The Funniest Baseball Players Ever

Nyjer Morgan

San Francisco-born Nyjer Morgan is one of the more eccentric players to hit the diamond in recent years. During his tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers, the outfielder would insist on giving interviews as "Tony Plush," a weird alter ego who only referred to himself in the third person and once claimed to have taken a dump in a Gatorade bottle. His Twitter account, which features Plush dressing up in absurd outfits, is a must-follow. Morgan's wacky behavior didn't get him far in the majors, though, so we're sad to report that he's now playing for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars over in the Japanese Central League.

Mike Scioscia

During his time on the field as a catcher, Mike Scioscia spent 13 years in Los Angeles playing for the Dodgers. But in 1999, when he was picked to be the manager of the Anaheim Angels, it awakened a prankster spirit in him that is unrivaled in the game. Scioscia is notorious for giving his athletes utterly insane tasks to do during spring training, including asking two pitchers to build a fielder's glove and catcher's mitt from scratch - which they did - and making pitcher John Lackey retake a college algebra final that he had skipped.

John Kruk

Back in the day, baseball players didn't have to be steroid-using paragons of physical fitness. You could be a little schlubby and still get it done on the field, and no player epitomized this quite like John Kruk. The West Virginia-born outfielder and first baseman played for the Phillies and the White Sox between 1986 and 1995 and established himself as one of the most quotable players in the league. One of Kruk's most notorious comebacks came when a female reporter questioned his training regimen, to which he responded "Lady, I'm not an athlete, I'm a professional baseball player!" He also had a hilarious bit of physical comedy during the 1993 All-Star game when, after nearly being beaned by Randy Johnson, he feigned heart palpitations and then proceeded to strike out.

Joe Carter

One of the most legendary pranks in baseball history was played by one of Toronto's all-time best players. In 1992, outfielder Joe Carter addressed an excited Blue Jays crowd for Fan Appreciation Day. As a special giveaway, the team would be awarding a brand new car to one lucky Canadian fan. After the game, a throng of fans stayed in the Skydome with the team to see the winner. Carter then drove onto the field in teammate Derek Bell's new car! Bell nearly crapped his pants thinking that a fan would go home with his brand-new ride, but it was all a joke. Carter hit a walk-off homer in 1993 to win the World Series for the Jays, partially making up for his stunt.

Jay Johnstone

Versatile outfielder Jay Johnstone had an almost two-decade-long career in the majors, playing for the Angels, Dodgers, White Sox and many other teams. He earned a reputation as a cut-up in the outfield who loved playing pranks. When he played for the Dodgers, manager Tommy Lasorda was a frequent target of Johnstone's japes. He once locked Tommy in his office by tying the doorknob to a palm tree, and later replaced the framed photos of Lasorda and celebrities with photos of himself and pitcher Jerry Reuss. He also once put a wet, melted brownie in first baseman Steve Garvey's mitt. And finally, he is responsible for this baseball card.

Bill Lee

Notorious 70s pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee was a hilariously idiosyncratic player with a lightning-quick arm and a twisted sense of humor. Lee had a penchant for illicit substances, and his altered states led to some pretty unforgettable interviews and incidents. The motor-mouthed Lee spoke candidly with counterculture magazines like "High Times," dispensing bon mots like, "The other day they asked me about mandatory drug testing. I said I believed in drug testing a long time ago. All through the 60s I tested everything."

Roger McDowell

Although Roger McDowell was all business on the mound - especially when he helped bring the Mets to the World Series in 1986 - he had a reputation for mischief outside of it. The Ohio-born pitcher was notorious for throwing strings of lit firecrackers into the dugout to keep his teammates on their toes, and once he got so bored sitting on the bench during a televised game that he retired to the locker room, put his uniform on upside down with his jersey on his legs, his pants on his torso and his shoes on his hands. McDowell even parlayed his comedic leanings into a two-part guest appearance on "Seinfeld" in 1992.

Bert Blyleven

Dutch pitcher Bert Blyleven was known for his fierce curveball, but his sharp wit allowed him to throw plenty of verbal curveballs as well. One of the most famous locker room photos ever taken pictures him in a custom-made T-shirt that read "I LOVE TO FART." Over a career where he threw 3,701 strikeouts in over 5,000 innings, Blyleven pulled dozens of pranks and gave innumerable memorable interviews. When asked about drug use in baseball, Blyleven responded, "All I know is, when we played, we had hemorrhoids, not steroids."