I'll go first, and kick things off!

Aaron Rowand - he's a total grinder, and there's nothing he won't do in going after a ball.
Jake Peavy - unbelievably phenomenal pitcher, and a nice guy to boot. He's very "awww, shucks".
Huston Street - he's a Texas Longhorn... and he's hot.
Dontrelle Willis - I think he's insane, in the very best way possible. I love, love, love that wacky delivery he's got.
Greg Maddux - one of my all-time favorites... he's a legend.

You can go into more detail on your picks - feel free! Just try to tell us a little bit about how or why you chose your favorites.

Also, I just came to the realization after posting that comment that I am a total sucker for pitchers - four out of my five are pitchers.

Sadly, I'm afraid I have the same problem you do TG..3 out of 4 of my favorite players who are still playing are all pitchers. And all of them ex-Braves. What can I say, I was loyal. :)

Greg Maddux- I agree with you on this one, he is a legend, and seems to be a pretty classy guy. And on nights when he's "on", it's impressive to watch.
Kevin Millwood- Home grown boy from NC. It was after he was traded to the phillies that I stopped being a Braves fan. I was a tad bit upset about that one.
Javy Lopez- Dependable catcher when he played in ATL. Easy on the eyes. Even named my cat after him. :)
John Smoltz- Leo Mazzone says that no one executes pitches (he he) quite like he does. And I can't really argue with him. Until you put him against Josh that is.

All my other favs are either Red Sox players or retired. Guess we'll save that one for another time. :)

This is a cool idea. Thanks TG, I needed the break from the daily grind over here!

I even tried to rank mine!

5. Kerry Wood-- After I read that Buzz Bissinger profile of him in the NYT I was horrified at how he was used, and I have a lot more respect for him trying to overcome it all. Love to see him pull it out.

4. Victor Martinez--I know, I'm deeply ashamed to like a Cleveland Spider, but I have a thing for catchers, and he just seems like a good guy who plays the game the right way. For some reason I really like the guy.

3. Ichiro Suzuki--He plays all three outfield positions at once, hits the ball any old time, and talks like an anime character ("I hope he kindles the fire that lays dormant within the innermost recesses of my soul!"), what's not to love?

2. David Wright and Jose Reyes--Cute, classy, funny, and ridiculously happy to be Mets forever...also, David's one of the few guys on the team who didn't have a crazy meltdown last year. I love Jose, and watching him trick Armando Benitez into balking home a run was one of my favorite moments of the season. He needs to suck it up and stop sulking and remember how to play some D, but I love him.

Ken Griffey, Jr.--I lived in Seattle between the ages of 4 and 9, and that overlapped with the beginning of Jr.'s career. I went to loads of games at the Kingdome and absolutely idolized him for the way he hit and especially the way he played the outfield--had his poster on my wall and everything. He was just pure joy in the sport. I still love him. I always will. He could play for the Yankees and he'd still be the man to me.

See this really isn't fair. I grew up in Miami and since 2000 my love for Mike Lowell knows no bounds. And to be very frank, when I think of Mikey, first and foremost he is a Marlin to me (of course that may be because the only time I've seen his mad fielding skills in person was before the trade). But if I cannot go with Mike, who I was certain I was going to marry when I was thirteen, here is my list (I like to call this list The Players of Tomorrow TODAY!):

Miguel Cabrera: I would complain about his decreasing fielding percentage and increasing error total, but prior to '06 he was mostly playing outfield. Either way the kid is twenty-four and puts up great offensive numbers year after year. And it also helps that he was one of the key reasons I won my fantasy league last season.

James Shields - I think this has more to do with potential than anything else. On almost any other team this guy would have a better winning percentage, but given he's on the Rays, ya know, you can only ask for so much. When you compare his numbers over his first two seasons there are increases in runs, hits, and long balls, but in 07 he pitched almost twice as many innings and had two less walks. He also held hitters to an opb of .285 (own almost 60 points from 06) and avg. of .245 (down 20 points from 06) and he also averaged about eight SO per game and had a SO to BB ratio of 5:1. If the Rays could just find another good arm or two to compliment Kazmir and him, they would actually be pretty competative in their division.

