Most Hated Players in MLB History

There was no love lost when these most hated players were on or around a baseball field.

Fess up, Killer. You root against some baseball players as much or more than you root for some teams. You’re not alone, you know.

Here’s the shortlist of the most hated players in MLB history past and present, and we guaran-darn-tee you that at least one is on yours as well.

30. Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper argues with umpire

Frank Franklin II / AP Photo

Position: Outfield

Career: 12 seasons (2012-present)

Teams: Washington Nationals (2012-18), Philadelphia Phillies (2019-present)

Bottom Line: Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper flips bat after hitting home run

Alex Brandon / AP Photo

Eminently entitled and supremely self-absorbed, this Gen Zer is the poster child for a lot of what’s wrong with baseball these days. Yo, Planet Bryce: There’s a real world down here. You’re welcome to it.

Then again, one could argue that $23.5 million a year is a small price to pay for a lifetime .376 hitter. Wait — you mean he’s a career .280 hitter? Oh, never mind then.

Famous Quote: Bryce Harper

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper heads up first base line after hitting solo home run

David Zalubowski / AP Photo

“I’m not trying to fit in with nobody. I’m just me.” — Harper after he signed with the Phillies as a free agent

29. A.J. Pierzynski

A. J. Pierzynski meets with Orlando Herandez on mound

Brian Kersey / AP Photo

Position: Catcher

Career: 19 seasons (1998-2016)

Teams: Minnesota Twins (1998-2003), San Francisco Giants (2004), Chicago White Sox (2005-12), Texas Rangers (2013), St. Louis Cardinals (2014), Boston Red Sox (2014), Atlanta Braves (2015-16)

Bottom Line: A.J. Pierzynski

A.J. Pierzynski hits home run

Ann Heisenfelt / AP Photo

This catcher was Dennis the Menace in spikes, one of the truly great players of his era. In San Francisco and Boston, several teammates believed that he should have a label — Warning: May be poisonous to team chemistry — and he didn’t last more than one season in either place.

While some maybe appreciated his insights, dry wit and savvy play in Chicago, where the White Sox won a World Series with him in a lead role, we’re guessing those who did never had to play with or against him.

Famous Quote: A.J. Pierzynski

A.J. Pierzynski reacts

Paul Sancya / AP Photo

“You read stuff and see stuff where people are calling me (names) and that I was trying to cheat and this and that. I don’t know what I did to deserve that.” — Pierzynski

28. Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale pitches against San Francisco Giants

AP Photo

Position: Pitcher

Career: 14 seasons (1956-69)

Teams: Brooklyn-Los Angeles Dodgers (1956-69)

Bottom Line: Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale pitching

AP Photo

The master intimidator led the National League in hit batsmen five times in a span of eight years. At a time when that sort of thing was settled on the field, there wasn’t much that opponents wanted to do about it.

The righty sidewinder stood 6-foot-5 but looked more like 7-foot-6 on the mound. Only Milwaukee Braves slugger Eddie Mathews could exact revenge with a roundhouse right in an epic brawl at Ebbets Field. Suffice it to say, many a hitter was in his corner.

Famous Quote: Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale portrait

AP Photo

“The trick against Drysdale is to hit him before he hits you.” — Hall of Fame slugger Orlando Cepeda, who was plunked more times (four) by Drysdale than he homered (once) off him

27. Dave Kingman

Dave Kingman poses with bat

AP Photo

Position: Outfield-first base

Career: 16 seasons (1971-1986)

Teams: San Francisco Giants (1971-75), New York Mets (1975-77, 1981-83), San Diego Padres (1977), California Angles, New York Yankees (1977), Chicago Cubs (1978-80), Oakland Athletics (1984-86)

Bottom Line: Dave Kingman

New York Mets' Dave Kingman watches home run

Rusty Kennedy / AP Photo

From the time that Mets fans inexplicably sided with team management in his contract dispute, the introvert became an even more distrustful and bitter man. After this, Cubs peers chose him as the “worst dressed” player on the team in a newspaper poll a short time later, and his boorish behavior reached another level.

