2009 Major League Baseball Season Best Players of All Time

Frank Jones

The 2009 Major League Baseball season was an exciting one, with many thrilling moments and intense competition. The regular season began on April 5th and featured a two day extension due to the one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins for the American League Central title. As teams battled it out in both divisions, fans eagerly anticipated October’s Division Series and World Series which ultimately resulted in some unexpected outcomes as well as some long overdue victories.

Table of Contents

1. Prince Fielder

Milwaukee Brewers

Prince Fielder Career

  • 6× All-Star (2007, 2009, 2011–2013, 2015), 3× Silver Slugger Award (2007, 2011, 2012), NL Hank Aaron Award (2007), AL Comeback Player of the Year (2015), NL home run leader (2007), MLB RBI leader (2009), American Family Field Walk of Fame, Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor

Prince Fielder is a former first baseman who has played in the MLB for over 10 years. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers out of high school and went on to have a successful career with them, winning three Silver Slugger Awards.

In July 2016, Prince Fielder announced his retirement from professional baseball after 11 seasons with the Texas Rangers. Prince Fieldser is known for his power hitting abilities and boasts an impressive batting average (.283). 

His trademark move is the "Prince Swing" - a powerful swing that he developed while playing forthe Milwaukee Brewers Prince Fielder will be remembered most fondly for his time spent with the Detroit Tigers where he won two World Series championships (2008 & 2012) and was named MVP both times.

Prince Fielder is a three-time all-star, two-time silver slugger award winner and NL home run leader. Prince Fielder was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2005 and spent seven seasons with them before being traded to Detroit in 2012. 

In 2013, Prince signed with the Texas Rangers where he finished his career after playing one season there.

2. Jason Bay

New York Mets

Jason Bay Career

  • 3× All-Star (2005, 2006, 2009), NL Rookie of the Year (2004), Silver Slugger Award (2009)

Jason Bay is a left fielder who played for the Boston Red Sox in 2009. Jason Bay was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2003, and made his MLB debut with them that same year.

In 2013, Bay retired from baseball after playing for the Seattle Mariners over eight seasons. Bay has had a successful career in MLB, accumulating 222 home runs and a batting average of .266 overall.

His retirement came as somewhat of a surprise to many people due to his play at the end of last season; he finished with an outstanding .365 batting average on balls hit into center field down the stretch.

A native of Trail, British Columbia, Canada, Bay will always be remembered for his exciting style of play both on and off the field- having fun while hitting home runs is definitely something that fans love seeing.

Also Played For: little league world series

3. Pablo Sandoval

San Francisco Giants

Pablo Sandoval Career

  • Batting average: .278
  • Home runs: 153
  • Runs batted in: 639
  • 2× All-Star (2011, 2012), 3× World Series champion (2010, 2012, 2014), World Series MVP (2012), Babe Ruth Award (2012), Hit for the cycle on September 15, 2011

Pablo Sandoval was signed by the Giants as an amateur free agent in 2008. He made his MLB debut with San Francisco that year and has since played for the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and most recently, the New York Yankees.

Sandoval is a three-time All-Star selection and won two Gold Gloves during his career with the Giants and Red Sox respectively.

 Injuries have limited him to just 98 games over the past two seasons but he still managed to hit 19 home runs both years despite not playing full campaigns.

The 36-year old first baseman/third baseman is now a free agent after spending 2019 with the Yankees where he batted .235/.309/.471 in 93 games before being traded to Toronto midway through 2020 season.. Pablo Sandoval is a three-time World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants.

He has hit for the cycle and been named MVP of the World Series in 2012. Pablo Sandoval was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2007, but he only played for them for two seasons before he was traded to San Francisco. 

In 2016, after spending four years with the Giants, Sandoval signed with Atlanta Braves as a free agent.

Pablo Sandova is one of baseball's most consistent hitters and is known for his power and speed on both sides of the plate.

Also Played For: san francisco giants, san jose giants

4. Jason Kubel

Minnesota Twins

Jason Kubel

Kubel is a versatile outfielder and designated hitter who has spent most of his career with the Minnesota Twins. Kubel hit over .290 for three consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2008, but his production slumped in 2009 and 2010.

In 2011, Kubel bounced back with 24 home runs and 79 RBIs while batting .291 overall. He finished 2012 with 22 homers and 82 RBIs in 139 games played, earning himself an All-Star berth. 

Kubel's 2013 season was marred by injuries which limited him to just 98 games played; he still managed 19 home runs and 59 RBIs despite the lack of playing time.

In 2014, Jason again had injury trouble when he missed significant time due to a thumb fracture that cost him half of the season. However, once healthy again he batted well posting numbers such as 17 HR’s & 74 R/BBI.

