Baseball in Style: Evan Longoria and MLB's 15 Biggest Off-The-Field Playboys

Through the first month of one of the most intense Major League Baseball seasons that has ever been played, I think it's important that we sit back, relax and take a moment to enjoy the finer things in life. After all, our favorite baseball players do.

As fans, we recognize our favorite players by the franchise on the front of their jersey, insignia on their cap and, at times, name and number on their back. However, we have very little insight in regards to what these guys do away from the field.

Sure, we get a lot of the publicized mumbo-jumbo, like who is donating how much money to whatever charity or who is signing autographs at the local bookstore. But very rarely do we see exactly how some of these guys get to spend their free time, on their terms.

So obviously, that makes a concept like this a little more challenging, but where's the fun if there's no challenge? (Am I right, or am I right?) We know what makes our favorite players great on the field, but what makes them epic off the field?

Like I said, it's difficult to know unless you are some sort of baseball superstar sidekick who gets to tag along to all of the shindigs and such, and I can assure you I am not. Therefore, we look for cues around the game. Evan Longoria's commercial for New Era was a nice sign he might be a playboy, and Felix Hernandez's ear rocks (Oh, those are earrings?) inspired me to dig a little deeper.

So without further ado, let's break away from the actual game for a bit, and take a look at 15 of the biggest "playboys" in baseball today. I've expanded that list to include the biggest chick magnets, hardest partiers and biggest spenders, so read with caution. (Not really, it's all PG.) Also, keep in mind that every baseball player is a bit of a playboy, and I'm only looking at active players!

So here we go!

Ryan Howard

Okay, so admittedly, I know a little bit more about the personal ongoings of the Philadelphia Phillies because I cover the team under a microscope as a Featured Columnist. That said, one of the first guys who came to mind when I started researching was Ryan Howard, and not for reasons that you may have guessed.

I think we all noticed a bit of a change in Howard in recent years. It all began with a simple weight loss, as the former lumbering first baseman got himself into tip-top shape. As a result, the Phils' were confident in him as their first baseman of the future and decided to pay him $125 million.

Now, the Phils' slugging first baseman was in the perfect situation to become a playboy—he was looking good and had a ton of money. This of course, attracts only the finest of females, and it is no coincidence that we now see "The Big Piece" frequenting Philadelphia Eagles' games at Lincoln Financial Field.

The piece that completes his puzzle—Krystle Campbell—is an Eagles' cheerleader. Not too shabby, Ryan.

(Oh yeah, and he also hangs out with Snoop Dogg.)

Jimmy Rollins

Then there is Ryan Howard's partner in crime and Philadelphia Phillies' shortstop, Jimmy Rollins.

Now, let me preface this slide by saying that you don't need to have the hottest women (which I'm sure Jimmy did before he was married), the flashiest of jewelry (which I know for a fact that Rollins does; see the bling hanging from around his neck in Exhibit A to the left) or the fastest cars (I'm sure you know where I'm going with this). J-Roll is a playboy in all of those ways and more.

For anyone who's ever seen his and Howard's rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," you know that J-Roll is heavily involved in the music industry outside of his baseball career. In fact, he owns his own media group, which of course, is named Jimmy Rollins Entertainment Group (original...).

About a year ago, during the height of said epidemic, Rollins' label helped to publish Justin Bieber's single, featuring Sean Kingston, "Eenie Meenie."

Which brings me to the punchline—If working with Justin Bieber during the height of Bieber Fever doesn't make you a "playboy," I'm not sure what does.

Derek Jeter

So, I could have easily picked a picture of Derek Jeter with one of the beautiful women I'm about to reel off for this slide, but I think this one really captures the essence of Jeter. Here we have "The Captain," enjoying an off-day at the beach surrounded by women. Sound familiar? That's because he is always surrounded by beautfiul women.

I doubt that Jeter's "playboy" status was in question, but in case you needed convincing, I found an interesting little fact for you. Derek Jeter, throughout his 36 years of living, has dated six of Maxim's Top 100 Women. Six!

In case you needed to be convinced a bit further, I've assembled a gallery of sorts of Jeter's connections over the last couple of years, so that you may understand what makes him the greatest "playboy" in baseball.

So if meeting any of these women—Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, Mariah Carey, Gabrielle Union, Vanessa Minnillo, Minka Kelly, Lara Dutta, Vida Guerra, Adriana Lima, Joy Enriquez and Rachel Uchitel—you know who has the connections.

Ryan Braun

I'm still trying to figure out what is actually going on in this picture, so if you have a bit of insight, I'd love to be enlightened. Now, moving on.

