Last Updated: September 7th, 2026 by Michael Schatz
You know the old saying: you can't choose your family? Well, in most cases in sports, you can't choose your teammates either. Throughout history, there have been a number of teammates who haven't seen eye to eye.
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We are here to highlight the ones who were most disliked based on the rumors and reports we have heard. This list requires a lot of discretion, as most of us here have never been inside an MLB clubhouse with the full team inside. We just have to go off what we've heard and read.
Of course, that's how a player's reputation grows, so with this list being just ten of the most egregious examples, you probably won't find many surprises, as their reputations usually precede them.
10. Barry Bonds: The Talented but Toxic Slugger
Yes, it's well documented that the greatest slugger of all time was not the most well-liked in the dugout. He wasn't really well liked among fans who have met him either. The way Barry Bonds carried himself, especially during his Giants years, was akin to how a pop star diva might carry themselves.
Was Barry good enough that he backed up his personality with his play? Absolutely. Still, his teammates took exception to that, especially one that you will find later on this list. I'm sure you can guess who.
9. Albert Belle: Baseball’s Angry Man
This entry on this list is less about being disliked and more about being feared. Albert Belle was probably the angriest man in baseball when he was playing, and there were understandably very few who ever wanted to be close to him.
His powerful bat was too good to let go of, though, as franchises always came calling to try to stake their claim for the five-time All-Star. He hit 381 career home runs in his relatively short 12-year career.
8. Jeff Kent: Clubhouse Chemistry Killer
This is basically a continuation of the Barry Bonds entry. Jeff Kent was the exact opposite of Bonds. He was a quiet leader who tried to play the game with the utmost respect. It was almost to a fault, as his disagreements with Bonds were pretty clear throughout their time together in San Francisco.
It even escalated to some physicality between the two that was caught on television for the world to see. It's kind of interesting to see the two interact now as they are far removed from their daily frustrations with each other. Their friendly facade now only covers what they thought of each other in the past.
7. John Rocker: The Controversial Closer
John Rocker was one of the better closers in the MLB in 1999. He was on one of the best franchises in the MLB and had a promising career ahead. Then an interview with Sports Illustrated revealed his true colors. He had a derogatory comment for basically every diverse person in New York City.
The perception of him was never the same after that. He toiled for a couple more years in Atlanta before heading off and ending his career shortly after. What's most interesting is that I think the great John Smoltz would have never become a closer if Rocker had held his tongue and carved out a good career.
6. Milton Bradley: From Bad to Worse
Milton Bradley was a hothead but a passionate player, nonetheless. For 12 seasons, Bradley contributed to eight different teams. He was able to garner an All-Star selection in 2008, and that type of play was the reason why Bradley was called upon by so many different franchises.
It didn't matter if the clubhouse experience with him was rough; he brought an intensity to the game that helped his performance. Did he go too far at times? He definitely did. Were there also times when fans loved seeing him on the lineup card? That is also a definite yes.
5. Jose Canseco: The Steroid Snitch
Many times in male sports, you'll hear the word "brotherhood" come from players to describe what it's like to be a part of the sport itself. For baseball, it is the same. Baseball has arguably the strongest union in all of sports, with players driving the prices of contracts up higher and longer than ever imagined.
It was almost an unwritten acceptance that baseball had steroids going through every level to help players get seemingly artificially stronger. Canseco was the one who blew it all open with his memoir "Juiced" and public confessions of using steroids. I know this isn't technically in the clubhouse, but Canseco has become a pariah nonetheless.
4. Carl Everett: The Dinosaur Denier
Carl Everett has very strong beliefs. That we can all agree on. Whether those beliefs are agreed upon by everybody is a totally different story. As this is being written in 2026, I think his beliefs are supported by more people in the United States than we thought back when he was playing.
His statement that claimed someone actually saw Adam and Eve while nobody saw the dinosaurs is all anybody needs to hear when they are unfamiliar with the man that is Carl Everett. Now we all know, and now we can all move on.
3. Rogers Hornsby: The Brilliant But Brutal Manager-Player
We've all heard that "things were different back then," and Rogers Hornsby was a sign of the times. However, when it's well known how brutal a player-manager you were, that means you were crossing the line back then, too.
Hornsby will go down as one of the greatest of all time, but many who played with or for him will probably agree that he was exceptionally harsh as a boss. Sometimes the greatest players can make the harshest coaches, and this certainly seems to be the case.
2. Kevin Brown: The $105 Million Menace
There can only be one man who made baseball history with the first six-figure contract. Kevin Brown was a menacing competitor and had the talent to make a contract like that worth it. However, he was not the easiest to work with, as his fiery attitude rubbed many the wrong way.
He even hurt himself, breaking his hand after punching a wall in frustration while his team was in a pennant race. That was unacceptable and part of the reason why this great pitcher isn't remembered as fondly as he could have been.
1. Reggie Jackson: The Self-Proclaimed “Straw That Stirs the Drink”
There were many egos to feed in the Bronx back in the day. Reggie Jackson tried to be the biggest. His legendary performances in pinstripes made him much more palatable, but it still didn't make him bigger than anyone else in the eyes of manager Billy Martin and captain Thurman Munson.
Jackson was a one-of-a-kind talent, and he knew it. That can be hard to manage when you have an equally demonstrative owner in George Steinbrenner. There's a reason why it was called the Bronx Zoo, but it was still fun when they were winning.
