Players you thought were better than they really were in your younger days

[savafan]

Looking back at the players I worshiped in my youth, I realize now that I used to really overrate players with my juvenile naivete.

I was certain that Dale Murphy was a future hall of famer. Likewise Joe Carter.

I used to wine about the Reds losing Danny Tartabull in the rule 5 draft.

I thought Shawon Dunston, Jesse Barfield and Chris Sabo were superstars.

Mark Langston seemed to me to be one of the best starting pitchers in the history of the game.

I idolized Manny Trillo and his glove.

[WMR]

Deion Sanders. Hahaha.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Eddie Milner.

One of the first players I idolized, as a youngster.

I used to play CF and try to walk and run like him and, even though I was a righty and he was lefty, I'd hold my glove like him*.

Eddie had some pop in his bat and could steal. He was a poor man's Eric Davis, who would eventually become my favorite player ever.


*he barely had his fingers tucked into his glove and it looked like his glove was going to slip off, but it looked cool.

1st little league batting stance: George Foster.
1st little league number: 5 (for Johnny Bench).
Tried to play OF like: Eddie Milner.

[reds44]

Edwin Encarnacion?

[Unassisted]

Brad Lesley. With the splash he made on his debut in '82, I figured "The Animal" was destined to anchor the bullpen for years.

[George Anderson]

Gary Redus...but then again during that era of the early 80's he had to look awfully good.

[Team Clark]

Tracy Jones. Sad, I know. I even got to know him which was even better.

BTW, Tartabull was pretty darn good.

I also liked Mike Heath and Mark Carreon. Big Dale Murphy fan.

[savafan]

I also used to think Vince Coleman would be the next Rickey Henderson or Lou Brock.

[savafan]

Big Dale Murphy fan.

I sent Dale Murphy a baseball card to autograph, along with a letter, back when he was with the Braves back when I was in junior high. I had always heard he was an impossible autograph to get.

9 years later, graduated from high school and moved out of my parents' house, I was suprised when my mom told me they had gotten mail for me from Dale Murphy. I got the card back, signed and in perfect condition, 9 years after I sent it.

[cincrazy]

This is a great thread.

I'd have to go with Aaron Boone. While he certainly carved out a fairly nice career for himself, I was convinced that he was Mike Schmidt part 2.

[Cedric]

Dale Murphy was THAT good.

Eddie Milner. And how about Kal Daniels.

[Brutus]

Looking back at the players I worshiped in my youth, I realize now that I used to really overrate players with my juvenile naivete.

I was certain that Dale Murphy was a future hall of famer. Likewise Joe Carter.

I used to wine about the Reds losing Danny Tartabull in the rule 5 draft.

I thought Shawon Dunston, Jesse Barfield and Chris Sabo were superstars.

Mark Langston seemed to me to be one of the best starting pitchers in the history of the game.

I idolized Manny Trillo and his glove.

I like this question a lot. It's a neat question, I think.

I grew up in the 80's and really started following baseball as a kid right around 1989 (though the 1990 season was the first I followed avidly).

So my answers would be limited to the past 20 seasons.

I really thought Hal Morris was capable of putting on hitting clinics. I thought Orestes Destrade was underrated. Always thought Niger Wilson never got a fair shake. And at the other end of the spectrum, I strangely used to think Edgar Martinez was way overrated.

[Cedric]

I thought Todd Walker was going to be good. Also thought that Preston Wilson had a chance to be a star.

[savafan]

Dale Murphy was THAT good.

Yeah, but if I remember correctly, I think he really tailed off at the end of his career which put a hurt on his overall career numbers.

[savafan]

Tracy Jones. Sad, I know. I even got to know him which was even better.

My very first baseball card was a 1987 Topps Tracy Jones rookie card. I think I had about 70 of them by the time it was all said and done.


Also, going off of my card collecting days, I remembering thinking Gregg Jefferies of the Mets would be the next big superstar in the game. Came up around the same time as Ken Griffey Jr. and Gary Sheffield. Flamed out a lot more quickly.