The Future of Baseball is... Chris Taylor? (Yes, Really)

drinklmnt.com/baseballh
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There’s a revolution happening in Major League Baseball. From the early years of the sport to the modern day, utility players have been an essential part of the game. Nowadays, however, a new kind of player has burst onto the scene. Unlike guys like Luis Sojo, these so-called “super-utility” players are making highlight reel plays and putting up All Star numbers at multiple positions around the field. Players who formerly occupied only one position are now manning two, or sometimes even three. And from the college baseball level to the minor leagues, MLB clubs have been conditioning their top prospects to play two or more positions with increasing frequency.
In this video, I’ll be talkin’ about how the New York Yankees misused Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, how Joe Maddon and the Tampa Bay Rays helped transform Ben Zobrist into an All Star, and how the Los Angeles Dodgers - with the help of players like Kiké Hernández, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, and, yes, Chris Taylor - are one of the many MLB teams at the forefront of the super-utility revolution.
(And of course, there’s a little Shohei Ohtani thrown in there for good measure.)
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BUSINESS INQUIRIES
[e-mail]
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @BaseballHSTRN
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SOURCES
Baseball Reference
Fangraphs
Versatile Infielders Are Baseball's Secret Weapon - FiveThirtyEight
Ode to the Properly-Rated: Ben Zobrist Edition - FiveThirtyEight
Positional Versatility and the Zobrist Fallacy - Fangraphs
Ben Zobrist timeline: From his early path to the majors to winning World Series MVP to his leave of absence - and return - to the Cubs - Chicago Tribune
Masters of Some: The Rise of Superutility MLB Players - The Ringer
The 2018 Dodgers Are the Most Positionally Fluid Team of All Time - The Ringer
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MUSIC
"Carved From Stone" - TrackTribe
"Duck In The Alley" - TrackTribe
"Get Tough" - TrackTribe
"Heavy Hideout" - TrackTribe
"SeaTac" - TrackTribe
"To the Sun and Back" - TrackTribe
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00​ - 2:03 Introduction
2:04 - 5:07 Jeter? I Hardly Know 'Er
5:08 - 9:01 Maddonball
9:02 - 12:00 What Makes a Super-Utility Player?
12:01 - 16:22 Everybody Loves Chris
16:23 - 17:53 LMNT
17:54 - 18:08 End

[@BaseballHistorian]

Thanks to LMNT for making this video possible! Visit DrinkLMNT.com/BaseballH to claim your exclusive offer today.

[@danarrington2224]

Brawndo's got electrolytes...

[@patricksmith3376]

Dodger fan here and I can vouch for Taylor's incredible versatility. A player like that is invaluable when those pesky injuries pop up over 162 game season

[@CalebsCards]

Taylor is a very underrated and clutch kind of player. Makes him a very valuable player to have on the roster.

[@andyreid7274]

As a cards fan i hate seeing him at the plate in a tight spot. He also make some incredible plays on defense. Redpect his talent

[@suckablowfish]

He’s bout average

[@Snottyduck868]

He’s not underrated

[@Brixenja]

not this year lmao

[@maxsmart8954]

Average

[@elsongs]

The other unspoken element of Andrew Friedman's success is improving players through the Dodgers' player development system. People like Taylor, Justin Turner, Max Muncy and former Dodger Kike Hernandez were all just mediocre players before coming to the Dodgers. Now they all became All-Stars and postseason heroes.

[@elsongs]

@@alwilsonwastheman Mitch White is good, of all the players that got traded he was the one that most Dodger fans were sad to see go. Hope he does well in Toronto.

[@KaPowSplat]

Daulton Varsho has an incredible baseball savant page to look at defensively. He has above average pop time as a catcher, and is in the 96th percentile for OF jump

[@FoxCowDog]

Jackie is up there for best super utility players. In the Negro leagues he played shortstop. Then in his move to the mlb he played his rookie year at first. Two years later won mvp at second base. And continued to put up torrid numbers offensively and defensively at multiple positions. He logged 2000+ innings at third and 1100 at left field and apparently played them all above average. HOF’er ralph kiner said it best: "Jackie Robinson was the best athlete ever to play major league baseball." Robinson, no doubt, made routine plays look easy; he didn't have to dive for balls because he was already there. I’m sure you know baseball was Jackie’s worst sport in college. Only goes to reinforce the fact that most of the best utility players are “super” cause they’re awesome athletes

[@laserprop]

You made my point in your last paragraph. Sure Jackie Robinson was Hall of Fame caliber in baseball, but he was even better at football and basketball. However, until the second half of the 1960s, America really only had one major league sport; nobody good enough for MLB would have bothered with the NBA or NFL/AFL. And look at photos of him - and for that matter, Mickey Mantle - with their shirts off. They both look like present day triathletes, even though guys back then didn't lift or work out as they do now.

