6. Ray Kinsella/Terrance Mann, “Field of Dreams”
Ray mowed down his corn field to build a baseball field. Some might have called Ray crazy in the movie, but to this day I’m still jealous of him and wished I had a baseball field of my own. I’m still not sure he actually saw the ghosts of his father and the 1919 Chicago White Sox play on that field, but I want to believe in that character and what he saw, so that’s why he made the Top 10.
The passion Kinsella had for the sport of baseball, and life in general, makes him a very memorable character, and while he works on his own path, he helps others believe as well.
As for Mann, he had the greatest line in any baseball movie, and maybe any movie ever, with this being just a short part of his famous speech:
“Ray, people will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past.”
5. Harry Doyle, “Major League”
Is there a better movie baseball announcer than Harry Doyle of the Cleveland Indians in the Major League series? He has some of the most memorable quotes in not just the baseball movie genre, but in all of sports movies. My personal favorite:
“Just a reminder, fans, comin’ up is our ‘Die-hard Night’ here at the stadium. Free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won a pennant.”
Though he never took a single at-bat, to this day I still recite a Harry Doyle quote when something bad (or comical) happens in an MLB game.
4. Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, “The Sandlot”
He was a kid playing a kid’s game, but he understood the importance of baseball and what it can bring to a person’s life. The Jet knew people can learn from this game, and he taught his friends they could be something through the game of baseball. We all eventually find out The Jet was a very talented player, making the majors and reminding us just how special the game can be. This character will be one that generations will come to know and remember.
3. Roy Hobbs, “The Natural”
Just the other day, the final scene of “The Natural” was dubbed for the Bartolo Colon home run, giving this movie the spotlight once again for a couple days. Hobbs was supposed to be the “greatest player of all time,” but some things didn’t go his way. He had a special baseball bat named “Wonderboy,” and eventually he was able to save the day. The soundtrack to go with this movie helped build Hobbs into a legendary character and make him not only great, but magical.
Next: Baseball Movie Characters: The Top 2