There are, throughout the major leagues, a number of players whose faces make you think, “Hmmm. That guy looks like...”
Baseball Players As Cartoon Characters
Some of them resemble people you know. Some of them resemble each other. But we have found some that look like popular cartoon or comic strip characters that you know (and maybe love). The idea for this post came from the Cubs' Jeff Samardzija, whose nickname "Shark" came not from any sort of attitude he has on an athletic field, but from his resemblance to a certain character from the film "Finding Nemo":
We don’t have a complete team here -- and feel free to add suggestions of other players you think resemble cartoon characters in the comments -- but let’s run this down by position anyway.
Catcher: Jake Fox
It's not just his bearing in this photo, but his toothy smile that reminds us of Bugs Bunny. Fox is not currently in the major leagues -- he was outrighted to the Orioles' Triple-A club at Norfolk last month -- but we could recall Bugs' famous line, "I must'a taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque", and hope that Fox could one day play for that franchise in New Mexico.
First base: Jason Giambi
The younger Giambi wouldn't have qualified for this role, but that wide-eyed stare and graying goatee make the Rockies backup 1B/PH a perfect match for Homer Simpson.
Second base: Jamey Carroll
Those eyebrows. Oh, those eyebrows. Speed Racer would be proud, Jamey.
Third base: Placido Polanco
Not just the smile, but the pose. Yogi Bear was named after a famous baseball player of the 1950s, although his creators denied that. “Placido Bear” just doesn’t have the same ring, but Polanco’s a natural here.
Outfield: Pat Burrell
As noted, we don’t have an entire starting team here, and Burrell is the only outfielder. But if Fred Flintstone had played major league baseball, there’s no doubt he’d be Pat Burrell.
Starting pitcher: Philip Humber
As noted, we don't have a complete starting lineup, but we can start the pitching staff with the White Sox righthander. The facial hair doesn't quite match... but the eyes, eyebrows and evil smile do.
Relief pitcher: Chris Sale
Continuing our White Sox theme, the 22-year-old lefthander is definitely Stewie Griffin from “Family Guy”.
Relief pitcher: Bobby Jenks
And if current White Sox aren’t enough for you, how about a former White Sox closer? The Red Sox righthander has the Popeye look down -- complete with tats.
Relief pitcher: James Russell
If you are familiar with the comic strip "Get Fuzzy" (and if you aren't, you should be), its primary human character, Rob Wilco, is a big Boston Red Sox fan (as is the strip's creator, Darby Conley). But instead of looking like someone on his favorite team, Wilco's best resemblance is to a Cubs middle reliever. Most likely, he'd think that was appropriate. The strip has poked fun at the Cubs in the past.
Closer: Kyle Farnsworth
Farnsworth didn’t wear glasses in his younger days as a Cubs setup man when he could throw 100 MPH. Now, as a closer, the glasses are about as intimidating as... Dilbert.
Manager: Mike Quade
Our almost-team needs a manager... and who better than Elmer Fudd the Cubs’ first-full-year skipper, who has led the team right to... fifth place.
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