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| Photo Credit: John Leyba | The Denver Post |
by: Eric Boston @EricBoston3
In the Bible the character the majority of people relate to strength is Samson.
His power came from the flowing locks that adorned the top
of his head. That is until he allowed himself to be seduced by a woman who ultimately
chopped that power off.
Does baseball have its own Samsons patrolling the field of
play?
OTPB’s Rich Daniels wrote about the “Uber” relievers now
dominating the game. (Check out his article here) After reading his fantastic
piece, I began noticing another trend among these flamethrowers. The visual
connection that many of them have with the Bible’s resident strong man.
Let’s take a look at some of MLB’s most elaborate hairstyles:
In under two seasons Milwaukee’s Hader has cemented himself
as one of the most dominant relief pitchers around.
On the year he is sporting a 1.52 ERA with 113 Ks in only
65.1 IP. You also cannot overlook his 0.735 WHIP as well.
Oh yeah, he also is a LHP which is basically baseball’s Holy
Grail.
Hader also rocks plenty of “party in the back”, but for
opposing batters it is more like one of those parties that your mom forces you
to attend.
Thor himself must be jealous of the golden locks that earned
the Met’s Syndergaard his nickname. He also knows how to drop the hammer.
At 25 years of age, he is really just getting started.
Something the other teams in the National League East probably do not like to think about.
Syndergaard has a 9-3 record to go along with a 3.51 ERA in
112.2 IP. He is also averaging more than a strikeout per inning having totaled 117
Ks in 2018.
A ligament injury in his right index finger kept Syndergaard
sidelined for a significant portion of the year, an injury that the Mets
definitely felt the effect of – he should probably just avoid anyone carrying
around a pair of scissors just to be safe.
The Cleveland Indians’ starter is not afraid to mix things up.
He also brings with him the goods to back it up.
Clevinger has worked his way to a 3.30 ERA while starting 26
games in which he has accumulated 163.2 IP. His 9-7 record and 163 Ks have
helped the Tribe build a comfortable lead in the American League Central
division.
With powerhouse teams in New York, Boston, and Houston
waiting come the postseason, Cleveland will be counting on Clevinger to put his
pitching strength on display for hopes of reaching another World Series.
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While I cannot confirm, nor deny, that these pitchers get
any extra advantage by letting their hair grow – one thing is certain, they are
fearful forces on the mound. My question for you, the reader, is this:
Who sports the best hair in the game?
Hader, Syndergaard, and Clevinger are all worthy candidates
for such a title. Do you have a write-in candidate for the top spot? Share your
thoughts in the comments.
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