A-Z: least favorite players

 

OK, this will wake up a few people.

 

Back when I did my A-Z list of favorite players, I threatened to do a list of my least favorite, too. A couple of people egged me on in the comments, and what the heck, let's do it.

I'm not afraid to do stuff like this. Some people may think it's "too negative" or whatever, but I think it's just being realistic. Anyone who is a fan knows players they don't like over their history of watching the game. I don't think I trust anyone who says they like every player. And, yeah, I know, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all, but I'm 13 years into this blog, it's waaay too late for that.

In fact, those who've read this blog for awhile, can already see some of these guys coming.

Giants and Yankees fans, avert your eyes. 

A: Matt Adams

Yes, one lousy home run can land you on this list. Adams, who I barely knew of at the time, hit a three-run home run against Clayton Kershaw during the decisive Game 4 of the NLCS in 2014. It won the game and the series for the Cardinals and the moronic, joyful criticism of Kershaw's postseason performance hit a fever pitch. Adams is the worst kind of recent Cardinal in that he flowered in the postseason, just to haunt the Dodgers and then his career crumbled as he bounced from team to team. I hate that.

 

Others on The List: Roberto Alomar, Moises Alou, Joaquin Andujar, Jose Altuve

B: Madison Bumgarner

A testament to how much I despise Maddy because the letter "B" is loaded with loathsome players, more than any other letter in the alphabet. I received an inkling of what Bumgarner was going to be like back in my fledgling blogging days when Bumgarner's dad attacked Mario of Wax Heaven in the comments for something said about Madison that I don't remember. Then, well, you know the rest. He was the top pitcher on my least favorite team between 2010-14, winning World Series while lecturing players on the ballfield for daring to behave in a way that offended his senses. Confrontations with Yasiel Puig and Max Muncy will live in infamy and he doesn't come out looking good in either.

Others on The List: Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Ryan Braun, Alex Bregman

C: The Clarks

It's impossible for me to separate these two. I suppose if I was forced to choose, I dislike Jack Clark more, for that home run in the 1985 NLCS, for his association with the Giants for so many years, for his annoying statements after his career. But Will Clark manages to tie him just because of the number of people I've come across who consider Will Clark their boyhood hero. (This includes Kershaw, who fortunately rooted for him only when he was with the Rangers). The vast fan club for Will Clark baffled me then and baffles me now. Outside of one World Series, he was never really on a high-profile team. Good player sure, but why root for that annoying guy with the screeching voice? To me, Will The Shrill is a bizarre collecting choice to anyone who isn't a Giants/Rangers fan.

 

Others on The List: Matt Carpenter, Aroldis Chapman, Royce Clayton, Carlos Correa

 

 

D: Bucky Dent

My suspicion that the Yankees relied on black magic sprung to life early in my fandom thanks to early meetings between the Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series (see: Garvey being called out in Game 1 of the '77 WS and Reggie Jackson sticking out his hip on '78). But nothing convinced me more than Bucky Dent's home run against the Red Sox in the one-game playoff in 1978. Forced to listen to Yankees broadcasts on WPIX and hear Dent being praised despite his obvious deficiencies was frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as watching that ball barely clear the Green Monster against Mike Torrez. A couple years later, Dent was voted the starting shortstop for the AL in the All-Star Game when there were about 4 better shortstops to choose. I should've been pleased because I've always been an NL fan, but you don't think logically when you're in a blinding rage.

Others on The List: Delino DeShields, Rob Dibble, J.D. Drew

E: Johnny Estrada

 

The first four letters of the alphabet are packed with annoying players, but many of the letters have very few unlikable players and some have none at all. The best I can come up for the letter "E" is Johnny Estrada, who is only here because of his association with the Diamondbacks and that horrible facial hair choice that I had to see on his cards over and over. What the hell is that on his chin? I've actually traded away his cards because I didn't want to see that.

Others on The List: Nathan Eovaldi (2018 Red Sox performance put him here)

F: Prince Fielder

I don't have a lot of animosity for Fielder, but his antics during his career were quite off-putting. His ego was in full display with his home run choreographing and his temper was over the top when he tried to confront the Dodgers in their locker room like he was in a pro wrestling skit.

Others on The List: Nobody really but Wilmer Flores better watch it.

