15-year MLB veteran names best clubhouse leaders ft. Aaron Judge, Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts, and more

The MLB is much more than a game of stats. Apart from statistical analysis like sabermetrics, the game is heavily influenced by the atmosphere within the clubhouse. Club harmony is one of the most underrated aspects of today's game that some organizations might have overlooked in the age of data analysis.

In the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast hosted by Rob Bradford, 15-year MLB pro Adam Ottavino discussed his experience on which player exhibited the best traits as a locker room leader.

"Players that jump out to me right away are Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner with the New York Yankees, those two were excellent," Ottavino said. "With the Red Sox, Nathan Eovaldi and Xander [Bogaerts] come to mind as a good leader." (18:55-19:08)

Ottavino also lauded Carlos Gonzalez, Francisco Lindor and Sean Manaea as solid locker-room leaders.

"Carlos Gonzalez was an amazing leader in tying the whole club together with the Rockies," Ottavino added. "He created a harmony which is a big deal which prevented being too clicky and separated. With the Mets, I think Francisco [Lindor] has done a good job along with Sean Manaea. His leadership style is more like letting us know that we're a family." (19:09-19:35)

Ottavino praised Manaea with whom he shared the clubhouse during his New York Mets stint.

"The mindset he established was based upon showing love and being genuine to everyone. I think it brings all players to the right mindset," Ottavino said. "This is due to the game which can be an individual setting at times but as the MLB season progresses, you really need to come together as a group." (19:36-19:55)

Rare distinction of being an MLB captain

At the moment, there are only two active captains.

New York Yankee captain is the most tenured leader on the list being assigned as the clubhouse leader of MLB's most storied franchise. Aaron Judge was assigned as captain on December 21, 2022, after seven years with the club.

In addition, Salvador Perez is the only other active major league captain. Perez was appointed as the Kansas City Royals' leader on March 30, 2023, in his 13th season with the club. For all his contributions to the team and to the city, it's safe to say that Perez would be in the Royals' Hall of Fame someday.