Two-way player

For a player signed to two teams, see two-way contract.

In sports that require a player to play on offense and defense (such as basketball and ice hockey), a two-way player refers to a player who excels at both. In sports where a player typically specializes on offense or defense (like American football), or on pitching or batting (like baseball), it refers to a player who chooses to do both.

Basketball

A two-way player in basketball excels at both the offensive side of the game and the defensive side of the game. ^{[1] [2]}

Some of the best two-way players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) have been awarded the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the only Defensive Player of the Year winners to have also won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) during their careers. Jordan, Olajuwon, and Antetokounmpo won both awards in the same season. ^[3]

In the Women's National Basketball Association, Yolanda Griffith, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Lauren Jackson, Candace Parker, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, and A'ja Wilson have won both the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award and the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Griffith, Swoopes, Leslie, Jackson, and Wilson won both awards in the same year, with Swoopes doing so twice. ^[4]

Hockey

In the National Hockey League (NHL), the term two-way forward is used for a forward who handles the defensive aspects of the game as well as the offensive aspects of the game. ^[5] The best two-way forward is presented with the Frank J. Selke Trophy. The term two-way defenseman is used to describe a defenseman who also makes contributions on offense. ^[6] Occasionally, a player will be designated as both a defenseman and forward in his career; some recent examples are Nicolas Deslauriers, who was listed as a defenseman in his time in the QMJHL and in his first two professional seasons but as of 2022 is listed as a forward; and Dustin Byfuglien, who began his junior career as a defenseman before being moved up to right wing by the Chicago Blackhawks, then was moved back to defense when he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers. Brent Burns began at right wing, was switched to defenseman, back to right wing for a year and then back to defenseman.

Only two players have won both the Hart Trophy (the NHL's MVP award) and the Norris Trophy (the defensive player of the year award): Bobby Orr three times and Chris Pronger once, each time in the same season. ^[7]

Baseball

For the definition of the term, see Glossary of baseball (T) § two-way player.

Not to be confused with playing multiple defensive positions other than pitcher—see utility player (baseball).

Background

Two-way player Shohei Ohtani

In Major League Baseball (MLB), there are few true two-way players, as most pitchers are poor batters, and position players generally do not also pitch. In the American League especially, the two-way player had mostly ceased to exist, as the designated hitter (DH) rule has allowed a team to have a designated batter bat in place of the pitcher since 1973. This rule was what largely made it possible for two-way player Shohei Ohtani to pitch and bat on separate days. Until 2022, pitchers in the National League still had to bat for themselves, but they were usually poor batters. In 2017, the average batting average for pitchers was .124, significantly worse than the league average of .255. ^[8]

Until Shohei Ohtani in 2021, Babe Ruth (in 1918 and 1919) was the last player to pitch 100 innings and have 200 plate appearances as a batter in the same season. ^[9] (Bullet Rogan achieved the same feat yearly from 1921 to 1927 seasons in the Negro leagues, which were not considered major leagues at the time.) Two-way players are still common in college baseball, with the John Olerud Award being given to the best two-way player of the season. However, by the major league level, a player is usually better at either pitching or batting, and rarely is given the chance to do both. ^[10]

Effective with the 2020 season, "two-way player" became an official MLB roster classification. A player qualifies once he reaches the following statistical milestones in either the current or the immediately previous season: ^[11]

• At least 20 MLB innings pitched.
• Appearing in at least 20 MLB games as a position player or designated hitter, with at least 3 plate appearances in each of the 20 games.

Once the player qualifies, he retains two-way status for the remainder of the current season plus all of the next season. Two-way players do not count against the limit of 13 pitchers (14 for regular-season games after September 1) on a team's active roster instituted in 2020, and also are not subject to restrictions on pitching by position players that were also introduced in 2020. ^[11]

For the 2020 season only, statistics from either 2018 or 2019 could be used to qualify a player for two-way status. This allowed the Los Angeles Angels to classify Shohei Ohtani, who did not pitch in 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, as a two-way player in 2020. ^[11]

Recent players

In 2017, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Brendan McKay, a two-way player, and began developing him as a pitcher and a first baseman; ^[12] he made his MLB debut as a pitcher and DH during the Rays' 2019 season. ^{[13] [14]}