Kong decided to let tape-measure home runs speak for him — he refused to conduct interviews without video cameras or tape recorders — while the local media stewed like fiddleheads.

Famous Quote: Dave Kingman

Dave Kingman congratulated by third base coach Joe Amalfitano

Larry Stoddard / AP Photo

“Dave has the personality of a tree trunk. He’s not a bad guy, but if you try to talk to him, about all he does is grunt.” — Catcher John Stearns

26. Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano throws pitch against Cleveland

Mark Duncan / AP Photo

Position: Pitcher

Career: 12 seasons (2001-12)

Teams: Chicago Cubs (2001-11), Miami Marlins (2012)

Bottom Line: Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano reacts

Nam Y. Huh / AP Photo

As batterymate Michael Barrett could attest, it was best to stay away from this human hand grenade who could go off at any time. In the 2007 season, the two were involved in a nationally televised dispute that began in the dugout and finished with a Big Z punch to the mouth in the clubhouse.

What did the chubby Cubbie possibly have to be unhappy about? In his Chicago farewell, he stole $19 million to win nine games with a 4.82 earned run average.

Famous Quote: Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano pitches

Jeff Roberson / AP Photo

“It was my fault, the way I got off of the Cubs. It was my fault, not the Cubs’ fault.” — Zambrano after their messy divorce

25. Any 1984 Detroit Tiger

Kirk Gibson hits two run home run

Ron Heflin / AP Photo

Won-lost record: 91-71 (first place)

Postseason: Won World Series

Prime suspects: Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish and Lou Whitaker

Bottom Line: Any 1984 Detroit Tiger

Kirk Gibson cheers o second home run

Peter Southwick / AP Photo

This female reporter cringed every time the Tigers came to town. It was their clubhouse. That clubhouse. The one with Gibson, Morris, Parish, Sour Lou . . . One glare could make you melt like goo.

And Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman were known as the Bad Boys?

Famous Quote: Any 1984 Detroit Tiger

Kirk Gibson rounds the bases

Ron Heflin / AP Photo

“I don’t talk to women when I’m naked unless they’re on top of me or I’m on top of them.” — Morris to a female Detroit Free Press intern

24. Sal Maglie

Sal Maglie pitches

AP Photo

Position: Pitcher

Career: 10 seasons (1945, 1950-58)

Teams: New York Giants (1945, 1950-55), Cleveland Indians (1955-56), Brooklyn Dodgers (1956-57), New York Yankees (1957-58), St. Louis Cardinals (1958)

Bottom Line: Sal Maglie

Sal Maglie smoking cigar

John Lindsay / AP Photo

There was no meaner player than Sal The Barber on the bump, and nobody but nobody looked the part any better. He came out of the womb with a permanent scowl and 5 o’clock shadow to match. Worse for hitters, the right-hander wasn’t a thrower but a pitcher, especially in big games.

A New York Daily News sports writer coined his all-time nickname because of the close shaves that he administered to opponents, yet the right-hander averaged only one hit batter every 39 innings.

Famous Quote: Sal Maglie

Sal Maglie with teammates celebrate their win over Brooklyn Dodgers

AP Photo

“He isn’t tough at all. He lets his beard grow before a game, so he’ll look fierce. I used to wonder what people were talking about when they said he scowled ferociously at the batters. Then I stayed home one day and watched him on TV. I hardly knew him.” — Kathleen Maglie, his first wife

23. Gaylord Perry

Gaylord Perry winds up at Spring Training

AP Photo

Position: Pitcher

Career: 22 seasons (1962-83)

Teams: San Francisco Giants (1962-1971), Cleveland Indians (1972-75), Texas Rangers (1975-77, 1980), San Diego Padres (1978-79), New York Yankees (1980), Atlanta Braves (1981), Seattle Mariners (1982-83), Kansas City Royals (1983)

Bottom Line: Gaylord Perry

Gaylord Perry sign

AP Photo

The way one of the biggest cheaters in baseball history figured it, the rules favored the batter, so why shouldn’t a pitcher take matters into his own hands to level the field? For decades, not a game passed that one of his body parts or baseballs wasn’t inspected for a foreign substance.

