A swingman is an athlete capable of playing multiple positions in their sport.
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:
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]
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]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Braden LaVerne Looper is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for several teams between 1998 and 2009.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.