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When it comes to crossover athletes, there are enduring legends like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, and then there are more marginal cases like Brian Jordan and Drew Henson. Baseball is incredibly time-consuming, from a 162-game regular season in the MLB down to travel teams in top-flight youth baseball, so it allows precious little time for other endeavors, let alone another professional sport, but at least it’s low-impact.

While few of these players participated in their crossover sport beyond the high school level, it’s a testament to the tremendous athletic ability possessed by the average baseball player (David Ortiz notwithstanding).

These 10 MLBers—each active in pro baseball during 2015 (sorry, no Bo or Deion)—have each proven themselves adept in another sport.

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Fact: Steven Matz is the first pitcher in history to have four RBI in his MLB debut. He’s also the first player at ANY position in Mets history to do so.

Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Fact of the day, presented by Coors Light.

Source: SportsCenter

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Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli hasn’t had much luck at the plate this season, so he certainly didn’t need an umpire to make matters worse.

Unfortunately for him, home plate ump Tripp Gibson decided to eject Napoli on Sunday for one of the most bizarre reasons ever.

In the top of the second inning against the host Tampa Bay Rays, Napoli took a 3-2 breaking ball from right-hander Chris Archer. It was a pitch that could have gone either way, but Gibson called it a strike and rang up Napoli.

Not pleased with the call, the first baseman dropped his bat and aired his displeasure to the ump. The conversation didn’t last long or appear to get overly heated, but as he walked away, Napoli found himself tossed from the game.

Why? The 33-year-old didn’t pick up his bat.

Here’s what Napoli said about the ejection after the contest, per ESPN.com’s Gordon Edes:

He told me I forgot my bat. I stopped a little bit, and (then) he told me to come back and pick up the bat. I pointed at the bat boy, who picks up our bats, and he tossed me. So then, when he tossed me, I told him how I felt.

I was walking away, I was going back to the dugout, and he was telling me to come back and pick up my bat when it was over. It’s kind of embarrassing (for Gibson). I don’t know how you can throw someone out for that. I’m not trying to get thrown out in the second inning. We have a short bench.

It’s not unusual for a player to leave his equipment in the batter’s box after a strikeout and let the bat boy come out and get everything. However, that usually only happens when the strikeout ends an inning.

Gibson may have been on edge after Napoli made it known that he didn’t agree with the call. When the player didn’t listen to him, the umpire decided enough was enough.

This appears to be just another case of an ump with a short fuse. The bat was going to be picked up by somebody, but because Napoli—who perhaps forgot about it after arguing the call—refused to do so, Gibson used his power to punish the player. 

Boston was able to overcome the ejection and win the series’ rubber game, 5-3.

[h/t Deadspin]

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If it seems like it’s getting late early in baseball, well, it kind of is, as MLB‘s July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is just over four weeks away.

That’s not a whole lot of time for teams to figure out whether they’re going to be buyers or sellers, and this year’s deadline promises to be as unpredictable as any that we’ve encountered in recent seasons.

That’s for two reasons primarily. First, nearly every team believes that it still has a legitimate shot at making a run at a playoff spot, regardless of what its current record may be.

Perhaps the more important (and market-stymieing) reason is that teams are absolutely petrified to move prospects.

Nobody wants to be the general manager that traded players “X” and “Y” for, say, Johnny Cueto only to have those two become perennial All-Stars for Cincinnati while Cueto is playing elsewhere, having departed that GM’s club as a free agent after the season.

Fear is a powerful tool, one that can undermine even the most intelligent front-office personnel.

Still, none of that precludes us from making predictions as to what role each team will wind up occupying as the deadline draws near. For buyers, we’ll look at what (and who) they might target in a trade while examining the trade chips of would-be sellers.

Before we get started, a spoiler alert: It’s going to be a seller’s market this year.

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As the calendar changes to July, those MLB trade whispers will turn into loud shouts. Because of that, there’s no better time to rank the top 15 trade targets who figure to be available over the next month. 

Players like Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto and Scott Kazmir have heard their names grind through the rumor mill for the better part of the 2015 season. While those stars will command the majority of the attention, players like Ben Zobrist, Adam Lind and Mike Leake can also be difference-makers for contenders. 

When ranking these top trade targets, we took contract length, money owed and overall talent into account. 

Let’s get started!

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Without many great options at pitcher, Monday’s daily fantasy baseball contests could be a chance to really load up on the top hitters around the league. The key will be to find the right players at each spot to give you a chance to win money.

Not only are there only nine games to choose from, none of the pitchers are valued more than $9,000 on DraftKings. This could create some interesting lineups throughout the different contests available.

Pitchers

Nathan Karns, Tampa Bay Rays ($7,100)

C.J. Wilson has been wildly inconsistent lately, while Clay Buchholz and Lance McCullers have difficult matchups this week. As a result, there are few expensive options worth taking a chance on at this point.

However, Nathan Karns represents a relatively safe option thanks to his recent play. Over the last three starts, the Rays starter has allowed just two earned runs in 17.1 innings. With the Cleveland Indians struggling to score (just three total runs while being swept by the Baltimore Orioles this weekend), Karns could have another strong showing.

Jimmy Nelson, Milwaukee Brewers ($6,600)

The consistency isn’t there, but Jimmy Nelson has provided some gems so far this year. Three different times the right-hander has allowed just one run in eight innings, including his most recent start against the New York Mets.

Going up against one of the worst offenses in baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies provides another chance for a big effort from Nelson.

There is certainly risk involved in drafting a pitcher who has allowed at least six earned runs in two different starts this month, but Nelson represents a high-upside choice in tournament play.

