Which MLB players would make the best Avengers?

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer

On Thursday, comic book nerds all over the world will line to watch the greatest superheroes in the galaxy team up against an evil threat in “Avengers: Infinity War.”

The Avengers are an elite team of the galaxies mightiest warriors. When faced with ultra-powerful threats — like Thanos — those superheroes put their powers together to fight as a group.

That got us thinking: If we could cast “Avengers: Infinity War” with only baseball players, who would we choose?

We thought long and hard about that question and came up with our best answers. Below, you’ll find a sampling of our choices. There’s no way we could cover every superhero, so make sure to leave your best one in the comments below.

We’ll kick it off with the most obvious choice, which is …

Noah Syndergaard is the ideal choice for Thor. (Images via AP and Marvel)
Noah Syndergaard is the ideal choice for Thor. (Images via AP and Marvel)

NOAH SYNDERGAARD AS THOR
Noah Syndergaard’s nickname is Thor, so it isn’t exactly a subtle choice. But let’s dig into the comparison for a second. He’s a power pitcher with long, flowing locks and a hammer curveball. Some of those things may no longer apply to the current movie-version of Thor, but we still think it works. And, hey, it’s not like Thor lost his hammer or cut his hair by choice.

Paul Goldschmidt is called “America’s Third Baseman.” (Images via AP and Zade Rosenthal/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Paul Goldschmidt is called “America’s Third Baseman.” (Images via AP and Zade Rosenthal/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)

PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT AS CAPTAIN AMERICA
C’mon, his nickname is “America’s First Baseman.” Though we’re more likely to compare Goldschmidt to the early version of Captain America in the Marvel movies. Goldschmidt excels in every area on the field. He’s consistent, dependable and loyal to his team. He’s often a leader by example, which works with early Captain America. He also probably doesn’t appreciate curse words, but we’re just guessing there.

Bryce Harper has the confidence to make a good Iron Man. (Photos via AP and Marvel)
Bryce Harper has the confidence to make a good Iron Man. (Photos via AP and Marvel)

BRYCE HARPER AS IRON MAN
He’s brash. He’s cocky. He’s maybe done a few things he regrets. But you still love him. Iron Man is the Avenger with the most personality, which makes Bryce Harper a fitting comparison. When Harper is locked in at the plate, it almost seems like he’s a baseball cyborg. He’s powerful enough to out-slug The Hulk in the right situation. As far as we know, Iron Man has also never made it past the NLDS.

Giancarlo Stanton is definitely The Hulk. (Photos via AP and Marvel Studios)
Giancarlo Stanton is definitely The Hulk. (Photos via AP and Marvel Studios)

GIANCARLO STANTON AS THE HULK
Giancarlo Stanton doesn’t come across as an angry guy. In fact, he seems to handle criticism pretty well. But it would feel unfair to name anyone else as The Hulk. Stanton is the strongest man in baseball. He’s capable of completely obliterating pitches. And when he’s on a hot streak, he smashes everything. Maybe his combination of mild-mannered dude with immense power is actually perfect. It embodies some of the best qualities of Bruce Banner and The Hulk.

Rob Manfred might be at war with the players soon. (Photos via AP and Marvel)
Rob Manfred might be at war with the players soon. (Photos via AP and Marvel)

ROB MANFRED AS THANOS
He’s here to shake things up, and it’s fair to say the players are none too happy about it. He has absolute power in baseball and has already threatened to use it. For years now, baseball has slowly crept toward an all-out labor war which will feature Manfred on the opposite side of the players.

Yasiel Puig is lovable whether he’s good or bad. (Photos via AP and Marvel)
Yasiel Puig is lovable whether he’s good or bad. (Photos via AP and Marvel)

YASIEL PUIG AS LOKI
Sometimes he’s good. Sometimes he’s bad. But you find him entertaining and are always in for potential hijinks when he’s around.

Adam Jones could work as Black Panther. (Photos via AP and Marvel)
Adam Jones could work as Black Panther. (Photos via AP and Marvel)

ADAM JONES AS BLACK PANTHER
Jones has no problem speaking out on many of the issues raised in “Black Panther.” He was candid about racial issues within the game, saying baseball “is a white man’s sport.” He cares about giving back. Jones donated $20,000 to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in 2017. He would have your back in a fight, and would gladly cover the fee from the damage you caused if he believed you were in the right.

Let’s face it, if an MLB player is going to start talking about other worlds, it’s going to be Trevor Bauer. (Photos via AP and Marvel)
Let’s face it, if an MLB player is going to start talking about other worlds, it’s going to be Trevor Bauer. (Photos via AP and Marvel)

TREVOR BAUER AS DR. STRANGE
If there’s any player who’s going to start spouting off about alternate dimensions and other weird theories that you have no desire to comprehend, it’s Bauer, right?

Francisco Lindor is acrobatic at short, just like Spider-Man. (Photos via AP and Marvel)
Francisco Lindor is acrobatic at short, just like Spider-Man. (Photos via AP and Marvel)

FRANCISCO LINDOR AS SPIDER-MAN
It’s tough to find a comp for Spider-Man, so we went with a young player who has loads of charisma. Lindor is also capable of turning in an acrobatic play at short every so often and he’s got a lot more power than you would think.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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