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Forgotten MLB Players Of The 21st Century

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This blog was originally posted to RichardFunchess.org

Over the past 18 years of baseball, many of the players have made the headlines. Here are a few of the quickly forgotten about players of the 21st century.

Juan Pierre
Juan Pierre made his debut in the early-2000s. His best years were spent playing for the Miami Marlins and the Colorado Rockies. He’s probably best known for his hitting average of .300 and is one of the most entertaining players to watch.

Wilson Betemit
Before his retirement, Betemit played for many franchises including the Atlanta Braves, LA Dodgers, and the Baltimore Orioles. At the start of his career, he was expected to be one of MLB’s greatest shortstops.

Torii Hunter
Torii Hunter was an all-around great baseball player, whether it came to defense or offense, or batting versus being in the outfield. Hunter played for the LA Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, and the Minnesota Twins. He will go down in baseball infamy as one of the best baseball players the Twins has seen.

Orlando Hernandez
Hernandez had one of the craziest windups in all of baseball’s history, where he was able to bring his knee up to his shoulder. His best seasons were spent as a New York Yankees pitcher.

Luis Gonzalez
Before the 21st century, Gonzalez was just a mediocre hitter for a few different teams in the MLB. That all changed when he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks and led this World Series-winning team in 2001. Gonzalez became an inspiration and one of the best comeback stories of baseball.

Scott Rolen
Rolen was well known for his fantastic defensive abilities as a third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies; however, he was never able to find the right team to flourish in because of his inconsistency at bat. Many believe he was one of the best players MLB could have seen if only he had been able to live up to his potential.

Dontrelle Willis
As one of the most popular pitchers of all time, Willis began his career with the Miami Marlins. After scoring the winning run in the World Series and having 20 wins in 2005, he fell off the radar and retired after less than a decade in his MLB career.

Joe Mauer
The mid-2000s were the best years for Mauer. He still plays for the Minnesota Twins but many wonder if he was ever able to live up to his full potential. Held back by injuries, he missed out on many opportunities to be great.

Mark Prior
Prior had astounding potential to become one of the best pitchers the MLB has ever seen. He started his career with the Chicago Cubs but after a few years, he was forced into retirement due to his multiple arm injuries.