25 Most Annoying People in Baseball History

While signing big-money free agents and making blockbuster trades are a huge part of building a playoff-caliber team, establishing good team chemistry is equally important if a team hopes to achieve the ultimate goal of taking home a World Series title.

However, for many teams, a player gets in the way of achieving that coveted good team chemistry with a me-first attitude, as he is more of an annoyance to the team than an asset, regardless of his talents on the field.

Annoyance in baseball stretches much further than the players themselves, however, as there are more than a few managers, general managers and even announcers that make a baseball game hard to watch with their annoying personalities.

So here are the 25 most annoying people in the history of baseball, as everyone on this list has annoyed the baseball world to at least some degree.

Nomar Garciaparra

When he first broke into the league, Nomar Garciaparra took baseball by storm as he hit .306 BA, 30 HR, 98 RBI, 22 SB as a 23-year-old rookie, including a 30-game hitting streak.

He would go on to have a terrific, albeit short career and he will certainly be an interesting case when his Hall of Fame eligibility rolls around. For all he accomplished, his obnoxious OCD batting glove adjusting between each pitch may be what he is best known for.

David Eckstein

Some people love to root for the underdog, and that may well be what endeared David Eckstein to the fans in Anaheim and St. Louis, but from the outside looking in, he was just an annoying little guy who had no business playing shortstop.

There is nothing more annoying for an opposing team that a 5'6" guy slapping singles over the infield's head and scampering around the bases.

Perhaps the most annoying part of his game was his fielding, as he had to put his entire body behind every throw he made and it always looked like he was going to heave it into the stands.

Jose Lima

The career of right-hander Jose Lima was a rocky one, as he broke into the league with the Tigers but would not make an impact until he was dealt to the Astros in the trade that also brought Brad Ausmus to the team.

After a sub-par first season in the Astros bullpen, Lima joined the rotation to begin the 1998 season and he broke out to the tune of a 16-8, 3.70 ERA, 169 Ks line. He was even better the next season, as he won 21 games and posted a career-best 3.58 ERA.

He was a fan favorite for his antics on the mound that he referred to as "Lima Time," but was hated by opponents for his over-the-top celebrating on the mound and showmanship. Lima tragically lost his life at the age of 37 to a heart attack in May 2010.

Luke Scott

Politics and baseball are generally two very different things, and what political affiliation a player has generally has little bearing on their playing career. That is unless their political background is that of a crazy person.

Scott made waves this past December when he revealed in an interview that he was a "birther" or that he is one of those people who believes that President Obama was not born in this country. It is comments like this that transcend conservative and liberal and simply fall into the category of ignorant.

Not only have the Orioles had to ask Scott to keep discussion of his political views reserved to his personal time, but they were unable to find anyone willing to take the left-handed slugger at the deadline, thanks in part to other teams not wanting to deal with him.

Scott Spiezio

Red goatee.

Enough said.

Jonathan Papelbon

In order to be an effective closer nowadays, it seems to be a requirement that you are a bit left of center and willing to show your emotions at every opportunity.

Jonathan Papelbon is no exception, and his antics on the mound after striking someone out or locking down a save cross the line from useful emotion to obnoxious showmanship.

Carlos Zambrano

The Cubs have had a long and tortured history, and they have had a number of frustrating players through the years. However, none may be more annoyingly frustrating than Carlos Zambrano.

Looking back to 2003, the hopes of the Cubs' franchise rested squarely on the shoulders of aces Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, with Carlos Zambrano serving as a very good third starter. However, when injuries took their toll on those two, Zambrano was there to assume the role of ace.

From 2003-2008, he was the only NL pitcher to win at least 13 games each season, and that led to a five-year, $91.5 million extension in August 2007.

However, over the past few seasons he has gotten in his own way time and again, and his anger problems have flared up consistently, with the most recent leading to him cleaning out his locker and the team suspending him for 30 days.

Nyjer Morgan

Whether he is Nyjer Morgan, or his alter ego Tony Plush, the Brewers center fielder is just all-around annoying no matter how you slice it.

When a superstar player has fun with the media by creating a persona, a la Clinton Portis, it is great to watch, but when a part-time outfielder who has been at odds with teammates in the past does it, it somehow doesn't have the same effect. Go figure.

Ty Cobb

No one denies that Cobb was one of the best ever to play the game, as he ranks near the top of a number of all-time records. He is first overall in career batting average, second in hits, runs, triples and has the third highest career WAR of all-time.

However, he was also one of the biggest racists in baseball history and while some would call his play hard-nosed, others would call him a jerk. As good as he was, few people out there were fans of Ty Cobb during his playing days.

Ozzie Guillen

When Ozzie Guillen first took over as White Sox manager in 2004, he was a breath of fresh air to a team that needed a fresh start after the subdued Jerry Manuel had run the team for the past six seasons.

Guillen is never afraid to speak his mind, often times to a fault, and he has gotten himself into trouble with his comments on more than one occasion. In the end, his act has quickly grown old and most people outside of White Sox fans are sick of listening to Guillen.

Craig Counsell

Craig Counsell has made a career out of being a versatile infielder with decent contact skills, but he will forever be known for his absolutely ridiculous batting stance.

Annoying doesn't quite do justice to what Counsell performed in the batter's box prior to each pitch, as he would wiggle around and reach his bat as high in the air as he could.

I remember on several occasions plunking him in the ribs when facing him in video games, simply out of principle.

Mike Hargrove

There have been some crazy batting stances through the years, but one of the most annoying pre-swing rituals in baseball history has to be that of former Indians player and future manager Mike Hargrove.

Dubbed "The Human Rain Delay" for his elaborate routine between every pitch, Hargrove frustrated opposing pitchers and fans alike with his antics.