Hanley Ramirez: Okay this is pulling strings since he was a Sox, but only had a total of two at-bats for them (both were strikeouts so they don't count, hah). This is also one of those fantasy baseball driven love affairs. Last season everyone I knew kept on about how he was the poor man's Jose Reyes, which I guess is true if you are looking at it from a fielding stand point (Ramirez had twice as many errors in almost the same amount chances in his career). But when it comes to offense they had almost similar numbers during Hanley's rookie year, the differences only being by a few points in most cases (Reyes beat Ramirez in avg., sb and opb, but Ramirez has the edge in slg and obs). Then, of course, in 07 Ramirez had All-Star numbers and beat out Reyes in every offensive category but bb.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Unlike the rest that actually had some thought behind them, I just like him cause he's adorable (albeit I'm a bit creeped out by the fact he married one of his teachers, or the story goes) and I like any one whose name is so long all I have to do is just add the first five letters of their last name to whatshisface and people know just who I'm talking about.

Russel Martin: Again, offensive numbers have gone up in his second season and he really is coming into his role on the Dodgers well. His fielding went down a bit from his first season, but again he also caught more games in 07. He has average numbers for his position, but he has the ability to be a perennial All-Star.

Joba Chamberlain: I actually blame this on you and your evil posting ways. Him texting Clay and constant use of exclamation points was the reason he wnt from being a Yankee to me thinking of him as human. I don't know, he just seems like a genuinely sweet kid and maybe one of the few Yankees I kind of like when they aren't playing the Sox (Moose and Rivera are in that group, so it's good company). Also, I'm kind of interested in seeing how the kid does in the long run of things. I don't think he has what it takes to be a starter, but if MiniBoss does have the team take that route and he sucks, well I'll love Joba even a little more.

Here's my list

Jeff Francoeur -- He just seems like a really cool guy whose got a pretty good arm in the outfield. I also like that he grew up a Red Sox fan and had a credit card w/ the Red Sox logo on it up until shortly after his rookie year. Also he helped me quite a bit on my fantasy team this year too.

Curtis Granderson -- I love the way he plays centerfield. He should've won a Gold Glove as well. He's very articulate and seems like a natural for being a studio analyst for ESPN or something when he gets older. Oh and the fact that he can hit quite a bit sure as hell doesn't hurt either.

Paul Konerko -- I have a pretty lame reason for liking him...well two pretty lame reasons. One reason is because he's from RI(though he was only born here) and the other is that he shares the same birthday as me(March 5). But to my defense, he's a good player some of the time and he seems like a cool guy.

Phillip Hughes -- Yes, it is a Yankee. But how the hell can I hate a Yankee who grew up in California but has family in RI thus he was a Red Sox fan growing up? Also he seems pretty likeable and has some electric stuff. I mean maybe it's not the territory of Joba Chamberlain but still, my point stands! I'd love him even more though if he was on another team.

Frank Thomas -- Great hitter, classy individual, and one of the only people who talked to George Mitchell and admitted it to the public. The guy has nothing to hide and he's one of those guys in the mid-90's who helped save baseball after the strike(though he doesn't get as much propers as McGwire and Sosa)

Y'all have named even more players I adore from other teams - Kerry Wood, John Smoltz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Paul Konerko, Curtis Granderson, Jeff Francouer, Frank Thomas - love all those guys. Ichiro's quote history alone is enough to make me like him.

Kerry Wood is a hard-working guy, who loves baseball and loves pitching, and was horribly overrused by the Cubs (DUSTY BAKER!). He has always reminded me of an old-timey baseball player - I think he'd have fit right in back in the 1890's.

Paul Konerko is a doll - another grinder, and hard-worker. And I remember him holding his tiny baby girl in the World Series parade here in Chicago - his wife had their baby in between Game 2 and 3 (!!). He just seems like a stand-up guy.