[@jdpayne33]

Jackie was the greatest ever

[@marcuslopena9943]

jackie the goat 🐐

[@Alf763]

Torrid is not the word you’re looking for

[@FoxCowDog]

@@Alf763 it is what I meant. What I said means that he was “hot” at every position he played. Offensively and defensively. Definition A: Parched with the heat, especially from the sun Definition B: giving off intense heat.

[@RetroBaseball]

there is no way I read that title correctly.

[@olik5652]

Chis Taylor is clutch and a good utility player 🤷‍♂️

[@olik5652]

@@Vizxual I agree completely but he comes in clutch when needed

[@daveb9819]

@@Vizxual but you missed the point of the video…. Chris Taylor is one of the best nine batters on his team, and you can slot him in multiple positions. As the original poster mentioned, this allows you fill your lineup with your top nine batters, regardless of position. That’s what makes Taylor valuable as a player, but not better then the stars you mentioned.

[@TheMartinezI]

He is not acuna or tatis he is Chris Taylor who has his own niche

[@skynet40433]

This man carried the entire team on his back through IL last season. So humble too. CT3 is the best.

[@theesurge321]

As a dodger fan, Taylor seems to fix alot of our problems. Love the man

[@tylerburton1619]

As a lifelong Rays fan, its awesome to see so much Rays content on your channel. People forget that since 2008 the Rays implemented strategies that changed baseball for the next generation....super utility, defensive shifts, the opener, etc.

[@statboy11]

Zobrist was a big part of the Royals WS win. Royals had some injuries, and traded for Zobrist to fill in at 2nd and LF, also giving them a better bat in their lineup. He named his next child Royal after that.

[@rolmodel12.]

He also had the game-winning hit in the Cubs '16 championship, while playing 2b, LF, and RF (mostly). Though he started cold at the plate, he was clutch all year and, more importantly, filled gaps everywhere in the field while other starters where injured or resting. He invaluable. Maddon also had Bryant play all three OF spots and some 1b that season. It was part of his charm/formula: everyone got to play. His critics say player's couldn't settle in, but I would argue it kept things fresh and made everyone engaged through a long season.

[@croke835]

I’m a Mets fan but DJ LeMahieu has been incredibly valuable to the Yankees as a utility guy, very underrated

[@tripdeck5698]

@Whyyoumadatfacts? 🤷‍♂️ what

[@hoodiewaffles]

Doesn't play OF

[@billcosby668]

@@hoodiewaffles but he plays 3 positions at an extremely elite defensive level while also being one of the Yankees most productive hitters alongside Judge. Marwin also has a pretty solid defense in the infield, but he can fill in for every single role. Dude even pitched once when on the Red Sox. Even tho he’s a pretty average hitter, his value is insane.

[@alexisborden3191]

@@billcosby668 Ok DJ is not "extremely elite defensive level" He's above average but he's not Matt Chapman at 3rd. I'm hesitant to qualify a util by their ability to play OF, because sometimes its very different and sometimes not. Like, I don't know if I'd call Semien a util for playing 2B and SS, I also don't think I'd call a 3B/SS a util, but a 2B/3B type, like say Eduardo Escobar, he's a util.

[@hoodiewaffles]

@@billcosby668 not super utility more like infielder/utility

[@xxSLAV33xx]

Marwin and DJ are both probably at least a little overlooked, especially with Judge and Carpenter who are just terrorizing the baseball this year.

