I Wish I Was A Little Bit Taller

Top 5 Players Under 6-feet-tall:

1. Tim Lincecum – This guy has dominated the NL since his second season, winning back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards—2008-’09. Standing at just 5’11 and 170 lbs, Lincecum is one of the biggest rock stars in the bigs. His long, flowing hair and slight frame only add to the wonderment of his unreal ability to dominate opposing hitters; some of whom are upwards of 6’4 and 230+ lbs. He even throws like a rock star, a herky-jerky delivery that he somehow repeats over and over for an entire, 32-34 start season. He’s like the Mick Jagger or Stephen Tyler of baseball.
   
   
2. Ichiro Suzuki – Ichiro is one of the most likeable players in the majors and has been trapped on a less-than-spectacular team—the Seattle Mariners—for his entire career. He was a star for Orix in Japan before coming to the MLB in ’01—a year in which he nearly swept every award winning AL Rookie of the Year, a Gold Glove, and the AL MVP. His 262 hits in ’04 set a Major League record for hits in a season and that year he led the big leagues with a .372 AVG. Not showing any signs of slowing up, Suzuki is and has been one of the best players in baseball history.
   
   
3. Dustin Pedroia – All his life, Pedroia has dealt with doubters and nay-sayers who questioned him every step of the way to the big leagues. His rookie year, Pedroia got off to a slow start, hitting just .182 in April; however, he never hit below .299 in any month for the rest of the season and was named AL MVP. In just his first two years with the Sox, the second baseman has won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year, and an AL MVP award all to go along with a World Series ring. Even though he is slight of stature, it’s hard not to notice the ‘little guy’ with a big bat and even bigger swing.
   
   
4. Prince Fielder – The Fresh Prince, as I like to call him, is an absolute monster at the plate. The big guy batted .288 with a mammoth 50 homers in just his second year in the big leagues. He might just be the only guy in the majors, other than Gary Sheffield, that swings harder than Pedroia. His stature alone—5’11 268 lbs—is enough to give pitchers nightmares; however, his Winnie the Pooh type demeanor has made him a lovable giant. I mean, the guy is a vegetarian who weighs more than nearly every other big slugger in the majors and can hit the ball around the rings in Saturn.
   
   
5. Chone Figgins – I always pronounce his name wrong—it’s pronounced SHAWN—but he has got to be one of my favorite non-Red Sox players in the MLB. He can play every position on the field, shit, he can probably even pitch with that gun he has on his right arm. And he’s probably one of the fastest dudes on the infield in the majors; he has turned his career as a utility man into a big contract as an every day second baseman for the Mariners. He might not be living up to his numbers out there in Seattle, but, honestly, who is? After Cliff Lee, that team is doomed, you have reports of Griffey catching a snooze in the clubhouse, and they will probably trade Cliff Lee who is in just his first year as a Mariner. I give him a pass this year, in light of all that he’s done before then; this guy is definitely a gamer and deserves to be on this list.

* Honorable mentions – Dan Uggla, Brian Roberts, Miguel Tejada, Adrian Beltre, Brandon Inge, Russel Martin, Rickie Weeks, Nick Punto, Brett Gardner, and Shane Victorino.

by Aaron Hilton