There is a great series on the regional Fox Sports networks called "In Focus". I saw one episode about the Sox-Yanks rivalry-- and I also saw one they did on Jeff Francouer. And he's just as cool a guy as you could imagine. Funny and charming, and not at all stuck on himself -- which, considering he's so good-looking, and rich, and plays for the hometown team and is therefore a freakin' star, is pretty amazing. He took the cameras inside his bedroom as a kid, and was so excited to show his little league trophies.

Well this is an embarrassing post for me, because its going to make me sound like a dilettante.

I like Francoeur a lot. I like Kerry Wood. I like Hanley Ramirez. I like Rowand. I like baseball players.

I'm a fan of scrappy grinder types, the shorter guys, and guys who don't chew tobacco. I like guys who play for crappy teams but still put everything they have out there. I like the guys who execute subtle, thoughtful outs that go unnoticed by announcers. I like the guys that get the big stars to bring their big star games. I like players on their way out of a slump, especially when you can see on their faces how happy they are about it. I like the unhyped players who get little attention but are clearly very important to their teammates.

But it's pretty hard for me to make a list because a) I can never remember any freaking names, though I can see their faces or specific plays in my head, and b) when it comes down to game time, my judgment gets all clouded by team allegiances and general good will towards everyone.

Like the Rockies--I was so excited to be in the World Series I developed a degree of affection for the opposing team's players. And that doesn't make sense, but euphoria will do that to you.

(If anyone has any names to suggest to me--I'd love to be able to list these players in the future--your help is appreciated, and I'll also be interested to hear about ones I haven't seen.)

Dan Uggla on the Marlins sounds like he'd fit that bill.

Michael Cuddyer on the Twins (Pat Neshek is also a great choice- and he writes his own weblog where he geeks out about getting signed baseball cards).

Ryan Theriot and Mark Fontenot on the Cubs are fabulous little grinders- and Cajuns, and therefore adorable.

Richie Weeks on the Brewers - and I think he's on the cusp of having a breakout year this year. Evan Longoria on the Rays - same thing.

Mark Teahen on the Royals - he's another hustler, old-fashioned ballplayer. Not the greatest OF, not an all-star, but he plays hard.

Geeky players are definitely awesome, I will have to check these guys out.

Thanks so much!

TG-No Mike Cuddyer in a Grizzlies Uniform pic for us? You did gt that right? LOL
My current fave-David Wright
Gotta stick with a home boy, plus I love his interviews..very down to earth.

I'm probably going to have to say Grady Sizemore. I don't know why, but I think he's pretty cool.

Actually, I just thought of a better one... Melvin Mora. Not only did we win the division because of him, we got to hear Josh jump up and down while screaming, "He bunted! He bunted! He actually bunted!" about a million times like he was five years old.

Huston Street - He's so sweet, so laid-back--and, uh, nice on the eyes--that it's impossible not to like him. His funky delivery is fun to watch, too. I can't wait for the games in Tokyo. Huston pitching against Jacoby might be too much awesomeness for me to contain, but it would be so fun.

Joba Chamberlain - I can't hate the guy. I so want to, but I can't. He texts all his buddies (including Clay), puts exclamation marks on everything, loves the game, and sang in high school because he couldn't make his JV team. He's just so adorable. That fastball of his kinda scares me, but I love it.

Troy Tulowitzki - I've liked this guy for a while, but there was a clip in the Sox/Rox MLB DVD of Tulo walking past someone during a workout and commenting on the other person's "rad shoelaces" and, well, who couldn't love the phrase "rad shoelaces" and the person who said it?

Roy Halladay - Division rival? Yeah. But he's pitched TWO 10-inning complete games, one a shutout, and I just like him from the games I've watched where he starts against the Sox.

Magglio Ordonez - The guy scares the crap out of me, but he's awesome. I saw him play at Fenway this year and I thought he was great (had RF grandstand seats, too, so I got to see him in the field really well). Also, a .363 average is pretty cool.

Jeez--if you take out Maggs and Halladay, you've got three RotY winners/candidates from '05, '07, and '08. That is, assuming Joba pitches well this year.

And geeky players WIN.

nj - Aah. No. Sizemore's nowhere near my top favorites. I don't hate the guy, but he hovers just a bit above the All Yankees Minus Joba Chamberlain category (and A-Rod, of course, who's at the very bottom).

But I'm assuming this is a topic for another day?

Yes- all in good time! :)

And Roy Halladay is a FREAKIN' STUD. He is crazy good.

Ugh, this is hard to narrow down, especially when you've grown up a Red Sox fan all you life.

Cecil Fielder - loved to watch him play, and man could he hit. Just all around a great guy, and I've got stories from when he lived in Melbourne

Prince Fielder - went to my HS alma mater, (as did Tim Wakefield), and my brother was an assistant coach when he played ball at Eau Gallie. I remember watching him hit a ball that soared clear across the street from the field, and bounce off a car that was filling up with gas. Kid was always sweet...and I cried like baby when he got his award during game 4 this year.

Greg Maddux - Just love to watch him pitch, and I agree, when he's on, he's on.

Andruw Jones - another fun player to watch, he brought me back to the game after we moved to Florida as a kid and I was in baseball denial lol.

i've always been kind of partial to justin morneau and joe mauer, as a roommate-package, if you will (though they don't live together anymore). likeable guys, good ballplayers, rockin' out on a small-market team.

my girl's got me hooked on aaron hill of the blue jays, too. i've a weakness for undersized middle-infielders. ;D great crooked smile, easy-going, good with the media. if i've got a ballplayer type, this is it. little scrappy guys always steal my heart. (see also: chuck knoblauch, circa 1991.)

Uh...

Vlad Guerrero- dude can hit anything withing about six feet of him, and swings like he is chopping down a tree. And is awesome all around.

Ichirio- one of my favorite players to watch.

Prince Fielder- another favorite to watch...I hope he is healthy long enough to take the all-time HR record away from Bonds or ARod (if he gets it).

And there are many more, I don't have much time to write...

I for got Vlad Guerrero?! He's another of my favorites--I love speedy and/or slugging outfielders (see also: Jacoby, Manny, and Ordonez, plus Pre-Betrayal Damon) and relievers (like Paps, Timlin, and Street).

Liza, I have no idea why I kind of like G-Size. I mean, I was laughing hysterically when he almost started crying because the Indians lost the ALCS, but I thought the SI article on him (in May when he was on the cover) made him seem like a pretty cool guy (and player).
It's kind of like the love-hate relationship I have with Sidney Crosby. I think he's awesome because he's young and really, really good. He's pretty much the only athlete it isn't completely weird for me to like (all of my friends freak when they hear I like Jacoby, Dustin, and Josh who are 8, 8, and 11 years older than me, respectively). So, yeah, it's kind of cool that he turned pro at 18. On the other hand, he plays for the Penguins, so I can't root for the enemy, especially when the Devils are in the same division as Pittsburgh. (Sorry for the random hockey tangent, but I'm watching the Devils beat the Flyers now, so that's all I'm thinking about). =)
-Other than that, Liza, I pretty much agree with your list. I'm not that fond of Joba, but he's probably my least-hated Yankee.

The SI article was pretty cool, but I just don't like him. I'm not really sure why, but I just don't like whatever it is about him that makes him seem too hyped up. Maybe it's just as shallow as that I think he's nowhere near as gorgeous as he's supposed to be, but that carries over into his performance, as well. I thought he mishandled a lot of fly balls in the ALCS (including that one where he dove to catch Jacoby's and faceplanted instead--priceless) and didn't really do that well overall. Maybe I had too small a window? But he just annoys me.

Also, I don't like the Indians as a whole.

