{{short description|Role on a baseball team}} [[File:Brock Holt (50389891563) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|upright=.8|Brock Holt has played for several teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a utility player.]]
In baseball, a '''utility player''' or '''utility man''' is a player who has the ability to play more than one position in the field and is primarily used as a substitute. The term '''super utility player''' may be used to refer to a player who can play all or most positions, or a player who regularly appears in the starting lineup at different positions.
==Description== Utility infielders typically play both second base and shortstop, sometimes also third base, and more rarely first base. A "fourth outfielder" is likewise an outfielder who can play all three outfield positions but does not have the hitting skills to be a starting player. Some utility players have the defensive ability to play in both the infield and outfield—recent players in Major League Baseball (MLB) fitting this description include Marwin González, Brock Holt, Cory Spangenberg, Ben Zobrist, and José Caballero.
Playing time for fourth outfielders has been called "erratic and unpredictable".<ref name="digest">{{cite journal |last=Doyle |first=Al |date=October 1997 |title=Fourth Outfielder, Valuable Insurance for Contenders |journal=Baseball Digest |publisher=Lakeside |volume=56 |issue=10 |pages=60–63 |issn=0005-609X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qy4DAAAAMBAJ&dq=fourth+outfielder&pg=PA60}}</ref> Often, fourth outfielders are outfield prospects who have not settled on one outfield position when arriving in the major leagues,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/2010/03/25/marlins-outfield-injuries-mouting-cody-ross-brett-carroll-out/ |title=Marlins outfield injuries mouting: Cody Ross, Brett Carroll out |last=D'Angelo |first=Tom |date=March 25, 2010 |work=The Palm Beach Post |access-date=25 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718104926/http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/2010/03/25/marlins-outfield-injuries-mouting-cody-ross-brett-carroll-out/ |archive-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> veteran players seeking additional playing time to extend their careers,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.enterprisenewspapers.com/article/20100324/SPORTS/703249761/0/ETPZoneLT |title=Mariners' outfielder doing it his way |date=March 25, 2010 |work=Lynnwood Enterprise |access-date=25 March 2010}}{{Dead link |date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100323&content_id=8885666&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=Sullivan in contention for last outfield spot |last=McTaggart |first=Brian |date=March 23, 2010 |publisher=Major League Baseball |access-date=25 March 2010}}</ref> or part-time position players who double as designated hitters.<ref name="digest"/> Often, the fourth outfielder can be used in a platoon system against certain pitchers; for example, one outfielder will play only when the starting pitcher is a right-handed pitcher and the other plays only when the starting pitcher is a left-handed pitcher, if one player's performance is better against certain types of pitchers.
==Notable utility players== [[File:Cesar Tovar - Texas Rangers - 1974.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.8|César Tovar played every position during his MLB career.]] One of the earliest uses of the phrase in print was in ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' in 1877 when Amos Booth of the Cincinnati Reds was described as "without doubt, the best utility player in the country."<ref>{{cite news |title=Notes and News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-notes-and-news/176415740/ |access-date=11 July 2025 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |date=21 August 1877 |page=2}}</ref> That season, he played shortstop, pitcher, catcher, second base, third base and outfield.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amos Booth Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bootham01.shtml#all_players_standard_fielding |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=11 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
Within MLB, César Tovar,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tovarce01.shtml|title=Cesar Tovar Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|access-date=2010-05-14}}</ref> Cookie Rojas,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rojasco01.shtml|title=Cookie Rojas Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|access-date=2010-05-14}}</ref> Bert Campaneris,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/campabe01.shtml|title=Bert Campaneris Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|access-date=2010-05-14}}</ref> Shane Halter,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/haltesh01.shtml|title=Shane Halter Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|access-date=2010-05-14}}</ref> Don Kelly, Jose Oquendo<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/oquenjo01.shtml|title=Jose Oquendo Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|access-date=2010-05-14}}</ref> Scott Sheldon,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sheldsc01.shtml|title=Scott Sheldon Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|access-date=2017-07-31}}</ref> and Andrew Romine all played every position (including pitcher) during their respective careers, with Tovar, Campaneris, Halter, Sheldon, and Romine all doing it in one game.
In 1991, the Detroit Tigers' Tony Phillips was the first player to start 10 games at five different positions in the same season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Stretching One's Earning Power|first=Milton|last=Kent|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=1994-04-29|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/04/29/stretching-ones-earning-power/}}</ref>
In 2005, Chone Figgins started 48 games at third, 45 in center field and 36 at second, and finished 17th in American League Most Valuable Player balloting.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/figgich01.shtml|title=Chone Figgins Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|access-date=2010-05-14}}</ref>
Second baseman Ben Zobrist of the Chicago Cubs has played first base, second base, third base, shortstop and outfield; José Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays has played first base, second base, third base, and outfield; and Josh Harrison of the Pittsburgh Pirates has played second base, shortstop, third base, outfield, and pitcher. All three have been named All Stars while playing multiple positions in their All-Star seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7264/career;_ylt=AqdQfeiFpahSPQNM8MfGgQyFCLcF |title=José Bautista - Toronto Blue Jays - Career Statistics - MLB |publisher=Yahoo.com |access-date=2013-12-16}}</ref> Zobrist and Bautista both finished in the top 10 in MVP voting while starting at least 40 games at two different defensive positions.
In 2015, Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox was the first player ever to be selected to the All Star Game after starting at seven or more positions before the All-Star break.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/14/holt-1st-all-star-to-start-at-7-positions-before-b/|title=Holt 1st All-Star to start at 7 positions before break|newspaper=The Washington Times|first=RONALD |last=BLUM |agency= Associated Press |date=July 14, 2015}}</ref>
Willians Astudillo of the Minnesota Twins has played every position except for shortstop in his major league career.{{cn|date=October 2024}} {{Clear}}
==See also== *Two-way player *All rounder
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Baseball positions}}
Category:Baseball positions