This is part III of my series on the greatest players of the last 50 years, which I have dubbed the "Dan Marks Era", as it aligns with the 50 years that I have been following baseball.
If you didn't read the introduction to the series, here are the prior entries:
The Futility of Defining Utility
I blame this whole article on Ben Zobrist.....
See, I was happily moving along, working on my review of the best 2nd basemen of the past 50 years, and Ben Zobrist was ending fairly high up (spoiler alert - he came out #15 in the unadjusted rankings). And something didn't feel right to me. Nothing against Zobrist personally - I mean, he's a fine player, and probably deserves the ranking. But it still didn't feel right. It didn't feel right because I don't really think of Zobrist as a second baseman, at least not primarily. I think of him as a Swiss Army Knife. I think he was a good second baseman - but he was an exceptional utility player.
So, I put the second basemen on hold. I'll get back to them later. First, I wanted to review some of my personal favorites - the greatest utility players of the last 50 years. I absolutely love these guys.
Now, a utility player can be a tricky thing to try and define and get consensus around. Believe me, we've tried. We've had several instances in the "Reader Posts" section of this site where we've kicked the topic around in the past. And you can find opinions and articles around the Internet, and it's clearly challenging to get consensus around the concept of what a utility player is and who some of the best examples are. So, first, I thought I'd discuss a little bit about what some people think the term means, and where I think they're misguided. Then, I'll try to define it myself.
So, let's do this as a bit of a make-believe Q and A on the topic, where the "Q" is posed by a fictional person out in the cyber-sphere who is proposing an example of a great utility player, and I'll provide the "A" on what I think of the nominations.
Q: OK, Let's start with Pete Rose? A great utility player, no?
A: No, he's not.
Rose was not a utility player. He was a multi-positional star. There's a big difference. He was an All Star second baseman. Then he was an All Star left fielder. Then he was an All Star right fielder. Then he was an All Star third baseman. Then he was an All Star first baseman.
Rose, virtually every season, was his team's primary starter at whatever position he was playing that season. He was versatile, no question about it (although a cynic might suggest that he was equally awful, at least defensively, at each position). He played multiple positions over the course of his career. But he was not a utility player.
Q: OK....Stan Musial? Seemed to bounce around every year according to where he was needed. Utility, right?
A: No. Stan the Man was not a utility player.
Some try to classify Musial as utility player because, as he progressed through his career, he went from left field to right field to first base then back to right field then to center field then left field then right field then first base then left field. It was pretty dizzying.
But a utility player? No. He was a star who, in most seasons, was his team's primary option at a given position that year. It's just that it kept changing. And, to the extent he bounced around, it was between the 3 outfield positions and first base. He didn't play second, short, or third. That's a big thing lacking in my definition. Stan Musial? Not a utility player.
Q: Jackie Robinson?
A: Well, I see where you're going, but, no.
Again, Jackie was versatile, and excelled defensively wherever he played. But he was a first baseman his rookie season, then basically a second baseman his next 5 seasons, then had a couple of years where he did the left field/third base kind of thing. But he was never really what I would call a true utility player.
Q: How about Babe Ruth? I mean, outfield and pitcher!
A: Now you're just being annoying. I'm not going to dignify it with a response. Next.....
Q: OK. Craig Biggio? I mean, second base, outfield AND catcher?
A: No.
Biggio is kind of like Rose in that he did play multiple positions, but was more of a regular player at each of those positions (including catcher) for a few years at a time (especially his lengthy stay at 2nd base) before switching. Not utility.
Q: OK. I think I'm getting the idea. How about Gil McDougald?
A: Well, you're getting warmer. But not quite there.
Gil McDougald was a great weapon for Casey Stengel's Yankees of the 1950's. He had some years where he held down the fort at second base, some at third, and some at shortstop. He played all of them well, and he was a good offensive player to boot. He finished in the top 10 of the MVP balloting three times. He was an extremely valuable player.
But....he's still not a utility player in my book. He played 3 of the 4 infield positions....but he never played an inning in the outfield. You could possibly classify him a utility infielder, but not a utility player. And that distinction matters in my definition.
So what is my definition? I would define a true utility player this way:
1. He must be able to play in both the outfield and the infield
2. He can must have significant playing time at one of the two middle infield positions (SS & 2B).
3. He is seldom his team's primary option at a position in a given year
4. He consistently plays at least 4 different positions each year
There's a pretty easy way to judge #3 above. On a player's baseball-reference.com page, the "Pos" column lists all positions played in a given year. If a player plays in at least two-thirds of his team's game at a particular position in a given year, he gets an "*" next to that position (although the site has a qualifier about combining games at the outfield positions to earn the "*"). A true utility might have an occasional "*", but most of his seasons won't have one.
