7 MLB stars worth missing your own birthday party to watch play in the field

We all have hitters that we'll do anything to see: We have phone alerts set for when Giancarlo Stanton steps to the plate and ready-made excuses to rush out of a fancy cocktail party and watch Yasiel Puig do something insane in the batter's box. 

But while we spend plenty of time watching dingers and drives, too often we forget about the bombastic, Michael Bay-directing-the-Bolshoi-Ballet highlights that MLB players produce on defense. 

Want to change that? After tuning in for Jose Abreu's latest rocket launch, switch your MLB.TV feed to see these guys ply their "Oh my god, did you just see that?!" magic in the field. 

Andrelton Simmons

The most obvious of choices, Simmons plays shortstop like some purely theoretical creature: The Perfect Defender. With a great first step, crazy range and an arm that's closer to a laser cannon, Simmons does things like this:

Or this one, where the turf is revolting against the fielder: 

He even makes holding a player to a single look amazing. He's in left field -- and not shallow left field, but down-the-line-left-field when he collects this ball.

Billy Hamilton

While Hamilton's speed makes him a must watch whenever he gets on base (currently leading the Majors with 17 steals), those legs make him an exciting player to watch in the outfield, too. 

His speed lets him close in on dying liners that mortal fielders would happily accept on one or two bounces: 

Watching him make plays like this only makes us dream of the Hamilton vs. Usain Bolt space races of the future: 

Oh yeah, and he'll still rob plenty of dingers. 

Juan Lagares

There are good center fielders and there are bad center fielders. Then there is Lagares, who is less like a human being and more like one of those trip-laser things you see in heist movies. Namely, Lagares is nothing other than Catherine Zeta Jones in "Entrapment."

The center fielder, who owns the ninth and 12th-best defensive seasons for an outfielder in baseball history as judged by Baseball-Reference's dWAR, has just as easy a time coming in for a ball: 

As he does going out: 

Even in the rare case when Lagares goes the wrong way, he still has enough speed and time-changing abilities to run down the ball: 

Jose Iglesias

With hands of butter and the range of a jungle cat wearing a jet pack, Iglesias makes the entire left side of the infield an inhospitable place for batters. 

He can even do things like nonchalantly flip the ball across his body after fielding a backhand and running into left field to get the out. It's very pretty. And outright insane. 

Nolan Arenado

Listen, I get it. At this point, it's getting boring to talk about Arenado's defensive prowess. After all, he's already won two Gold Gloves in two seasons and is likely going to win a third consecutive this year. So, rather than enumerate all the things he can do, how about we come up with a good nickname for him. 

Like Nolan Torenado: 

Nolan Hot Potato: 

Scott Rolen Arenado: 

Yep, I think those are all the good nicknames. 

Yoenis Cespedes

While his outfield defense may not be quite up to the standards of Lagares, he does have something that the others lack: A throwing arm that could arguably be used in place of rocket thrusters on a spacecraft. 

Last season, Cespedes followed up throwing out two Angels at the plate in one inning by literally tossing a fireball to the plate to nab Howie Kendrick: 

Despite having ample time to learn not to test Cespedes, runners are still filled with pride in 2015 -- terrible, shameful pride. 

With a throwing arm/living weapon, Cespedes has thrown out the third-most runners among outfielders since his debut in 2012. Here's a tip: Stop testing him. 

Jonathan Lucroy

A more subtle defender, Lucroy is like the CIA or (spoiler alert) your mother putting a dollar under your pillow after you lost a tooth: He does the work that you don't even realize is being done. Crouched behind the plate, Lucroy steals strikes like nobody's business. 

Ranking fifth in Baseball Prospectus' 2014 framing data and third in Stat Corner's (with the most "stolen" strikes over the last five seasons), Lucroy is also the very best at getting the low strike. And in a league where low strikes rule the day, that may be even more important. 

In 2014, Jonathan Lucroy described his skill to Brian Kenny on MLB Network. But it's kind of like Superman telling Lois Lane how to fly -- no one can do it quite like him: 

Just look at this. See how he shifts his arm up softly, quietly -- like a feather being brushed against your lip while you're asleep at summer camp and the rest of the campers are trying to get you to smear shaving cream all of your face. 

While those are seven of our favorites, is there a defender that you love to turn on MLB.TV for? Let us know in the comments.