Josh Hamilton and the 10 Most Likeable Players in Major League Baseball

Josh Hamilton's infamous path from addiction to American League MVP holds a soft spot in nearly every Major League Baseball fan's heart. 

Hamilton has overcome so much to straighten out his life and his career, and his comeback is one of the best individual stories MLB has ever seen.

So who else makes the list for the most likeable players in baseball? 

Don't worry. Alex Rodriguez didn't make the cut.

Here are the top 10 most enjoyable players to watch in the majors.

10. Roy Halladay, P

Team: Philadelphia Phillies

Roy Halladay has been one of the most dominant pitchers in MLB throughout his career. His 2010 season was one for the ages, as he tossed a perfect game and then a no-hitter in his first career postseason start against the Cincinnati Reds. 

The eight-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young award winner stays out of the headlines and takes the mound with one purpose—win. 

Halladay has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente award several times for his work with underprivileged children. In 2010, he started the Halladay Family Foundation to contribute to different areas of need in struggling communities.

9. Brian Wilson, P

Team: San Francisco Giants

There's only one reason why Brian Wilson cracked this list: He has the best beard in all of sports.

Wilson and his beard took the baseball world by storm in October 2010 when he played a major role in leading the Giants to the World Series title.

The hard-throwing closer did not allow one earned run in the postseason and saved six games in San Francisco's run to the championship.

Wilson has established himself as one of the best closers in the National League in recent years, collecting more than 35 saves in four straight seasons. He had a career-high 48 saves in 2010.

Closers have some of the wackiest personalities in baseball, and no one tops Wilson and his epic beard.

8. Ichiro, RF

Team: Seattle Mariners

Ichiro has been a fan favorite in Seattle and in Japan since his arrival in MLB in 2001. Not that he doesn't deserve it, but Japanese baseball fans have made sure that Ichiro is near the top of the list in All-Star voting every year.

Ichiro's unique style of hitting captured the attention of baseball fans everywhere.

The way he slaps the ball to holes in the defense while running out of the box is some of the most talented hitting in MLB history. Ichiro has the numbers to back it up, too, as 2011 was the only season in his 11-year career in which he finished with an under-.300 batting average.

Ichiro is also a stellar defensive player with a rocket for an arm. He won 10 straight Gold Glove awards before the streak was snapped last season.

7. Joe Mauer, C

Team: Minnesota Twins

Joe Mauer is a Minnesotan through and through, and he has taken the Minnesota-nice mantra to the national stage. 

The St. Paul native is one of the most beloved Twins in team history (he struck out just once during his four-year high school career), and his performance at one of the toughest positions in baseball has captured the attention of MLB fans all over the country.

In 2009, Mauer became just the second catcher since 1976 to win the American League MVP award. He was also the first catcher to win an AL batting title in 2006, and he has won two more since then ('08 and '09).

Also, he seems to have a lot more lady admirers than other players in baseball. Can someone please enlighten me on that reasoning?

6. Paul Konerko, 1B

Team: Chicago White Sox

Paul Konerko is a silent assassin. He doesn't gloat or talk smack; he works hard, and in recent years he has performed at an MVP level.

Konerko is a fan favorite on the South Side, growing closer by the day to Frank Thomas' franchise home run record. He has stayed with Chicago since 1999, and is one of the classiest players in MLB in terms of how he leads the team and addresses the media.

Konerko has had at least 20 home runs per season since 2004, and has carried the White Sox offense for the past two seasons.

His grand slam in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the 2005 World Series is one of the most clutch hits in team history. When renovations were made at U.S. Cellular Field after the squad's World Series championship, the team decided to leave the seat in which that slam landed to commemorate Konerko's memorable hit.

5. David Freese, 3B

Team: St. Louis Cardinals

David Freese was the hometown hero for the Cardinals in the 2011 World Series. The Series MVP crushed a two-run, game-tying triple with two outs in the ninth inning of Game 6 as St. Louis faced elimination. He followed that with a walk-off homer in the 11th.

The rest is history.

Freese received an offer to play ball at Missouri after high school, but he declined the opportunity because he felt burnt out from baseball. After missing the sport, he returned to St. Louis Community College and then eventually the University of South Alabama, where he performed well enough to get drafted by the San Diego Padres. 

After a stellar postseason in 2011, Freese has earned the support of Cardinal nation. His carefree attitude and path to the majors make him one of the most likeable players in baseball.

4. Chipper Jones, 3B

Team: Atlanta Braves

Chipper Jones has been one of the best pure hitters in the game since his career began in 1993. The lifelong Brave is arguably one of the best switch-hitters of all time, and he survived the steroid era as one of the good guys that worked hard and became successful the right way.

His allegiance to Atlanta while still performing at a high level without letting the success get to his head makes him an enjoyable player to watch and to cheer for every night. 

In the prime of his career, Jones had at least 100 RBI per season from 1996-2003. He also won the 1999 National League MVP award.

He has the track record of a Hall of Famer, and he performed at a high level while some of his superstar peers were taking the steroid shortcut to success.

3. Josh Hamilton, CF

Team: Texas Rangers

From drug addiction to MLB hero, Josh Hamilton easily makes the list as one the most likeable players in baseball.

Hamilton was the first overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. By 2001, drug abuse and injuries derailed his career. He famously got clean and made his long-awaited major league debut in 2007 for the Cincinnati Reds.

He had a solid rookie season and was traded to the Texas Rangers.

With the Rangers, Hamilton shot into the spotlight with a monster 2008 campaign in which he led the American League with 130 RBIs. He also put on one of the best shows in Home Run Derby history at Yankee Stadium, hitting a record 28 bombs in the opening round.

Hamilton has continued to produce at a high level and earned the AL MVP in 2010, despite missing the final month of the season.

2. Jim Thome, 1B

Team: Philadelphia Phillies

Jim Thome is another successful MLB star that is one of the classiest players in the game. He may look like a giant, but Thome is one of the most genuine players you will ever see in baseball.

Even Thome's MLB peers tabbed him as the nicest player in the league in 2011.

Thome has had a superb career, and he is on the brink of the Hall of Fame. He hit his 600th career home run in August 2011 as a member of the Minnesota Twins, and is in his 22nd season of MLB service.

Thome is another player that many overlooked during his prime because he was one of the legitimate superstars during the steroid era.

Have you ever seen Big Jim complain to the media about his teammates, manager or front office? His old-school, hard-working approach is admirable.

1. Mark Buehrle, P

Team: Miami Marlins

Is there anyone in the MLB that has more fun playing baseball than Mark Buehrle? Every time a camera pans to the dugout, Buehrle is nearly always joking around with his teammates with a great big smile on his face.

Buehrle has been known to slip n' slide on tarps during rain delays, to smash pies in teammates' faces after a walk-off hit and to even do a backwards glove flip between his legs to get the out at first base.

Buehrle was a 38th-round draft pick in 1998, and he featured below-average speed on his fastball. Many scouts didn't give him a chance, but Buehrle turned out to be one of the most consistent pitchers in the American League during his 12-year stint with the White Sox. He had double-digit wins in 11 straight years.

Oh, and he has a perfect game and a no-hitter on his resume.

Buehrle performs like a player with a chip on his shoulder because many scouts didn't give him a chance, and he is enjoying every minute of it. That his why he is the most likeable player in the majors.