Shohei Ohtani, a two-way player as a pitcher and outfielder, moved from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB in 2018 and became one of the few players to hit and pitch professionally. He has been used as a DH on days when he does not pitch. ^{[15] [16]} Ohtani was named the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year after becoming the first player since Babe Ruth to hit at least 20 home runs and pitch at least 50 innings in the same season. ^[17] In 2021, Ohtani became the first player to be selected for the MLB All-Star game as both a pitcher and designated hitter, and he finished the year with 46 home runs and a 158 OPS+ as a hitter and a 3.18 ERA on the mound, winning the AL MVP award unanimously. ^{[18] [19] [20]} In 2022, Ohtani became the first modern-era player to qualify for hitting and pitching leaderboards in the same season, ^[21] and in 2023 was again the unanimous AL MVP, ^[22] also making the All-MLB first team as both a designated hitter and starting pitcher. ^[23]

Pitcher Michael Lorenzen, a former two-way player at Cal State Fullerton, amassed 133 at-bats, 31 hits and seven home runs in his seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, and he played as an outfielder in 36 games. ^{[24] [25]} He would stop batting in the Major Leagues after leaving the Reds, pitching for the Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, being named an All-Star and pitching a no-hitter in 2023. ^[26]

Brett Eibner as batter and pitcher

Other major-league teams have evaluated prospects as two-way players, including Anthony Gose, Brett Eibner and Trey Ball. ^{[12] [27] [28]}

Notable two-way baseball players

Player	League	Team(s)	Years as two-way player	Wins	Losses	ERA	Batting average	HRs	RBI	Notes
Rick Ankiel [29]	MLB	St. Louis Cardinals	1999–2001, 2004	13	10	3.90	.240	76	251	Ankiel was the first player since Babe Ruth to have won 10 or more games in a season, and to hit 50 career home runs.
Nixey Callahan [30]	MLB	Philadelphia Phillies Chicago Colts/Orphans Chicago White Sox	1894, 1897–1903	99	73	3.39	.273	11	394	Pitched a no-hitter in 1902
Leon Day [31]	Negro leagues	Baltimore Black Sox Brooklyn/Newark Eagles	1934–1946	67 [a]	29	4.51	.285	3	67	MLB Hall of Fame
Martín Dihigo [31]	Negro leagues	Cuban Stars (East) Homestead Grays Hilldale Giants New York Cubans	1923–1928, 1930–1931, 1935–1936, 1945	26	19	2.92	.307	64	227	MLB Hall of Fame
Hideo Fujimoto	JBL/NPB	Tokyo Kyojin Chunichi Dragons Yomiuri Giants	1943–1948	200	87	1.90	.245	15	151	Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Fumio Fujimura	JBL	Osaka Tigers	1936–1938, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1950–1951	34	11	2.43	.300	224	1,126	Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Brooks Kieschnick [29]	MLB	Milwaukee Brewers	2003-2004	2	2	4.59	.248	16	46	2-time Dick Howser Trophy winner
Masaru Kageura	JBL	Osaka Tigers	1936–1938	27	9	1.57	.271	25	222	Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Kim Seong-han	KBO	Haitai Tigers	1982–1983, 1985–1986	15	10	3.02	.286	207	781
Michael Lorenzen [24]	MLB	Cincinnati Reds	2015–2019	20	21	4.06	.235	7	24
Michio Nishizawa	JBL/NPB	Nagoya/Sangyo/Chubu Nihon/Nagoya Dragons/Chunichi Dragons Gold Star/Kinsei Stars	1937–1943, 1946–1947 [b]	60	65	2.23	.286	212	940	Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Akira Noguchi	JBL/NPB	Tokyo Senators / Taiyō / Nishitetsu Hankyu Braves Chunichi/Nagoya Dragons	1936–1937, 1942–1943, 1948 [c]	49	40	2.54	.251	61	572	Brother of fellow two-way player Jiro Noguchi
Jiro Noguchi	JBL/NPB	Tokyo Senators / Tsubasa / Taiyō / Nishitetsu Hankyu Braves	1939–1943, 1946–1952	237	139	1.96	.248	9	368	Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Shohei Ohtani	NPB	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	2013–2017	42	15	2.52	.286	48	166
	MLB	Los Angeles Angels/Los Angeles Dodgers	2018, 2020–2023, 2024–present	38	19	3.01	.274	171	437	Won the MVP award in 2021, 2023 (AL) and 2024 (NL)
Ted Radcliffe [31]	Negro leagues	Detroit Stars, Chicago American Giants, St. Louis Stars, Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Columbus Blue Birds, New York Black Yankees, Brooklyn Eagles, Cincinnati Tigers, Memphis Red Sox, Birmingham Black Barons, Homestead Grays	1929–1935, 1937–1939, 1941–1944, 1946	32	30	?	.278	19	97 [d]	Known as "Double Duty Radcliffe"
Bullet Rogan [29] [31]	Negro leagues	Kansas City Monarchs	1920–1929, 1933, 1935, 1937	119	50	3.68	.338	45	199 [e]	MLB Hall of Fame
Babe Ruth [9]	MLB	Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Boston Braves	1914–1921, 1930, 1933	94	46	2.28	.342	714	2,214	MLB Hall of Fame
Junzo Sekine	NPB	Kintetsu Pearls	1950–1957	65	94	3.43	.279	59	424	Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
George Sisler [30]	MLB	St. Louis Browns	1915–1916	5	6	2.35	.340	102	1,175	MLB Hall of Fame
Willie Smith [29]	MLB	Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Angels Cleveland Indians Chicago Cubs	1963–1964, 1968 [f]	2	4	3.10	.248	46	211
Kota Yazawa	NPB	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	2023–present
Bucky Walters	MLB	Philadelphia Phillies Cincinnati Reds Boston Braves	1934-1948, 1950	198	160	3.30	.243	23	234	Won the 1939 National League Most Valuable Player Award
Doc White [29]	MLB	Philadelphia Phillies Chicago White Sox	1902, 1909–1910	189	156	2.39	.217	2	75
Smoky Joe Wood	MLB	Boston Red Sox Cleveland Indians	1908-1915, 1917, 1919-1920	117	57	2.03	.283	23	325