[@Baseballify]

That’s what I am saying Chris Taylor is and utility players are the future of baseball

[@NoUploadJustComment]

I would argue Jeff McNeil made the all star game as a super utility player. He has above average numbers at second, third, and the outfield. Guillorme is a defensive god though

[@gibson4624]

“And for those of you who are into fielding percentage…. Why?” Lmao, I love it. Keep up the top shelf content

[@goodgams]

The astros have a really good utility player in aledmys diaz but so many of their other players are set to playing only 1 position that I don't think they can use him in the most efficient way.

[@goodgams]

If there are no injuries the astros would probably trot out the exact same lineup everyday. Gurriel at first, altuve at second, peña at short, bregman at third, Tucker in right, Meyers/McCormick in center, and Alvarez and Brantley split left field and DH duties

[@N1120A]

They also cheated at baseball and cost Chris Taylor a ring.

[@pohorex6834]

@@N1120A that was so 5 years ago, why are we still discussing it? A lot of the current team isn’t even players on that roster. Really only Alex bregman and altuve (altuve of which barely even used the cheating scandal that everybody has an issue with so much. Hate on bregman and Correa, altuve had bangs on 3% of pitches, the other two were near 20%

[@cocourth5611]

@@pohorex6834 5 years ago but was revealed 2 years ago. Members of the cheating scandal still exist. So don't expect others to simply forget it and pretend nothing happened. As long as Altuve, Gurriel Jr, Bregman are still there while Astros failed to win a title without cheating, they'll continue being called cheaters. Only way for Astros to prove everything wrong is for them to win a title. But they should've done it in 2020 or 2021 when they still had Correa, Reddick also. Diego Maradona cheated on his first goal against England by "Hand of God". But how did he redeem himself? He schooled the entire England national team by himself from more than half the court and weave passed everyone and scored the goal by himself with none of his teammates' help. Argentina won 2-0. English fans had nothing to say. They all gave respect where it's due even though Diego Maradona cheated the first goal but even if they voided that first goal, Argentina still would've won and England acknowledge that they were outclassed by Maradona. That's how you gain respect and others will get over the cheating. However, Astros, without their ability to cheat, they can't win a title. Lost in 2019 and 2021. Their only title is from cheating in 2017 and it's their only accomplishment. Had Astros won last season, it would've shut everyone up. But it goes to show Astros can't win without cheating.

[@pohorex6834]

@@cocourth5611 they’ve made it to the ALCS 5 times in a row, they are byfar the best organization in baseball right now. And I can’t disagree with you more. They’ve proven their ability to win quite a lot. Winning in baseball is much, much different than winning in every other sport. Baseball more than any sport, has it where the best team doesn’t always win. In fact, I’d say the best team rarely wins it all. The only example recently I can think of is the 2016 cubs, they were probably the best team in baseball in 2016. 2017 astros were close, 2018 Red Sox were not, 2019 nats were definitely not, 2020 dodgers wore mouse ears, 2021 braves were not either. And who gives a shit about respect? This is baseball, respect doesn’t matter. My point is that people like you live with the cheating scandal rent free in your head. Move on with your life instead of caring about what a baseball organization that you have no correlation with cheated half a decade ago

[@DrAnarchy69]

It makes sense. The more positions you can play well, the more valuable you are. Especially if you bring all that with average or above offense.

[@TheTEN24]

This makes sense to me plus it helps Zobrist was a winner and helped winning teams. McNeil and Guillorme have started to do this for the Mets a bit

[@chadwickneumann2773]

#1 I absolutely LOVE your avatar. I am a die hard Mets fan born and raised in Detroit (Well just outside The D) #2 Great observation on McNeil and Guillorme. Most people aren't able to identify winning players that maybe don't put up giant #'s or aren't explosive or whatever. These guys are particularly valuable in the NBA playoffs. McNeil and Guillorme (as a guy who watches the Mets everyday with extra innings) never do much that wows you (Guillorme will defensively every now and then) but they also never make mistakes. They are so consistently consistent the average person just doesn't notice. I have McNeil on my fantasy team.

