Which baseball player would make the best Santa?

Is Santa an athlete? Is delivering presents to all the kids in the world on one night a sport? That’s sure something to consider isn’t it?

Actually, if Santa were an athlete, he’d be a baseball player. That’s for a couple reasons: He rolls with a starting lineup of nine — him and eight reindeer. Baseball season, like present season, is a grind. And baseball players have time for extracurricular activities this time of year.

When we here at The Stew saw New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard dressed up as Santa recently, it made us think: Which baseball player would make the best Santa?

Syndergaard, all 6-foot-6 of him, made for a good, thoughtful-looking Santa despite being just 24 and being at risk of breaking any toys he throws because of that 101 mph fastball. But baseball could do better. So we asked our crew to think of the best baseball Santas.

Here’s our list, with a couple names you’d expect and a couple surprises:

BARTOLO COLON
Santa Claus is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To me he’s always been a jovial gentleman with a unique ability to put smiles on kids’ faces while making adults believe in him even when logic says they shouldn’t.

In the baseball world, no one fits that description (or Santa’s hefty suit) better than Bartolo Colon. Beyond his happy-go-lucky attitude, Colon is an attraction unlike any other in sports. He’s not the prototype athlete by any means. You certainly wouldn’t expect him to fit down any chimney, but we also didn’t expect him to hit a home run either. He finds a way to get the job done against the odds, just like Santa always does.

To put it simply, Bartolo Colon is the gift that keeps on giving. That’s what Santa Claus is all about.

— Mark Townsend, Big League Stew

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PRINCE FIELDER
I thought about this far too much. I looked up whether any player with the last name “Santa” has ever played in the majors. Nope. I considered going with Jaye Chapman, the last player signed on Christmas Day. I even thought about picking Francisco Liriano, as he made news by breaking his arm in a Christmas mishap a few years back.

Ultimately, I settled on Fielder because I miss watching him play. And I think he works perfectly as MLB’s Santa. He’s jovial, portly, can grow a beard and is used to frigid temperatures after living in Milwaukee. Fielder also had a stretch where he played in at least 161 games for five straight seasons, so he has the stamina required to visit everyone’s house in just one night. He’s the perfect choice. There’s no one better.

— Chris Cwik, Big League Stew

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DAVID ORTIZ
Earlier this season, Mookie Betts called David Ortiz his “baseball dad.” Not sure about you, but I don’t know any 41-year-old dads who hit 38 major-league homers and OPS’d over 1.000 this year.

Perhaps a better nickname for Ortiz after his fairytale 2016 campaign would be Kris Kringle — after all, there were presents, a cross-country farewell tour, and plenty of magical moments. Big Papi is jolly, generous and loves kids — in other words, he’s the perfect Father Christmas so long as he’s not taking batting practice with the presents. Plus, the Santa Claus job requires a serious commitment, and assuming he’s not about to shimmy down the Fenway chimney for a 2017 comeback, the retired David Ortiz has all the time in the world now.

— Dan Toman, Yahoo Sports Canada

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GAYLORD PERRY
The Hall of Fame pitcher has one of the most famous baseball bellies of all time and what is Santa if not a gay lord who uses magic to dominate on Christmas Eve? You just know ol’ Kris Kringle appreciates a good spitball.

— Kevin Kaduk, Yahoo Sports blogs editor

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PEDRO MARTINEZ
Think about baseball players who love to play the game. Who imparts a sense of joy and fun and mirth to everything they do? For me, one comes to mind right away, and that’s Pedro Martinez. It doesn’t matter what he’s doing — whether it’s pitching a playoff game, calling the Yankees his daddy, or talking about the postseason on TBS — Pedro is always enjoying life. I can’t imagine a better guy to wear a beard and a red suit (not of the Red Sox or Phillies variety) and pass out presents. Pedro would have the most Santa gusto ever.

— Liz Roscher, Big League Stew

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CURTIS GRANDERSON
I imagine most people, when this question is posed to them, think about Santa’s physical features: the portly frame, the beard, the white hair and beard. I went a different direction. I thought about the spirit of Santa, and that brings me to just one guy — Curtis Granderson. Granderson, a 13-year big-league vet and former Big League Stew blogger, is the nicest guy in baseball. And he’s got the Roberto Clemente Award to prove it.

He’s the player who has given the biggest single contribution ($5 million) to MLB’s Urban Youth Academy. His Grand Kids Foundation helps get kids interested in the game. He built a baseball stadium at his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has a partnership with Citi that invests money into community organizations for every home run he hits. So, when I look around baseball and think about the giving spirit of Santa Claus, Curtis Granderson is the guy.

— Mike Oz, Big League Stew

Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz