15 Biggest Prima Donnas in MLB

It takes a certain amount of talent to be a major league baseball player, and there is no denying that it is an impressive feat simply to make it to that level of competition.

However, for some baseball players they are unable to embrace the fact that they have been blessed with a god given ability and should be happy with what they have.

Instead, for one reason or another, some players become a distraction to their team and are more times than not labeled a prima donna. Occasionally a non-player is even able to steal the spotlight from the team or from the sport in general.

The dictionary defines a prima donna as a vain, undisciplined, egotistical, obnoxious or temperamental person who finds it difficult to work under direction or as part of a team. The following 15 MLB players fit the bill as a prima donna one way or another as you will see.

Jose Guillen

A career journeyman, Guillen came to the Giants last season in a deal that looked like a fantastic move for a team looking to make the playoffs, as he had a line of .255 BA, 16 HR, 62 RBI.

Instead Pat Burrell and Cody Ross proved to be the pickups the team needed and Guillen was left off the postseason roster when an ongoing investigation of his involvement in an HGH issue surfaced, and he has been out of the league since those issues arose.

With a career line of .270 BA, 214 HR, 887 RBI it is clear that Guillen is talented, but at this point it is more trouble than it is worth to put him on your roster.

Milton Bradley

While he is currently out of the league, there may be no bigger squandered talent in all of baseball right now than Milton Bradley.

After an up and down career that included a torn ACL while being held back by a coach and a number of other detrimental tantrums throughout his career, Bradley pulled it together for a season with the Rangers as he went .321 BA, 22 HR, 77 RBI and led the AL in on-base percentage.

That earned him a three-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs, and he immediately made them regret it with an awful first season that ended with him dismissed from the team and eventually traded to the Mariners for the equally awful contract of Carlos Silva.

The term clubhouse cancer gets thrown around more than it should, but that is the best way to describe Bradley at this point. It remains to be seen if anyone will sign him or if a forced retirement is in order.

Dallas Braden

There are unwritten rules in the game of baseball, and last season one of the more obscure rules was put front and center when Dallas Braden took control of "his" pitching mound.

When Alex Rodriguez walked across the mound following an our, Braden called him out on it as he took control of the area of the field that he felt belonged to him.

However, at the time Braden was a more-or-less unknown starter who was calling out one of the biggest stars in all of the game, and while he may have been right he also may have been stepping a bit outside where he should at that point in his career.

Miguel Cabrera

While he has been a dominant force once again this season with a line of .333 BA, 26 HR, 98 RBI so far and he has put up phenomenal number throughout his career, it has been a roller coaster of a career for Cabrera.

He has run into problems with alcohol on more than one occasion, and he let the team down last season during the playoff push and then proved to be a distraction again this spring with an arrest.

He has all the talent in the world, and is the Albert Pujols of the American League, but questions remain if he is capable of being the face of a franchise.

Hanley Ramirez

Brought to the Marlins in the deal that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell out of town following the team's 2003 World Series championship, Ramirez has blossomed into the type of player that the Marlins hoped he would when they made that deal.

That said, he has been a headache from time to time for his lack of hustle and general disinterest in baseball. He is still just 27 years old, and he is the face of the team signed through 2014, so we shall see if he can become the leader the team needs.

Kevin Slowey

An abundance of starting pitching is never a bad problem to have, and this spring the Twins had six very worthy candidates competing for five rotation spots, and in the end Kevin Slowey found himself as the odd man out.

Coming off of a 13-win season, Slowey was understandably disappointed with not making the staff but rather than accept his role in the bullpen and wait in the wings until someone got hurt he made a big deal of the situation and instead found himself on the outs with the team.

He will no doubt be non-tendered this coming off season, and while he certainly has talent he also has a me first attitude that could rub some potential suitors the wrong way.

Derek Jeter

No one will call into question what Derek Jeter has meant to the Yankees over the years as the team captain and one of the best clutch hitters in the history of the game especially in the playoffs.

However, when the Yankees and Jeter ran into issues with his contract this season before eventually settling on a three-year, $51 million deal, it made Jeter look bad.

