In an offseason full of unprecedented weirdness, you can file this one under what is happening. Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic did some hard-hitting journalism that past few months and found out something very interesting…
Classic. Meet Mason Saunders, the secret rodeo identity of Madison Bumgarner … via @TheAthleticAZ https://t.co/1OMjc37L2A pic.twitter.com/k9ED1vJpYY
— Paola Boivin (@PaolaBoivin) February 24, 2020
As it turns out, Madison Bumgarner has been going by an alias to secretly compete in rodeos.
Madison Bumgarner does rodeos as his secret hobbies. What are our best guesses for other players?
Trout: weatherman (layup)
Doolittle: fanfiction author
Rendon: monk
Mookie: pro bowler (actually real tho)
Chris Sale: stop sign
Soto: college sophomore
Puig: exotic dancer
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) February 24, 2020
We already know Bumgarner has a history of detrimental off-field hobbies. He was injured in a dirt bike accident a few years back and had to miss significant time. But taking the time to make up a fake name and enter rodeo competitions is next-level for MadBum.
The story is that Bumgarner went by the name Mason Saunders and actually entered two competitions last year. In fact, he won over $26,000 in a rodeo he entered in December 2019, just two weeks before he signed a deal with Arizona.
"Mason Saunders"? Time to pick a new alias, MadBum lolol 🤠https://t.co/9vYVfaXkxV
— ʙᴏʏᴢ ɪɪ ᴍᴇɴɢ (@henrikmeng) February 24, 2020
In regards to his contract, Bumgarner was not willing to admit if it went against the rules outlined in it or not. In fact, none of the Arizona executives Baggarly reached out to had anything to say.
Not going to get into discussing specific contract language. -Arizona Diamondbacks general manager when asked about Bumgarner’s contract limitations
Regardless of whether or not competing in rodeos is allowed in his contract, this has to be one of the more interesting off-field stories seen in baseball this year.
