Most hated MLB players today

For his efforts North of the border, former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista has become one of baseball's most hated players. Bautista is never afraid to stop and watch how far a home run goes whenever he hits one, a habit that draws ire from fans and opposing pitchers alike. "Joey Bats" is currently a free agent.

In 2011, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun tested positive for PEDs but managed to have his test thrown out due to a procedural technicality. Then in 2013, Braun’s name appeared multiple times in the log books of Biogenesis of America, a clinic that distributed PEDs to athletes. Braun vehemently denied ever using PEDs to the public, but as more information leaked over time, it became clear that Braun was a bald-faced liar. He eventually admitted his wrongdoings and apologized for them, but years of lying to baseball fans have made Braun one of the most hated players from coast to coast.

In 2012, one month after winning the All-Star Game MVP, then-Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera was suspended 50 games for testing positive for steroids. Now playing for the Chicago White Sox, Cabrera is constantly berated by opposing fans for his PED use.

After winning a World Series and making five All-Star teams with the Yankees, second baseman Robinson Cano turned Yankees fans into haters by signing a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners in late 2013. Considering the Yankees actually offered Cano more money per year to stay, Cano’s choice to leave New York was interpreted as a slap in the face to the team and organization that made him the player he is today.

Yoenis Cespedes is one of the top outfielders in the majors. However, before Cespedes was traded from the Red Sox to the Mets in 2015, he wore out his welcome with both fans and the club. In his half season in Boston, Cespedes was perceived as whiny by the fans and clashed with coaches. The All-Star seems to have found a more suitable home in New York.

Throwing a 105 mph fastball terrifies hitters and amazes fans, but All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman also has a number of haters. In December 2015, Chapman was involved in a domestic violence incident in which he allegedly choked his girlfriend. The negative spotlight the incident cast Chapman in caused the Dodgers to end trade talks for the relief pitcher. After winning the World Series with the Cubs in 2016, Chapman signed a five-year, $86 million deal with the Yankees this offseason.

Perhaps the best all-around third baseman in the majors, Josh Donaldson has truly earned the hatred opposing fans and players have for him. Once described as “classless” by Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher, the Blue Jays star routinely watches his home runs from the batter's box, has a history of making obscene gestures to opposing dugouts and even started a fight with his own manager in a game this past season. The 2015 AL MVP, Donaldson is a fantastic talent but a lot to put up with.

Traded by the White Sox to the Nationals this offseason, there have long been whispers coming out of Chicago that outfielder Adam Eaton is a frustrating player for coaches and teammates to deal with. Valid or not, these whispers have created a reputation for Eaton among some in the baseball world as a “phony” who doesn’t do as much to help his team win as it may appear. There are also some baseball fans who simply feel that Eaton is highly overrated in the first place.

A classic power-hitting corner infielder, Edwin Encarnacion’s MLB career has not been free of controversy. Along with his former Blue Jays teammate Jose Bautista, Encarnacion is considered to be a showboat by many fans and players for the manner in which he struts around the bases after hitting home runs. Encarnacion signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Indians in December.

Carlos Gomez is your classic baseball hothead. A two-time All-Star with the Brewers, Gomez has caused several bench-clearing brawls over his career for taunting opposing players after hitting home runs. No one likes a show-off in baseball, and Carlos Gomez is exactly that. The 31-year-old currently plays for the Rangers.

Perhaps the best all-around player in the National League, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has become one of baseball's most hated players. Harper is perceived as being spoiled by many MLB fans, and the fact that he exudes a smug sense of arrogance doesn't help matters. However, regardless of the hate, Harper is an unbelievably talented baseball player.

By all accounts, Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward is a good guy, but signing a massive contract and then failing to perform will earn any athlete some hate. The Cubs signed Heyward to an eight-year, $184 million contract in 2015, only to see him hit .230 with seven home runs and 49 RBI this past season. These numbers have caused Heyward to become a major source of frustration for Cubs fans.

Since being one of the key players that led the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series victory in 2008, first baseman Ryan Howard has had a tough go of it. After signing a five-year, $125 million contract in 2010 that left the Phillies with limited financial flexibility, Howard has seemingly spent more time on the DL than in the batter's box. Now a shell of the player he used to be, Howard spent most of his time tormenting Phillies fans with the worst strikeout rate in the majors. Thankfully for Phillies fans, Howard is now a free agent.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Matt Kemp is now mostly hated by Dodgers and Padres fans. After an MVP-caliber season in 2011, Kemp signed an eight-year, $160 million extension with the Dodgers. However, after signing the extension, Kemp could barely stay on the field, suffering new injury after new injury, and frequently stirred up controversy in the clubhouse. Kemp was traded in 2014 to the Padres, with the Dodgers organization picking up most of the money left on his contract. In San Diego, Kemp was a flop for the Padres, who traded him to Atlanta in July.

