Swingman

Last updated

A swingman is an athlete capable of playing multiple positions in their sport.

Contents

Basketball

In basketball, the term “swingman” (a.k.a. “wing” or “guard-forward”) denotes a player who can play both the shooting guard (2) and small forward (3) positions, and in essence swing between the positions. [1] [2]

Examples include:

Baseball

In baseball, a swingman is a pitcher who can work either as a reliever or as a starter. [3] To thrive in this role, pitchers must possess the stamina of a starter as well as the flexibility to work out of the bullpen. [4] It may be difficult for swingmen to settle into the same type of routine as pitchers used exclusively in one role. [5]

History

In 19th century baseball, since the vast majority of games were finished by the starting pitcher, the swingman role did not exist. In the early 1900s, as the percentage of complete games fell, relief appearances became more common, and swingmen began to appear. Early examples included star pitchers such as Mordecai Brown and Ed Walsh (both in the Baseball Hall of Fame) as well as pioneers of the relief role such as Doc Crandall and Firpo Marberry. [4] Through the 1930s, teams continued to use their best pitchers as both starters and relievers. Dizzy Dean, Lefty Grove, and (to a lesser extent) Carl Hubbell were all used as swingmen during this era. [6] In the 1950s and 1960s, strict starting rotations and specific roles for relief pitchers became standard; these trends reduced the prevalence of swingmen. [7] From 1970 through the present day, the usage of swingmen has continued to decline due to the increased specialization of pitchers. [8] During this era, pitchers may be deployed as swingmen early in their careers to ease their transition to the major leagues, move to a permanent starting role once they are deemed ready, and transition back to a swingman/bullpen role as they decline with age, a career arc exemplified by Rudy May. [9] Swingmen are also valuable in the postseason, when they may be needed to replace a struggling starter early in a game and pitch multiple innings while keeping the score close. [10]

Other sports

Australian football

In Australian rules football, a swingman is typically a player who can play both in attack and in defence, usually as a key position player. Examples include Harry Taylor, Ryan Schoenmakers, Ben Reid and Jarryd Roughead.

Ice hockey

In ice hockey, a swingman is a player that could play both defenseman and forward, such as Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, Dustin Byfuglien of the Winnipeg Jets, Brendan Smith of the New York Rangers and Calder Cup Champion Paul Bissonnette.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitcher</span> Player who pitches the ball in baseball

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum. There are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and the closer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starting pitcher</span> Baseball or softball pitcher who throws the first pitch for their team in a game

In baseball, a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitchers are expected to pitch for a significant portion of the game, although their ability to do this depends on many factors, including effectiveness, stamina, health, and strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relief pitcher</span> A baseball or softball pitcher that enters a game to pitch after a starting pitcher

In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection, high pitch count, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather delays or pinch hitter substitutions. Relief pitchers are further divided informally into various roles, such as closers, setup men, middle relief pitchers, left/right-handed specialists, and long relievers. Whereas starting pitchers usually throw so many pitches in a single game that they must rest several days before pitching in another, relief pitchers are expected to be more flexible and typically pitch in more games with a shorter time period between pitching appearances but with fewer innings pitched per appearance. A team's staff of relievers is normally referred to metonymically as a team's bullpen, which refers to the area where the relievers sit during games, and where they warm-up prior to entering the game.

A long reliever or long-relief pitcher is a relief pitcher in baseball who enters the game if the starting pitcher leaves the game early.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Stanley (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1954)

Robert William Stanley is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who spent his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Boston Red Sox. He was later the pitching coach for the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, through the 2018 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braden Looper</span> American baseball player (born 1974)

Braden LaVerne Looper is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for several teams between 1998 and 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Karsay</span> American baseball player & coach

Stefan Andrew Karsay is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians (1998–2001), Atlanta Braves (2001), New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers (2005). He later served as the bullpen coach for the Milwaukee Brewers (2019–2021). He is the current bullpen coach for the Los Angeles Angels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Durbin</span> American baseball player (born 1977)

Chad Griffin Durbin, is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, and Detroit Tigers of the American League (AL), and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves of the National League (NL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Oliver</span> American baseball player (born 1970)

Darren Christopher Oliver is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He is a second generation major league player, as his father Bob Oliver played in the major leagues for nine seasons between 1967 and 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Walk</span> American baseball player (born 1956)

Robert Vernon Walk, nicknamed "The Whirly Bird", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (1980), Atlanta Braves (1981–1983), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1984–1993).