American football

NFL

In the National Football League (NFL), there are few two-way players, as most offensive players do not play defense nor do defensive players play offense. A major concern is the possibility of injury when a player is overused. In the early years of the NFL, two-way players were more common as part of the one-platoon system, but in modern times, they are a rarity. ^[36]

Deion Sanders was a starter on defense who occasionally played offense, except for the 1996 season in which he played a considerable amount of offense as a wide receiver. ^[37]

William Perry, "The Fridge" was a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears from 1985 to 1993. Perry occasionally played fullback in goal line situations and set the then-record for the heaviest player to score a touchdown at 335 lb (152 kg).

Troy Brown, well-regarded for his special-teams skills and as a wide receiver, ^[38] played significant time at cornerback when starters were injured during the 2004 season. His three interceptions ranked second among Patriots players that season. ^[39] He also played cornerback in an emergency role during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Linebacker Mike Vrabel (who was Brown's New England Patriots team-mate for several years) frequently lined up at tight end or fullback in short-yardage situations at the goal line. He received ten touchdown passes as a receiver during the regular season, and two more during the playoffs. Those two post-season touchdowns came in successive Super Bowls: XXXVIII and XXXIX.

Longtime Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard was a defensive lineman in college. The Ravens converted him to fullback in 2017 after signing him as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Maine. ^[40] During his first three seasons, he did double duty as a defensive tackle. This included his third season in 2019, when he was selected as a starting fullback for the Pro Bowl. Ricard has not played defense since 2019, but as of 2024 ^[update] he continues to play fullback for the Ravens.

Former St. Louis Rams player Mike Furrey was signed as a wide receiver in 2003 and was converted to safety in 2005, where he would record 58 solo tackles and 4 interceptions. The next season, this time as a member of the Detroit Lions, Furrey converted back to wide receiver where he recorded 98 receptions (second in the NFL), 1,086 receiving yards, and 6 touchdowns. Furrey would remain as a wide receiver until 2009, when as apart of the Cleveland Browns, he was once again converted to safety and also played nickelback due to an injury-riddled secondary.

Scott Matlock of the Los Angeles Chargers was signed as a defensive lineman in 2023 and started playing fullback in 2024. Matlock's offensive coordinator Greg Roman also coached the previously mentioned Patrick Ricard, who made a similar transition to fullback from defensive lineman.