Yet Perry was ejected one time in his career. When he was a 43-year-old Mariners has-been. Now riddle me this: If some of the most highly suspected steroid cheaters haven’t been allowed into the Hall of Fame, then why should an admitted greaseballer be there?

Famous Quote: Gaylord Perry

Gaylord Perry pitching against the New York Yankees

AP Photo

“There is a difference between jaywalking and grand larceny.” — Perry on accusations that he threw a greaseball/spitball

22. Any 1980 Philadelphia Phillie

Larry Bowa throws out Jose Cruz in NL playoffs

AP Photo

Won-lost record: 91-71 (first place)

Postseason: Won World Series

Prime suspects: Green, Larry Bowa, Tug McGraw, Pete Rose, Michael Jack Schmidt . . .

Bottom Line: Any 1980 Philadelphia Phillie

Dallas Green puts arm around Tug McGraw and Larry Bowa

AP Photo

Pick your favorite Phillie (death is not an option): Green and his pomposity, Bowa and his punkishness, Carlton and his weirdness, McGraw and his slap-happy goofiness, Rose and his utter arrogance (more on him later), Schmidt and his whininess . . .

In Philly, the cry was “Ya Gotta Believe.” For the many others who gagged through it, more like “Ya Gotta Beheave.”

Famous Quote: Any 1980 Philadelphia Phillie

Phillies' Larry Bowa reaches the bag

Kennedy / AP Photo

“I express my thoughts. I’m a screamer, a yeller and a cusser. I never hold back.” — manager Dallas Green

21. Any 1986 New York Met

Keith Hernandez argues with umpire

Mark Duncan / AP Photo

Won-lost record: 108-54 (first place)

Postseason: Won World Series

Prime suspects: Wally Backman, Gary Carter, Lenny Dykstra, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry

Bottom Line: Any 1986 New York Met

Keith Hernandez and Bob Ojeda lunge into stands

Susan Ragan / AP Photo

Start at the top of the order, where Dykstra and Backman were fingernails on a chalkboard. Gooden, Hernandez and Strawberry were so cocky, Muhammad Ali asked for their autographs. And what would the last pitch of another dub-yah be without Camera Carter and that gol-lee, gee-whiz smile on his face?

Oh, then there were the keen insights on Kiner’s Korner such as “All of his saves have come in relief appearances” and “If Casey Stengel were alive today, he’d be spinning in his grave” . . . Come to think of it, there was something to like about this bunch — they weren’t the damn Yankees.

Famous Quote: Any 1986 New York Met

Keith Hernandez hits home run

Ron Frehm / AP Photo

“We were a bunch of vile (f-ers).” — pitcher Bob Ojeda

20. Carlos Gomez

Carlos Gomez flips his bat

Morry Gash / AP Photo

Position: Outfield

Career: 13 seasons (2007-19)

Teams: New York Mets (2007, 2019), Minnesota Twins (2008-09), Milwaukee Brewers (2010-15), Houston Astros (2015-16), Texas Rangers (2016-17), Tampa Bay Rays (2018)

Bottom Line: Carlos Gomez

Carlos Gomez runs to first base

Sarah Stier / AP Photo

Can’t stand the bat flips? Detest the delayed trots to first base? Well, then point a finger at this embarrassment to the game. He turned the routine into an art form.

Pitchers never forget him for it, either. In his last two full seasons, they plunked him no fewer than 40 times in 223 games.

Famous Quote: Carlos Gomez

Carlos Gomez stretches out to catch fly ball

Duane Burleson / AP Photo

“I’ve been doing this for eight years. They know that I do that. It’s not to disrespect nobody.” — Gomez after the Pirates took exception to his bat flip that triggered a brawl in Pittsburgh

19. Gary Sheffield

Gary Sheffield leaps to catch a ball

Kathy Willens / AP Photo

Position: Outfield-third base

Career: 22 seasons (1988-2009)

Teams: Milwaukee Brewers (1988-1991), San Diego Padres (1992-93), Florida Marlins (1993-98), Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2001), Atlanta Braves (2002-03), New York Yankees (2004-06), Detroit Tigers (2007-08), New York Mets (2009)

Bottom Line: Gary Sheffield

Gary Sheffield reacts after strikeout

Tim Sharp / AP Photo

We’re surprised that ESPN never hired this guy. He seemed to have an excuse for everything and wore out a lot of fans in the process.

