Ed. Why did nobody inform me of FJM’s glorious return today at Deadspin? Especially before I wrote some poor imitation of an FJM article that was actually already written 10 hours earlier? Please return to your regular programming while I continue punching my groin in between reading new FJM. FML.

Well, it’s been way too long since we’ve made a post here. We’ve got a couple posts half finished that we’ve picked at and intended to finish up today, but then this came across the desk and jumped to the front of the queue. Without further ado, we present by way of Bleacher Report and J Panchina, baseball’s “10 Scrappiest Players“.

They may or may not play every day, but every time they step on the field you’re ensured that they’re giving it their all.

Whether it’s diving for out of reach grounders, running hard to first every time they make contact, or fearlessly tracking down flies headed straight toward the fence, these players make the most out of their time on the field.

Scrappiness and grittiness are pretty much interchangeable as far as baseball’s concerned, so we’re going to assume that J Panchina merely forgot about GRIT3, flipped a coin, and went with “scrappiest” in lieu of “grittiest.” Good to have you on board, J!

Although grinders usually go somewhat unnoticed not being as flashy and naturally talented as some of their teammates, these guys will always have a place in my heart. I love seeing players who maybe weren’t given the best physical attributes and natural talent (hey we weren’t all born with Mauer’s swing) who make the roster due to their sheer guts, determination, and effort.

Hear hear!

I also love watching players who aren’t very good at baseball. When I watch baseball, I pay attention to the worst player on the field. That way, I get to live vicariously through them and imagine what it’s like to be a real Major Leaguer.

Earlier this year, I saw the Twins play the Royals and had the complete and utter privilege to watch Nick Punto start at shortstop. Man, that guy is gritty! It was so great to watch him stumble around the baseball field on his undersized peg legs. He ended up going 0-4 (just like I would have done if nobody ever had the “good sense” to shatter my boyhood dreams at an early age).

After the game, I followed him back to the team’s hotel and watched him unload all of the Twins’ equipment from the bus.

What a life! He gets to handle Joe Mauer’s catching gear!

Later on, he sat in his hotel room and played Nintendo 64. He’s such a regular guy. Playing N64 is exactly what I would’ve been doing if I hadn’t been watching Nick Punto from a hotel fire escape at that moment.

Where were we?

So, here’s a list honoring the scrappiest players in the game.

Right. Let’s do it!

No. 10 Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks

Byrnes can be found diving all around Chase Field, making spectacular plays. He’s fearless in the outfield, runs whenever he can, and slides hard every time there’s a close play.

Eric Byrnes gets a lot of acclaim as a gritty hustler extraordinaire. SportsCenter helps his cause because he falls around the outfield and makes shoestring catches. Baseball Reference even lists his nicknames as “Crash Test Dummy and Pigpen”.

Eric Byrnes is in the midst of his grittiest season since 2005. But this is because he’s never really been that gritty — at least not from an offensive standpoint. He hits for too much power and strikes out too often to really be gritty. And, he’s been hurt the last two years which is definitely not gritty. Gritty players play through injuries; they don’t succumb to them.

Eric Byrnes has shown time and time again, that he is talented enough to hit for extra bases. That’s not gritty.

No. 9 Nate McLouth, Braves

McLouth is always giving it his all. Even when he was on the Pirate’s he never seemed to care too much about the standings, he only cared about making the most of every at bat.

Okay, I have to take issue here again. Nate McLouth is also not gritty. Like Eric Byrnes, he gets mislabeled as “gritty” because he hustles. But a player who hustles successfully is simply talented. Look at McLouth’s stolen base numbers — the guy is 74 for 83 over his career. Last year, his GRIT3 was -15.69 and he’s shied away from stepping in to as many pitches this year.

Sorry, J, but you’re 0 for 2.

No. 8 Augie Ojeda, Diamondbacks

Listed at 5’8’’ 165, this little guy knows how to play the game. The scrappy shortstop can be seen hustling down the line on every ball he makes contact with. You gotta respect a player like that.

All right, now we’re talking!

This little bastard is most definitely gritty. He put up a very solid 8.05 GRIT3 last year and is above 5 on the current season. He’s a bit of a free swinger seeing only 3.72 pitches per PA over his career, but his short stature allows him to draw some walks. And his tiny frame keeps him from hitting for much power — only 7 home runs over his 1,115 lifetime PAs and a slugging average of .314.

Ojeda’s probably not someone I’d put in the top 10, but at least we’re headed in the right direction.

No. 7 Aaron Rowand, Giants

His face first catch into the fence was enough to get him on this list. Always putting the game first, and his body second, he’s as scrappy as outfielders come.

Like Ojeda, Rowand’s probably not someone I’d put in the top 10, but he deserves consideration. Since his coming out party with the White Sox’ championship team in 2005, Rowand has notched positive GRIT3 in each season no matter where he’s gone. His 2005 total of 17.13 was good for 7th in the Majors and he posted 8.56, 3.80, and 7.08 over the next three seasons with the Phillies and Giants. Rowand seems to get off on pain whether it’s at the plate, in the field, and probably off the field. As such, he’s consistently been among the league leaders in HBP.

