From Curaco, Andrelton Simmons was a light-hitting Shortstop who never made an All-Star Game, but we think it would be criminal if he did not receive an opportunity to be on the 2025 ballot.

Simmons did not hit particularly well, as his career OPS of .678 and 1,169 Hits were not head-turning.  What Simmons did exceptionally well was rock-solid defence, and the numbers and accolades show it.  A five-time Gold Glove winner, Simmons won six Wilson Defensive Players, one Wilson Overall Defensive Player, and the 2013 NL Platinum Glove.  Simmons led the league (NL 2013 & 2015 AL 2017) three times in Defensive bWAR, was second three times and retired 11^th overall in that statistic with 28.5.  He was so good with the glove that he received MVP votes three times, peaking with an eighth-place finish in 2017 when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. 

Simmons also played for Atlanta, Minnesota and the Chicago Cubs. 

Starting his Major League career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, Escobar became a starting infielder in 2010. He had his best years after he was traded to Kansas City in 2011. While Escobar did not have a power game, hitting only 58 home runs in 1,552 games, he was known for his exceptional fielding and base running abilities. He recorded at least 20 stolen bases seven times, with a total of 253 SB. Escobar also had three seasons where he broke 1.5 in Defensive bWAR. His best year was in 2015 when he was an All-Star, won the Gold Glove, and played a pivotal role in the Royal World Series win that year. Escobar won the ALCS MVP, batting .478 with 5 RBIs, and he hit an inside-the-park home run in the World Series.

Over the course of his career, he had 1,486 hits.

Albert Pujols was a dominant player in Major League Baseball during the 2000s, and many believe that if there was an MVP award for the decade, he would have won it. Pujols made his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001, and quickly established himself as a superstar. He won the Rookie of the Year award and finished fourth in the MVP voting in his first season. Over the next decade, he won the MVP award three times (2005, 2008, and 2009) and was the runner-up four times. He never finished lower than ninth in the voting while playing for the Cardinals.

Pujols was an outstanding hitter who could do it all at the plate. He won the Silver Slugger award six times, hit at least 32 home runs every season in St. Louis, won two home run titles, and collected at least 100 RBIs in every season except for 2011. Pujols batted over .300 in his first ten seasons, won the batting title in 2003, drew substantial walks, and had an OPS of over 1.000 eight times. From 2005 to 2010, he led the National League in bWAR every year.

Not only did Pujols win a lot of games for the Cardinals, but he also helped them win two World Series titles (in 2006 and 2011). He led them to the playoffs in eight of his eleven years there. When he became a free agent in 2011, his only rival in Redbird history was Stan Musial. Pujols left the Cardinals for the Los Angeles Angels, signing a massive contract, but saw diminishing returns every year, and his contract became a burden on the team. He was designated for assignment in 2021, signed with the Dodgers, and returned to St. Louis for one last year.

At the time of his retirement, Pujols was second in runs batted in (2,218), fourth in home runs (703), 10th all-time in hits (3,384), and 20th in bWAR (101.8). The only question left for Albert Pujols is whether he will be unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame or not.

A.J. Green, who was drafted from the University of Georgia, was the first wide receiver picked in the 2011 Draft. He played a long and successful career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In his rookie year, Green was an All-Rookie and made the Pro Bowl after recording 1,057 yards and 7 touchdowns. He followed that up with two consecutive Second Team All-Pro honors, scoring 11 touchdowns each year and recording yardage outputs of 1,350 and 1,426, respectively. Although Green was on the verge of becoming an elite wide receiver, this was as close as he got.

Despite this, Green continued to perform well over the next four seasons (2014-17), earning a spot on the Pro Bowl roster and bringing his total to seven. Unfortunately, a toe injury limited him to just nine games in 2018, and he suffered a torn ligament in 2019 training camp, which kept him out for the entire season. Green returned in 2020, but had his lowest output with only 523 yards. That season proved to be his last with Cincinnati.

Green finished his career with two seasons in Arizona, where he recorded almost 1,110 yards and five touchdowns. In total, Green recorded 10,514 yards and 70 touchdowns, which are impressive numbers, but not enough to secure him a place in the Hall of Fame in this era.