GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In baseball parlance, players like Gators shortstop Dalton Guthrie have earned a special set of adjectives to describe them in the game's long history.
Scrappy. Gritty. Feisty.
Guthrie is one of those players who after nine innings or work, rarely walks off the field with a clean uniform. His No. 5 jersey is often caked in dirt and in need of a splash of stain remover.
As the No. 2-ranked Gators prepare to open the season with a three-game home series against William & Mary, it's that kind of mentality that has Guthrie thinking big entering his junior season.
He pulled another famous baseball idiom from his mental Rolodex in describing their approach toward a potential third consecutive trip to the College World Series.
"A lot of the junior class are dirt dogs and they're winners and we're trying to rub that off on everyone,'' Guthrie said. "Everyone wants to win and I think that's going to be a key part of us this year."
Sounds like a quote from a dirt dog.
Gators shortstop Dalton Guthrie's all-out style of play means he rarely leaves the field with a clean uniform. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Whatever the Gators accomplish in 2017, Guthrie is primed to play a key role. He debuted in the program two years ago and was Florida's starting second baseman as a true freshman out of Venice (Fla.) High, earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors.
A year ago, following the departure of first-round pick Richie Martin, Guthrie moved to shortstop and didn't miss a beat. Guthrie was named All-SEC second team as he batted .305 (up from .287 as a freshman), posted a .367 on-base percentage and committed only eight errors in 67 games.
Guthrie's game and body have grown at UF. He is listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds, adding some pop to his bat that has Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan ready to see what else Guthrie can do from the leadoff spot.
"He's gotten stronger,'' O'Sullivan said. "We know how good he is defensively. I don't know if I've ever coached a better defensive shortstop. His instincts are off the chart. His first-step quickness is phenomenal. He's got great range. He's got an accurate arm.
"He's swinging the bat good. He covers the outer half of the plate much better. That infield defense is going to be air tight, and obviously, it all starts with Dalton at short."
If Guthrie looks like a player who grew up around the game, there's a good reason.
He is the son of 15-year big league veteran Mark Guthrie, a left-handed reliever who played from 1989-2003 primarily with the Twins and Dodgers. Dalton was 9 when his father called it a career after a stint with the Devil Rays in spring training of 2005.
But by that time, he was hooked.
Dalton remembers rushing his mom Andrea out the door so they could get to Shea Stadium or Wrigley Field during his dad's stints with the Mets and Cubs late in his career.
"He would sit in the stands the entire game, even as a 3- or 4-year-old,'' Mark said. "He got to watch high-level baseball at a young age. I think being able to watch all that as a young kid helped a ton."
Afterward, when the stadium was empty and the only people left were the grounds crew, cleaning people and writers in the press box, Mark would sometimes take Dalton and his older brother Kevin onto the outfield grass for batting practice or simply to toss the ball around.
The game rubbed off on both boys. Kevin finished his playing career at Brown University last spring and is now working as an intern in Pittsburgh's player development system.
"I just remember love watching baseball,'' Dalton said. "Sometimes I almost feel like I'm more of a fan than a player. I was pretty spoiled and didn't realize it at the time."
Once Mark retired and returned full-time to their home in Venice, he began coaching the boys on a travel-ball team and later served as a volunteer coach at Venice High under head coach Craig Faulkner, Mark's best friend growing up.
It was easy for Dalton's father to see his natural ability. Dalton would make heady plays other kids his age rarely consider, such as letting a pop up drop so he could turn a double play rather than just settle for one out.
"He was always looking to do that kind of stuff,'' Mark said. "Obviously, I'm biased. I think he's always been looked at as the smaller guy who can do the job and had a lot of heart and played hard and all that stuff. I think some of the other things he does are a little bit underrated. As he's increased a little size-wise, I think those things will play out a little better for him as he goes forward.
"His instincts have always been very good. I think that's his greatest attribute. That's what kind of separates him."
His father's influence is never far away when Dalton takes the field.
"I just learned everything from him,'' Dalton said. "Whatever he's told me, that's how I play the game."
Since joining the Gators, Guthrie has blossomed in part due to the rigorous system designed by O'Sullivan and assistants Craig Bell and Brad Weitzel to maximize a player's potential. Guthrie's natural instincts have been bolstered by the program's nutrition and strength staff.
Guthrie is now considered one of the best shortstops in the Southeastern Conference and a player with potential beyond college.
"I think it's been a tough environment for him,'' Mark said. "It's brought out the best in him."
Still, there is work to accomplish.
Guthrie had opportunities to play elsewhere in college but chose Florida because of the program's recent success – the Gators have made it to the College World Series in five of the last seven seasons.
He has been to Omaha twice. What's missing is something his dad experienced in his career: a championship. Mark Guthrie pitched in four games of the 1991 World Series when Minnesota edged Atlanta, 4 games to 3, in arguably the best Fall Classic in history.
"When I came to school, I came here because I wanted to win a national championship,'' Dalton said. "Florida is the best place to do it. That's my goal. I think we are definitely capable of doing it and I think that's everyone's goal. In the end, that's the only thing we are worried about."
