that I’m hoping can light that fire again. You can tell he really wants to play and is having fun every day. His eagerness sometimes gets the best of him in the field and he’s been known to throw balls away he’d be better off hanging on to, but he’s still learning and that will improve with experience. He has one thing that I feel most Cub players have lacked during my years. Hustle. He tries to make the most out of every play. He hit two triples on Sunday. A good day, but not a huge deal. What impressed me though was one of those triples was to left field. You don’t see many triples hit to left in Wrigley. That takes hustle.

I’m hoping this kid can live up to his hype, but most importantly I’m hoping his energy is contagious and this team starts playing with some heart again.

 

[Mac Attack]

My favorite MLB team happens to be the Philadelphia Phillies.

Wit that being said I have a tie for our most valuable players because they are both aces on the mound. Cliff Lee, and Halladay both are star players. These two are unbeatable on the mound and can surely get the job done when pitching. These guys will help the Phillies achieve another amazing play off run and I think they will stop the bleeding from the Phillies random unability to make runs.

 

[FightOwensFight]

My team would be the Red Sox. At this point their most important player is anyone that can hit or pitch. But, in all seriousness, I would say it has to be Carl Crawford. Coming into his situation with all the hype and all the money, if he doesn't perform well he will be eaten alive by the Fenway fans. If that happens it could seriously affect the entire team. You could say the same thing for Adrian Gonzalez, but he strikes me as someone that will be able to handle the pressure better than Crawford.

 

[Stormtrooper]

My baseball team is the New York Yankees. The Yankees have two players that can (and likely will) go down as the greatest player to play their position (3rd Baseman Alex Rodriguez and Closer Mariano Rivera), as well as 3 guys in the infield that all can win an MVP any year (Teixeira, Cano, and A-Rod). So naturally I'm gonna tell you that the most important player on the New York Yankees isn't any of them.

The most important player on the New York Yankees is Derek Jeter. Since 2003, Jeter has been recognized as the Captain of the most storied franchise in all of baseball, but in all honesty he was the leader of this team for long before then. Dating as far back as the late 90's when he was still a young player, he was the leader of the team. Great leaders not only play better, but make everyone around them play better (which Jeter does), and they also set a good example on and off the field (Jeter excels at this 2nd to none). Derek Jeter has never done anything in his entire career to warrant being cast in a negative light. For 17 Years, Derek Jeter has been playing and living in the largest media market in the world, and the media (who looks for bad things in everybody) cannot find ANYTHING bad to say about Derek Jeter.

But leadership isn't the only attribute Jeter brings to the table. When Derek Jeter came up in 1996 (where he won the Rookie of the Year), he became part of a triumvirate of the top Shortstops in baseball, with Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra. 8 years later, Alex Rodriguez was next to his as the Yankees 3rd baseman, and Nomar bounced around the league and played 1st base. All the while, Jeter has maintained his status as a top player at his position throughout his entire career, and to this day is still better then most shortstops (a young mans position), even at 36.

Derek Jeter is not the best player on the Yankees. Hell, he's the "worst" player in the entire infield (only because of the immense talent and abilities of the other 3). In terms of grading the players based on talent, Jeter would be 6th (the 3 other infielders, CC, and Mariano). But what Derek Jeter brings to the table cannot be replaced by anyone, and picturing the Yankees without Derek Jeter is damn near impossible. Derek Jeter (in Yankee Lore) is on par with the Yankee Gods of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Berra, and Mantle. When his time comes, his number will be placed with all the other single digit numbers (retired and displayed in Monument Park), and he will have himself a monument next to those Gods of Yankeedom.

 

[The Crock]

Right now for the Angels, it'll have to be Dan Haren. He's our ace, basically. He's a good pitcher, dependable, good fastball, and gets some great movement on his off-speed pitches. Any good team needs a good pitcher to go far and you need to look right to the top of the rotation to find the most important guy. The deeper your team goes in the playoffs, the more important a guy is that can shut the opposing offense down. If your team allows runs, no matter what, they can't win the game. If you have to outscore the other team constantly, then you'll struggle. It's best if you can just score enough runs to win the game, while allowing the pitching to keep your team in it. Haren is definitely the guy.

