MLB Players Who Played All 9 Positions

Andrew Romine is known for playing 9 positions in baseball. Tigers' athlete played every position except catcher against Minnesota Twins in 2017.

Romine made his career debut as a catcher by holding the mitt of his brother Austin Romine. Later, he played the role of pitcher and struck out Miguel Sano with his 85 mph fastball.

After playing for Detroit Tigers, he played for the Mariners, Rangers, and Cubs where he averaged .233 hitting in his eleven years of MLB career. 

Similarly, in his game with the Twins, he had already played all positions in his career, he knocked out three players from outfield positions in the initial three innings. Later, he played as an infield and shortstop where he made double play, which became the highlight of the game. 

Shane Halter is prominent for playing third baseman and has played all nine positions in the league games. Halter is a well-known all-rounder. 

Before Romine, Halter played all nine positions in the game against the Twins in 2000. He was able to assume responsibility for different placements because his team fell out of postseason contention.

Against the Minnesota Twins, Halter played at the position of first base, and third base and later moved to the outfield. He also remains as a catcher and shortstop for an inning. 

He also took the position of pitcher while forming the battery with the Tiger's catcher. Halter still had some ire, as he was instrumental in the win at the finale after he completed the walk-off hit of Hal Morris.

Scott Sheldon played every position for Texas Rangers against Chicago White Sox in 2000. He played every position after Sox took a 10-1 lead.

Sheldon actually entered as a catcher and moved to first base in the 5th inning and in the later two innings, he played two other positions.

Furthermore, Scott assumed the role of pitcher and struck out Jeff Liefer on five pitches with his changeup coming at the speed of 67mph. 

In his Spring Training game, Sheldon had already played eight positions with permission from then-Texas manager Johnny Oates, he assumed different roles in the game.

After making his major league debut for the Oakland Athletics in 1997, Sheldon later went on to play for Texas Rangers and Orix BlueWave.

Cesar Tovar is an MVP athlete known for playing in every position for Minnesota Twins in 1968. He achieved the feat against Oakland Athletics. 

Mr. Versatility initially started as a pitcher where he secured a scoreless inning taking out Bert Campaneris and striking out Reggie Jackson.

Tovar also took over the role of fielder where he recorded five putouts. Also, while chasing the runs, he was able to steal a base in the 3rd inning and create Minnesota's record of 33 steals in a game. 

It was the only game where, Tovar pitched, caught, and played while performing the very best in each field. Cesar played for Phillies, Rangers, Athletics, and Yankees throughout his career. 

Bert Campaneris is usually known for playing shortstop. Campaneris became the first player to play all nine positions against LA Angels in 1965.

Before the game with the Angels, Bert had already announced that he shall play every position in the game when the team manager spoke out to the press stating it to be nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Camapneris took the field and he pitched but the game went off rails after the second inning derailing the prospects of Oakland Athletics. 

Ed Kirkpatrick who had assumed the role of catcher with the Angles stole second base, then third base, and set off for the home plate but collided with Bert which resulted in Campaneris suffering a left shoulder injury. 

That said, the game went on to extra innings where Campaneris missed the game as he was taken to St. Luke's hospital. 

The nine positions in baseball are pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder. The pitcher and catcher combination is called a battery. 

Some of the best players by position MLB are:

• Pitcher: Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Christy Mathewson, and others.
• Catcher: Yogi Berra, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, and others.
• First baseman: Freddie Freeman, Jimmie Foxx, Frank Thomas, and many more.
• Second baseman: Roberto Alomar, Robinson Cano, Ryane Sandberg, and others.
• Third baseman: George Brett, Ron Santo, and Wade Boggs among others. 
• Shortstop: Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr, Ernie Banks, and others
• Left fielder: Ted Williams, Willie Stargell, Manny Ramirez, and many more.
• Right fielder: Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Tony Gwynn, Roberto Clemente, and others. 
• Center fielder: Mike Trout, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and many more.

Pitcher

The pitcher is the ace of a baseball team. They are responsible for either retiring or striking the batter out. Pitchers' throwing style depends on their velocity, movement, hand position, and arm position. 

There are different types of pitchers which are starting, relief, middle reliever, lefty specialty, or setup man. MLB pitchers are among the most skilled pitchers in the world. 

They throw different kinds of balls like curveballs, sliders, changeups, cutters, sinkers, screwballs, forkballs, knuckleballs, and Vulcan. 

First Baseman

The first baseman also known as 1B is responsible for making plays and fielding the groundball that comes in his surrounding. He is responsible for creating defensive play and not giving opponents the leeway to jump bases. 

Flexibility is important for first base players as it is imperative for them to receive and throw catches from infielders, catchers, and pitchers.

For a runner to be called out, the first baseman should be able to catch the ball while touching the base. 

Second Baseman

The second baseman also called 2B is known for making infield plays. They are known for the versatility and flexibility to make double plays. 

2B are mostly right-handed and only four left-handed throwing players have performed the duties of second baseman till now. They are responsible for fielding and covering the ground to force out the opponent. 

Third Baseman

The third baseman also known as 3B is responsible for defending third base which is the last base before making the home run. 

3B are infielders that stand closer to the batter. They must have athletic promptness to catch the balls that often exceed 120 miles per hour. 

Shortstop

Shortstop fields between second and third base. It is the most demanding position while fielding in baseball. Shortstops also has not the best batting quality as they are placed in the last in the batting order. 

Balls that are hit often go to the shortstop thus agility and a strong arm are needed to make a throw and create a force out. 

They mostly make double plays and also cover second and third base when these basemen are out of bounds. 

Left Fielders

Left Fielders or LF are the outfielders who are responsible for having good fielding and catching abilities. They guard the area that is left of the person standing in the home plate. 

Their decisiveness helps to prevent the advances of baserunners. They watch out for the area on the left side, pick up flies, field, and defend the area to decrease the opponent's chances to score. 

Right Fielders

Right Fielders RF are outfielders who defend the right side of the field from the person standing on the home plate. They must cover large distance thus speed, instincts, and prompt speed is necessary. 

RF backs up the play of the first base, catcher, and pitcher. Thus, they should be ready for bunts and long catches that come to their vicinity. 

Center Fielders

Center fielders CF are the outfielders who are responsible for developing the most unique plays. They watch out for any balls in the center and must have a combination of speed and fast throwing ability. 

CF also has the greatest responsibility among the three outfielders. The players playing at CF must have good arm, fast legs, depth perception, and fielder's vision. 

Catcher

The catcher is an integral position in baseball. They sit behind the home plate in front of the umpire. The role of the catcher is similar to the wicketkeeper in cricket. 

Catcher faces toward the outfield thus they are responsible for defending play, deciding on pitching balls through hand signals, reading batters, and making game strategies.