Who is the all-time greatest utility player?
Mookie Betts has been having another awesome year and is on pace to smash the personal season home run record he set last year.
While he had a few starts at second base last year, the Dodgers have also turned him into a utility player this year by regularly starting him at 2B and, to a lesser degree, short stop in addition to his usual RF (the choice every day comes down to a combination of who is healthy, who needs a day off, and how other line-up options are expected to fair against the opposing starter). Defensively, he’s been solid at those positions and ranks particularly well in OAA at 2B in addition to his usual Golden Glove outfield performance.
His season got me wondering about, who is the best utility player of all time? The Wikipedia article on utility players includes a number of notable ones, including guys that have played every position and guys who played multiple positions during at least one year they were all-stars, however most have average or below average offensive numbers.
Is there a widely considered greatest all-time utility player? If not, who would you nominate for the title?
I think this is a hard question to answer since it's so subjective but also because a utility player's value can be measured in multiple ways. Are we talking purely from a performance perspective? Or are we taking into account what benefits there are in giving the regular stars a day off without losing too much in the lineup?
Recently, the Brewers have made it a priority to have several guys on their roster who can play multiple positions, prioritizing guys who can play OF as well as IF. This year Brian Anderson has been great at RF and 3B for us.
Yeah it’s definitely an open ended question which is why it’s fun to talk about. Is a guy that can play 4 positions better than a guy that can play 3 even if he isn’t as good offensively? I’m not sure and that likely depends on the team around him.
Like after watching Mookie this season, I’m convinced his raw athleticism could make him a usable sub anywhere, but he’ll never play first because Freeman only plays first, is never hurt, is also dominant offensively, and refuses to take off days. If Freeman did get hurt, Muncy moves back over there well before Mookie plays 1B because it’s easier for us to fill 1B than the middle infield.
I think in general, someone who plays SS well could play almost any position well enough. Experience is not insignificant, but in general if you have the reaction and range to play SS, you could adapt to any other position fairly quickly. Betts did start out as a SS, although barely, then went to 2B, then CF, then RF.
I know for the Guardians at one point this year, everyone in the infield had played over 200 games at SS as a pro, with a couple other guys on the bench who could say the same. Only Jose Ramirez has played more games at another position (~900 3B, 450 2B, 220 at SS, 110 in OF, an interesting 2x 2x 2x pattern...)
Yeah it’s definitely an open ended question which is why it’s fun to talk about. Is a guy that can play 4 positions better than a guy that can play 3 even if he isn’t as good offensively? I’m not sure and that likely depends on the team around him.
Like after watching Mookie this season, I’m convinced his raw athleticism could make him a usable sub anywhere, but he’ll never play first because Freeman only plays first, is never hurt, is also dominant offensively, and refuses to take off days. If Freeman did get hurt, Muncy moves back over there well before Mookie plays 1B because it’s easier for us to fill 1B than the middle infield.