Starter: Carlos Delgado

Who is he? Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández is a first baseman best known for his work with the Toronto Blue Jays, who also played for the Marlins and Mets. He holds Toronto’s records in pretty much every important offensive category. He’s also 37th all-time in OPS, 29th in slugging percentage, and 30th in home runs. He attempted a comeback this year with the Red Sox after Kevin Youkilis was injured, but was shut down with a hip injury before he could finish his AAA assignment. While he had a solid season in 2008, he’s now two years removed from his last full season, and with his injuries it seems likely he’ll retire.

Why is he a starter? Besides being one of the top hitters of all time, “Del-got-it” is a peace activist and has stood up for what he believes. He protested the use of the island of Vieques as a bombing target by the U.S. Army, and opposed the occupation of Iraq. He stayed in the dugout during the singing of “God Bless America” to protest the latter—and of course was booed when the Blue Jays visited New York*. While this is noteworthy in and of itself, the most interesting fact is that Delgado wasn’t particularly outspoken about why he wasn’t standing—his own teammates didn’t even know he was protesting until he gave an interview about it. While this may not be the best way to gain publicity for one’s cause, it shows that his beliefs were really genuine and there was nothing self-serving about his protest, as is so often the case. In a world of entertainers who take any excuse to gain publicity, it’s refreshing to see someone so subtle.

*It’s worth noting that the singing of “God Bless America” during the 7th inning of every game in Yankee Stadium is one of the more ostentatious displays of “patriotism” around. I have no problem with national anthems, but “God Bless America” isn’t one—it’s a show tune written in 1918 which didn’t become popular until 1938. As freedom of religion is one of the foundations of this country, forcing people to stand and listen to a song with religious lyrics during the 7th inning stretch, which should be reserved for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is something I have little patience for.

**Photo courtesy of Andrew Klein via Creative Commons License