Ryan Braun has all of the makings of an off-the-field "playboy" for many years to come. He's got the looks. Armed with a $105 million contract extension carrying him through the year 2020, he's got the money. He has been designing his own line of clothing for Affliction over the last few years. For pete's sake, the man turned down ABC to appear on "The Bachelor!"

I think that his greatest trait is his personality though, and that should carry him to "playboy" superstardom. By now, I think we've all heard the story about Braun calling the fan who proposed to him at a game at Miller Park in Milwaukee earlier this season, but it's a great story and I'm going to tell it anyway.

So a fan who was apparently infatuated with Braun's playboy-ness (stay with me here, making up words isn't simple) decided to bring a sign to Miller Park asking Braun to marry her. That said, she didn't quite think ahead and printed her number on the board.

She was bombarded with calls from people she didn't know and people not named Ryan Braun—that is, until the Brewers' right-fielder got wind of the sign and decided to give that girl the call of her dreams. Of course, the woman's phone was now turned off to avoid the constant bombardment of messages, and the call went straight to voicemail.

As a playboy, Braun was not concerned and responded by simply saying, "Not meant to be."

Albert Pujols

To be honest with you, Albert Pujols isn't a guy who I thought of as much of a "playboy." That is, I didn't think of him as much of a playboy until I saw him arrive at Cardinals spring camp amidst a mob of media personnel, hopping out of a huge, black truck. I don't even remember what he said in the interview that followed, but that I thought to myself, "It'd take my whole paycheck to fill that thing up with gas."

So I did a little digging.

Turns out that the big black truck isn't the only thing this playboy likes to spend his money on (and he has a ton of it). The Cards' first baseman and perennial MVP candidate also owns a Lamborghini Murcielago LT 40 and a pimped out Rolls-Royce.

That said, calling him a playboy may be a bit of a stretch. The guy is a family man with an incredible dedication to his children and good-looking wife. But the man likes to look nice. He likes attractive women, and most of all, he loves spending his absurd amounts of money on expensive cars.

That makes him a playboy in my book.

Matt Kemp

So that brings us to Matt Kemp in our slideshow chock full of baseball "playboys," and as you can see, a theme is beginning to recur. Our baseball playboys have a couple of things working for them, highlighted by money, women and fancy things. So as I perused the baseball world looking for a few guys to complete my list, I couldn't help but include the Dodgers' center fielder. 

When you value him against some of the other guys on this list, he isn't exactly rolling in money, but please, do not be fooled. According to Baseball-Reference.com, Kemp has already earned $5.256 million to date. He's set to earn another $6.95 million in 2011, and at just 26 years old, I think it's safe to assume that, as one of the premier center fielders in baseball, Kemp will earn some dough before he calls it quits.

But what makes him a playboy, you may wonder? Well the picture to the left is very telling. Like many of the elites living or playing (or both) near the city of Los Angeles, California, Kemp spends his money frequenting Los Angeles Lakers' games at court-side.

That, of course, is where he treated his former squeeze, one of the world's top pop stars, Rhianna, to a Lakers' game. So to recap—he makes of ton of money and dated Rhianna. I've also seen a few pictures of Kemp sailing on a yacht, swimming with dolphins and riding jet skis in his spare time.

So basically, when he's not playing baseball, he's being a playboy.

Felix Hernandez

So in order to offer you a little variety here, I've decided to stray from the playboy norm and include Seattle Mariners' pitching sensation, Felix Hernandez, to the list. You may not consider Hernandez a "playboy," per se, and quite frankly, neither do I. I wanted to do something a bit different here though and show  you a "playboy in the making."

Let's be honest with ourselves here—"King Felix" hasn't had much time to become a playboy. He's been playing baseball for his entire life, and at age 17, he was tearing  through the Mariners' minor league system. Because he made his debut so young, I think we sometimes forget that Hernandez is just 25 years old, and already, he's accomplished more than most pitchers in the game, his success culminating with receiving the AL Cy Young Award in 2010.

But the one thing that caught my eye when it came to King Felix was the drastic change in his on-the-field look. Because it's become such a common sight, I didn't think much of the rocks hanging from his ears in his ESPN profile picture—but then I thought about it. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered a young "Prince Felix" if you will, looking quite differently.

So I searched and found this picture of a much shaggier looking Felix Hernandez. (And even then, he was rocking the bling.)

You see where I'm going with this, right? Hernandez is becoming the premier playboy. He's got the money. At age 26, he's already earned $12.5 million, and will earn $68 million more over the next four years—right before he's primed to sign the biggest free agent contract in history for a pitcher.

