Large egos and the talent to back it up. Remind you of any outfielders in baseball? Kanye West was an easy choice in the outfield, immediately thinking of a handful of players resembling what he has done in the music industry with baseball.

Let’s start with the basics. The majority of starting outfielders in the majors have one of three key elements: raw offensive power, a cannon of an arm, or explosive speed and versatility. Very few outfielders possess the these three elements along with being a ‘five tool’ player.

21 Grammy Awards won since 2004 certainly tells you the talent is there. Kanye has the unique ability to twist each album he releases with a new direction. College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, 808’s and Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezus, and The Life of Pablo all had diverse directions. Innovation simply to become different than any other artist in the industry.

What you don’t often see people connect the skills with is their egos. Players like Bryce Harper and Jose Bautista come to mind. From “That’s a clown question, bro” to “Make Baseball Great Again” he is not fearful of speaking his mind to the media or anyone for that matter. Can you remember a time where Kanye West wasn’t afraid to be blunt? The Grammy Awards where he took the mic from Taylor Swift, his completely unfiltered Twitter feed, trashing Facebook Creator Mark Zuckerberg, and the unusual appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show. I think you get the point.

The notorious, spine tingling bat flip from Jose Bautista’s Game 5 ALDS home run last year sent immediate waves of controversy. Spilling over into next season where he was the victim of a Rougned Odor haymaker. The firm stance that hometown discounts were not applicable to him, when asked about a contract extension. All characteristics comparable to some of Kanye West’s most outrageous moments.

Even in Kanye’s music, he is fearless in calling out who question his success. The eventual diss track “Facts” targeted just about everyone involved in West’s business, including former sponsorship partner Nike. The power that Kanye possessed showed by releasing his much anticipated album The Life of Pablo only on his music streaming service TIDAL. He refused to offer it available to stream or buy on any other platform. The album was illegally downloaded over 500,00 times in the first 24 hours. No hometown discounts here.

If you had to break down the progression of Kanye West’s success parallel to outfielders in the MLB it becomes quite intriguing. Bryce Harper is young Kanye West, success during The College Dropout and Late Registration years. No ceiling. Manny Ramirez is Kanye West during Graduation up until Yeezus. On top of the world at the start of Graduation, sort of like Manny being Manny. Finally Jose Bautista is Kanye West from Yeezus to present. A late surge in his career and antics that sent him straight back to the spotlight.

Kanye West represents the uncharacteristic superstar in baseball, an ego big enough to fill a whole team. The front office looks the other way because he backs up his words with hits.