Bert Blyleven

They are known to some as dirtballs, to others as gamers. They are the tough, gritty players who will do anything to help their team win.

They are guys like Ron Hunt, who stuck his elbow out over the plate often enough to lead the NL in being hit by pitch seven times (including a whopping 50 plunkings in 1971). He would do anything to get on base, and remember this was before everyone started wearing football pads on their elbows.

Tim Foley was a guy I played with on the Pirates who was another gamer. He was a hardnosed shortstop who had an attitude and a fight about him, and was not afraid to say what was on his mind. In fact, I remember an incident where he questioned the tactics of manager Chuck Tanner, and they had an altercation that escalated to the point where Tanner’s hands were around Foley’s throat.

Ed Ott was a catcher and kind of a troll. He would do anything to block home plate and wasn’t at all averse to physical contact. During one incident after he broke up a double-play at second base, he body-slammed Mets infielder Felix Millan so hard he broke his collar bone.

And Pete Rose was perhaps the ultimate gamer. Not only was he talented, he played as hard as anyone. Rose did not ever back off, not even in the 1970 All-Star game, when he bowled into Ray Fosse so hard at home plate that Fosse’s shoulder was wrecked. Fosse, unfortunately, was never the same, but Rose was incapable of giving anything less than his best, even in an exhibition game.

Gamers and dirtballs aren’t always the stars like Pete Rose, but they do the little things that make huge impacts. They set the tone for their ball club, and an example for their teammates.

Dirtballs are respected — if not always liked — by other teams and other players. They’re respected by other managers, too. They leave it all out on the field, and never spare any effort. And while they are sometimes contentious, they always maintain a certain level of respect.

There is a difference between being a gamer and a jerk. Jeff Kent was a great player who played very hard, but didn’t have respect because he was a jerk. Kirk Gibson was that way, too. Good gamers aren’t always liked by everyone. They might have an edge to them, but they don’t lose the respect of their teammates.

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There are plenty of gamers in the sport today, so let’s take a moment to look at some of the best. You might notice that there aren’t any pitchers on the list. As a pitcher myself, I think that a gamer has to play every day. You have to see that they bring to the table day in and day out. But if I’m a pitcher, these are the guys I want playing behind me.

Derek Jeter, Yankees
Derek Jeter is one of those guys you watch and admire. He plays the game the right way and is one of the sport’s ultimate gamers. He conducts himself well on and off the field, and he leads the Yankees by example. Whether he’s knocking in the winning run or diving into the stands for a ball and coming up with a bloody nose, he’s the type of guy who will give his all game in and game out. He goes out and shows an intensity level that is higher than everyone else.

Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
Pedroia is sort of a miniature Jeter who plays second base. It’s all out for this guy game after game. He’s a guy who his teammates watch and want to play like. He’s always got that little man syndrome going, not backing down from anyone and looking for a scrap. He’s well loved because of how hard he plays.

Aaron Rowand, Giants
Rowand, San Francisco’s center fielder and leadoff hitter, will always give his all, particularly out in the field. He’ll run into walls tying to make a catch — in fact, he once broke multiple bones in his face while making a catch against the fence in Philadelphia — and he also brings that fighter’s mentality to his gritty at-bats.

Nick Punto, Twins
Punto isn’t much of a hitter, but he plays hard and does whatever it takes to win a game. He’ll move the runners over, he’ll fight through every at-bat. And the biggest thing is that he means so much to the club defensively. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who was a gamer himself, likes Punto for his enthusiasm and how he goes about his business. He often finds himself saying “if Punto doesn’t make that play, we don’t win.”

Brandon Inge, Tigers
Inge played through two bad knees last year and didn’t come out of any games. And he has always been open to doing whatever his team needs. Here’s a kid who was a pitcher and a shortstop in college. He entered pro baseball as a catcher. Now he’s a third baseman because that’s what the Tigers need. Guys like Inge are very important to their teams.