Prominent Players With High Numbers
Several current pitchers wear higher-than-expected numbers: Bronson Arroyo and Chan-Ho Park (both #61), Phil Hughes (#65), and Barry Zito (#75), among others. Also notable was when Manny Ramirez played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and wore #99. His regular number, #24, belonged to Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston, and was retired by the Dodgers. His second choice, #34, belonged to Fernando Valenzuela, and is unofficially retired by the Dodgers.
Several players have reversed the order of their number upon switching teams, creating some unusual situations. Carlton Fisk, long-time Red Sox catcher, reversed his #27 to #72 upon signing with the Chicago White Sox; Chicago retired his #72, the highest number to be retired because of player performance. Derek Lowe changed his number from 23 to 32 upon signing with the Atlanta Braves in 2009. Éric Gagné wore #83 instead of #38 when he played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox, and Francisco "K-Rod" Rodríguez wore #75 for the New York Mets because Johan Santana was #57. In a similar move, Josh Beckett switched from #19 to #61 when traded from the Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers, rotating his old number 180 degrees.
Japanese players who come to the MLB have sometimes worn higher-than-usual numbers as well. Because high numbers are common for skilled players in Japan, players like Hideki Matsui (#55) and Ichiro Suzuki (#51 with the Seattle Mariners, later #31 with the Yankees) have kept their Japanese numbers throughout their American careers.
Read more about this topic: Uniform Number (Major League Baseball)
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