The 20 MLB Hitters You Would Hate to Get Run Over By At Home Plate
The home plate collision is one of the most jarring moments in all of sports, as you see the type of hits you expect on the gridiron in the tamer arena of the baseball diamond.
No collision is more memorable than when Pete Rose collided with Ray Fosse in the last play of the 1970 All-Star game, but there have been some big ones over the years.
So here are the 20 players playing today that I would least like to find myself in a collision with at home plate.
Hunter Pence
1 of 20
The term scrappy gets thrown around a lot in sports, but Pence truly embodies the scrappy player mentality, as he makes the most out of average athletics skills.
Just watching him hit, and the way he moves around in the batters box, it is clear that he has an over abundance of energy, and what better outlet for that energy than a bone jarring collision at home plate. No thanks.
Todd Helton
2 of 20
Helton has the distinction of being the guy who lost his starting quarterback job to Peyton Manning at Tennessee, but he played well in his three games at quarterback for the SEC team before getting injured.
While he has gotten up there in age and lost a step, anyone that can play football at an SEC school is someone who can take a hit and dole one out.
Mark DeRosa
3 of 20
A former starting quarterback at the University of Pennsylvania, where he went 16-3 as a starter and he made the right choice choosing baseball over football as Ivy League quarterbacks don't have the best track record as pros.
A hard nosed player who is a do everything guy, he too has the football mentality that could make him dangerous in a collision.
Albert Pujols
4 of 20
Pujols has struggled this year, but he is "The Machine" for a reason, and chances are by the time the end of the season rolls around he will have the same numbers that he has all throughout his career.
He checks in at 6-3 and 230 pounds and he is about as solidly built as they get, so a collision with him would no doubt be a painful one.
Aaron Rowand
5 of 20
There may be no player in baseball who has less regard for his overall health than Rowand, as he has a history of going all out on every play.
His most memorable example of such was when he was a member of the Phillies and crashed face first into a fence while catching a fly ball, breaking a number of bones in his face. That is the type of guy who would do whatever it takes to score a run,
Matt Kemp
6 of 20
Kemp is a legitimate five tool player, and he is currently leading the National League with eight steals this season, and his combination of speed and power make him an impressive overall athlete.
At 6-3 and 215 pounds, Kemp is a big guy and with his speed, a collision at the plate could do a good deal of damage and chances are he would win that collision and score the run.
Matt Holliday
7 of 20
Holliday, a former top recruit at quarterback out of high school who committed to Oklahoma State before being drafted in the seventh round, certainly has a football players pedigree.
And at 6-4 and 235 pounds with double digit steal ability, he is no slouch in the speed power department himself and is a gamer.
Grady Sizemore
8 of 20
Sizemore is one of the most athletic players in the league when healthy, and that was no different in high school when he played running back and cornerback, and set school records in rushing and interceptions.
He committed to the University of Washington, but eventually signed with the Expos instead, and he should have no trouble barreling over a catcher if he can break through a defensive line.
Carl Crawford
9 of 20
Crawford is the definition of a power/speed guy, and he has taken his talents to the bigger market of Boston now, and while he has gotten off to a slow start this year he should become a star there in time.
With a football background, as he was recruited out of high school to play quarterback at Nebraska before signing with the Rays, Crawford has the skill set to deliver quite a hit.
Hanley Ramirez
10 of 20
When he first broke into the league in 2006 with the Marlins, Ramirez was a lanky speedster who had the potential for some power down the line once he filled out. Then he gained 25 pounds of muscle prior to the 2009 season and he is now one of the top power/speed threats in the game.
At 6-3 and 230 pounds, and with 50 steal speed, there may be no dangerous player to have rounding third base with a full head of steam if there is going to be a play at the plate.
Torri Hunter
11 of 20
Hunter is used to bone jarring collisions with the outfield wall as he has robbed home runs from players time and again, so he is not one to shy away from contact.
However, when he took out White Sox catcher Jamie Burke when the plate was not even blocked, questions were raised as to whether Hunter was a dirty. Regardless, I wouldn't want to find myself between him and home plate.
Mike Stanton
12 of 20
Stanton is the next great power hitter in the MLB, as he showed last year when he hit 22 home runs in just 359 at bats, and he is an intimidating presence at the plate.
Standing 6-5 and weighing in at a solid 235 pounds, Stanton is a big guy, and he is a fantastic athlete for his size and someone who could do some damage in a collision.
Joe Mauer
13 of 20
Mauer has the unique angle of having the chance to be on both ends of a collision, and he is a safe bet to hold is ground whether he is the one colliding or being collided with.
He was once the number one football recruit in the nation and committed to play football at Florida State, where he would have been Chris Weinke's replacement and most likely started as a freshman. He is the unique athlete who could have starred in both sports.
Travis Hafner
14 of 20
Hafner has struggled of late to match the numbers he put up earlier in his career, when he was a safe bet for .300 BA, 30 HR, 100 RBI, but "Pronk" is still a big boy.
At 6-3 and 240 pounds, he is not someone who you want to hit you, as Taylor Teagarden can attest to after he was leveled by Hafner last season.
C.C. Sabathia
15 of 20
While he is a pitcher, Sabathia does spend some time on the bases, as a .258 career hitter, with 25 career hits including three doubles and three home runs.
At 6-7 and 290 pounds, there is no one in the league that is bigger than him, and he is the sort of guy who would not be afraid to run over the catcher even though he is a pitcher, and that would be like colliding with a defensive lineman.
Jason Heyward
16 of 20
All signs point to Heyward being a future superstar and leading the Braves into the next decade, and he is a huge man at just 21 years old.
Drafted out of high school, and an everyday player at 20 years old, Heyward stands 6-5 and weighs 240 pounds, and he runs well enough to steal 11 bases last year. All that points to a bad collision.
David Ortiz
17 of 20
Generously listed at 230 pounds, Ortiz is called Big Papi for a reason, as he is no doubt one of the larger players in baseball today.
He is also an intense competitor and someone who would not hesitate to level a player if it meant the difference between a win and a loss.
Pablo Sandoval
18 of 20
With a nicknames like "Kung Fu Panda" and "Round Mound of Pound" it is clear that Sandoval is on the large side, and even though he dropped some weight prior to this season, he is still one of the larger guys in the league.
He is now a "slimmed down" 240 pounds and once he gets some momentum going he can rumble with the best of them, and i for one would just get out of his way.
Adam Dunn
19 of 20
Dunn is known as the "Big Donkey" and he is a thunderous power hitter who has perhaps the biggest frame in all of baseball, and he also has fairly good speed for his size and is a good base runner.
He checks in at an intimidating 6-6 and 285 pounds, and he has had a number of big collisions under his belt already today.
Prince Fielder
20 of 20
Fielder is a big boy, and when he gets moving he can really pick up a head of steam, much like Frank Thomas could back in the 1990s.
He also has a history with collision, as he ran right over them Giants catcher Todd Greene back in 2006 and knocked him out of the game, putting him out of commission for a few days. So the best advice would be to simply get out of his way.