College football

At the college level, some players play on both sides of the ball. ^[41] In the mid-1980s, Gordie Lockbaum was a notable two-way player—he twice finished in the top five in Heisman Trophy balloting, and later was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame. ^[42]

While he was at UCLA (2013–2015), linebacker Myles Jack also played running back, and he won both the Pac-12 Conference Offensive and Defensive Freshman Player of the Year awards. ^[43]

Travis Hunter played both wide receiver and cornerback for Jackson State in 2022 and for Colorado in 2023 and 2024. His head coach at both schools was a former two-way player, Deion Sanders. On November 29, 2024, Hunter was the first FBS player since 1996 to score 3 touchdowns on offense and record an interception. At the end of his junior season, he won the 2024 Heisman Trophy. ^[44] In addition, he uniquely won both the Chuck Bednarik Award, as the nation’s top defensive player, and the Fred Biletnikoff Award, as the nation’s best wide receiver. ^{[45] [46]} He is expected to enter the 2025 NFL draft.

Association football

A hardworking box-to-box midfielder, Steven Gerrard has been lauded for his effectiveness both offensively and defensively; and his ability to make late runs from behind into the penalty area.

Box-to-box midfielders are a prominent example of two-way players in association football. Box-to-box midfielders are hard-working and have good all-round abilities, which makes them skilled at both defending and attacking; these players can therefore track back to their own box to block shots or to make tackles and interceptions, and also carry the ball forward or run to the opponents' box to try to score. ^{[49] [50]} Some notable examples of box-to-box midfielders are Lothar Matthäus, Clarence Seedorf, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Steven Gerrard, Johan Neeskens, Sócrates, Patrick Vieira, Bryan Robson and Roy Keane. ^[51]

In recent times, full-backs have become two-way players, with the traditionally defensive position taking on a more attacking role than was the case traditionally, with full-backs often overlapping with wingers down the flank; wingerless formations, such as the diamond 4–4–2 formation, require the full-back to cover considerable ground up and down the flank. ^[52]

Alan Tate, who played the last 64 minutes plus extra time for Swansea City against Queens Park Rangers in 2008 as goalkeeper, and kept the goal clean to achieve a 0-0 draw.

Two-way players who are skilled at playing both goalkeeper and outfielder are very rare at the higher levels of play. One of few who've started different matches as outfielder and goalkeeper was David Webb, who started one match in 1971 for Chelsea F.C. as goalkeeper.

In the event that a team loses all its regular goalkeepers to injuries or red cards, outfielders have occasionally switched mid-match to the goalkeeper role for the rest of the match, but the player's switch is not typically normalised in later matches.

Regular goalkeepers are not prohibited from participating in outfield activity while being goalkeeper, though this is normally considered risky. Examples include dribbling in defence, taking penalty kicks or free kicks, or if a team is 1 goal behind near the end of a match while a corner kick or free kick is awarded, the keeper can run up to the offence to attempt a last-minute goal.

See also

• All-rounder, a cricketer who is skilled at batting and bowling
• One-platoon system- a substitution system in American Football where the same players were expected to stay on the field for the entire game, playing both offense and defense.

Notes

1. Recordkeeping was poor during Day's career; league historians claim he won as many as 300 games. ^{[32] [33]}
2. Nishizawa was primarily a pitcher from 1937 to 1943, and primarily a position player from 1946 onward.
3. Akira Noguchi was primarily a pitcher in 1936–1937 and primarily a position player from 1942 onward.
4. Biographer Kyle P. McNary estimates that Radcliffe had a .303 batting average, 4,000 hits and 400 homers in 36 years in the game. ^[34]
5. Historian Phil Dixon puts Rogan's lifetime totals against all competition, including semipro and Army teams, at more than 350 games won, 2000 strikeouts, 2500 hits, 350 home runs, and 500 stolen bases. ^[35]
6. Smith also played two seasons with the Nankai Hawks of the NPB (in 1972–1973), but primarily as a position player; he only pitched 1/3 of an inning.

References

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External links

• Duncan, Mike. "Shohei Ohtani, The Bambino, and Bullet Joe," The Hardball Times (April 11, 2018).
• Jaffe, Jay. "Shohei Ohtani and Beyond: a History of Double-Duty Players," FanGraphs (April 6, 2018).