The All-80's Team - AL Right Field

Astroturf, powder blue uniforms, wearing batting helmets in the field to protect your jheri curl, hitting 25 homers and being considered a legitimate slugger, big-league hair, that horrible gum from packs of baseball cards.... who doesn't love baseball from the 80's? Over the next several weeks I will be looking at the best players of the decade as we assemble the TMS All-80's Team. We've finished with the National League and now we'll tackle the American. To meet the criteria a player will have to have played in at least 4 seasons in the 1980's and they must have played the bulk of their games at a certain position during that time to qualify there. Included will be a poll on the left sidebar, so our faithful readers can weigh in on this great debate. But remember, we're focusing on a player's contributions in just the 1980's. What they did in the decades before and/or after are not being considered in this.

Things are starting wind down here. Kirby Puckett easily won last week's poll and will be the starting center fielder for the American League.

AMERICAN LEAGUE RIGHT FIELDERS

Tony Armas
Oakland A's (1980-82), Boston Red Sox (1983-86), California Angels (1987-89)

All-Star: 1981, 1984
Silver Sluggers: 1984
Postseason: 1981 ALCS, 1986 WS
League Leader: 1981 HR, 1984 HR, RBI

Notes: Not to be confused with the oft-injured pitcher for the Nationals, Tony Armas Sr. was the oft-injured outfielder who was a major slugger in the early half of the decade. Tony won the home run title two different seasons, including in 1984 when he hit 43 homers with the Red Sox. The next closest player to him was Dave Kingman with just 35.




Jesse Barfield
Toronto Blue Jays (1981-89), New York Yankees (1989)

All-Star: 1986
Gold Gloves: 1986-87
Silver Sluggers: 1986
Postseason: 1985 ALCS
League Leader: 1986 HR

Notes: Barfield was a hard-hitting outfielder in Toronto for most of the 80's. His best season was 1986, when he led the league in home runs and finished 5th in the MVP voting. His son, Josh, plays 2B for the Cleveland Indians.






Jose Canseco
Oakland A's (1985-89)

All-Star: 1986, 1988-89
Awards: 1986 AL Rookie of the Year, 1988 AL MVP
Silver Sluggers: 1988
Postseason: 1988 WS, 1989 WS
League Leader: 1988 SLG, HR, RBI

Notes: What can we really say about the trainwreck that is Jose Canseco's life that hasn't already been said. Jose put up the best admittedly "enhanced" stats in baseball history. If only the guy wasn't a complete idiot, maybe his tell-all book would be taken a little more seriously.






Dwight Evans
Boston Red Sox (1980-1989)

Nickname: Dewey
All-Star: 1981, 1987
Gold Gloves: 1981-84
Silver Sluggers: 1981, 1987
Postseason: 1986 WS, 1988 ALCS
League Leader: Home Runs (1981), BB (1981, 85, 87), Runs (1984), OBP (1982)

Notes: Dewey was a fan favorite in Boston and was a major offensive force for the Red Sox throughout the 80's. Only Carl Yastrzemski has played more games in a Boston uniform than Evans.





Ruben Sierra
Texas Rangers (1986-89)

Nickname: El Caballo
All-Star: 1989
Silver Sluggers: 1989
League Leader: 1989 SLG, Triples, RBI

Notes: Ruben emerged as a great young slugger in the late 80's, a time when, according to his baseball card, they played ball with foam trucker hats, later to be an inspiration for Fred McGriff in the Tom Emanski Video commercial. Once the 90's rolled around, Ruben got fat and couldn't hit any more and eventually fell off the face of the earth, later to emerge as a solid DH and pinch hitter.





Dave Winfield
New York Yankees (1981-88)

Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2001
All-Star: 1980-89 (1980 with the Padres)
Gold Gloves: 1980, 1982-85, 1987 (1980 with the Padres)
Silver Sluggers: 1981-85
Postseason: 1981 WS

Notes: One of the hardest hitters in baseball, many opponents have said that Winfield could crush line drives greater than anyone. Dave was a great all-around athlete and was drafted out of the University of Minnesota by the San Diego Padres, the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Stars, making him the only person to be drafted by 4 different pro leagues. Dave didn't even play football in college. Winfield obviously chose baseball and never played a single game in the minors, being promoted immediately to the majors by the Padres.



Be sure and vote for your choice of AL Right Field for the TMS All-80's Team. Check out the poll in the left sidebar.