And let’s not forget the fact that he dismissed ties with steroid use, which can be debunked by just looking at the numbers. He hit 30-or-more homers only twice in his 20s but six times in his 30s, the kind of graph line that makes you go hmmmmm.

Famous Quote: Gary Sheffield

Los Angeles Dodgers' Gary Sheffield hits a home run

Morry Gash / AP Photo

“I’ve been the best player on every team that I played on, so if I can’t be the poster child of your team, then what else is it? It’s got to be a black-white issue. Every white player I know who’s the best player on their team is the poster child of that team.” — Sheffield

18. Ted Williams

Boston's Ted Williams walks

Fox / AP Photo

Position: Outfield

Career: 19 seasons (1939-42, 1946-60)

Teams: Boston Red Sox

Bottom Line: Ted Williams

Ted Williams swinging at Spring Training

AP Photo

No superstar has had a love-hate relationship with his home town quite like this one.

Teddy Ballgame forgot more about hitting than everyone else remembered, and any criticism from inferior seamheads (read: fans and media) could set him off.

Famous Quote: Ted Williams

Dom Di Maggio, Bobby Doerr, and Ted Williams pose at Fenway

AP Photo

“I’d spit again at those booing bastards.” — Williams after he dropped a fly ball then released a couple loogies toward the box seats on the way to the dugout

17. John Rocker

Atlanta Braves' John Rocker throws pitch

John Bazemore / AP Photo

Position: Pitcher

Career: 6 seasons (1998-2003)

Teams: Atlanta Braves (1998-2001), Cleveland Indians (2001), Texas Rangers (2002), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003)

Bottom Line: John Rocker

John Rocker reacts

Mark Lennihan / AP Photo

On a cab ride with a Sports Illustrated writer, the Braves reliever low-bridged everyone from women drivers to “queer” subway passengers and paid a price for it. The media vilified him as racist, sexist, a mass murderer and worse.

We’re fairly confident of this: This yahoo holds the unofficial record for the most incredibly stupid things said by a professional athlete in the shortest amount of time.

Famous Quote: John Rocker

John Rocker throws

Ted S. Warren / AP Photo

“I’m merely a baseball player, guys. In the great scheme of things, my thoughts, opinions and attitudes are of little importance.” — Rocker

16. Any 1989-90 Oakland A

Rickey Henderson reacts with bat

Edwin Remsberg / AP Photo

Won-lost record: 99-63 (1989, first place), 103-59 (1990, first)

Postseason: Won World Series (1989), lost World Series (1990)

Prime suspects: Jose Canseco, Dennis Eckersley, Rickey Henderson, Mark McGwire, manager Tony LaRussa

Bottom Line: Any 1989-90 Oakland A

Rickey Henderson reacts with a base

Bill Beattie / AP Photo

Once you got over the fact that Eckersley was “a dick on the mound” (teammate Dave Henderson’s words, not ours), Rickey Henderson was insufferable in his conceit, the Bash Brothers were all ‘roided up and LaRussa stole precious time off of our lives with countless pitching changes, sure, this was a very easy team to like.

And let’s not forget they played in a reconfigured football stadium with enough foul ground to raise a few dozen farm animals.

Famous Quote: Any 1989-90 Oakland A

Rickey Henderson making contact with ball

John Mabanglo / AP Photo

“Ricky’s the best.” — outfielder Rickey Henderson before games. To himself. While buck naked in front of a clubhouse mirror.

15. Any 1934 St. Louis Cardinal

“Dizzy” Dean throwing the ball

AP Photo

Won-lost record: 95-58 (first place)

Postseason: Won World Series

Prime suspects: Tex Carleton, Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Pepper Martin, Joe Medwick

Bottom Line: Any 1934 St. Louis Cardinal

Dizzy Dean throwing

Gil Friedberg / AP Photo

You know a team is intensely unpopular when their own players don’t much like one another. The famous Gashouse Gang had multiple factions of pranksters and smack talkers who competed internally as much as against other teams.

