No limits on time frame, no skill level requirements.
We learn at an early age—especially if we are parents or have siblings—that it’s a dangerous thing to play favorites. It can lead to hurt feelings. But thankfully, no one is going to get their feelings hurt in today’s open thread, because we’re keeping it all positive as we pick favorites.
Everyone remembers their first favorite player. The one who stuck with you, who you decided to get a jersey of, whose stat line you maybe paid more attention to, or you felt a little bit of extra excitement when they got an award or hit a major milestone. You might have only been a kid at the time, learning baseball’s ins and outs, and that player—however good or bad they actually were—has been a favorite for your whole life, no matter what.
Over the years of watching the same team, we learn to love some players more than others. Sometimes it’s their skill. Sometimes it’s their charm and attitude. But it’s undeniable that fans pick favorites.
In today’s open thread, I want to know who your five favorite Tigers of all time are. They don’t have to be good (you are looking at a woman with a Mikie Mahtook shirsey), they don’t need to have been on the team long, and they don’t need to be the popular picks. I want to know who your Tigers are. And no, you don’t need to have watched them play, it’s okay to pick favorites on historical context alone.
And because it’s only fair, mine are: Alex Avila, Max Scherzer, Ian Kinsler, Bill Freehan, and Hank Greenberg.