[@TheTEN24]

@@chadwickneumann2773 the only negative wirh McNeil is his temper when he’s slumping but when he’s right he’s definitely very valuable

[@croke835]

@@TheTEN24 I think he should be good the rest of the year though confidence wise since he was just an all star

[@maesophia4126]

Gotta show some love for Chone Figgins, who was the poster boy for super utility players before Zobrist broke onto the scene

[@ordermod]

Seattle is continuing the trend this season with Dylan Moore and Sam Haggerty

[@DodgerJim]

This is such a detailed and well researched video. I'd expect something like this from the BASEBALL DOESNT EXIST channel. Well done. New sub!! Yeah big time Dodgers fanatic here and you are absolutely right about CT3. Chris is absolutely our MVP. So glad we wrapped him up for the next 4 years. I'm glad you made the case for other players like BELLINGER, MUNCY, and GAVIN LUX, etc.

[@Aves0225]

During the offseason I was telling all my friends that CT3 was going to be our most important resigning of the offseason, thank you for proving that to be right!

[@SeeiingStars]

Wilmer Flores has been so useful as utility player for the Giants the last couple of seasons, being able to plug him at 1B,2B, or 3B while being pretty clutch with the bat.

[@seanmorrissey2499]

Happy that CT3 is getting recognition. The Angels 2002 WS team had several "super utility" players, Shawn Wooten and Scott Spiezio being two of the more prominent that season.

[@andrewhobbs6776]

Tommy Edman. No question

[@demitriusbakonokos5024]

“One… I’m a Yankees fan”. Lol. That’s enough for me to subscribe instantly.

[@carterstansel7653]

Reminds me of how the Red Sox used Brock Holt. Can't name many other utility players to have 2 career cycles. He's the only guy to ever do it during the postseason as well.

[@Sam_on_YouTube]

Jackie Robinson was something of a super utility player, though underutilized as such, since it wasn't really a thing yet. In 1947, he played 1st. In 1948, he played 30 games at first (starting 22), but also 116 at 2nd and even 6 games at 3rd. Then he was purely a 2nd baseman for 1949-52. But in 1953, he played 76 games in center, 75 in left, 44 in 3rd, 9 at 2nd, 6 at 1st, and his only MLB start at his Negro League position of Short Stop. That year, in total zone runs, he was 5th at 3B, 2nd in LF and 2nd in CF after leading the league in 2B fielding percentage 3 of the previous 5 years. He remained a super utility player for the rest of his career. From 1953 to 1956, he played 7 positions, with lots of games at 3rd, center and left, none of which he had played before other than 6 games at 3rd in 1948. 1B: 16 2B: 36 SS: 1 3B: 250 LF: 150 CF: 152 RF: 1

[@chuyster8180]

They need to make some type of award for these guys because Chris Taylor and kikè had insane game for us in multiple positions sometimes during the same game.

[@BaseballAF]

OH JEEZ HOW DID I MISS THIS? ITS WHAT I NEEDED AFTER EDITING MY OWN STUFF FOR HOURS On a serious note, I'd also consider Jeff McNeil as well as Guillorme as the resident super-utility players for the Mets, and DJLM on the Yankees. Good stuff!

[@michaelkelly1961]

Kyle Shwarber for sure. Can play first, lf, rf, dh, and maybe third base. And he doesn't always hit home runs but is really clutch.

[@justanotherdude118]

My friend thinks I'm crazy because I said the dodgers outfield is already full, in regards to getting Juan Soto. He said he could replace Taylor. Now I know Soto is a huge piece and super talented but Taylor to me is one of the clutches players on the team and the fact that we can bounce him from lf to 2nd to 3rd to SS and he can bring elite defense at all positions is insane. Don't believe me? Look up his 2017 WS hits. Game 5 he tied the game when we needed him with 2 outs. Game 6 he gave us the lead, Game 1 he started the WS with a Homer. He is just a solid anchor player where instead of trading for Soto the dodgers need to bolster the bullpen and our pitching not fish for another bat. We got enough offense. If we get Soto I won't be mad of course, but do we need him? Not really

[@elsongs]

Fellow Dodger fan here. Agreed. And look what Trayce Thompson has been doing lately!