The Hardball Times is a website which publishes news, original comments and statistical analysis of baseball each week Monday through Friday, in addition to the Hardball Times Annual book which features essays by leading sabermetric personalities. The website features the slogan "Baseball. Insight. Daily." Run by current owner Dave Studeman and David Gassko, it was founded by Aaron Gleeman and Bill James' assistant Matthew Namee in 2004. Fangraphs acquired the site in 2012. The Hardball Times went on temporary hiatus in early 2020 due to decreasing traffic caused by the delay of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Brocail</span> American baseball player and coach (born 1967)

Douglas Keith Brocail is an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He has coached in MLB for the Astros, Rangers, and the Orioles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Closer (baseball)</span> Baseball relief pitcher who specializes in finishing close games

In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer, is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close game when his team is leading. The role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. Before the 1990s, pitchers in similar roles were referred to as a fireman, short reliever, and stopper. A small number of closers have won the Cy Young Award. Eight closers have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wade Davis (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1985)

Wade Allen Davis is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, and Colorado Rockies. Davis is a three-time MLB All-Star. He was a member of the Royals' 2015 World Series-winning team, and earned the Babe Ruth Award for his performance in the 2015 MLB playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ham Hyatt</span> American baseball player (1884-1963)

Robert Hamilton Hyatt was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1909 to 1918 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spec Richardson</span> American professional baseball executive

Harold Beland "Spec" Richardson was an American professional baseball executive. He served as the general manager of two Major League Baseball teams, the Houston Astros (1967–75) and San Francisco Giants (1976–81).

FanGraphs.com is a website run by Fangraphs Inc., located in Arlington, Virginia, and created and owned by David Appelman that provides statistics for every player in Major League Baseball history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Cashner</span> American baseball player (born 1986)

Andrew Burton Cashner is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Corbin</span> American baseball player (born 1989)

Patrick Alan Corbin is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He won the 2019 World Series with the Nationals, recording the win in game 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakota Hudson</span> American baseball player (born 1994)

Dakota Ryan Hudson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Cardinals and signed with the Rockies before the 2024 season.

References

  1. ↑ S. Trnini and D. Dizdar, System of the Performance Evaluation Criteria Weighted per Positions in the Basketball Game, 2000
  2. ↑ "Every Position in Basketball, Explained". Nike.com. Nike. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ Dickson, Paul (1999). The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary: A Cyclopedic Reference to More Than 7,000 Words, Names, Phrases, and Slang Expressions that Define the Game, Its Heritage, Culture, and Variations. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 488. ISBN   978-0-15-600580-7 . Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  4. 1 2 Treder, Steve (12 August 2008). "Superduperswingmen (Part 1: 1900-1930)". The Hardball Times . Fangraphs.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  5. ↑ Bastian, Jordan (16 March 2019). "Life as a swingman: Be ready for anything". MLB.com . Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  6. ↑ Treder, Steve (2 September 2008). "Superduperswingmen (Part 2: 1930-1950)". The Hardball Times . Fangraphs.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Treder, Steve (23 September 2008). "Superduperswingmen (Part 3: 1950-1970)". The Hardball Times . Fangraphs.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  8. ↑ Assouline, Julien (18 January 2017). "The Fall of the Swingman". Beyond the Box Score. SB Nation. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Treder, Steve (21 October 2008). "Superduperswingmen (Part 4: 1970-2008)". The Hardball Times . Fangraphs.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Every MLB team should have a swingman pitcher". Pinstripe Alley. SB Nation. 17 April 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2021.


Sport balls.svg

This sports-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.