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When Shohei Ohtani broke onto the scene as the MLB’s most dynamic experiment this year, many were initially skeptical. Some were unsure of Ohtani specifically and whether or not his talents would transfer over from Japan to the MLB, but others questioned the legitimacy of the two-way player in general. However, with three two-way players having been selected in the last two drafts (two so far this year) and Ohtani performing at a high level on both ends, it seems that Major League Baseball will soon be revolutionized by players coming out of high school and college who can do it all.
Two teams appear to be leading the charge towards a new MLB, where pitchers can both rake and field: the Angels and Rays.
In the 2017 draft, the Tampa Bay Rays selected 1B/LHP and MLB.com’s 23rd ranked prospect Brendan McKay No. 4 overall. McKay has been described as a smooth left-handed hitter with .300-average and 20-homer potential who also hits 92-95 MPH on his fastball and plays a solid defensive first base. This year, Tampa selected center fielder and right-handed pitcher Tanner Dodson from the University of California with the 71st overall pick. Dodson, in his junior season at Cal, hit .320 with 12 doubles and 12 stolen bases along with a .993 fielding percentage to earn him Pac-12 All-Defensive recognition and a 2.47 ERA with 11 saves in 19 appearances on the mound. If he signs, Dodson will join McKay in the Rays’ farm system, and the two will hope to work their way through to the big leagues.
On the West Coast, the Angels are running a very similar experiment, one that’s already looking promising just midway through the season. This past offseason, Los Angeles signed Japanese star Shohei Ohtani, who is now living up to the hype. Through 34 games in the lineup as a DH, Ohtani is hitting .289 with a .907 OPS and 6 home runs. On the mound, Ohtani is 4-1 with an ERA of 3.18, a 1.081 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts in 45.1 innings. In addition to Ohtani, the Angels selected William English, a Detroit high school outfielder/RHP, in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. English is touted as a very athletic outfielder and a solid hitter with a fastball that tops out at around 93 MPH.
It seems that these two organizations have embraced the two-way player, effectively forcing the MLB to try something new. The long-term effects on modern ballplayers who play both ways are largely undocumented, as Ohtani is the first to have any real success in doing so, but the Angels (in my opinion) are handling their situation intelligently––they’re designated hitting Ohtani when he’s not pitching in order to avoid injury. Ohtani’s situation is unique because he’s about as talented on the mound as he is in the batters box, but it’s likely that the impending influx of two-way players will have a few who are more talented in one area than the other. Thus, it will be up to each individual organization to either stay the course and see what happens—similar to how LA handled Ohtani—or force the player one way or the other.
Personally, I hope major league ball clubs continue to embrace two-way players and allow the game to be revolutionized by new-age talents. Who knows; maybe the two-way player will eventually become as common as utility players or defensive shifts.
(Statistics, numbers and scouting profiles via MLB.com, Baseball Reference, Cal Athletics, MaxPreps, and Perfect Game)
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