The undisputed ringleader of the three-ring circus was the cantankerous Dean, as in Dizzy, who mocked hitters when they stepped to the plate, made goofy faces at them while they awaited the pitch and then laughed like hell when they struck out.

Famous Quote: Any 1934 St. Louis Cardinal

Dizzy Dean gives rookies lesson

AP Photo

“Me and (brother) Paul are gonna win 45 games.” — pitcher Dizzy Dean

14. Garry Templeton

Garry Templeton throw ball

AP Photo

Position: Shortstop

Career: 16 seasons (1976-1991)

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1976-81), San Diego Padres (1982-91), New York Mets (1991)

Bottom Line: Garry Templeton

Garry Templeton slides

Rusty Kennedy / AP Photo

Unless you wear a Chicago Cubs uniform, it takes a lot to get Cardinals Nation to turn on you forever. On Aug. 26, 1981, this talented-but-troubled malcontent did the unfathomable. The SoCal native had wanted out of town for a while. When he flipped off some customers not once but twice after an ejection, the deed was all but done.

It wasn’t long before he was dealt to San Diego in return for future Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, seldom to be heard from again.

Famous Quote: Garry Templeton

Pete Rose lands on back of Garry Templeton

JVH / AP Photo

“Templeton doesn’t want to play in St. Louis. He doesn’t want to play on (artificial) turf. He doesn’t want to play when we go to Montreal. He doesn’t want to play in the Astrodome. He doesn’t want to play in the rain. The other 80 games, he’s all right.” — Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog

13. Albert Belle

Albert Belle hit the ball

Mark Duncan / AP Photo

Position: Outfield

Career: 12 seasons (1989-2000)

Teams: Cleveland Indians (1989-96), Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), Chicago White Sox (1972-74), Oakland Athletics (1977)

Bottom Line: Albert Belle

Albert Belle hits the ball

Mark Duncan / AP Photo

Belle was the more crazed version of Dick Allen, an all-time badass who was his own worst enemy. In 1994, the slugger was caught with a corked bat and suspended for it. Two years later, he was sued by the guardian of a Halloween prankster after he chased and allegedly bumped the kid with his Ford Explorer. (The suit was settled out of court.)

He stalked his girlfriend and spent 90 days in jail. More recently, there was an arrest for drunk driving and indecent exposure in front of a man and his daughter. So, yeah, the guy touched all the bases, all right.

Famous Quote: Albert Belle

Albert Belle on second base

Mark Duncan / AP Photo

“When he’s on the field and 0 for 3, I don’t recommend that you talk to him. Sometimes he throws the cooler around. Sometimes he breaks phones in the clubhouse. There are cookies all over the place. This guy is so unbelievable, he can go 3-for-3, go into his last at-bat and pop out, and he’s still throwing cookies around.” — Indians teammate Omar Vizquel

12. Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun making a fielding play

Morry Gash / AP Photo

Position: Outfield

Career: 14 seasons (2007-20)

Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Bottom Line: Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun bat drop

Morry Gash / AP Photo

If you want to be thoroughly entertained, then sit with Cubs fans in the Wrigley Field bleachers on the days that this scumbag plays in the outfield. They won’t let him forget his positive drug test, the one that he blamed on a FedEx driver who despised Jews and loved the Cubbies. Or he claimed.

Even worse, the smear campaign came with a smugness that could make skin crawl. Only two years later, the outfielder was linked to the Biogenesis clinic in Florida and suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season without pay, a sentence that he declined to appeal. Meanwhile, since the FedEx travesty, the guy has, um, mailed it in with a mere 19 home runs per season.

Famous Quote: Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun connects with ball for RBI single

Kyle Ericson / AP Photo

“This is all B.S. I am completely innocent.” — Braun on his failed drug test

11. Rafael Palmeiro

Rafael Palmeiro hits the ball

Dave Hermond / AP Photo

Position: First base

Career: 20 seasons (1986-2005)

Teams: Chicago Cubs (1986-88), Texas Rangers (1989-93 1990-2003), Baltimore Orioles (1994-98, 2004-05)

Bottom Line: Rafael Palmeiro

Rafael Palmeiro reacting

Linda Kaye / AP Photo

Remember those infamous words to Congress? And the finger wag that accompanied them?Only five months later, this pathological liar was outed in a drug test and suspended for 10 days. Yet he still had the nerve to say, “I have never intentionally used steroids. Never. Ever. Period.”