With the money comes the women, more bling and plenty of other fancy things, making this young gun a prime, breakout playboy. That, my friends, is fail-proof logic.

Hanley Ramirez

I don't know if I should admit this or not, but I'm of the Freddi Gonzalez school of thought in that I'm not much of a fan of Hanley Ramirez. From a baseball perspective, you have to respect his talent. But at the same time, I just don't like the way he goes about the game, and as a result, him in general. (That said, if the Marlins want to give him to the Phillies, I will certainly learn to appreciate the man.)

Ramirez is sort of in the same boat as Felix Hernandez, in that they are both playing the greatest game in the world (well that wasn't biased) at an elite level, and at a very young age. Ramirez broke through with the Marlins back in 2006 after he was traded away from the Boston Red Sox, and he's been one of the best shortstops in baseball ever since.

By the time his contract is over, he'll be $70 million richer, and he has one of the greatest variables in regards to being a playboy—he plays about 81 games a year in Miami, Florida. LeBron James may have taken his talents to South Beach, but Han-Ram was already there!

He's off the market, as far as women go, with two children and a beautiful wife, but don't take him out of the playboy running because of that. It's been well documented that the man is a lover of fine jewelry, and has a lot of pull on the Marlins' front office. Playboy status—achieved.

Greg Dobbs

Surprise! It's Greg Dobbs!

I admit—I couldn't find a picture to put on this slide that would have done this selection any justice, so you'll just have to hear me out. I'm sure you're surprised to see the left-handed pinch hitter extraordinaire on this list, but like I said on the Ryan Howard slide, I follow the Phillies a little too closely sometimes, and Greg Dobbs was no exception in his tenure here.

Dobbs had a reputation for being one of baseball's pretty boys during his time here in Philadelphia. He always had the nice haircut, properly groomed facial hair and uniform that looked like it came straight out of the dry cleaners. Why did I notice this, you wonder? For most of the 2009-10 seasons, I often wondered why he dressed up better than he hit.

So for that reason alone, it is my most unbiased opinion (ha, yeah right) that Dobbs is a better playboy than baseball player. He's earned (stolen) $3.641 million from teams over the course of his careernand has probably spent it all on lavish things.

In terms of the other playboys on this list, Dobbs is sort of like that friend that always shows up somewhere, and you wonder how he got there because nobody told him where the party was. But a playboy nonetheless!

David Ortiz

I'm sure that if you had asked the Minnesota Twins whether or not David Ortiz was going to be a playboy following his tenure with the team, they'd have laughed in your face before giving you a quick "no," because they surely weren't going to pay him like one. Feeling slighted, Ortiz took his talents to Boston and became one of the best sluggers in baseball, earning the moniker of "Big Papi."

The baseball success is there, and we all know the story. Ortiz is a two-time World Champion with the Red Sox, has hit more than 40 home runs in a season three times, and led the league in RBI twice. He made a name for himself as one of the prolific hitters in baseball, and the Red Sox paid him as such, helping to create one of the biggest playboys in baseball.

I'm not sure how true these rumors are, but I heard that David Ortiz loves to party, and I can't blame the man. What I can say for sure is that he loves spending money on lavish things like cars, jewelry and such, but offsets that by donating to charity.

There's nothing better than a responsible playboy in my book, and along with donating to charity, Big Papi also spends a lot of time with his wife and children, and uses his signature "point to the sky" following his home runs to honor his late mother.

Brian Wilson & the Machine

The squeamish should now look away, and then look back, because I know you looked at the picture before reading my warning. So with that in mind, I decided to have a dual place for Brian Wilson and The Machine here. 

Brian Wilson is an eccentric guy whose popularity sky rocketed over the last couple of months thanks to a World Series title and bushy, jet-black beard. That said, did anyone ever question this man's ability to party? He has one of the most unique personalities in all of baseball and the makings of a playboy. He isn't the richest man in baseball, having earned $7.4 million to date, but from what I've seen of the San Francisco Giants' closer, he spends his money well.

In scenes where he tries to be serious for even the slightest moment, he wears designer clothes and lavish jewelry. Not bad for a guy who is set to make another $15 million over the next two seasons. I've also seen a couple of pictures of Wilson hanging out with some beautiful women, including this one.

But the real story here is the monstrous looking thing known as "The Machine." A lot of Giants' fans give credit to Brian Wilson for bringing The Machine to life, but that isn't the case in the slightest bit. One of the most popular Phillies' blogs on the Internet, TheFightins.com, has the full story here, revealing that The Machine is Pat Burrell, and the gimp suited moniker first came to life way back in 2004-05.

