Professional baseball players and fans are pouring into metro Phoenix for spring training. But many current and former players make the Valley home all year long.
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Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed 'The Big Unit', is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major.
Several players have recently bought upscale homes or mansions in the Valley, and others are trying to sell their multi-million dollar homes.
Check out their homes, ranked by price:
Randy Johnson
Topping the list with the priciest metro Phoenix home is the “Big Unit.” The Hall of Famer and former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher has his 25,000-square-foot Paradise Valley mansion on the market. The asking price is $16.5 million.
Johnson, a left-handed pitcher, was called the 'Big Unit' because of his 6-foot-10-inch height.
Johnson's house has a poker room with a firefighter pole that drops you down to a movie theater decked out with lots of big, comfy leather seats. A professional recording studio and music room feature real bank vault doors. The workout facility is the size of a small house.
The house was built in 2006 after the Diamondbacks traded Johnson to the New York Yankees. Robert Joffe, a co-founder of Scottsdale-based Launch Real Estate, has the listing.
Matt Williams
The Paradise Valley estate of “Matt the Bat,’’ a former third baseman and current Oakland Athletics coach is listed for $9.5 million.
The 15,000-square-foot mansion sits on two acres near Camelback Mountain and comes with six bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms, a seven-car garage and eight fireplaces.
Williams played in the World Series while with the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks. David Newman of Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty has the listing.
Andre Ethier
Last summer, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier scored $4.9 million on the sale of his 9,326-square-foot Gilbert mansion, which has a tropical paradise backyard.
The sale was one of the highest priced in East Valley history.
The house has a batting cage, game room, soccer field, windmill and two-story closet with a ladder.
But Phoenix native Ethier isn’t expected to leave the Valley anytime soon. He and his wife Maggie paid $1.65 million for a lot in Phoenix’s coveted Arcadia neighborhood last year.
Damion Easley
The former major league infielder Damion Easley sold a baseball-themed Glendale mansion for $4.25 million a few years ago.
The Glendale home came with an indoor batting cage, a miniature outdoor diamond, a bedroom adorned with a scoreboard and another room with a mural of Tiger Stadium, where he played for the Detroit Tigers. Shower tiles in a few of the house's eight-and-a-half bathrooms form baseball diamonds.
Easley played second and third base as well as shortstop during his 17-year big-league career. His most productive years were in Detroit, where he was an All-Star in 1998. He played for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006.
Trevor Thornton Crowe
The former MLB outfielder for the Cleveland Indians recently paid $3.25 million for a mansion in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood. The 6,910-square-foot Spanish-style estate has five bedrooms and 6-and-a-half bathrooms.
George Brett
The Hall of Famer and former third baseman for the Kansas City Royals paid $3.015 million for a 5,000-square-foot Paradise Valley home during spring training last year.
Brett was a 13-time All-Star and was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1980.
Tim Salmon
The former Los Angeles Angels slugger nicknamed 'King Fish' is selling his spacious cabin in Flagstaff's Forest Highlands for $2.99 million.
The six-bedroom, six-bathroom home is on a 1.4-acre property with views of the San Francisco Peaks. Built with Rocky Mountain logs, the 6,453-square-foot home includes a floor-to-ceiling fireplace, wood floors and a great room with walls of windows.
The 15-year baseball veteran is a graduate of Phoenix's Grand Canyon University. Mary Mendoza of Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty has the listing.