And as for the age thing, I love Jacoby (shamelessly), but he's 9 years older than I am. I've decided to "adopt" some draftee prospects in the Sox system who are closer to my age. :P I think that's also part of the reason most of my favorites are 20-somethings: I'm a whole lot closer to their age than I am to, say, Papi's.

Liza:
To me, the Indians are just a tiny step above the Yankees. From Joba's Bug Spray to Danielle Peck, I think they're a pretty rotten team.

"I've decided to "adopt" some draftee prospects in the Sox system who are closer to my age."
^^^ That's a good idea- I should do that, too!
-I guess you're only a year younger than me, which is pretty cool because out here in Jersey there's really no one (let alone anyone my age) to talk about my obsession with the Sox with. I'll tell someone I love Jacoby Ellsbury, and they'll be like, "Jacob who?" And, because it's my pet-peeve, I'll be like, "It's Jacob-Y. J-A-C-O-B-Y! Why don't you dumb Yankee fans get it?" =)

But, yeah, I read your Soxtistics blog (that is you, right??) and think it (and you) are really awesome, especially since we both seem like (and hate) the same teams and players.

Russell Martin - He's a catcher. I have a thing for catchers. He's still growing into his role on the Dodgers, but he seems to play hard and work with his pitchers (and, fine, D. Lowe once compared him to 'Tek). Also, he speaks French. I don't know. I just really like him.

Kerry Wood - He works hard, really seems to love the game, an the way he was completely overused makes me want to shake Dusty Baker something fierce.

Yadier Molina - The catcher thing again. I can't really explain it.

Troy Tulowitzki - He's young and yet a clubhouse leader, good defensively and no slouch offensively. He just really seems to love the game and play it the right way.

Endy Chavez - I will always love him for that time he pulled in a home run in game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. Sure, the Cards won, but that catch was a thing of joy and beauty.

Can I say how happy it makes me to see a mention of Evan Longoria? I gotta say it's sort of sad that I live in Tampa and even among baseball fans here they have no idea who the home team's top prospect is. And come on it's hard not to love a guy who said if he met Eva Longoria he would hope for extra bases but not a home run.

late to the party. I dont feel it's necessary to give reasons so I'll just list them

#1 always Nolan Ryan
2. Cal Ripkin
3. George Brett

current
Konerko, Rowand, David Wright and Smoltz

Yeah... the Soxtistics was me, but I took it down 'cause I got too lazy to post. :P And the Indians' name and logo and the fact that the Sox get chewed up for being the last team to integrate but a team with a name and mascot like that can exist just bugs me.

Jennifer: Hooray for Tulo! :)

Being from Baltimore, I automatically revert to the Orioles if, for whatever reason, the Red Sox are taken out of the picture.

Cal jr. - The Ironman and general hero of Baltimore. Good player and all around decent guy.

Nick Markakis - One of the better if not the best player on their roster. He's got talent and natural ability plus the guy's a stud.

Brady Anderson is also a hometown favorite, but he played a year in Boston.

Vladdy Guerrero - even though skills are diminishing - he is a great athlete.

alfonso soriano - best athlete in the game

This might be bottom of the ninth stuff....but here goes
Nick Markakis
Barry Zito
Vlad Guerrero
Hideki Matsui
Placido Polanco

And if pushed, and not too hard, Huston Street, Ivan Rodriguez, Josh Hamilton (I want him to fulfill even half his potential), Saltalamacchia.

John Smoltz John Smoltz!

My favorite player, no doubt. He is the coolest. I'm also a huge Andruw Jones fan, and tend to adore Brian Roberts and Ichiro as well.

Don't get these Joba-lovers...personally I cannot Stand that kid. Very glad he's a Yankee and hope he stays one. He's right below Jeter, A-Rod, and Posada on my Yankees I Friggin' Hate The Most list. My Yankees I Hate the Least list is Hideki Matsui...and that's about it.

Barry Zito is a character. Such a hippy-dippy goofball - love him.