[@JayD73]

Leury ‘Legend’ Garcia is not only the best utility player of all time he is the greatest player ever. Some Leury Garcia facts: *The White Sox are 266-161 (.623) in games where Leury Garcia homers for them. **In the 161 losses Leury Garcia allowed his opponents to win for the sake of league parity** *Leury Garcia has started every game of his White Sox career at every INF and OF position including catcher allowing peak roster efficiency with 25 pitchers and 1 Leury. Again he does not pitch for the sake of parity. *Baseball from 1876-2012 was historically only played with a single outfielder, however, in 2013 when the White Sox acquired a young Leury Garcia from the Texas Rangers both Left and Right field were added as eligible positions to compensate for his versatility. *Leury Garcia hit a home run off of Shane Bieber on July 24th 2022 that had a projected distance of 330 feet. This is insultingly misleading as the Statcast projected distance makes no mention of the fact that the ball traveled around the Earth at least 9 times before finally being hand delivered to a child in the stands by none other than Leury Garcia. *Leury Garcia is from the Dominican Republic so along with his native Spanish and second language English he is the only known human to speak fluent GOAT I hope you all enjoyed these facts!

[@teewertz]

He really is the GOAT love Leury Legend

[@MrRurik]

Ben Zobrist may be the most high profile name to bring Utility players to the limelight, but don't forget Chone Figgins. I remember sports illustrated doing a feature on him playing multiple positions.

[@mal2ksc]

And Figgins was also a speedy pinch runner, a useful role that nonetheless usually can't justify carrying a player on the roster _just for that_ so they need to have another tool or two (which he did).

[@Jayson_Tatum]

Although he's been hurt this year, Kike Hernandez is one of my favorite super-utility players. He's a live wire

[@canadasown02]

Matt Vierling for the 23 Detroit tigers,m. AJ Hinch uses him in every outfield spot, 2nd and 3rd base while batting him lead off

[@michaelmorris4515]

This video reminds me of something I always thought would be neat to try: Rotation Baseball - all players must play all spots, one per inning. I guarantee the scores would be ridiculous.

[@andreweverson1304]

Jace Peterson has done this for Milwaukee a bit this year. Jace has logged most of his time at third, but has spent time in both corner outfield spots, first and second. I don’t know that his defense has been elite level anywhere, but he has an above average bat and can play a lot positions to an average or above average level, he’s been a really useful player.

[@billcosby668]

Baseball Historian if you see this, Oswaldo Cabrera fits it perfectly for the Yankees. And he’s a young guy that hasn’t been called up too long ago, he has a high ceiling to be an essential part to the super utility player for years to come

[@Doobie_AdamsSSB]

As a Cardinals fan I gotta shout out Tommy Edman! Love watching him in the infield but he’s a stud outfielder too…awesome player!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Ben Zobrist really invented a new position

[@craigbatchelor8071]

I’ve been saying the 2 way and super utility player add “more players” to your roster. The more the merrier and you’re getting flexibility and options

[@alang353]

DJ Lemahieu. Gold glove at 3rd, great at 2nd, great at 1st when Rizzo’s back tightens up

[@Grievous_]

I know a super-utility player, Chad Pinder of the Oakland A’s, im an A’s fan and so I know a lot about him but we’ve also played him in any outfield position used him a 1st 2nd and 3rd I believe

[@Andrewmehr_]

been a huge fan of taylor ever since he came to the Dodgers. Besides his botched play in game 5 of the 2020 ws he has always been one of our best and most underappreciated players.

[@jacxesa]

Luis Arráez is going to win a battle title while getting regular playing time across the infield and at DH. arguably he's more of an "infielder" than a "(super)-utility" guy (especially bc he couldn't cut it in LF) but nonetheless, he fits the mold of "guy whose bat plays everywhere", especially while he's covered for injuries at both 1st and 2nd so far in 2022

[@CCDaDon15]

I'm getting a bit away from your and the video's point, but Arraez and Kirk show that the DH should also be considered for short guys who can get contact versus just power hitting dudes

[@jacxesa]

@@CCDaDon15 lol 😂😂 i will say with Kirk though: his framing metrics are such that his value behind the plate - with that bat - is RIDICULOUS

[@benjaminp2776]

Tommy Edman's bat has gone cold lately but he was leading baseball in WAR due to his excellence at 2B and SS. When he came up, much like Brendan Donovan is doing now and Matt Carpenter did before them, you play wherever you can. Outfield, 3B, SS, 2B, 1B, etc. Always loved utility guys and feel like a lot of their intrinsic values are near impossible to quantify.