 

[Post]

My favorite MLB team is the Detroit Tigers. Thus, my answer to this question isn't difficult at all. It's Miguel Cabrera, without a doubt. While guys like Magglio Ordonez, Victor Martinez, and Justin Verlander are all important in their own ways, but should Cabrera underperform or be injured, this team will be nothing more then a middle of the pack team in the AL Central. Why? Because he's one of the most popular players on the team, and he's the best player not only on the team, but the most complete hitter in the entire AL. He's a legitimate MVP candidate each and every year, and should he produce similar numbers to last year, the Tigers will be contending in the divisional title race until the final day. And I think he will, because he's too good not to.

My team is also the Detroit Tigers.

At first I agreed with this ^, but after a while of thinking I have to go with someone else. Brandon Inge is the most important player on the Tigers.

Miguel is a good choice, but realistically if Inge has a career year, he could take the Tigers very far. Inge is good defensively at 3rd base. Not spectacular, but reliable. Plus, since he can play multiple positions, his value is ever greater.

Let's face it, Brandon Inge has never been a reliable hitter. His best season was in 2004 when he hit .287 and his career average is .237. If Brandon can hit around the .300 mark, he could really spark the bottom of the line up and give guys like Cabrera, Jackson, Magglio, and Peralta a chance to get in more runs.

If healthy, Miguel will hit better than his career average of .314 (and if he stays out of trouble).

Also, if Inge is hitting the ball, the opposition will not be able to get away with pitching to him. They already pitch around Cabrera...pitch around a guy lower in the lineup and you've got problems.

 

[Mike C.]

The most important player for the downtrodden, never-do-well, cellar dwelling Kansas City Royals is a recent call up, Eric Hosmer. Obviously not a leadership pick, not a veteran pick, and not a pick made because of how well he's played in the Major Leagues. What Hosmer represents is a completely new era in Royals baseball. When Dayton Moore was brought in from the Braves front office he talked about a process of rebuilding the minor leagues and developing talent but then spent his first few years drafting high school guys who seemed forever from the big leagues and taking expensive fliers on Gil Meche, Mike Jacobs, and Jose Guillen. The products from the last General Manager have included stars with poor temperament (Greinke), high draft picks that have not shown much (Hochevar and Gordon), and Billy Butler who has been an okay bat but hasn't exactly won over the locker room with his demands to play first base despite having no glove.

But now the Royals have brought up the first major product of the Dayton Moore era has made it to the Big Leagues in the form of Eric Hosmer, a 6'4" 1st baseman who has a smooth swing that can hit for average and power and comes with a patient eye and good fielding at a place where the Royals haven't had a plus fielder in years. There are plenty of guys after him as the Royals Farm System has been called among the best in the last decade with Pitchers Danny Duffy, Mike Montgomery, John Lamb, Chris Dwyer and Jake Odorizzi, 3rd Baseman Mike Moustakas, Outfielder Wil Myers, and some other position players in Johnny Giavotella, Christian Colon, and a good looking catcher in Salvador Perez.

But Hosmer is first, and he passed a lot of those guys in the process by dominating the minors. I write this as he just scored the go ahead run in the 10th inning against the Yankees because he ran hard/fast enough to beat out an easy double play, so maybe things are turning up for the Royals.

 

[CleverName51]

I'm a Yankees fan:

My vote goes to Mariano Rivera.

He's the reason the Yankees could hold on to so many late inning leads. Without him, the Yankees don't win all 5 World Series that he was a part of.

 

[Sinister Shadows]

fave team is Atlanta Braves..

Hitting: Martin Prado, simple when he plays well the Braves win, when he doesn't, they lose.

Pitching: Jair Jurjjens, he's been lights out this year, he's only getting better and he's not yet 30.

Leadership: Chipper Jones, veteran locker room presence.

 

[MVP12]

I am a Red Sox fan, so my pick is a tie. Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez. I picked Beckett because right now he is the ace of our staff. He has had down seasons for the last 2 maybe 3, and really needs a bounce back year this year, which he has had thus far. He has one of the best ERA's in the game. He has been screwed with the lack of run support that are killer lineup should be providing him with. Overall he has dominated teams with all of his pitches and we need him to be the cy young type pitcher that he has been, and when he has we won a championship!

Adrian Gonzalez has been a really hyped up player, with very good reason. The man can hit where ever he wants to. Need a sac fly? he will get it. Only need a ground out to the right side to get the runner in? he will do that too. He can swing the bat with power and contact and dominate any pitcher. Hits lefties and righties as well as anyone and that is hard to find with a hitter that hits as many homers as he does. He is a major part of our lineup and needs to help propel us into the playoffs and hopefully a championship.