So while I'm sure The Machine knows how to party, I'm more than sure Pat Burrell does. During his time in Philadelphia, the term "Man or Machine" first came to life printed on t-shirts worn by the team. "Pat the Bat" was known as one of the greatest "ladies men" in the sport, known for frequenting the local bar scene and scoring the hottest women.

After the World Series last season, Burrell decided to hang out at teammate Barry Zito's pad with some more sexy women. So be it as Brian Wilson and The Machine or Brian Wilson and Pat Burrell, this duo includes two of the greatest playboys in the game.

Nick Swisher

So I was looking for a picture of Nick Swisher partying it up when I came across this dandy of a shot to the left of the paragraph you're reading. I had to do a double take—what with the long hair, full beard and shirtless attire—to make shore this was actually Swisher, and it suddenly came back to me that this was what he actually looked like in his early days in the league. To me, it screams playboy, and this was after I had already added Swisher to the list!

I get the sense that "Swish" is kind of like a wild mushroom in baseball. He's an acquired taste. Not everyone is going to be a fan of his clubhouse antics, and I remember thinking that when the Yankees acquired him from the White Sox, he could be a problem.

That hasn't been the case though, as he's blossomed into a very nice corner outfielder for the Yanks' over the last couple of seasons. More relevant to this article though, the city of New York has at least tripled his playboy status.

Swisher is the type of guy who you know is going to be a playboy if you give him the chance. He plays for the Yankees, so you know he's got the money. He just married a scorching hot actress by the name of Joanna Garcia, and has appeared on a pair of sitcoms.

Playboy potential—critical mass.

Alex Rodriguez

Allow me to introduce you to a man who needs no introduction, nor does he need an explanation for his inclusion on this list—Alex Rodriguez. I'm trying my hardest not to make this sound like an insult, but the New York Yankees have been known to have plenty of "playboys" over the years, and Rodriguez is no exception.

Like teammate Derek Jeter, Rodriguez has been known to date some A-list talent and beautiful women over the years, including Cameron Diaz, Elaine Spotswood, Kate Hudson, Bethenny Frankel, Melissa Britos, Madonna, Joslyn Noel Morse, Spanish Fly (awesome), Alicia Marie, Maritza Franco, Cynthia Scurtis and Kristin Davis.

What draws attractive women like this?  Good looks and money, and A-Rod has both. Aside from his dashing charm (I suppose), Rodriguez has banked $264,416,252 in his career. Oh, and he also is slated to make another $174 million over the next seven seasons.

Mike Cameron

I was kind of on the fence about adding Mike Cameron to the list, seeing him as more of a hard partying kind of guy than a playboy. However, I decided to add him in anyway, as partying is sort of what a playboy does and could dig up enough dirt on the man to put him here.

So, here he is. Current Boston Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron. I don't have much of a collection of information on Cameron. He's a known lover of alcoholic beverages and has come clean about playing under the influence in the past. He once said in an interview that was supposed to clear him of steroid usage:

    "I've played drunk. New York City. I went four for four with two jacks and eight ribbies. I'm not saying that's the only time I've played drunk, but that was the best one."

Playboys have to party to release steam, right? That said, I think there's a fine line between being a playboy and having a substance abuse problem. Mike Cameron is walking that fine line, and because he's such a positive influence in the community, he gets the nod here.

JC Romero

When I was constructing the list, I had an idea of certain guys that I wanted to include, and JC Romero was one of them. However, I wanted to make sure that as I went through each MLB team's roster, that I didn't bloat the list with Phillies. So when I was sitting here with 14 slides and one spot remaining, it was only natural that Romero be included, right?

The more I think about it, the more Romero makes perfect sense for this list. Through the 2010 season, he's earned $18.8 million. He has a smoking hot wife and frequents the club scene. He's rarely seen in public without wearing more than one expensive piece of clothing / jewelry. The thing that really put him here though, in my mind, was the fact that he loves spending money on cars.

I'm sure Romero almost cried during Spring Training this season when his Porsche Panamera was stolen from a local dealership as it awaited a tune-up.

Did I Miss Any of Your Favorite "Playboys?"

Did the Cleveland Indians from Major League just seem to fit here, or is it me?

Baseball as a whole is evolving. In a day and age where the league minimum is more than $400k, we're going to see a huge increase in the amount of "playboys" in the game, so keep in mind, we can't include everyone in a list like this.

That said, I'm far from perfect and a simple human, so there are more than likely a few good playboys out there that I missed. Drop a comment in the section below to let me know how you feel about the list, who I missed and why they should be here!