Also, using the "Pos" column, you can see very quickly how many positions he appeared at in each season, and true utility players will consistently have 4,5, or 6 entries each and every year.
Those, to me, are the keys to identifying a legitimate utility player. His role is to float around the diamond and fill in where needed. He gets regular at bats, but he does so in the context of filling in where he's needed and when he's needed, whether it's to give others a day off, or subbing for an injured regular. That's a big part of his value.
The Greatest Utility Players of the Past 50 Years
Before we focus on the past 50 seasons, I wanted to touch on some notable utility players of the past and the present that aren't in my ranking.
Now, when thinking of utility players, I'm not thinking of guys like King Kelly or Buck Ewing or Roger Bresnahan or players like that, because of the common characteristics you see among many ballplayers from the late 1800's or early 1900's is that they often appeared at several different positions. That was very commonplace in baseball's early history. So, that's not what I'm thinking of.
One who does come to mind is Billy Goodman, who played from the late 40's to the early 60's, mostly for the Red Sox. In 6 of his 16 seasons he does have an "*" as his team's primary starter, but his most famous season was 1950 when he won the batting title (.350) and finished 2nd in the MVP voting despite only playing 110 games, with no more than 45 games at any one position.
Whenever I think of Goodman, my mind always goes to Pete Runnels, who just missed being Goodman's teammate on Boston by a year. They were contemporaries, and were very similar hitters (they're #4 on each others' Similarity Score lists), and Runnels won a couple of batting titles himself. However, Runnels had a few too many seasons as his team's regular at different positions, and he only played one game in the outfield in his career, so in my book he's not quite in the same category.
Another prominent player of this type was Woodie Held. Held was a regular shortstop for about 4 seasons, but then put in several seasons where he just kind of played all over the place. Felix Mantilla, who played mostly for the Braves and the Red Sox in the mid-50's to mid-60's, was this type of player as well.
It's also worth mentioning Martin Dihigo, who played all over the diamond (including pitcher)in the Negro Leagues and Latin American leagues covering nearly 30 years. I don't know if he technically fits the concept of a "utility player" because he was really one of the stars, but his multi-positional excellence and ability to play all over is certainly worthy of note.
There are many, many others, and I'm sure you'll be able to come up with some of your own. I should note that there were other pretty good players such as Martin Prado, Melvin Mora, Jose Oquendo, and B. J. Surhoff who come close to the definition, but who I felt fell just outside the requirements for true utility status.
One who technically could/should have made my list is Cesar Tovar. The midpoint of his career was 1970, which is right on the edge of my 50-year deadline, but I feel like the bulk of his utility-ness (if that's a word) occurred prior to when I started paying attention to baseball, so I decided to exclude him. Tovar is remember for 2 major things. One, he is one of the few players who played all 9 positions in a game (1968), and, two, he received a first-place MVP vote in 1967 from a local Minneapolis writer, thus depriving Carl Yastrzemski of being the unanimous MVP that year.
Finally, there are several active players who excel in the role, such as Chris Taylor and Enrique "Kiké" Hernandez (both currently with the Dodgers), Brock Holt of the Red Sox (who has made an All Star team), Sean Rodriguez (currently with Miami but better known with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh) and Josh Harrison, who had 2 All-Star seasons as a utility player with the Pirates. With a couple of exceptions, active players did not make my top 10, although one or more of the above could eventually crack the top 10. Scott Kingery of the Phillies is a young player just starting his career who has already shown a lot of signs of being that type of player as well.
Other significant career utility players who didn't make my top 10? Here are some of them (in no particular order:
Lenny Harris (known for pinch hitting, but also a versatile player who played for a long time)
Jerry Royster
Bill Almon
Willie Bloomquist
Bill Hall
Willie Harris
Joel Youngblood
Alan Bannister
Bob Bailor
Mike Aviles
Emilio Bonifacio
Chris Stynes
Rex Hudler
Brad Miller
Joe McEwing
OK. Enough fooling around. Who are the greatest utility players of the past 50 years? Unlike other positions where I'm counted down the top 25, I'm going to limit this category to 10. Also, unlike the other positions, I'm not really using a formula to come up with my rankings - this one is more based on general evidence and subjective gut feel. For each player, I'm also going to list their career games played by position to provide a sense of their versatility (source: baseball-reference.com).
