MLB's All-Terrible Teammate Team

In all my years of watching baseball, I feel pretty confident in what I'm about to say: Nothing kills a team more than a clubhouse cancer. All it takes is a little bit of drama off the field and a team can be sunk.

The fact of the matter is that baseball is a team game, and if just one player isn't committed to winning, the impending results could be poor.

A player who is the picture definition of a bad teammate is volatile Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano (pictured), who famously cleaned out his locker following a bad start in August and then told team management he was retiring. Though he eventually backed off those remarks, Zambrano found himself on the restricted list and did not pitch again for the remainder of the season.

That being said, let's swallow our pride as fans and honor (for lack of a better word) the MLB's all-terrible teammate team.

Catcher: Michael Barrett

Kicking off our terrible teammate squad is former Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett. In his three-and-a-half years in the Windy City, the man was no stranger to confrontation.

In 2006, he got into an on-field fight with Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski. This led to a bench-clearing brawl that resulted in Barrett being suspended for 10 games.

The following year, Barrett got into a heated dugout argument with Carlos Zambrano, an argument so bad that both he and his teammate were sent home for the day by then-manager Lou Piniella. To add insult to injury, this fight was on national television.

Two weeks later, TV cameras again caught Barrett in a similar argument with pitcher Rich Hill.

His actions resulted in him being traded to the San Diego Padres, and Barrett last played in the minors for the New York Mets organization. Considering his actions of the past, I don't see him getting a call to the majors soon.

The fact is that a catcher should not berate his pitchers for mistakes, but rather talk them over calmly so that they don't happen again. Both people should learn from them. Considering how Barrett didn't appear to get that memo, he kicks off the slideshow at catcher.

First Base: Jeremy Giambi

Jeremy Giambi's biggest boon was being less talented than his brother, Jason. An admitted steroid user, the younger Giambi's tenure in Oakland was marred by an arrest for marijuana possession along with a seemingly lackadaisical attitude.

Instead of working on improving his game, Giambi could be seen spending time at strip clubs or gambling somewhere. Given how little he seemed to care about helping his team, he is our man at first base.

Second Base: Luis Castillo

In all honesty, Luis Castillo's actions this past spring training disgusted me. After being released by the New York Mets after throwing a hissy fit over his lack of playing time, Castillo signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies and then broke one of baseball's cardinal rules.

Scheduled to start his first spring training game with the team, Castillo simply did not show up for his Phillies debut. He claimed it was a "miscommunication," but let's be honest: He was just ticked off about having to settle for a minor league deal and thought not showing up would stick it to Phillies management.

Thus, Castillo is the perfect man to start at second.

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez

A few years ago, people expected Hanley Ramirez to be the next great shortstop. On stats alone, the man is great. Yet as a teammate, he leaves something to be desired.

Last season, Ramirez indirectly told both his team and the fans that he wanted out of Florida by absolutely dogging it on one particular play in a game. With his Marlins playing the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ramirez inadvertently kicked a missed pop-up into the left-field corner, but instead of hustling, he simply jogged after it. Sure enough, he was removed from the game.

Ramirez's demons continued to bother him this year, as he greatly underachieved and hit just .243 with 10 homers and 45 RBI. Those are all career lows since he became an everyday player.

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez

I'll keep this one short because even though Alex Rodriguez plays for my beloved New York Yankees, I'll be the first to admit that he's a clubhouse cancer. I mean, come on. When your nickname in the locker room is "A-Fraud," that just says it all.

With his crappy postseason play and me-first attitude, A-Rod is a lock for this lineup.

Left Field: Manny Ramirez

Well, where do I begin here? I could mention the faked injuries, the multiple demands to be traded or the fact that he once assaulted a team employee, but talking about "Manny being Manny" just can't do justice to how awful a teammate and how awful a person this man is.

What kind of player gets huffy about his contract situation and as a result refuses to run out ground balls? What kind of player says he is too sick to play in a game but then is out drinking later that night?

Simply put, Manny Ramirez's attitude makes A-Rod look like a perfect schoolboy. While the latter may not be the best teammate out there, he at least shows up to work every day and is ready to help his team.

Center Field: Alex Johnson

Many of you have probably never heard of Alex Johnson. To give you an idea of how bad a teammate he was, he played for eight teams in 13 seasons.

In researching the man, Johnson looks like someone who could have been one of the greats but was just too lazy to put in the maximum effort. He hated playing the field and led his league in errors three times. On top of that, he wasted his natural ability to hit for power and instead became someone who hit more singles and doubles than he did home runs.

Here is a man who could have been a valuable asset to any team. Instead, he became a great liability.

Right Field: Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson was a great player, but his behavior as a model teammate left something to be desired.

In 1977, his first year with the New York Yankees, he famously alienated himself from his teammates when he said about team captain Thurman Munson, "I'm the straw that stirs the drink. Maybe I should say me and Munson, but he can only stir it bad."

Considering how Munson was one of the most beloved players on the team at the time, this was a completely boneheaded move by Jackson. The man was there to make a team better, and while they won two consecutive World Series titles with him, his behavior definitely threw a wrench into the gears.

Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano is a good pitcher whose attitude turned him into a mediocre one. It seems that every year he is at the center of controversy.

In 2007, he got into a dugout fight with his catcher and teammate Michael Barrett, who we discussed earlier. Two years later, he was ejected from a game and made headlines when he threw a ball into left field, tossed his glove and then attacked a Gatorade cooler with a bat. Those actions earned him a six-game suspension and a fine.

In 2010, Zambrano famously got into a heated argument in the dugout with teammate Derrek Lee, all over a misplayed ball in the first inning. Shortly afterward, Zambrano was suspended indefinitely and banished to the bullpen upon his return.

Last year, however, was the straw that broke the camel's back. After being ejected from a game, Zambrano basically packed all of his stuff up, cleaned out his locker and abruptly announced his retirement. Instead of riding out the rest of the season, he quit on his team and was not used from mid August onward.

If that isn't a bad teammate, I don't know what is.