Your Dad’s Favorite Player

DJ LeMahieu

The first character that the MLB could have played up is Your Dad’s Favorite Player. This character exists at all levels of sports. They do the little things right and they are quiet about it. In any sport, ask a Dad their favorite player and it’s bound to be a fundamentals type player, like Tim Duncan in the NBA. That kind of personality actually does resonate with people, and I wish the MLB could recognize that fact.

DJ LeMahieu has been the MVP for the Yankees. He is the type of player little league coaches drool over. Your dad wishes you played like him for Allied Surgical Double-A team.*  He keeps his head down, can play every infield position, and is all-business. He’s also clutch–his average with runners in scoring position is absurd because DJ isn’t a pull hitter, he hits to every field. Traditionalists or not, a solid amount of baseball fans HATE the shift; people like DJ make the shift look stupid.

Look at this hit. DJ isn’t flashy; he puts the ball in play.

I don’t really need to argue that DJ is a marketable player, he’s managed to attract a viral audience on Twitter and Reddit just through his performance this season. Hell, the Yankees callers love him too. Every broadcast, Michael Kay seems like he’s pitching DJ to his daughter as a suitor.  But he clearly doesn’t fit into Let The Kids Play narrative.

Archetypal Hall of Famer

Mike Trout (Yeah it’s early, but c’mon, he’s a shoo-in)

*No, this is not about me, it’s about everyone.