Grinders

Baseball is a game of stars, but this is not their story. These are the stories of players who battled their way to a chance in the big leagues and hung on as long as they could — Deacon Jones, Brian Mazone, and Lorenzo Bundy. They are tales of a love of the game, passed from father to son. Without the Grinders, without their grit, determination, and persistence, there would be no stars. The Grinders fill every roster at every level, plugging away year after year. In Grinders: Baseball’s Intrepid Infantry, Capps and Chuck Hartenstein chronicle the game’s foot soldiers. These are the unheralded players who took the hard knocks road, spending their careers bouncing between the Show and obscurity, never quite achieving their dreams, all for a chance to play the game they love. The rank-and-file players we call Grinders, make up the biggest percentage of major-league team rosters. Yet unless you're an addicted fan, you might not know much about your team's No. 5 starter, backup catcher, fourth or fifth outfielder or backup infielders—the Grinders on the team. You might not appreciate the struggles they've had simply making it to the big leagues. Now you will. Grinders: Baseball’s Intrepid Infantry chronicles their stories.