Joe Blanton, Kansas City Royals ($4,800)

It was hard to expect much from Joe Blanton this season, who last had a 6.04 ERA in 2013. However, he has been lights-out for the Royals this year with a 1.73 ERA in nine appearances (two starts). Since moving into the rotation, he has allowed just two runs in 11 innings while totaling 11 strikeouts and no walks.

While you can expect him to come back to Earth at some point, Blanton can still have more success against a Houston Astros lineup that lead the majors in strikeouts. At the very least, there could be some good value here.

Hitters

Todd Frazier, 3B, Cincinnati Reds ($5,600)

While the cost is high, so is the potential output for the red-hot third baseman. In his last 21 games, Todd Frazier has an impressive nine home runs and 21 RBI. During this stretch, he has four three-hit games and only two games where we went without a hit.

Even better, Frazier gets to return home this series, where he is hitting .354 on the year with 15 of his 25 home runs. This is a good investment regardless of the price.

Prince Fielder, 1B, Texas Rangers ($4,800)

This matchup could be good for a bunch of Texas Rangers hitters, as they face Bud Norris, a pitcher who has struggled to a 6.70 ERA this season. It would have been worse if the five runs allowed in his last start weren’t all unearned.

Playing in a home run haven like Camden Yards should lead to a high-scoring battle.

Of course, Prince Fielder is still the one you really want after five straight multi-hit games going into Monday.

Jimmy Rollins, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,600)

Although his first year with the Dodgers hasn’t been great, Jimmy Rollins is finally coming alive lately. In his last eight games, he is 10-for-31 (.323 batting average) with two extra-base hits.

With Allen Webster still struggling to get outs at this level, managing just a 6.28 career ERA in 22 appearances, Rollins could provide some value for cheap.

Team to Stack

Baltimore Orioles

Wandy Rodriguez is coming off his worst start of the season, where he allowed eight earned runs and 11 hits in four innings. Even if he isn’t quite as bad Monday, the Orioles should still do damage. Not only do players like Adam Jones and Manny Machado excel against lefties, but the entire team is much better at home (25-13 compared to 16-21 on the road).

We could see a lot of home runs from the Orioles in this one.

Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 

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Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano was forced to leave Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels after being struck in the head by an errant throw that made its way into the dugout prior to the seventh inning. 

After an evaluation, the Mariners determined he didn’t have a concussion, but suffered a head contusion, according to MLB on Fox. He is expected to play on Sunday.

Continue below for updates.  

Cano Hit in Head by Ball While in Dugout

Saturday, June 27

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported Cano left Saturday’s game. Fox Sports: MLB was able to catch a glimpse of Cano’s head after being hit:

Greg Johns of MLB.com reported the swelling on Cano’s forehead went away after icing.

“From what we’ve been told, he should be fine tomorrow,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said, according to Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune.

“Thank God, I didn’t lose consciousness. It just hurts right on that spot. Other than that, everything is good,” Cano said, via Dutton. “Hopefully, I can play tomorrow. I feel good right now. I can walk, and I’ve been able to remember everything,” he continued.

Morosi reported Willie Bloomquist replaced Cano at second base for the Mariners. Bloomquist is 37 years old and batting .167 in 33 games this season. 

Cano has been struggling in his second season in Seattle. In 71 games this season, he is batting .246 with four home runs and 24 RBI. Cano is a career .307 hitter and has not seen his average dip this low since 2008 when he batted .271. He began his career with the New York Yankees, where he spent nine seasons. Cano is a six-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner. 

The Mariners are fourth in the American League West with a 34-41 record, eight games behind the division-leading Houston Astros. With Seattle down, but certainly not out of the race for the division, every game is going to be valuable. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like Cano will be out of the lineup for long.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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There’s a certain beauty to a perfect slide. It’s graceful, smooth and pretty much exactly the opposite of what Starling Marte did on Saturday.

While trying to swipe second base in the bottom of the seventh against the Atlanta Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder took an ugly tumble. As he sped toward the bag, Marte used his chest as a brake and wound up flipping over completely.

The worst part (aside from the definite pain)? Pedro Alvarez fouled off the pitch.

Back to first you go, Starling.

[MLB.com]

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Houston Astros pitcher Brett Oberholtzer got rocked by the New York Yankees on Saturday, allowing a grand slam to catcher Brian McCann and a two-run dinger to outfielder Chris Young.

Having allowed six runs and still not out of the second inning, the lefty was frustrated. So he took his anger out on Alex Rodriguez by throwing a fastball at his midsection.

Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia was having none of that, though, as the big fella had to be held back by manager Joe Girardi.

After the Yankees won, 9-6, Girardi was candid about the near-scuffle, per Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle:

If you thought McCann and Young beat up on Oberholtzer, just imagine what Sabathia would’ve done.

The left-handed pitcher won’t have to worry about that in Triple-A, though:

[MLB.com]

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum was forced to exit Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rockies after being struck in the arm by a line drive, suffering a right forearm contusion.

Continue for updates.

Lincecum Leaves After Less Than 2 Innings

Saturday, June 27

After the Giants beat the Rockies 7-5, manager Bruce Bochy said x-rays on Lincecum were negative, but he may miss time since the injury occurred to his pitching arm, per Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area. Pavlovic added Lincecum expects to be sore for a few days. 

“I was lucky”, said Lincecum about not suffering a worse injury, per San Jose Mercury News reporter Andrew Baggarly.  

Lincecum allowed three earned runs in 1.2 innings while giving up four hits and walking two. He quickly made his way back to the dugout after the play, according to Baggarly.

Lincecum was already struggling this month heading into this start. He had a 6.62 ERA in four outings and gave up five runs in less than two innings his last time out against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now it’s unclear when he’ll take the mound again for San Francisco. The fact that he didn’t at least try to see if he could pitch through the pain isn’t a positive sign for his status.   

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