#10-Derrel Thomas
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
2B
|
608
|
|
OF
|
542
|
|
CF
|
400
|
|
SS
|
339
|
|
3B
|
116
|
|
LF
|
91
|
|
RF
|
69
|
|
1B
|
19
|
|
C
|
6
|
Thomas is a bit of a sentimental choice, not because I was a big fan (I couldn't stand him when he was with LA), but because he was one of the first utility players that I remember becoming aware of who was proficient in this role. He managed to produce a nice, 15-year career that spanned 1971-1985.
He showed glimpses of his versatility as a young player with the Padres and the Giants, and then really flourished as a super-utility player with the Dodgers. He concentrated most of his time up the middle (2B, CF, SS), but got in his fair share at the corners as well, and even got in a few games behind the plate. Had decent speed and decent stolen base totals, but really wasn't a very successful base stealer (about 60%). Picked up a ring as a member of the 1981 Dodgers.
#9-Jose Hernandez
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
SS
|
836
|
|
3B
|
425
|
|
2B
|
118
|
|
OF
|
116
|
|
1B
|
79
|
|
LF
|
62
|
|
CF
|
50
|
|
RF
|
16
|
Hernandez had a couple of seasons with Milwaukee where he was primarily a shortstop (one of which resulted in an All Star selection), which skews his games played towards that position numbers a little, and he's significantly more infield than outfield, but I decided to include him. Hernandez wasn't great at getting on base and struck out a lot, but was very versatile and was a reliable source of power. Mostly associated with the Cubs and the Brewers, he ended up playing for 9 different franchises.
#8-Jerry Hairston Jr.
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
2B
|
650
|
|
OF
|
400
|
|
LF
|
200
|
|
3B
|
174
|
|
SS
|
148
|
|
CF
|
139
|
|
RF
|
84
|
|
1B
|
15
|
Hairston comes from a prominent baseball family, with a brother (Scott), uncle (John), father (Jerry Sr.) and a grandfather (Sam) who all played in MLB. Sam was a catcher who dates all the way back to the Negro Leagues, and got a taste of the Majors in 1951.
Hairston played for 9 different franchises in his career, spending more than 2 seasons for only one of them (7 with Baltimore). He had a couple of seasons as the primary 2nd baseman for the Orioles in his age 25 and 26 seasons, but after that he basically assumed a utility role. His best utility season was probably 2008 with the Reds when he hit .326 and stole 15 bases while appearing at 6 different positions. The next season, he picked up a ring while playing for the Yankees. Hit .362 in his career in the postseason, doing most of his damage with the Brewers in 2011.
#7-Lee Lacy
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
OF
|
1006
|
|
RF
|
594
|
|
LF
|
418
|
|
2B
|
275
|
|
CF
|
76
|
|
3B
|
32
|
|
SS
|
2
|
Perhaps not quite as versatile as some of the others, most of his appearances were at the corner outfield positions and second base, but I think he qualifies. Through age 33, he had never had a single season where he was his team's primary player at any single position, although in 4 of his final 6 seasons, he was the primary right fielder for his team (twice with the Pirates and twice with the Orioles). Kind of an odd career.
Lacy had one of the more unusual career arcs you'll ever see, especially when it came to stolen bases. He had a career high of 7 heading into his age 32 season, but then he ripped off successive seasons of 18,24,40,31, and 21. I don't know if anyone has ever shed any light on what prompted the change in approach in that category, but if anyone is aware of any theories, I'd be interested to know what they are.
#6-Mark McLemore
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
2B
|
1197
|
|
OF
|
404
|
|
LF
|
250
|
|
RF
|
147
|
|
3B
|
119
|
|
SS
|
88
|
|
CF
|
21
|
McLemore was a little lopsided in his position distribution as he did have several seasons primarily as a second baseman, and you could argue that he had a few too many seasons in that primary role, but I included him because he was extremely versatile and, in particular, he excelled in the utility role on the record-setting, 116-victory 2001 Mariners, and I think that was one of the more memorable seasons that any player has had in that capacity.
A lot of fans have wondered how the 2001 Mariners, who had lost big time stars such as Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Randy Johnson in the years leading up to that season, could have had such a successful team that year. Certainly, they still had some outstanding players with Edgar Martinez, John Olerud, and Ichiro Suzuki (in his first season coming over from Japan) and they were supported by the likes of Bret Boone (who had a great year) and Mike Cameron, but one of the real keys to the season was the versatility of McLemore.