Two years later, the Mitchell Report confirmed what we knew all along. Now he wants back into baseball. Yeah, just what we need — this loser to pontificate more about steroids. Never. Ever. Period.

Famous Quote: Rafael Palmeiro

Rafael Palmeiro looks on at his home run

Donna McWilliam / AP Photo

“Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids — period. I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.” — Palmeiro at a Congressional steroids inquiry

10. Carl Mays

Carl Mays throwing the ball

nut_history / Twitter

Position: Pitcher

Career: 15 seasons (1915-29)

Teams: Boston Red Sox (1915-19), New York Yankees (1919-23), Cincinnati Reds (1924-28), New York Giants (1929)

Bottom Line: Carl Mays

Portrait of Carl Mays

AP Photo

His errant fastball was responsible for the death of Ray Chapman, the only on-field fatality in major league history. That will get even a career 206-game winner some bad pub, fair or not. If you have the demeanor of a Brillo pad on glass, it will get you tagged as the most despised player in the game.

At least three teams petitioned American League resident Ban Johnson to throw him out of baseball permanently. The loner had few friends to begin with — he was known to even call out teammates for their lapses in the field. An unsubstantiated rumor that the right-hander fixed 1921 and 1922 World Series games was the final blow to a potential Hall of Fame career.

Famous Quote: Carl Mays

Carl Mays pitching

LeagueParkCle / Twitter

“Mays is a low-ball pitcher. How does it happen that when he puts a ball on the inside, it generally comes near the batter’s head?” — An opponent on his well-deserved reputation as a head-hunter

9. Cap Anson

Cap Anson posing

AP Photo

Position: First base

Career: 22 seasons (1888-1909)

Teams: Chicago Cubs

Bottom Line: Cap Anson

Cap Anson swinging the bat

baseballinpix / Twitter

As the first superstar in the sport, the Captain had his share of admirers in baseball circles. It was because of that notoriety that his voice carried an equal amount of clout — too much for many of his peers. His refusal to compete against teams with black players effectively built the color barrier that would remain in place for decades.

Yet it was his role in the demise of the rival Players League as Cubs player and part owner that made him far more enemies in the game. While some media championed him as the man who saved the National League, the bitter Players League “traitors” would remember him as the one who rerouted their careers if not destroyed them entirely.

Famous Quote: Cap Anson

Cap Anson

timcarrollart / Twitter

“Cap Anson was a blowhard, and the older he got, the harder he blew.” — baseball historian Bill James

8. Dick Allen

Dick Allen batting

AP Photo

Position: First base-third base

Career: 15 seasons (1963-1977)

Teams: Philadelphia Phillies (1963-69, 1975-76), St. Louis Cardinals (1970), Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), Chicago White Sox (1972-74), Oakland Athletics (1977)

Bottom Line: Dick Allen

Dick Allen waiting to field the ball

uniformcritic / Twitter

Remember the 1972 Sport Illustrated cover that showed the soon-to-be Most Valuable Player juggling baseballs with a cig in his mouth before a game? That pretty much sums up the most talented, complex and controversial players not in the Hall in Fame today.

Reviled by teammates, media and fans alike, he was widely seen as a bad guy and even worse teammate. If the Wampum Walloper does get a Hall of Fame pass eventually — after all, he was the best hitter in the bigs over a 10-year period (1964-73) — it won’t be because of an ability to raise the floor around him.

Famous Quote: Dick Allen

Dick Allen sitting in dugout

Bill Chaplis / AP Photo

“I wish they’d shut the gates and let us play ball with no press and no fans.” — Allen on his relationship with the human race

7. Any 2017 Houston Astro

Jose Altuve celebrates home run

Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo

Won-lost record: 108-54 (first place)

Postseason: Won World Series

Prime suspects: Every player on the roster.