Steve Trachsel

Also appropriately dubbed "The Human Rain Delay," there may not have been pitcher in all of baseball that worked slower than Trachsel did.

Luckily, Hargrove and Trachsel never faced off against each other, or the resulting at-bat may have signaled the end of that particular game.

Jose Valverde

There is no doubt that Tigers closer Jose Valverde is among the most dominant closers in all of baseball, as he has locked down 37-of-37 save opportunities so far this season and is an impressive 230-of-260 for his career.

However, his celebrations when striking out a hitter or locking down a save cross the line from fired up to over-the-top showmanship, and his dancing around on the mound has led to more than a few people disliking the hard-throwing closer.

Eric Young

Now the first=base coach for the surprise Arizona Diamondbacks, Eric Young was the second baseman for the inaugural Rockies team back in 1993 and enjoyed a solid 15-year career, in which he hit .283 and stole 465 bases which is good for 44th all-time.

While he was a successful and well-liked player, Young was among the worst announcers in all of baseball during his time on Baseball Tonight, and no one was happier than watchers of that show when he took the job with the Diamondbacks and had to leave the panel.

Pascual Perez

A subpar starter who pitched 11 seasons for four different teams, Perez is best known for his time with the Braves, where he won 14 and 15 games in consecutive seasons in 1983 and 1984.

He was one of the quirkiest players in the history of the game, as he would jump into the dugout after each inning and check on base runners between his legs.

However, one particular quirk in which he would shoot batters with his imaginary finger gun after striking them out made him incredibly annoying.

Alex Rodriguez

As a huge Ken Griffey Jr. fan growing up, I loved Alex Rodriguez when he first broke into the league. He was perhaps the most major league-ready high school position player ever drafted, and he was among the best in the game from the first time he took the field.

However, he has become a figure for everything that is wrong with today's baseball player. He is making ridiculous amounts of money, he's been caught juicing and his celebrity off the field almost trumps his accomplishments on it.

Pete Rose

Even dating back to his playing days as part of the Big Red Machine, Rose was always one for controversy, and he certainly fell into the category of scrappy player who drives teams nuts.

However, his post-playing career has been far more annoying as he got himself into problems by betting on baseball while during his second go-around with the Reds, as a manager.

After years of denying that it was true, Rose finally came clean in his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, and while it was good that he told the truth, he dug himself a big enough hole with his years of lying that it really meant nothing.

All the while, he seemed thrilled to once again be in the spotlight.

Barry Bonds

For no other reason than the ridiculous amount of time that sports fans had to spend listening to all of the up to the minute steroid news on ESPN, Bonds makes this list, but there are certainly many other reasons to deem him annoying.

From his oversized ego to his oversized head, Bonds went from one of the greatest players ever to the face of the Steroid Era, and his entire attitude through it all has made him one of the most universally hated athletes of recent memory.

Manny Ramirez

There is no debating that Manny Ramirez is among the best and most productive hitters in baseball history. However, his personality caused problems on more than one occasion during his illustrious playing career.

Even without the PED issues surrounding what he accomplished, Ramirez had issues, as his flighty personality that would be described as "Manny Being Manny" rubbed more than a few people the wrong way.

From hanging out in the Fenway Park scoreboard, to high-fiving a fan while making a catch and triple-cutting a throw from the outfield for some ridiculous reason, Ramirez was not the sharpest tool in the shed and that could be incredibly annoying.

Ken "Hawk" Harrelson

Take this for what it's worth coming from a Cubs fan, but Hawk Harrelson is easily one of the most irritating announcers in all of sports, and how he has lasted for over 20 years as the White Sox announcer is baffling to me.

He has a story for everything, and every friend of a friend that he has ever known has direct ties to whatever famous person the conversation pertains to.

Think I'm alone in my dislike for Harrelson? Look no further than http://www.heavethehawk.com/ and you will see I may be in the majority.

A.J. Pierzynski

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen put it best when he said, "if you play against (A.J.), you hate him, if you play with him, you hate him a little less."

From his tumultuous one-year stint with the Giants as a result of one of the worst trades in baseball history, to his fight with Cubs catcher Michael Barrett, to his numerous appearances in pro wrestling, there are an awful lot of reasons to be annoyed by Pierzynski.

Ted Turner

The Braves have a long history spanning three different cities, and they have changed ownership a number of times through the years. However, no owner may have been more recognizable than media mogul Ted Turner, who bought the team in 1976.

While most owners sit back and let the GM and the manager take charge, Turner was more of a "hands-on" owner.

It took all of a year for Turner to overstep his bounds, as he appointed himself team manager on May 11, 1977. He managed one game, a loss, before Major League Baseball but a stop to it, but his stunt goes down as one of the most annoying in sports ownership history.

Tim McCarver

A former big league catcher and current announcer for Fox Sports, Tim McCarver is the single worst announcer in baseball today and the addition of Joe Buck as his broadcast partner doesn't help much.

McCarver is doing well if he goes half an inning without breaking off on some idiotic tangent that has little to do with what is going on in the game and makes absolutely no sense.

The fact that he is the choice to announce many of the playoff games is a travesty, as it just doesn't get much worse than McCarver.

Chris Berman

While Tim McCarver is the worst announcer that specifically does baseball, the worst announcer in the history of sports without question is Chris Berman.

He usually sticks to "commentating" on football, but once a year Berman heads out to the diamond to incessantly shout "Back, back, back!" like a complete moron while rambling off random cities where that 350-foot home run is going to land, effectively putting a damper on one of the best events in all of sports in the Home Run Derby.

And with that, Chris Berman comes out of nowhere to pull off the upset here, taking the title of most annoying person in baseball.