G: Brett Gardner

I've mentioned this before, but Gardner's resemblance to the gym teacher you couldn't stand in high school is uncanny. I can't take that look on his face, he seems like a lunkhead, and his extended association with the Yankees is not helping at all.

 

Others on The List: Luis Gonzalez

 

 

H: Aubrey Huff

In general I am not like a lot of online fans, who automatically place a player on their "no list" based on something they said on social media. I don't consider that real world behavior and dismiss it most of the time. However ... Huff has said ridiculous and offensive things repeatedly online, doesn't seem to be bothered by them at all, played for the Giants, and paraded around in nothing but a red thong and he DOESN'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THIS. On the list.

 

Others on The List: Ken Harrelson, Whitey Herzog, Nick Hundley

 

 

I: Travis Ishikawa

Ishikawa didn't personally wrong the Dodgers but you need to know my state-of-mind in 2014 to know why he is here. I detest the 2014 postseason. The Giants, who were only in the playoffs because of that dubious wild card berth (yes, the wild card will always be dubious), upset the Nationals (I have never forgiven the Nationals for that), beat the Cardinals in the NLCS and then beat the poor Royals in the World Series to get their greedy hands on another trophy. Ishikawa's role in this was the game-winning home run in the NLCS that sent the Giants to the World Series. The only disadvantage to collecting 2015 cards, which I consider one of the last great years for collecting, are all the Giants celebrating cards.

Others on The List: None

 

 

J: Andruw Jones

 

I am not above putting Dodgers on this list. Besides, Jones is a Dodger in the loosest definition of the word. Fat Andruw hit .158 with a .256 on-base percentage in his only season with the Dodgers. (The last five or six years of his career are pretty sad). Every picture of him with a bat in his hands during this time is an affront.

 

Others on The List: Derek Jeter, Charles Johnson, David Justice

 

 

 

K: Jeff Kent

 

So you're moving along peacefully in your baseball rooting, cheering for your favorite dudes and then one of them suddenly shows up as a contestant on "Survivor," and you think: what am I even doing?  I don't want to be rooting for people who act like that! Kent always looked like a disgraced cop in an action movie and sometimes he behaved like one, scolding the young Dodgers for their supposed un-baseball-like behavior.

Others on The List: None

L: Tony LaRussa

I fudged this a bit because LaRussa isn't here because of his playing career. It's totally a result of his managing days, specifically his Cardinals days. And maybe the A's a little bit for paving the road for the current relief pitching system we have now. I had the opportunity to talk to LaRussa one-on-one and his attitude didn't impress me. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have a topic that he liked a lot (George Kissell) then he might've thrown me out of his office. Just so much dismissiveness from him and I think that's how I'd describe him in all of his controversies since. He's right. You're wrong. Have I mentioned he's buddies with Bobby Knight?

Others on The List: John Lackey, Brandon League, Jeff Leonard, Jim Leyritz

 

M: Joe Morgan

If Joe Morgan stayed with the Big Red Machine there probably wouldn't be any problems, which is interesting since the Reds from that time were the Dodgers' chief rivals. But I was a little kid at the time and I didn't become aware of the emotions involved in the game until later, when Morgan was with the Giants and he hit that home run to eliminate the Dodgers from getting to the 1982 playoffs. Morgan's self-salute as he rounded the bases bothered me because of course the Giants were nowhere near contending so this was pure Giants gloating. I admit I appreciate a good gloat on occasion but I try not to express it on national TV.

Others on The List: Manny Machado, Juan Marichal, Billy Martin, Yadier Molina, Thurman Munson

N: Eduardo Nunez

Another player who made the list based on a single at-bat. Eduardo Nunez's career was pretty easy to ignore for a number of years even though he started out with the Yankees, who always get a lot of attention around here. But he didn't produce a really noticeable season until 2018 with the Red Sox. And, gee, who would the Red Sox play in the World Series that year? That's right, the Dodgers. Nunez hit a three-run home run off the Dodgers in Game 1 as a pinch-hitter. It was the first pinch-hit home run of his career because of course it was. Less than two years later, he wasn't even playing in the majors. Because of course he wasn't.

