ball·play·er

(bôl′plā′ər)

One who plays a ball game, especially baseball.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ballplayer

(ˈbɔːlˌpleɪə)

1. (Soccer) a player, esp in soccer, with outstanding ability to control the ball

2. (Baseball) US and Canadian a baseball player, esp a professional

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ball•play•er

(ˈbɔlˌpleɪ ər)
n.

a person who plays ball, esp. professional baseball.

[1615–20]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

ballplayer - an athlete who plays baseball

baseball player

baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the area"; "play ball!"

athlete, jock - a person trained to compete in sports

base runner, runner - a baseball player on the team at bat who is on base (or attempting to reach a base)

batsman, batter, hitter, slugger - (baseball) a ballplayer who is batting

fielder - a member of the baseball team that is in the field instead of at bat

little leaguer - a player between 8 and 12 years of age who is a member of a little-league team

big leaguer, major leaguer - a member of a major-league baseball team

bush leaguer, minor leaguer - a player on a minor-league baseball team

hurler, pitcher, twirler - (baseball) the person who does the pitching; "our pitcher has a sore arm"

player, participant - a person who participates in or is skilled at some game

utility man - a baseball player valued for the ability to play at several positions

Translations

ballplayer

ball player [ˈbɔːlˌpleɪəʳ] N (US) (Baseball) → jugador(a) m/f de béisbol (Basketball) → baloncestista mf (Ftbl) → jugador(a) m/f de fútbol americano

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ballplayer

[ˈbɔːlpleɪə^r] ball player (US) n (= baseball player) → joueur/euse m/f de base-ball

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

In 1911, baseball's primary evangelist, Albert Goodwill Spalding, a Chicago purveyor of sporting goods and former ballplayer, wrote in America's National Game, "The ecclesiastics of the early Church adopted this symbol [ball-tossing] and gave it a very special significance by meeting in the churches on Easter Day, and throwing up a ball from hand to hand, to typify The Resurrection."

Let's disrupt the destructive normal

He refused to play in a key pennant race game on Yom Kippur in 1934, and six years later, he became the first ballplayer to register for the draft.

How Hank Greenberg Desegregated Baseball

He was a good guy and one heck of a ballplayer. He excelled in whatever sport he played.

The versatile Jimmy Burns will be missed

She may not be a ballplayer, but she's "a physical creature, someone very comfortable in her body." Sounds like Werner knows the score.

Bases loaded, love at bat

In the story "Chasing Chato," from the classic-baseball section, a young ballplayer plays against his childhood hero, Chato, who threw the first perfect game in Mexico.

Robert Paul Moreira, ed. Arriba Baseball!: A Collection of Latino/a Baseball Fiction. Donna TX: Vao Publishing, 2013. 224pp. Paper, $11.99

A not-particularly-fresh take on "The Bad News Bears," "Back in the Game" isn't without its modest charms, thanks mostly to James Caan's turn as an irascible old ballplayer whose daughter agrees (eventually) to coach the worst team in her kid's baseball league.

Back In The Game

Billy Southworth; a biography of the hall of fame manager and ballplayer.

Billy Southworth; a biography of the hall of fame manager and ballplayer

Drawing parallels between the ballplayer and a jazz pianist, the authors point out that an intuitive play is completed "through mastery of the basics and fundamentals, which allow your creative mind to improvise a work of art for just the right moment in space and time." Similarly, Chapter 10: "Reducing Variables" discusses the importance of mental preparation in the creative process.

Rhythms of The Game: The Link Between Musical and Athletic Performance

"They're dedicated professionals," said the same person, adding that the actress and ballplayer are "still very friendly and like each other".

Diaz, Rodriguez break up again

The reality is that biotech cheating gives a ballplayer significant advantages that affect the entire baseball system at all levels, including high school.

First they juiced the ball now it's the players

In a recent guest column for ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/draft2010/news/story?id=5243548), former Major League Baseball All-Star Morgan Ensberg said his dream wasn't to be a ballplayer, it was to be a husband and father.

An Interview with Former MLB All-Star Morgan Ensberg on Blogging, Social Media