Gritty? Oh yeah. Top 10 Gritty? Maybe.

No. 6 Reed Johnson, Cubs

Reed is one of my favorite players because he’s such a grinder. He struggles to find an outfield spot on the Cubs, but he really gives maximum effort when he’s on the field. He bunts, runs, and dives for balls. This all out effort has taken a toll on his body, and he’s had a few stints on the DL this season, but hopefully he’ll be healthy next year, and the Cubs can use him next season to bring a spark into their line up.

No arguments here. The man wears a merkin on his chin and was in gymnastics as a child. If you want to live a non-gritty life that’s free from childhood ridicule, participating in gymnastics as a kid is just about the worst way to go about making it happen.

His fearless catches are well-known, but he puts up very good GRIT3 numbers by showing the same fearlessness at the plate. Coming in to this season, Johnson was plunked once every 29.9 plate appearances. Among players to debut after 1900, only 6 have been plunked at a faster rate:

Player	HBP	PA	Rate
F.P. Santangelo	83	2073	24.98
Ron Hunt	243	6158	25.34
Craig Wilson	90	2311	25.68
Carlos Quentin	39	1023	26.23
Sal Fasano	47	1245	26.49
Jason LaRue	102	2928	28.71
Reed Johnson	92	2676	29.09
Fernando Vina	157	4742	30.20
Charlie Babb	45	1376	30.58
Bert Daniels	72	2236	31.06

No. 5 David Eckstein, Padres

Back in his prime, the 2006 Wold Series MVP was the epitome of a scrappy player. The 5’7’’ second baseman-shortstop continues to make the most of his limited ability and physic. He’ll do anything to get on base, and he’s not afraid to lean into a pitch if necessary.

Lil’ Davey’s #1 in my book. He should be #1 in your book, too. Unless we’re reading different books. I’m reading George Will’s Bunts; is that what you’re reading?

Whatever. Eckstein’s number one. End of story. I don’t care if he sucks at the hard sciences.

No. 4 Chone Figgins, Angels

The 5’8’’ utility man will play whenever and where ever he can. He’s extremely scrappy and truly makes the most out of his limited physique.

I’m not going to argue this. J’s clearly done his homework. After coming on strong with a 2008 GRITTY earning 8.46, Figgins has continued to hang near the top of the GRIT3 leaderboard in 2009. He’s currently sitting at 8.11 which puts him at 17th in the Majors.

What’s his secret? A complete and total revulsion to the idea of hitting for extra-bases. His career ISO of .096 and OMS of -0.025 prove that Chone knows that, to be truly gritty, you should earn each and every base one at a time.

No. 3 Brett Gardner, Yankees

It’s got to be tough when you’re on arguably the most talented team in baseball, full of sluggers, and you’ve got to prove yourself with your wheels and defense. That is just what Gardner is doing. Every day he’s playing he’s legging out hits, laying down bunts, and improving the team.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the author is being victimized by the cognitive bias known as the “Contrast effect“. With GRIT3 totals of 0.43 and 0.68 during 2008 and 2009 respectively, Gardner is barely above average in terms of his grittiness.

Gardner’s probably viewed as being “very gritty” for two reasons. First, nobody else on the Yankees is gritty. Only Jose Molina (0.79) has a higher GRIT3 during this year for New York. Combine that with the fact that New York is neck-and-neck with Texas for the least grittiest of all teams, and Gardner comes across as gritty. This unwarranted praise is likely multiplied by the extensive media coverage which the Yankees receive.

If you assert that Mark Teixeira is gritty frequently enough, it will eventually become gospel. Mark Teixeira isn’t gritty, and neither is Brett Gardner.

No. 2 Shane Victorino, Phillies

This guy is amazing. He was an integral player on last year’s World Championship Phillies team. This guy does it all; he sprints down the line, he takes great routes, hustles in the outfield, and can lay down a bunt. If you want a championship team, you need at least one player like Victorino on the roster.

You’re totally right. Shane Victorino runs well. And he can bunt. That makes him invaluable. And gritty!

Seriously, Victorino’s gritty. He’s far from being the second grittiest, but at this point I think it’s apparent that J’s not ordering these correctly.

NEEEEEEXT

No. 1 Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox

Dustin Pedroia is the definition of a grinder. The little second baseman does whatever he can to improve the team, and he’s the reason for much of the Sox’s success over the last few years. He certainly brings a fire to the lineup, and invigorates his teammates.

I’m a bit conflicted here. In 2007, Pedroia put up a healthy GRIT3 of 8.31 on his way to winning the AL ROY on Boston’s championship squad. That was solid enough to land him 18th place in the Majors despite seeing less action than many of those ahead of him. However, last year, Pedroia’s grittiness took a nosedive to -3.01 — 904th out of 1026 players. Pedroia’s not the grittiest player in the Majors.

Whether or not he merits consideration for a top 10 list depends on which is the real Dustin Pedroia.

That’s all for this week. Make sure to check back in a few for some more PDG and our next Hall of GRIT induction.