As a 37-year-old with declining skills, there is no reason he should be paid as much as he is and the fact that he held out for more money at this point is absolutely ridiculous.

Carlos Zambrano

After the fantastic flame out of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior in the Cubs rotation, Carlos Zambrano became the ace of the Cubs staff and he looked to be destined for consistent Cy Young contention.

Instead though, his temper has gotten in the way time and again as he has been unable to control his emotions resulting in clashes with teammates and unfulfilled expectations. His latest incident in which he was ejected resulted in a "retirement" and then dismissal from the team.

His days in a Cubs jersey are likely over, but someone will take a chance on him if the Cubs release him as he is still just 30 years old and has the potential to be a front of the staff guy.

Jorge Posada

A 17-year member of the Yankees, Jorge Posada has been a part of 14 different postseasons and has put together a career that puts him among the best catchers in baseball history.

However, at 38 years old his game has inevitably begun to decline, and when he slumped early this season he was moved down in the batting order by manager Joe Girardi.

Upon seeing his name in the eighth spot in the order, Posada refused to play and sparked a much talked about controversy. While he eventually settled into a lesser role, his inability to be a team player and accept his current status made him a talking point and no doubt hurt the team.

Francisco Rodriguez

There may be no pitcher in the history of baseball that has made a bigger impact in the postseason as an unknown as Francisco Rodriguez aka "K-Rod" did during the 2002 postseason when he won five games in relief.

Since then, he has emerged as one of the best closers in all of baseball and he set the record for saves in a single season when he nailed down 62 games in 2008.

Following that season he joined the Mets, and after two-and-a-half seasons of the team not being in the postseason picture he was dealt to the Brewers this summer. With closer John Axford already in place he was put in a setup role with the team.

Despite the team's success and inevitable postseason appearance, he has openly complained about not being able to close games, and that is the last thing a team gearing up for a playoff run needs out of their setup man.

Bryce Harper

Dubbed as the next big thing in baseball while he was still a high schooler, Bryce Harper's career has been as scrutinized as any athlete in recent history.

He has been fantastic in his first pro season, but from blowing kisses to the opposing pitcher to ejections for one reason or another, it is clear that Harper has an attitude problem.

Ideally he will grow up and move past it in time, but for now it appears that he will have a personality that get in the way of just how talented he is. To put it simply, Harper is someone who knows how good he is, and that could work against him.

Alex Rodriguez

When Rodriguez first broke into the league as an 18-year-old phenom with the Mariners, Rodriguez was immediately one of the best players in the league.

He backed that up with some of the best numbers anyone has ever put up, but his legacy has been tainted with his PED use and that combined with his obnoxious contract and his off the field nonsense (see him being fed popcorn by Cameron Diaz) have made him a caricature of everything that is wrong with the MLB right now.

Ozzie Guillen

When Ozzie Guillen led the White Sox to a World Series in just his second season as the White Sox manager, his speak your mind managerial style was praised.

However, since then he has not been able to deliver in the win column, and because of that his over-the-top antics have moved from charming to irritating throughout the baseball world, and it seems as though he has become more of a distraction to his team than an asset at this point.

Scott Boras

Negotiations in baseball can sometimes spiral out of control based on the market for a particular position as well as who is competing for player's services.

However, regardless of the situation, whenever a player is a client of Scott Boras, an immediate red flag is raised.

While it is unfair to blame the ridiculous state of the current MLB contracts on one man, if there was any one person to point to it would be Boras as he played a huge role in the current spiraling of player salaries, and continues to be someone that no team wants to have to negotiate with.

Nyjer Morgan

With a .288 career average and only two seasons as a full time starter under his belt, Nyjer Morgan would seem like your average speedy center fielder by looking at his numbers.

Instead, he has become one of the most colorful characters in baseball with his "Tony Plush" persona in post game interviews and on Twitter.

However, that has rubbed more than a few people the wrong way as he is more annoying than funny the majority of the time. The Brewers are doing well, but at this point Morgan seems to be putting Tony Plush ahead of the team and his over the top antics have run their course.