[@itzyaboielliot5403]

Luis guillorme on the Mets is like this, he plays second, short, third, and left

[@qfmarsh64]

Ian Happ made the All-Star Team this year while playing all three outfield positions, and has been known to man second and third with the occasional spot start at first. He might get traded soon in part because of the emergence of Christopher Morel, who made the jump from AA this year and has raked to the tune of a 132 OPS+ while playing second, third, short and center.

[@andrewwww1102]

Brendan Donovan has started games at Shortstop, Second Base, First Base, Third Base, and Right field, all why putting up above average numbers on offense.

[@stradeski4748]

Espinal on the jays this year has innings at short second base third base and fright field and all absolutely insane defence

[@lloydg9383]

Mark McLemore on the 116 win 2001 Mariners. 2B, 3B, SS... OF. Worked counts.

[@kevinmurphy8397]

Leury Garcia Jake Lamb and Andrew Vaughn each started 10+ games in infield and OF last year for Sox.

[@thespaghettiwives]

I picked up Zobrist that season in a keeper league for some roster depth. Holy shit did he help my team. Dude went from >1% owned to 100% by the end of the year. Traded him off season for a keeper in return.

[@jimmygomtor]

Don’t know what this is about, but man do I love CT, clutch player, utility man, low profile, hell of a guy. One of my favourite players, without a doubt.

[@jimmygomtor]

Super utility man? Yeah, that’s absolutely what CT is!

[@swiftyjb0609]

Brendan Donovan with the cardinals is a great example. Great rookie even though he’s in a bit of a rut right now!

[@jarjarbinks4284]

I may be biased because I'm a dodger fan but Lux. he does good in the OF, SS, and 2B. Five spots in 1 man. And, he had a funny mark in Center.

[@its-dg2987]

Such an amazing video. You can never know too much baseball.

[@TheGodYouWishYouKnew]

Making Ben Zobrist sound like a hall of famer is not informing you about baseball.

[@noble1825]

Love the video like always, but I noticed one thing you had wrong. When you brought up the utility players per team in 2021 you had the White Sox with zero. They have 1 guy who plays every position except P, C, and 1b. That’s Leury Garcia. Tony La Russa loves him lol. He’s been a utility guy for the sox for some years now. Just not anywhere Ben Zobrist level lol

[@BaseballHistorian]

Yeah I did miss that one, my bad

[@noble1825]

@@BaseballHistorian all good! Keep up the great work! Really enjoy your videos

[@kyledannen4306]

Daulton Varsho of my dbacks is a great example of a young utility player, he has a great glove in the outfield and is a great catcher, i am curious if they decide to also have him try out some of the infielf positions since the dbacks far system is a bit overleaded with insanely talented outfielders. Perhaps since we are gearing up to trade christian walker we may have him at 1st base for a while

[@iyelawolf2196]

The Rays are kings of the utility player, even today. Our most recent 3 aquisitions are all utility players. Roman Quinn, Yu Chang, and technically Christian Bethancourt

[@GoldenSlumber474]

Yankee fan! 👌 Now I know why I like & subscribe to this channel. I’ve been a Yankee fan 17 years before my Blue Jays became a reality.

[@showtimenick824]

My first time ever watching this channel and I'm happy to say I'm a new subscriber! As you can see in my picture, I'm a Yankees fan too and no I'm not upset about what you said about Derek Jeter's defense as I'm well aware of it.

[@miguelfigueroa15]

Zobrist in the HOF would be a dream come true for UT guys everywhere!

[@Belangerz]

Though he hasn’t done it much lately, Jared Walsh is another good utility player. At the beginning of 2021, he made 18 starts in right field and splitting time at first base with Albert pujols. He was better at first but he was still a competent outfielder.

[@w1lden652]

Gavin Lux is becoming a great utility player

[@ejdolo]

Its like in the NFL, WRs are starting to take reps at Runningback like Deebo Samuel (McCaffery getting 10+ catches at runningback is the same thing too)... Deebo is smart tho and said you gotta pay me for 2 positions if im gonna be doing 2 jobs and take that wear and tear. Similar to Shohei

[@thomaslongo3735]

Matt Vierling. So far he’s played 2B,3B and every outfield position multiple times for the phils this year and hit decent too

[@echos-myron]

How about another Tampa Bay Ray, Brett Phillips? Besides Ohtani; he’s my favorite player in the game right now, although he pitches and plays outfield mostly. Last year his pitching debut bullpen warmup might be one of my favorite things from last season. Guy’s got heart for sure.

