The word emotion gets thrown around a lot in sports as of late. Historically, professional players weren't allowed to wear their hearts on their sleeves; it would earn you a penalty or fine in football, with any perceived baseball showboaters receiving a fastball to the ear in your next at-bat.
Watch any NFL or MLB game in 2017 and you'll notice that has quickly changed, and celebrations and bat flips are not only normal, but encouraged. Sure, there are still opponents that will take offense, but they are now in the minority.
It's that select few that probably won't be a fan of this latest epic display of emotion from Yermin Mercedes, a White Sox prospect that hit a ball to the moon in a Dominican Winter League game this week, and then flipped his bat to the heavens as well:
Seriously, I'm not sure that bat has landed yet. And how about the pimp stepping in front of the first baseman? Somewhere, Goose Gossage just watched this and booked the first flight to the D.R. to give this young man a stern talking to about how to play the game the right way.
While this is an all-timer from Mercedes, it still doesn't take the crown away from Jose Bautista, or yours truly for that matter. Check out my A+ Manny being Manny impression in our "If Golf Had Bat Flips" video here.
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