We can understand if you think we should have gone with Gilbert Perreault for this spot, but after reading this, you may see why we chose Dominik Hasek.

In 2014, Brandon Scherff of Iowa won the Outland Trophy as the Nation’s top Lineman, and unsurprisingly, he was the first Offensive Linemen taken during the 2015 Draft when Washington took him Fifth Overall.

There are many people who think of John Olerud only as the guy who wore a batting helmet in the field, which he did so to protect his skull, as he had a brain aneurysm as a teenager.  He was undoubtedly a lot more than that!

Olerud came up through the Blue Jays system and would become their starting First Baseman in 1992, after platooning for three years.  Having never played a game in the minors, Olerud would help Toronto win the World Series in back-to-back seasons (1992 & 1993), with 1993 being incredibly impressive.  In that season, he would win the Batting Title (.363) and would also lead the American League in On Base Percentage (.473), OPS (1.072), and Doubles (54). 

Olerud would not have another year like that, but there was a lot left for him to offer.  He had three more .300 Seasons (one with the New York Mets and two with Seattle), was an All-Star for a second time in 2001, and overall had five 20 Home Run Seasons, with 255.  

Defensively speaking, Olerud was one of the best at his position.  He would win the Gold Glove three times and would finish either first or second in Total Zone Runs for First Basemen seven times.

Sal Bando was an integral part of the Oakland Athletics dynasty, and he was there when they were toiling in obscurity in Kansas City.  When the Athletics’ owner, Charles O. Finley, relocated the team to Oakland, Bando was at the core of what was poised to become a special team that would define the early 1970s.

Playing at the hot corner, Bando would prove to be a good hitter with decent power.  The four-time All-Star had six 20 Home Run seasons, with two seasons seeing him accrue an On Base Percentage over .400.  From 1971 to 1974, Bando would finish in the top four in MVP voting in three of those seasons, with the ’71 campaign seeing him as the runner-up. 1972 to 1974 was also the years of the A’s dynasty, where they won three consecutive World Series Championships, and Bando would hit five homers for Oakland in the playoffs.

Defensively, he was more than adequate, but as this was the era of Brooks Robinson and, later, Graig Nettles, a Gold Glove would elude him.  Bando would later play for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1977 to 1981.