And Vlad the Impaler - everyone around the league loves him. I think between Manny and Papi, I saw him get about 6 or 7 hugs a day during the series against the Angels in August.

D-back fan here...I've been reading your blog for a few months now and I absolutely love it! Great topic here so I thought I'd finally add my two cents:

1. Eric Byrnes- all-out centerfielder who rivals Papelbon in insanity both on and off the field

2. Grady Sizemore- I know a lot of you may disagree, but I just adore him for so many reasons I don't have nearly the time to get into

3. JJ Hardy- above-average ss who's a very good hitter and can fially help carry the Brew Crew to a division title!

4. Jake Peavy- I can't describe him any better than Texas Gal did in the first post

5. Yadier Molina- one of the best defensive catchers I've ever seen and his offense is only getting better

I wish NESN would see the parallels to Eric Byrnes, and give Papelbon his own show like Eric has. That would be brilliant TV.

Grady isn't one of my top favorites, but he seems like a sweet guy.

But Jake - or as I call him, Peavy!Peavy!Peavy! - love that guy. I could watch him pitch all day long.

The Eric Byrnes Show is definitely quality entertainment like I have never seen before. I can imagine that Papelbon's would indeed be quite hilarious as well!

I love watching Peavy work, he has amazing stuff and his appreciation for the game is great. Unfortunately we see him far too often here in Arizona ; )

As far as the Sox go, I (like just about everyone remotely familiar with the team) have fallen for Jacoby. Hopefully he will be in Scottsdale and I could go catch a glimpse of him! And Dustin Pedroia is obviously a favorite here, being an ASU alum

So now I'll return the favor...

My favorite Diamondbacks? Everyone will say Brandon Webb, but my favorite Dbacks pitcher is Micah Owings. And now Dan Haren, too, of course. Chris Young and Justin Upton are both stud dynamos - I can't believe AZ has both of those guys in one outfield. But my favorite of all? Conor Jackson... because I am totally shallow, and he is very hot.

Micah Owings is definitely my favorite pitcher on the staff. I know Webb won the Cy and all, but Owings is just flat out fun to watch. When people talk about his hitting-let me tell ya, they're not exaggerating! He had 3 doubles and a single in a game Webb was supposed to start in Pitsburgh...talk about focus!

I'm, sorry but I definitely don't see it in CoJack. But a ton of people do (including my sister) so I understand haha

If you wanna go by looks, JD's little brother Stephen isn't too bad on the eyes ; ) or in the field either

I'm a day late (ok-4 days late). I approached this from a standpoint of who I would select if I were forming a new team in an expansion draft so I guess respect for talent was the main criteria and not some of the other mundane reasons players become my favorites like nice dimples (sorry, Luis Matos-whatever happened to him?).

Roy Halladay
Scott Kazmir (Sox killer at Fenway)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Michael Young
Vernon Wells (tough 2007 but he'll be back)

If I could sneak in a second baseman (Placido Polanco) I'd be all set with strength up the middle.

Ummm... I like Hunter Pence from the Astros. He would've won the NL rookie award if he didn't get hurt. He's wicked good.
I also like Craig Biggio who's just a veteran and has been playing on the Astros for his whole career.
Yeah, that's all I got cause' my friends a huge Astros friend.

I am joining the party way late, but being the obsessive person I am, I have to come back to the beginning & catch myself up to speed.

1. Cal Ripken Jr - my first favorite player ever
2. Aaron Rowand - ever since I watched him run into the fence, face first, two seasons ago & still come up with the ball, he is welcome on my team anyday
3. Nick Markakis - liked him the first time I saw him play
4. Eric Bedard - his pitching wows me
5. Troy Tulowitzki - I like kids who hit the ground running & he is a real gamer who I think will be interesting to see mature

Honorable Mention: Carlos Pena - he was only a Red Sock for about a minute & a half, so I feel I can count him and I was sorry we set him free, because can you imagine having him come off the bench after what he showed last season in Tampa?