Bottom Line: Any 2017 Houston Astro

Jose Altuve running down the first baseline

Matt Slocum / AP Photo

Something didn’t smell right in the 2017 World Series. The Astros slammed 15 home runs against the Dodgers in seven games. Two years later, an MLB investigation uncovered the rat — coaches Carlos Beltran and Alex Cora had masterminded an elaborate sign-stealing scheme that gave their offense a huge competitive advantage.

Even though virtually every player in an Astros uniform had some knowledge of the scandal, commissioner Rob Manfred let them off the hook, a show of cowardice that poured more fuel on a fire that raged throughout the country. In the age of social media, these cheaters pissed off more people than any in baseball history.

Famous Quote: Any 2017 Houston Astro

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve flips his bat

Michael Wyke / AP Photo

“They cheated. I don’t agree with the punishments, the players not getting anything. It was a player-driven thing. It sucks, too, because guys’ careers have been affected. A lot of people lost jobs…” — Mike Trout, California Angels outfielder

6. Pete Rose

Pete Rose throwing hat on ground

Rusty Kennedy / AP Photo

Position: Outfield-first base-third base-second base

Career: 24 seasons (1983-86)

Teams: Cincinnati Reds (1963-78, 1985-86), Philadelphia Phillies (1979-83), Montreal Expos (1984)

Bottom Line: Pete Rose

Pete Rose follow through swing

AP Photo

I placed bets on major league games in violation of the rules. It was a big mistake that I regret to this day. I apologize to the players, the fans and the game.

There — was that so difficult? That’s all this egomaniac needed to do to get in the game again. But nooooo, he’s Pete Rose, and you’re not. Now it’s decades later, and he’s still the villain with a tarnished legacy and no chance to gain Hall of Fame induction in his lifetime. Tell us, Charlie Hustle, was it worth it?

Famous Quote: Pete Rose

Pete Rose sliding into third

Ray Stubblebine / AP Photo

“There’s one more important reason I slide head-first: It gets my picture in the paper.” — Rose

5. Any New York Yankee

Alex Rodriguez watches home run

Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Won-lost record: 10,411-7,867 (first overall)

Postseason: 27 World Series titles (first overall)

Prime suspects: Aroldis Chapman, Roger Clemens (hint: this is the correct answer), Jason Giambi, Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, Roger Maris, Billy Martin, Johnny Mize, Thurman Munson, Paul O’Neill, Alex Rodriguez (OK, maybe it’s him), Babe Ruth . . .

Bottom Line: Any New York Yankee

A-Rod frustrated

Paul Sancya / AP Photo

As we know, the Yankees own the most league championships in pro team sports history. But as their legion of haters are quick to ask, how much of that success has to do with market size and financial resources, and how much of it is the result of good, old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity?

The truth is, this franchise has destroyed the competitive balance of a game with its ginormous payrolls, a major reason why so many teams no longer play to win and their fans have moved on to other sports.

Famous Quote: Any New York Yankee

Alex Rodriguez reacts after striking out

Kathy Willens / AP Photo

“Hating the New York Yankees is as American as apple pie, unwed mothers and cheating on your income tax.” — Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko

4. Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb posing for portrait

AP Photo

Position: Outfield

Career: 24 seasons (1905-28)

Team: Detroit Tigers (1905-28)

Bottom Line: Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb catching a ball

AP Photo

Consider that character is part of the criteria, and it’s unfathomable that the most despised player in the game would receive more votes than anyone in the first Hall of Fame election. That’s right — more than Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson and Honus Wagner among others.

It could be that the judges feared the career .367 hitter would slide high and hard into them or worse. According to unsubstantiated reports, he was responsible for the deaths of at least three people. Some of the many dark stories associated with Cobb are open to debate — the extent of his racial bias included — but only a few.

Famous Quote: Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb

AP Photo

“I had to fight all my life to survive. They were all against me, but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch.” — Cobb

3. Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby swing

AP Photo

Position: Second base

Career: 23 seasons (1915-37)

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1915-26, 1933), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1929-32), St. Louis Browns (1933-37)

Bottom Line: Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby portrait

AP Photo

The Rajah was hugely popular among fans and even umpires. How could they not appreciate the only player to hit .400 and 40 home runs in one season? But his peers on the field, they wanted to kick his butt.