[@ShelleyPolarbelle]

I would take Taylor to the ASG. The guy is solid at every position he plays. He plays them at an elite level and gives it his all. He’s a quiet guy by nature, doesn’t demand a lot of fanfare and I think it might be why people doesn’t really know what an outstanding talented ball player he is.

[@dirtyschoolclothes7260]

Tommy Edman is still underrated for this reason imo, he's mainly stayed in the infield this season compared to others but he came to mind as far as guys being productive everywhere and not quite getting the recognition

[@felixnothere5689]

The Astros have Aledmys Diaz who is considered a utility player. Plays all infield positions and outfield from time to time.

[@victormdesousa]

If we talk about super-utilities we can’t not mention marwin gonzales 2017 season. He played EVERYWHERE and had a very good bat, but well, we later found out why (and i say this as a venezuelan myself)

[@davewills94]

DJ LeMahieu has played all 4 infield positions in his career with the Yankees and it has been a life saver for them.

[@isaacdisanto1020]

Shoutout to the ever underappreciated Darin Ruf, who has been playing both 1st base and the outfield frequently since 2013

[@YungJ]

You forgot to mention DJ Lemahieu! Btw, glad to hear you’re also a Yankee fan 🫡

[@allex_]

i’ll be honest w you mr. historian, i’m coming in highly skeptical of this one

[@TheGodYouWishYouKnew]

With good reason

[@MooreGravy]

I thought losing Kike was going to be an enormous blow. That he was a lot better than Taylor. But last year showed I was completely wrong. CT3 is so valuable! And the fact he didn't even try for more money elsewhere...dude's a legend.

[@joshuaweiss8280]

I think it’s also cause most positions in baseball are relatively the same with outliers that are a lot harder like catcher, shortstop, and center field if you’re a third baseman that’s not much different from first if you’re a right fielder it’s not much different from left

[@buoyantmarlon4000]

I wouldn't say he's underrated at this point, with him almost being am all star, but Brandon Drury this year feels like the definition of super-utility. Above average glove at 3rd, 2nd, and 1st(could be SS if necessary) with a solid bat that can go anywhere in the order. A diet Zobrist if you will

[@lunarumbreon7699]

I appreciate the Joe Maddon appreciation post in this

[@robertaBooey69]

Trea plays 2nd ss and of. Mookie plays all of and 2nd. Taylor plays everywhere but 1st and catcher. Jt plays 3rd and 2nd. Muncy plays 1st 2nd and third. Belly plays of and 1st. Barnes plays 2nd and catcher. Lux plays of and 2nd but is a natural ss Alberto plays 2nd and 3rd so dodgers got options for days. The only two who don’t change are Freddie and smith. Even though Freddie played 3rd for a bit in minors and atl.

[@MaMmAmIaMiNeCrAfT13]

As a Yankees fan I love having DJ, Carpenter and Gonzalez to fill up the holes for the big boys Judge and Big G

[@greenfroppy212]

As a Rays fan watching prime Zobrist and prime Longo together was incredible.

[@joshuapatrick682]

All algorithmic metrics are "far from perfect" because they represent either a fictional or real "ideal player" which will likely highly influence the individual who made the algorithm. That's why fWar and bWar are always different though supposed to represent the same value.

[@bmac4]

The Giants have been all about the utility approach recently, sporting a platoon of guys who man several positions. Its a bit hard to fully assess the true value of such players, partly because if a player is moved to first base they actually lose defensive value per known metrics.

[@bornfuct]

The giants forgot 1 thing you have to hit to make a major league roster..

[@tristramcoffin926]

I am not a sabr guy so I would be curious to get a breakdown on Josh Rojas. In fantasy I love the guy but all you math nerds are needed to tell me why. All I know is I can plug him anywhere and he usually has a productive day. He gets a little of everything and isn't flashy so a lot of times he is disregarded. He's in a small market and it amazes me how often he is available after the draft.