For years now, White Sox third baseman Brett Lawrie has been a steady source of criticism of fans and players. Lawrie does everything from yelling at the top of his lungs when he gets a hit, to trash talking opposing fans, to showing up his own third base coach. Simply put, Lawrie’s pugnacious personality clashes with many in the baseball community.

One of the most talented players in all of baseball, slowly but steadily Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is becoming one the game’s most hated players. Traditional baseball fans tend to feel that Machado has an extremely poor attitude, and the 24-year-old has been accused by opposing players of making dirty slides on the base paths. Machado is also maligned for a 2014 incident in which he appeared to intentionally throw his bat at an Oakland Athletics player. Those are optics that don’t exactly play well.

Although he had a terrific season for the Washington Nationals, second baseman Daniel Murphy is hated by baseball fans for something that has nothing to do with his playing style. In 2015, Murphy made statements about the LBGTQ community that many baseball fans felt were bigoted and just plain wrong.

A fan favorite in Texas, outside of the Rangers fan base not too many people in the baseball world like Rougned Odor. Most famous for punching Jose Bautista in the face on the base paths, Odor is a scrappy player who enjoys getting under the skin of opposing fans and players. If a brawl breaks out in a game you’re watching and Odor is playing, there's a good chance the second baseman caused it.

Relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon isn't exactly a fan favorite. Papelbon has been known to antagonize fans and teammates. Most recently, he got into a fight in the dugout with teammate Bryce Harper after he chewed out Harper for not running out a fly ball. The Nationals released Papelbon outright this past August.

2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia has done little to earn himself love from fans outside of the Boston area. In a 2009 interview, Pedroia ranted against his hometown of Woodland, Calif., calling it a “dump,” among other negative things. Although Pedroia would later say his words were taken out of context and that he was joking, he still remains one of baseball’s most hated players.

Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips has somehow inspired enough hate from baseball fans to earn himself a Facebook page dedicated to their dislike for him. The “I hate Brandon Phillips” Facebook page currently has nearly 2,200 followers. Most of the hate likely stems from a 2010 interview in which Phillips made his hatred for the St. Louis Cardinals loud and clear.

Having just completed his 19th year in the majors, catcher A.J. Pierzynski is still disdained by fans and players alike. Described by former teammates as having a difficult personality to deal with in the clubhouse, Pierzynski has caused more than his fair share of bench-clearing brawls over his career. Throw in the fact that he has regularly spent time in the offseason wrestling for TNA and WWE, and it’s easy to see why he is one of baseball’s most hated players.

Yasiel Puig's fall from grace with the Dodgers has been a stunning one. He's gone from their most popular player to their most hated, in and outside the clubhouse, in less than two years. The mega-talent has killed his trade value with his poor, undisciplined play over the last year. He has also been called a cancer inside the clubhouse. Puig's days as a Dodger may be numbered.

If there was an award for worst fielding at his position, former Dodgers and Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez would have won it already multiple times. Although Ramirez has found success playing first base for the Red Sox, his cocky attitude continues to rub many fans the wrong way.

When you’re signed to a seven-year, $161 million contract, showing up to spring training out of shape and overweight probably isn’t the best way to earn respect. For Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, doing exactly this has hurt his reputation in the eyes of his fans. With a record of 9-12 in 2016, Sabathia and his massive contract are holding the Yankees back from rebuilding the team in the eyes of many fans.

The MVP of the 2012 World Series, Pablo Sandoval, although lovable to his own fans, is still hated by most baseball fans. After winning multiple World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants, “Kung Fu Panda” chose to take his talents to the Boston Red Sox and burned his bridges on his way out of the Bay. Sandoval has also been criticized for routinely showing up to spring training overweight and out of shape. He came up to bat just six times in 2016 for Red Sox due to a shoulder injury.

After winning the 2013 AL Cy Young award with the Detroit Tigers, pitcher Max Scherzer turned down a six-year, $144 million extension with Detroit in the hopes of making more money the following year. To the dismay of many baseball fans, Scherzer’s gamble paid off, as he signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals. Although he had a superb first two seasons with the Nats, winning the 2016 NL Cy Young, Scherzer is still perceived as a greedy mercenary by many baseball fans.

The hate for Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton stems from one simple fact: He is signed to the richest contract in all of sports. Stanton signed a 13-year, $325 million contract with the Marlins in late 2014, a contract that many baseball fans feel is entirely undeserved. He sure can hit the long ball though.

Similar to his former teammate Ryan Howard, Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley has seen a significant decline in his production but not in his pay. After being traded to the Dodgers, Utley broke the leg of Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada on a dirty slide in the playoffs, leading the creation of the "Utley Rule."

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander has spent the best part of the last 10 years torturing American League teams and their fans. Just the name “Verlander” conjures up feelings of hate in fans of AL Central teams. Throw in the fact that Verlander is dating supermodel Kate Upton, and he is easily one of the most hated pitchers in the around.