It’s here.
June 21st, 2018.
Short King Appreciation Day.
The MLB is a league where height reigns supreme.
We look at the incoming Baby Bombers Yankees dynasty: Aaron Judge (6’7″), Gary Sanchez (6’2″), Greg Bird (6’3″) paired with the height of walking home-run derby himself, Giancarlo Stanton, (6’6″) and the short king community can feel alienated watching the Yankees, but New York isn’t standing alone in showcasing predominantly tall MLB stars.
Looking at past American League and National League MVPs and we find similar results: Kris Bryant (6’5″). Mike Tout (6’2″), Giancarlo Stanton (6’6″), Josh Donaldson (6’1″) and Clayton Kershaw (6’3″) have become centerpieces in marketing the league. With American men averaging a height of 5’9″, it can be hard to recognize Short Kings in “America’s game”. I recently headed to buy a couple of beers at the grocery store and felt unrepresented when the MLB branded cans of Coors Light were… you guessed it, Tall Boys. After a moment of musing on the problematic nature of branding Tall Boy cans as “King Cans” I hope to bring self-love to your inner Short King by showcasing some of the most talented and joy-bringing Short Kings within the MLB today.
Jose Altuve (Pictured beside Aaron Judge, right) clocks in at 5’6″ and he shines within the MLB with his claim as a Short King, not in spite of it. The picture is reminiscent of watching Vincent Lecavalier (6’4″) tower over Martin St. Louis (5’8″) as equals, at Scotiabank Place as a kid. Martin St. Louis was one of my favorite players as a hockey watching kid, and the radical love and support of Short Kings has not been lost as I have transitioned to more an MLB/NBA fan. It’s hard not to root for a player like Altuve when Sports Illustrated ranked him as the #2 player in baseball behind only, superhuman, Mike Trout.
I would like to not only respect and honour Jose Altuve, but I would like to also acknowledge Andrew McCutchen who stands at 5’10. I feel like “Cutch” is an important player to add to the dialogue of Short Kings as though he is “Tall Passing” his height has put him below the average of MLB Players and he has shown great strength and prosperity in a new organization this year. While being one of the shorter players on San Francisco’s baseball team I was able to watch him in one of his first games on his team, he hit the game-winning run for SF and I watched him become accepted by his new team for the first time since leaving the Pirates. While being short in stature, we can see Cutch accept himself and show short excellence within the organization. Andrew McCutchen, Short King, San Francisco Giant.
thetenday.wordpress.com 