After the cantankerous Cubs player-manager was relieved of his latter duties in the midst of a clubhouse revolt, the team promptly went on to win the 1932 National League pennant. Then, his teammates voted him out of a World Series bonus. What’s more, he was reputed to be a Ku Klux Klan member who also released Catholic players out of religious bias. Now you know why the guy had seven more batting titles than friends by all accounts.

Famous Quote: Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby interacting

AP Photo

“Hornsby knew more about baseball and less about diplomacy than anyone I ever knew.” — Unspecified sportswriter

2. Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds at bat against Dodgers

John Swart / AP Photo

Position: Outfield

Career: 22 seasons (1986-2007)

Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-92), San Francisco Giants (1993-2007)

Bottom Line: Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds gives high fives

John Swart / AP Photo

Every real baseball fan has a reason why he or she can’t stand Barry Barry Quite Contrary, and we have ours: The rear wipe made a joke of the record book in the sport that had the most recited and revered record book of all.

Forget the 73 home runs and 120 intentional walks and 1.422 OPS in one season. No, the most remarkable stat is that his hat size grew by a full three-eighths of an inch in a matter of months.

Famous Quote: Barry Bonds

San Franciso Giants' Barry Bonds goes to bat against Cincinnati Reds

Shari Cohen / AP Photo

“It’s hard to digest.” — the real all-time home run king Hank Aaron on Bonds and his use of steroids

1. Any 1919 Chicago ‘Black’ Sox

Lefty Williams posing

1970Orioles / Twitter

Won-lost record: 108-54 (first place)

Postseason: Won World Series

Prime suspects: Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver, Lefty Williams

Bottom Line: Any 1919 Chicago ‘Black’ Sox

Lefty Williams warming

AlexCheremeteff / Twitter

More than 100 years later, the fix of the 1919 World Series remains the worst scandal in professional team sports history, one that deeply scarred a game and a franchise forever.

We can sympathize with Weaver, who did not take part in the scheme and should have been reinstated years ago. As for the others, they get what they deserve. Which is to say, permanent places front and center in the Hall of Shame.

Famous Quote: Any 1919 Chicago ‘Black’ Sox

Lefty Williams

TheSkimmers / Twitter

“Say it ain’t so, Joe.” — a phrase that became legend from a Chicago Daily News headline in reference to Joe Jackson

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Ed Betz / AP Photo

Fess up, Killer. You root against some baseball players as much or more than you root for some teams. You’re not alone, you know.

Here’s the shortlist of the most hated players in MLB history past and present, and we guaran-darn-tee you that at least one is on yours as well.

30. Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper argues with umpire

Frank Franklin II / AP Photo

Position: Outfield

Career: 12 seasons (2012-present)

Teams: Washington Nationals (2012-18), Philadelphia Phillies (2019-present)

Bottom Line: Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper flips bat after hitting home run

Alex Brandon / AP Photo

Eminently entitled and supremely self-absorbed, this Gen Zer is the poster child for a lot of what’s wrong with baseball these days. Yo, Planet Bryce: There’s a real world down here. You’re welcome to it.

Then again, one could argue that $23.5 million a year is a small price to pay for a lifetime .376 hitter. Wait — you mean he’s a career .280 hitter? Oh, never mind then.

Famous Quote: Bryce Harper

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper heads up first base line after hitting solo home run

David Zalubowski / AP Photo

“I’m not trying to fit in with nobody. I’m just me.” — Harper after he signed with the Phillies as a free agent

29. A.J. Pierzynski

A. J. Pierzynski meets with Orlando Herandez on mound

Brian Kersey / AP Photo

Position: Catcher

Career: 19 seasons (1998-2016)

Teams: Minnesota Twins (1998-2003), San Francisco Giants (2004), Chicago White Sox (2005-12), Texas Rangers (2013), St. Louis Cardinals (2014), Boston Red Sox (2014), Atlanta Braves (2015-16)