There are a lot of factors that go into making someone a “favorite” player. It can be their onfield prowess: perhaps they’re the best batter or pitcher you’ve ever seen in action, or they make such mind-boggling defensive plays you know it will be Must See TV to tune in whenever they take the field.
Perhaps they’re just charming and funny and have developed a dugout routine that makes you chuckle, and their gift for a good interview never fails to bring a smile to your face, so you find yourself cheering for them as a person instead of as just a player on the field.
Maybe you learned about their charitable accolades or a personal story from their life that made you connect with them, or more than that maybe you had a chance to meet them and the experience changed your whole opinion of them.
Whatever the reason, we all have our most beloved player. Sometimes it’s a player who might have retired before you were even old enough to see him play, sometimes it’s the newest guy on the club’s roster who has impressed you so much you’ve already ordered his jersey. Whatever the reason, that player is your favorite.
So that’s the theme of today’s FanPost prompt. We want to know who your favorite player is and why. For me, it’s Alex Avila. I know plenty of you just went “seriously, why?” and I can tell you. I started my baseball fandom journey in 2011, when Avila was an everyday catcher for the Tigers and probably at his peak performance. He played constantly, got hit by more foul balls than I’ve seen before or since, and just amazed me with his ability to lead the game from behind the plate. I also loved his uncanny ability to grow a full beard in roughly 12 minutes. He’s now spending time as a broadcaster, which I hope is just a temporary stop on his journey to being the Tigers’ manager by 2030.
Head over to the FanPost section, select “New FanPost” on the left, and tell us who your favorite Tiger is and why.