BUCK MARTINEZ

A smart, tough catcher whose passion, competitiveness and ability to communicate made him a natural on-field leader during a 17-year career, Buck Martinez applied those same traits to his advocacy for players as a longtime player rep and union leader. He was front-and-center on behalf of the Players Association during his 17-year career spanning the ‘70s and ‘80s, a period when the union first established itself and later fended off repeated assaults on free agency, resulting in four strikes and two lockouts.  Since his retirement as a player, Martinez has worn multiple hats on and off the field but has remained a vocal Players Association advocate and has contributed his time and expertise to multiple PA projects. He managed the Blue Jays for two seasons and was the skipper for Team USA in the first World Baseball Classic in 2006 and has been a champion of former players in need through his efforts with the Baseball Assistance Team. “The number one rewarding aspect of the involvement is that we are helping out our brothers and sisters,’’ Martinez said after assuming his role as a B.A.T. director. “Baseball, as big as it is, is still a very small family that looks out for one another.’’ Martinez has been a popular broadcaster for the Orioles, Blue Jays and multiple national outlets through the years. In July this year, Martinez received a standing ovation from Blue Jays players and fans upon returning to the booth following a hiatus to undergo cancer treatment.  

STEVE ROGERS

No Player has devoted more of his professional career on and off the field to advocating for his fellow Players than former Montreal Expos All-Star pitcher Steve Rogers. He spent 10 of his 13 seasons with the Expos as the team’s Player Rep and another two as an alternate. He was elected the NL’s Pension Rep at the 1976 Executive Board meeting – a position he would hold until his retirement in 1985 -- and he was part of the union’s original Executive Subcommittee in 1979. Immersing himself in complex issues, Rogers earned the respect of his peers as a voice of common sense and a driving force for Player unity, strength and resolve.  During the 1981 strike, Rogers, Bob Boone, Doug DeCinces and Mark Belanger were among the players directly involved in negotiations with owners. In his book “Lords of the Realm,’’ John Helyar described Rogers as a “calm, analytical voice in the committee's caucuses.’’ Rogers was so integral to PA operations that a year into retirement then-Executive Director Don Fehr called on him in late 1986 to consult on Pension Committee matters and in 1988 to assist in sorting out the collusion cases of that era. He joined the Players Association full-time as a Special Assistant in 1999 and at age 72 continues to serve the PA and Players with his institutional knowledge and encyclopedic grasp of the pension fund and benefit plans. As a Player, Rogers made five All-Star teams, surpassed 230 innings eight times and established himself as a consistent and durable starter over a 13-year career. A remarkable 129 of Rogers’ 399 starts resulted in complete games. Rogers has also been a longtime director of the MLB Players Alumni Association and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.