Everyone who follows baseball knows Alex Rodriguez isn't a favorite of his many peers. He's looked upon as a whiner, complainer and most often an incredibly gifted athlete with the propensity to put his foot in his mouth.
In the last few years his production, and foot-in-mouth moments have slowed, but polls from an upcoming Men's Journal article show he still can't catch a break.
Rodriguez was named the second most hated player in Major League Baseball when the magazine conducted a secret survey of MLB players. Only the insufferable A.J. Pierzynski received more votes, taking home a whopping 34 percent of the tallies. Rodriguez got 10 percent of the unwanted vote, and has company in his own clubhouse for the third spot.
Nick Swisher received nine percent and it's well deserved considering his constant flamboyance.
Everything about (Swisher) is annoying, from his mannerisms to his always wanting to 'bro' it down," an unnamed American League veteran told the magazine. "Being around him is just exhausting."
While it certainly can be refreshing to see a player enjoying his job amongst the many who look miserable making millions, Swisher takes it over the top more often than not.
He's a talented player on a high profile team, so without unquestioned visibility and jealousy play a part in his ranking on the list. However, he's earned that spot with his actions on the field and in the dugout.
In more news that will make New York fans swell with pride, Joba Chamberlain took home the award for being the most overrated player in the league.
It's hard to define Chamberlain as overrated at this juncture considering he hasn't pitched in a year. The hefty pitcher isn't much talked about these days so it's surprising that the players still voted him to the top of the list.
One player that comes to mind for that distinction would be Jose Reyes, the ex-Met star now with the Miami Marlins. Of course he's mesmerizing when healthy, but how great can you truly be when half of the season you're taking as many at-bats as you or I?
It's expected players in big markets will get more criticism because of their high-profiles, and it's well deserved considering the benefits they accept because of their position. That said, Chamberlain isn't the most overrated player in the sport. Heck, how about A.J. Burnett?
Rodriguez and Swisher had it coming, and they got it from 100 anonymous players. It's too late for A-Rod to repair his image, but maybe Swisher can.
He just needs to stop celebrating and take a look around.
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