Others on the list: Jeff Nelson

O: Paul O'Neill

I was raised to avoid drawing attention to myself, especially in a negative way. Paul O'Neill apparently has never heard this. Yankees fans admired his numerous temper tantrums, considering it a sign of his passion. I watched in horror and thought "this guy needs to get it together." There is nothing more uncomfortable than being around someone losing his shit because something he didn't like happened to him. Oh, and his broadcasting is brutal.

Others on The List: None

P: Jorge Posada

Some people wondered why I didn't like Posada during his playing career. Compared with some more demonstrative Yankees, he was pretty inoffensive. But I picked up on things. His little sneaky tricks. He came out to the mound more than any catcher I've ever seen and it was all orchestrated.

Others on The List: Chris Paddack, Angel Pagan, Gerardo Parra, Hunter Pence, AJ Pierzynski, Lou Piniella

Q: Carlos Quentin

Quentin has the honor of appearing on the only card I've ripped up for the sake of a blog post. Him charging the mound (and breaking Zack Greinke's collarbone) in 2013 was one of the dumbest mound charges I've seen -- not that most of them are that smart -- and Greinke's injury didn't have to happen.

Others on The List: None

R: Alex Rodriguez

All you need to know about ESPN is that they continue to employ this guy and have no problem letting him air his thoughts once a week to the national public. Out of anyone who has played this game, he comes the closest to not being a real person. His laugh is the most concerning thing. It's like he's incapable of acknowledging another person's joke, or, worse, he doesn't know what humor is. It's weird. He's weird. 

Others on The List: Josh Reddick, John Rocker

 

 

S: George Springer

 

To continue a theme, George Springer has played around 65 games in the last two seasons and hit about .240. But in the 2017 World Series he was  Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays rolled into one. Trash cans helped, but explain that one to me. OK, it was the trash cans.

Others on The List: Gary Sanchez, Pablo Sandoval, Curt Schilling, Jason Schmidt, Mario Soto, Bob Stanley, Nick Swisher

T: Mark Teixeira

Teixeira is quite a bit removed from his Yankees days and his playing career, so it's a little difficult to remember why I had such a problem with him. I do remember that he was like A-Rod where he had to play for the Yankees because they would get him the most money and exposure (yeah, yeah and the championships). I didn't like how he seemed to be all about the money and therefore I focused on how he'd puff his face out all the time because I can be childish like that.

Others on The List: Fernando Tatis Jr., Bobby Thomson

 

U: Justin Upton

With the exception of one letter, the rest of this list includes players that really don't bother me much, I'm just trying to fill every spot. Justin Upton is here because he played for the Diamondbacks and also because he's one of those players (think Gerardo Parra) who seems to play for only teams I don't like.

 

Others on The List: None

 

 

V: Jose Valverde

Valverde also played for some teams I didn't like. His mound displays seemed over-the-top at the time, which is why he probably bugged me. Of course, what Valverde did is nothing now.

 

Others on The List: None

W: Matt Williams

The one guy from the Giants who annoys me more than anyone who played for that team besides Bumgarner. He once made the very college football statement (and a ridiculous sentiment for a 162-game baseball season) that it didn't matter who they beat as long as they beat the Dodgers. Just to add insult, he married major teenage crush Michelle Johnson. Fortunately, it didn't last.

Others on The List: Michael Wacha (see Matt Adams, Eduardo Nunez, George Springer, etc.) 

 

Y: Matt Young

There's no X, of course. ... Matt Young goes way back and there's not much to it. Young was acquired by the Dodgers in 1987. He wasn't very good. He lasted just the one year. Then the Red Sox picked him up in 1991. He wasn't very good there either. My dad took note and started making Matt Young jokes. So, Young wronged two key teams in my family.

Others on The List: None

Z: Carlos Zambrano

Not much to say here. Again, I don't like angry displays of emotion.

Others on The List: None

So, there you are. Those are the players I dislike the most as of now. Many of them, I've noticed, are from the first five years or so of my blog. I must've had some issues then.

Most of the players above could be fine, upstanding people. But that's not what this list is. I'm a fan. I regard these people as baseball players, not heroes or any of that stuff. What's important to me is how they play on the field. If they're for my teams, I like them. If they're not, I probably don't. But even then, you have to do something especially annoying to be on my list.