English

Noun

ballhawk ‎(plural ballhawks)

1. (sports) A player who handles the ball skilfully
2. (baseball, chiefly in Chicago) A person who specializes in catching home-run and foul balls.
   • 2001 October 5, Deanna Isaacs, “Oddballs and True Believers/Film Center's New Marquee Player”, in Chicago Reader:

     They documented Waveland Avenue's ballhawk culture, where Moe Mullins, who's recovered more than 3,500, is king, and followed him home to gape at his bounty: 1,000 major-league balls hoarded like dinosaur eggs.

   • 2007 July 18, Lee Jenkins, “At Wrigley, Fans Debate What to Do With a Ball”, in New York Times:

     Last season, when the Giants came to town, a noted ballhawk named Wes Wagner scored tickets in the first row of the bleacher boxes in right field.