5. Michael Cuddyer

Minnesota Twins

Michael Cuddyer Career

  • 2× All-Star (2011, 2013), Silver Slugger Award (2013), NL batting champion (2013), Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame

At just 43 years old, Michael Cuddyer is one of the oldest players in Major League Baseball. A right fielder by trade, Cuddyer has spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins organization.

In 2001, he made his MLB debut and enjoyed a successful tenure with the team until being traded to the New York Mets in 2015. The American League All-Star selection has hit 197 home runs over 974 plate appearances during his career thus far.

One of baseball's most consistent hitters for over a decade now, expect plenty more big hits from "Mighty Mike" going forward. Michael Cuddyer was drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 1996 MLB draft. 

He made his big league debut with Minnesota in 2001, and has been a staple in their lineup ever since.

In 2011, he was named an All-Star for the third time and won a Silver Slugger Award as well. Michael is also known for his charity work – he founded The Michael Cuddyer Foundation to help children living with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.

 He will be retiring after this season, but we can be sure that he'll continue to give back to his community through his foundation.

Also Played For: minnesota twins

6. Carlos Peña

Detroit Tigers

Carlos Peña Career

  • All-Star (2009), Gold Glove Award (2008), Silver Slugger Award (2007), AL Comeback Player of the Year (2007), AL home run leader (2009)

Carlos Peña is a first baseman for the Texas Rangers. He has played in MLB for 11 seasons, and he has been a part of two World Series teams (the 2009 Rangers and the 2010 Giants).

Carlos Peña was born on May 17, 1978 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Growing up, he played baseball at an early age and started to make waves as a professional player when he made his debut with the Texas Rangers in 2001.

Over the course of his career, Carlos Peña has averaged over 232 hits per season and 286 home runs while also driving in 818 runs batted in. 

He announced his retirement from professional baseball after playing with the Texas Rangers during their 2014 season finale.

Outside of baseball, Carlos Peña is known mostly for being married to singer Nelly Furtado who welcomed their first child together back in 2012 (their second child arrived later that year). 

Currently living back down under after spending some time residing near Los Angeles since retiring from baseball, CarlosPeñas plans include starting up his own business venture once again which will involve working with athletes from other sports disciplines such as basketball or soccer.

7. Mark Reynolds

Arizona Diamondbacks

Mark Reynolds

Reynolds was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 6th round of the 2004 MLB Draft. Reynolds made his MLB debut with Arizona in 2007 and played for them until he was traded to Colorado in 2019.

Reynolds is a third baseman and first baseman, but has also played center field on occasion. Injuries have been an issue for Reynolds throughout his career - most notably a torn ACL that forced him to miss almost all of 2009 season - but he has bounced back each time.

Reynolds has hit .236/.328/.473 with 139 home runs and 723 RBIs in 975 games over 17 seasons in the majors, making him one of Colorado's all-time great hitters (he ranks second behind only Nolan Arenado). 

Reynolds has played for six different teams in his career, but is most notably associated with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Reynolds enjoyed a successful run in Arizona, ranking fifth all time in home runs and sixth overall in RBIs while playing on their team from 2007-2010. After being traded to Baltimore Orioles midway through the 2011 season, Reynolds struggled mightily and was released after just two seasons with the club. 

He bounced back quickly however, signing with Cleveland Indians where he spent three productive seasons before joining New York Yankees following another trade during the 2013 offseason.

With an average of over 30 homers per season throughout his career, Reynolds currently holds five of MLB's fifteen longest homer streaks (2012-2017). 

Known for his powerful swing that generates plenty of long balls each year - sometimes to controversial effect - Reynolds remains one of baseball's biggest attractions regardless of which team he plays for next season or beyond.

8. Michael Bourn

Houston Astros

Michael Bourn Career

  • 2× All-Star (2010, 2012), 2× Gold Glove Award (2009, 2010), 3× NL stolen base leader (2009–2011)

Michael Bourn was born in Houston, Texas on December 27, 1982. He played for the Cleveland Indians from 2006-2016 and had a .266 batting average over that time period.

Michael Bourn is now retired and resides in Atlanta with his wife and two children. Michael Bourn is a right-fielder who has played in the majors for 10 seasons. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006 and spent his first four seasons with them before joining the Houston Astros in 2008.

He won two Gold Glove Awards while with Houston, as well as being selected to both All-Star Games twice. In 2011 he moved to Atlanta, where he remained until 2015 when he joined the Cleveland Indians. 

After one season back at Cleveland, Bourn signed with the Atlanta Braves, where he remains currently.

Final Words

. . . The 2009 Major League Baseball season was an exciting one, with many thrilling moments and intense competition. Some of the best players in history emerged to carry their teams to victory, including Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, and Alex Rodriguez.

These three legends are unquestionably among the greatest athletes ever to play professional baseball, and they each earned their place on this list as the best players of all time.

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