[@ralph7077]

New fan of your channel and the game.

[@ethanlewis2963]

Brendan Donavan for the cardinals is stepping up this year.

[@qfmarsh64]

Isn't having a jack of all trades (JOAT?) becoming a thing in the other sports, too? The NFL loves running backs who catch passes, tight ends who split out wide and d-linemen who can play either interior or end to cause schematic nightmares. And unlike yesteryear when NBA big men just camped in the low post and waited for a pass, modern basketball is stacked full of 7-footers who can shoot, opening the floor and forcing defenses to cover every square inch. The old 1-5 positions are practically obsolete. Don't know enough about hockey or soccer to know if this is a thing there. Maybe one day we'll see a NASCAR driver hop out and change his own tire. But kudos to you for appropriately identifying Ben Zobrist as the JOAT GOAT.

[@quang4055]

Zoerilla was a stud for the rays. It was a pleasure watching him.

[@hsjserrato5158]

my Dad called guys like this "Ringers" .... even way back knee high ! Head and shoulders above the rest ...

[@jamesesterline]

Ben Zobrist is a Rays legend.

[@rogerduke5341]

Baseball historian, have you never heard of the greatest utility man and key contributor to some badass Minnesota Twins teams of the late 60's and early 70's, Cesar Tovar? He was the superest of utility players. Aaron Gleeman wrote a great article on him in The Athletic during the lockout.

[@dufuspuncher6969]

When I played HS ball I played catcher, 3rd, SS, 2nd, CF, LF, and RF... When I coached little league I went my first season rotating every player in every position, every game... I dealt with angry parents and went 7-27... Next season with almost all of the same players we went 29-2, swept the first 2 rounds of our regional tournament, and got swept in the semis... Our opponent had 3 "kids" with facial hair throwing 80+ with crazy good breaking balls... Before the next season the league voted me out. (I was 20 and the average age of the rest of the coaches was 47)

[@dufuspuncher6969]

Follow-up... After that season I was selected to manage a local traveling team well-known in my area... I managed 3 games and went 3-0... 24-4 combined score... Despite my own younger twin brothers being the 2 best players on the team? I was removed as coach after those 3 games because I made one of the sponsors' son start the 3rd game at catcher instead of SS. We won the game 11-0 and he threw out 2 attempting to steal 2nd... Hugged me after the game saying he wanted to play catcher from now on... I got canned, and he was back at SS... He quit playing baseball after that season. He was so naturally gifted but his parents wanted him to play shortstop. I made the game fun for him and that got ripped away.

[@dufuspuncher6969]

My little brothers quit baseball after that season too. I wanted them to keep playing but it wasn't fun anymore according to them. They all liked being moved around. I didn't do it to win. I did it to keep it interesting! Winning surprised me too! This was 1997 and I did little shit like painting the dugout trash can with 3 X's so when we were on defense, whoever got the last out had the privilege of doing whatever they wanted to that trash can! My favorite memory was a player taking it to our opponent's dugout and telling them to hang on to it. "It's gonna keep happening"

[@dufuspuncher6969]

I put an empty coke bottle in the fence of the dugout... Whoever scored a run had to spit in it. If we won the game the player who spit the most in it has to run the bases and pour a little bit of the spit on each base and stomp the bottle on home plate. It was literally the best time of my life.

[@inkust]

Terry Shumpert - 1999 and 2000 w/ Rockies is how I picture a utility player

[@scottbaldwin6763]

CHAD PINDER!!! CHAD PINDER!!! As an A’s fan, it’s hard to have a favorite player, because they get traded every other year. But Pinder has stuck around for six years now. (He’ll be a free agent after this year, so watch out). But he has played every position at least once in his career (except catcher, though he sometimes warms up the pitchers while the catchers get their gear on), and is a premium defender at every position. Although his hitting stats don’t jump off the page, he is extremely clutch and gets big hits when the team needs them. His OPS when not starting is one of the highest in baseball. He is extremely versatile and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a pretty big contract this off-season.

[@baseball3747]

Good video keep it up

[@travism4642]

Brendan Donovan in his rookie year has started at 7 different positions, he has held his own anywhere he is put.