Last Updated: October 8th, 2026 by Matthew Brown
I feel like the term "bush league" has been used less over the years, but it's always been something used to describe unprofessional play. When you use it on MLB players, it's pretty funny to think that you're saying someone at the top of their profession is doing something that is even lower than the lowest professional division.
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That's what we're exploring in this list. Some of the best players who have played in a substandard way.
12. Ty Cobb: The Spike-Kicking King of Chaos
This all-time great may be the most historically infamous dirty player in baseball. When there was close play and he was hustling towards the base, you can bet those spikes would be up and aimed anywhere but the base itself.
The fact that he would take time out of his day to sharpen those cleats is a pretty dedicated way to play dirty.
11. Pete Rose: Charlie Hustle or Charlie Hostile?
I think if it weren't for one terrible collision, Pete Rose would have been known as a hard-nosed competitor, but not quite a dirty player.
That being said, what happened with Ray Fosse is absolutely grounds for the dirty player label. He effectively ended a catcher's career in order to score a run in a game that ultimately didn't count.
10. Manny Machado: Spikes Up, Tempers High
Manny Machado has been an iconic third baseman during his career. It's been his attitude that has prevented him from getting more love from baseball fans.
He's been known for lifting his spikes while sliding like other old-school dirty players. He's also been involved in a number of confrontations, fights, and all-around tension with opponents and even teammates.
9. Juan Marichal: The Bat Heard ’Round the World
I know I'm not a professional athlete, but I can't imagine ever wanting to use a weapon to strike an opponent in a non-contact sport. That's the thing about baseball. There is rarely a need to make contact with the opponent while the ball is in play.
When Dodgers catcher John Roseboro threw a ball at Juan Marichal's head in retaliation for Marichal throwing at a couple of Dodgers, the floodgates opened quickly as Marichal slammed his bat on the top of Roseboro's head, requiring the catcher to get stitches.
8. Roger Clemens: Beanballs and Broken Bats
For a pitcher who won the most Cy Young Awards, Roger Clemens sure wasn't afraid to get in a fight. The fact that his biggest fight was in the 2000 World Series is pretty crazy when you think about it.
Being the ace of the pitching staff, trying to win a championship, and bringing in a grudge with Mike Piazza from the regular season brought a whole new level to the biggest series of the year.
7. Albert Belle: Corked Bats and Corked-Up Rage
It's one thing to have a mean reputation, but it's a whole other thing to try to cheat your way to success. Albert Belle was already known for his confrontational disposition, evidenced by his scuffle with Fernando Vina.
But to get caught with a corked bat as a premier slugger put doubt into the minds of fans across MLB as to whether he was playing cleanly the whole time.
6. Norm Cash: Corked Bat, Crooked Smile
Norm Cash was an eccentric character that would either make a fan love him or hate him with his antics. He once brought a table leg out to take an at-bat against the Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.
He said he wasn't hitting the flamethrower anyway, so what he used shouldn't have mattered. That was more harmless. What was harmful was the fact that he admitted to using a corked bat during his career-best 1961 season.
5. Gaylord Perry: Spitballs and Sly Grins
The spitball used to be a premier pitch in baseball because of how effective it was even when hitters were making contact. That's why it was banned in 1920.
Even so, there have been a handful of pitchers who have been known to throw a version of the spitter well after the rule was put in place. Gaylord Perry is the most infamous because he admitted to using it in the title of his autobiography, "Me and the Spitter".
4. A.J. Pierzynski: The Most Punchable Face in Baseball
With the rule that prevents catchers from blocking the plate, I feel like A.J. Pierzynski would find ways to skirt that rule if he were still playing today. Ever the antagonist, the two-time All-Star was always ready for a confrontation out on the field.
I don't know of any specific examples of dirty play, but his reputation almost leads us to assume there was at least one instance.
3. Chase Utley: Slide Hard, Make Enemies Harder
Chase Utley is another example of a hard-nosed player who is mostly known as a dirty one because of one play in his career. A slide to break up a double play that ended up in a nasty collision looked pretty intentional and Mets fans were enraged.
He ended the season for Ruben Tejada and ended any semblance of love from the people in Queens forever.
2. Hal McRae: Spikes High and No Apologies
We go to another double play breakup that ruined the reputation of the baserunner. In the 1977 ALCS, Hal McRae was a speedster who came flying in to break up a double play. He ended up sending himself and Willie Randolph basically 10 feet off of the bag in a crazy scene.
The play was deemed legal and it ended up scoring a tying run.
1. Alex Rodriguez: Baseball’s Lightning Rod
Alex Rodriguez is one of the most hated superstars in baseball history. Since retiring, he's tried to improve his image with a clean look and happy personality, but it's had a minimal effect.
There have been many things that he's done to honor the game, like giving Cal Ripken Jr. The shortstop position during his final All-Star Game. Then there were the steroid allegations that followed him throughout his career and were finally confirmed when he was suspended toward the end of it.
