MLB: Top 5 strangest players in history
MLB is historically known as a classy game. However, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t seen its fair share of obscure personalities. So, who is the strangest of the strange?
The classic image of an MLB player is someone strong, stoic, and elegant. However, the nature of the game itself is inherently strange. One wrong bounce can change the trajectory of a game, and a few can change someone’s entire career (Take poor Bill Buckner for example).
Thus, naturally, baseball has attracted a crop of obscure players. These guys have defied the typical orthodox way of playing the game, whether it be through their on-the-field style, off the field antics, or superstitious tendencies.
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We have unorthodox players like Hunter Pence, who throws like he doesn’t have an elbow. Then, we have a plethora of pros with memorable batting stances like Kevin Youkilis, Gary Sheffield, and Craig Counsell. They all proved that bad mechanics have a place in the MLB
Next, we have eccentric personalities. Adrián Beltré proved that you can be an elite player while having fun every time you take the field, while “Manny being Manny” was must-see TV. And how can we forget the Japanese national treasure Munenori Kawasaki?
Strange people belong in the strange game of baseball. However, some players throughout history took the word “strange” to the next level. Whether or not they excelled on the field during their careers, these men have become baseball legends due to their outlandish personalities. Some were well-known in the public spotlight, while others are shrouded in mystery. Regardless, the stories that define them are nothing short of absurd, and will continuously be passed down to future generations of baseball fans.
No matter the case, each one of these weirdos have made baseball a more fun and interesting game to watch and play. They have inspired the youth to be themselves while playing the game they love. So without further ado, here are the top 5 strangest players in MLB history.
Strangest Players in MLB History
5. Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs was one hell of a baseball player. A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Boggs was a 5-time AL batting champion, 12-time All-Star, and accumulated 3,010 hits over his illustrious career. However, he is more well known for his superstitious commitment to chicken and his love for Miller Lite.
Boggs is considered one of the best contact hitters of all time. According to him, this is all thanks to his obsession with chicken. Before every game, Boggs could be seen eating large amounts of chicken. This habit quickly earned him the nickname, “The Chicken Man” from his teammates in Boston. In a 1985 interview, Boggs revealed the origin of this obscure pre-game ritual.
“`It started in ’77. I had a minor league budget and a growing family to feed,” says Boggs, “Chicken was cheap and I really felt better eating lighter food rather than a lot of heavy meat and gravy. Then I noticed my batting average going up. Ever since I’ve been a `chicketarian.’ ”
After he finished eating an entire bird, he would take batting practice at exactly 5:17, followed by sprints at 7:17 before taking the field. Boggs was truly one of the most absurdly superstitious players the game has ever seen, and we love him for it.
But if there was one thing Boggs did more religious than eat chicken, it was drinking beer, specifically Miller Lites. Boggs’ drinking habits have been well documented in pop culture. The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode “The Gang Beats Boggs” tries to reinvent the famous story where Boggs allegedly crushed 64 beers on a cross-country flight.
Many of his former teammates and colleagues have confirmed his ungodly beer-drinking talents, but Boggs himself has denied that the number was 64 on Pardon the Interruption in 2005. He refuted, “You get bored on a cross country flight from Boston to LA, you gotta do something. No, we don’t need to divulge the number, but put it this way, I had a few Miller Lites.” So, perhaps it was more.
Boggs’ career achievements are far more fascinating knowing his habitual drinking. In the year of his legendary performance on the transcontinental flight, he only struck out 29 times. In 1985, he only swung and missed 46 times while slugging Miller Lites regularly. Between his 3,000 hits, obsessive superstitions, and astonishing drinking habits, Wade Boggs has one of the more obscure resumés ever.
Strangest Players in MLB History
4. Mark Fidrych
Mark Fidrych became a baseball legend in his short, five-year career with the Detriot Tigers. When he made his debut in 1976, the league had never seen anybody like him. Nicknamed “The Bird” because of his uncanny resemblance to Big Bird from ‘Sesame Street’, Fidrych took the league by storm. His eccentric presence and his electrifying performances on the mound captivated the baseball world, making him one of the most beloved (and strangest) phenomena in sports history.
The Bird was a tall, lanky right-hander without overpowering stuff. Rather, his strengths were his control and late movement. However, it was perhaps his wacky antics on the mound that made him so tough to figure out. From his first start to his last, Fidrych could be seen speaking to the ball while on the mound. Then, he would habitually circle around the mound after every out, and often times pat down the dirt.
His “Bird antics” made him a national celebrity, and his performance backed up his growing legend. He finished the season with a 19-9 record, a league-leading 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games. He won the AL Rookie of the Year and finished second in Cy Young voting.
Fidrych’s complete-game victory over the New York Yankees in 1976 is still one of the greatest moments in baseball history. With the whole world watching on ABC’s Monday Night Baseball, The Bird silenced the eventual AL Champs with his infectious personality on full display. As the innings went on, Fidrych would congratulate his teammates after every play. When it was over, the atmosphere in Detriot was equivalent to winning Game 7 of the World Series. The fans refused to leave until The Bird came out for a long-standing ovation.
The Bird’s uncharacteristically strange personality grew his legacy, but his love for the game cemented it. Unfortunately, his career was cut short by injuries, but his presence has never left the game. Sadly, he passed away in a trucking accident a the age of 54. The entire baseball community mourned the man who made everyone who watched him play love the game even more.
Strangest Players in MLB History
3. Bill Lee
If there was ever anybody who defied the traditions of baseball, it was left-handed pitcher Bill Lee. Nicknamed “The Spaceman” for his original personality, Lee was never afraid to speak his mind to the press. He was outspoken, outlandish, and straight-up out-of-his mind. While he was actually a good pitcher during his career, Lee was more famous for being a rebellious icon against the traditional, conservative baseball culture of the time.
From the moment Lee stepped into Fenway Park in 1969, he was a media pariah. During his tour of the stadium, he looked at the Green Monster and asked, “Do they leave it there during the games?” (source: Jim Prime of sabr.org). From then on out, sports journalists knew who to go to for colorful, original, and unfiltered content. Rain or shine, the Spaceman would be quoted in the daily sports section.
Lee was incredibly loyal to his teammates, but his controversial views and clubhouse behavior soured his relationship with management. His most notable quarrel was with his manager, Don Zimmer. In 1978, Lee and Zimmer engaged in a public feud over the manager’s use of the pitching staff. Lee eventually formed a group called “the Buffalo Heads” with a few other teammates. Their one goal was a mess with their old school manager.
As a result, management traded away Lee’s best friend Bernie Carbo, which prompted him to walk out of the clubhouse in anger. He was fined for the incident, and responded by referring to Zimmer as “the gerbil.” Zimmer delegated him to the bullpen for the rest of the season, and Lee was traded the Montreal Expos the following offseason.
His outspoken reputation followed him off the field, as well. The Spaceman openly admitted to using marijuana, famously claiming that sprinkling it on his pancakes made him “impervious to bus fumes” on his jog to Fenway. When a reporter asked him about mandatory drug testing, he boldly responded, “I’ve tried just about all of them, but I wouldn’t want to make it mandatory.”
Lee’s personal and political views fit perfectly with his radical persona. He fiercely defended the racial integration of busing programs in Boston, calling Bostonians racist for resisting. He was also a defender of Greenpeace. In 1988, he ran for president of the United States as the candidate of the Canadian-based satirical “Rhinoceros Party.”
Lee was never afraid to stick it to the man, and he always did so in a uniquely strange way. Still, he was beloved by his teammates and even became a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.