I could go on-and-on about why the Pirates trade for AJ Burnett was a great, terrible or indifferent trade. That's going to be done a million times by people more and less qualified than myself (and has been expressed in 140 characters or less many times already in Twitterland). So, I decided to post 10 interesting little tidbits about the Pirates new right handed pitcher.
1. One of AJ's many tattoos is of Bruce Lee. It's located on one of his triceps.
2. Was drafted by the New York Mets in 1995 in the 8th round, the 217th pick overall. The Pirates used the 209th overall pick in that round to draft an outfielder named Brad Weber.
3. Was ranked as the 21st best prospect in all of baseball in 1999 by Baseball America and the 20th best in 2000 by the same publication.
4. While with the Florida Marlins he had pierced nipples.
5. Despite being known as a strikeout pitcher, AJ's trademark pitch is actually the knucklecurve, which he tosses at about 82-84 miles-per-hour. In 2008 with the Blue Jays he used this pitch to help himself post an American League best 231 strikeouts.
6. AJ's wife, Karen, has such a big fear of flying that when he signed with the Blue Jays, he negotiated a deal where his wife would receive eight round trip limousine rides from their home in Baltimore to Toronto.
7. He once broke his foot when he fell into a gutter while bowling. He would later break the same bone in the other foot while running on a treadmill.
8. Sometimes known for being a little wild on the mound, during his May 12th, 2001 no-hitter against the San Diego Padres, he allowed every starting player to reach base.
9. He was diagnosed with Gilbert's syndrome, which is a mild liver disorder
in which the liver doesn't properly process a substance called
bilirubin and may lead to mild jaundice under certain conditions.
10. Has earned $87,771,500 to date playing baseball (in 13 major league seasons) with $16,500,000 due each of the next two years. Of the $87,771,500 he earned $9,671,500 in 7 seasons with the Marlins, $28,600,000 in 3 seasons with the Blue Jays, and $49,500,000 in 3 seasons with the Yankees. Of the $33,000,000 still due to him, he will be paid an additional $20,000,000 by the Yankees and $13,000,000 by the Pirates.