Milt Linares Jr. (2008-2021) 4 Time All-Star.
The other half of my up the middle juggernaut with Eric Martin, Linares was a terror in his prime. He was the best fielding centerfielder in the game while stealing 60-plus bases in eight straight seasons and hitting north of .300 four times. He rang up triples at a ridiculous rate, and his 32 in 2010 remain the league standard today. He's fourth All-Time in WAR amongst center fielders (60.1) and his seven Platinum Gloves are the most ever by a center fielder. He was quite simply our most foundational offensive player when he was at his prime, the foundation for our speed/gap power/defense combination that took us to one FL title and nearly to a second one five years later.
Initial 2023 Class
David Crocker (2003-2014) 8 Time All-Star.
Simply the best pitcher in Gambler history, Crocker appeared in eight All-Star Games in the nine-year span from 2006 and 2014, his final season of baseball. His 166 wins in ATC colours is 41 more than anybody else, and he was in the top 2-3 pitchers in the FL for the majority of his time. He won 15-plus games seven times, including 17 in his final season before he was forced to retire by injuries. He picked up ERA and WHIP titles in 2012, and led the FL with the lowest HRA rate five times. It's no coincidence that he led us to a pair of playoff trips (including an LMS appearances) after just 2 playoff appearances in the franchise's first 35 seasons.
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Arky Morris (1973-1981)
The old man was 30 when the league began play in 1973, but he put together some very impressive seasons through his age 36 season before succumbing to injuries. Poor Morris never got to pitch a playoff game, but he was the only 20-game winner in Gamblers history until Mingo Boone surpassed him two years ago.
Jim Brochtrup (1995-2001) 3 Time All-Star.
Brochtrup made three All-Star appearances for ATC before being dealt away as part of yet another Gamblers rebuild. He would go on to win a Nebraska trophy elsewhere, but to many fans he'll always be the hard thrower who rang up 270 strikeouts one season and then threw 17 complete games in the next.
Benjii Madisson (1974-1985)
Madisson was the closer for this franchise for a decade, which meant a pretty solid save total (he surpassed 400 total) but was presented with very few "big game" opportunities considering the team was above .500 in just three seasons during his tenure. He got into the MBWBA Hall of Fame back in 1996 when it was easier for a reliever to get in.
Flavio Luna (1988-2001) 4 Time All-Star.
Luna hit .301/.389/.523 in his Gamblers career, with his .912 OPS the second highest mark in team history. He had 10 straight 20-homer seasons, and his 338 homers are still a Gamblers career mark. He's also the career leader in RBI (1161) and second in runs (1148). He leads all Gamblers in walks (1037) and doubles as well (535). He was a key cog in finally getting the franchise into the playoffs for the first time back in 1998, which snapped a 25-season streak of futility.
Eric Martin (2006-2018) 5 Time All-Star.
Martin played 13 years in the league, all with Atlantic City. He started more than 1800 games at second base, and was known as one of the games superlative fielders. Hence his 7 Diamond Gloves, the most for anybody at second base that I'm aware of. Martin was also a gifted offensive player, a career .299 hitter who consistently drew walks (1005 career), hit for gap power (416 2B, 74 3B) and stole bases (364). He wasn't an offensive star but he was plenty good enough to be a five-time All-Star thanks to his all-around skill.
Dwayne Johnson (1992-2001) 2 Time All-Star.
Rock Smash! He still looks young enough to hit clean-up today. Johnson eclipsed 30 bombs five straight seasons before being traded away from ATC in his prime. He and Luna and the next guy on this list formed the heart of that mid-90s to early-2000s offense that helped the team break through and make those first two playoff appearances. He retired at the age of 36 just two homers shy of 500, despite not slowing down at all. His 280 in Atlantic City remain the second-highest total in team history, and his 890 RBI are likewise the franchise's #2 total.
Ross White (1997-2003) 3 Time Sawyer Silk Winner. 4 Time All-Star.
A generational superstar, White burst onto the scene and won everything as a 23 year-old rookie. Who would've thought that before his 30th birthday he'd be on his way out of Atlantic City? In the six and a half seasons that spanned those events he was baseball's best hitter for four of them from 1997-2000. He won the Silk trophy three times in that four year span, was named an All-Star four times and also won a Platinum Glove in center field. He could do it all. He was never quite as good after leaving ATC, but he remains a legendary figure in Gamblers history and was inducted into the MBWBA Hall of Fame back in 2016.