The "regulars" in left field (Al Martin and Stan Javier, who was 37 and in his final season), third base (David Bell) and shortstop (Carlos Guillen) were all quality players, but none of them was what you would call a real strength (Guillen did grow into an All-Star with the Tigers, but in 2001 he was 25 years old and still emerging). McLemore (no spring chicken himself at 36) offered tremendous value at all three of those positions as he appeared in 63 games in left field, 36 at third base, and 35 games at shortstop, along with some miscellaneous appearances at second base, center field, and right field. For the season, he hit .286 with a robust .384 OBP, stealing 39 bases in 46 attempts (85%), the shining moment in a quality 19-year career.
#5-Marwin Gonzalez
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
SS
|
292
|
|
OF
|
218
|
|
1B
|
212
|
|
LF
|
175
|
|
3B
|
133
|
|
2B
|
112
|
|
RF
|
48
|
|
CF
|
3
|
Probably the #1 active player still prominent in the utility role (Zobrist is no longer the impact player he once was), Gonzalez still has some years remaining that could see him move further up the list. Gonzalez's best season (unfortunately for him) was 2017 with the Astros, which is a season that will always live in infamy, but he's been a valuable player in the utility role for a number of years. Gonzalez moved to the Twins in 2019 and put in another typical Marwin Gonzalez season (.264/.322/.414, 15 HR, 55 RBI, played 6 positions). As you can see from his position distribution, he's pretty evenly spread his time over the defensive spectrum.
#4-Bip Roberts
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
2B
|
501
|
|
OF
|
464
|
|
LF
|
383
|
|
3B
|
147
|
|
CF
|
72
|
|
SS
|
40
|
|
RF
|
24
|
I absolutely loved watching this guy play. 5'7", 150 pounds of pure baseball fun.
I had the pleasure of seeing Bip up close for a couple of seasons with the Reds, including his first season with the team (1992). Roberts was traded from the Padres during the prior offseason in exchange for Randy Myers as the Reds took their first step in breaking up the "Nasty Boys" bullpen of Myers, Rob Dibble, and Norm Charlton. Roberts promptly hit .323 with 44 steals, made the All Star team, and finished 8th in the MVP voting, all while playing 69 games in LF, 42 at 2B, 36 at 3B, and 16 in CF. Despite the lack of a regular position, he managed to accumulate over 600 plate appearances that season, second only to Barry Larkin on the team.
#3-Chone Figgins
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
3B
|
640
|
|
OF
|
350
|
|
2B
|
279
|
|
CF
|
253
|
|
LF
|
77
|
|
SS
|
29
|
|
RF
|
28
|
Figgins had a precipitous drop at the end of his career, but for 7 years there he was a helluva weapon. Figgins' first taste of the Majors was the Angels' championship season of 2002, and although he didn't contribute much that year, he was a huge part of the team for the rest of the decade, and from 2004 through 2009 the Angels made the postseason every year except one.
Figgins made his mark in a variety of areas every year in that period. One year, he led the league with 62 steals. Another year, he led the league with 101 walks. Another year, he hit .330. He twice had OBP's over .390. From 2003-2009, he hit .292 with a .363 OBP, with rates of 49 steals and 104 runs per 162 games over that span.
#2-Ben Zobrist
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
2B
|
911
|
|
OF
|
661
|
|
RF
|
466
|
|
SS
|
236
|
|
LF
|
223
|
|
CF
|
34
|
|
1B
|
27
|
|
3B
|
8
|
In a tight race for the top, Zobrist settles for #2 in my ranking. Zobrist had what is certainly the greatest season ever by a true utility player in 2009 with the Rays - 27 HR, 91 RBI, 91 runs, 17 steals, .297/.405/.543, a 149 OPS+, made the All Star team, was 8th in the MVP voting, and his 8.6 rWAR was #1 in the AL that season among position players. His position split was 91 games at 2B, 59 in RF, 13 at SS, 9 in LF, 7 in CF, 3 at 1B, and 1 at 3B. And his 2011 season wasn't far behind, as he upped his doubles to 46 while still hitting 20 HR's.
To top it all off, Zobrist was a big part of 2 consecutive championship teams - Kansas City in 2015 (they acquired him in late July from Oakland), and the Cubs in 2016, winning the MVP in the latter World Series. He's probably just about done with his career. All in all, possibly the greatest utility player of all time.
Except I have 1 guy higher.......
#1-Tony Phillips
|
Position
|
Games
|
|
OF
|
786
|
|
2B
|
778
|
|
LF
|
565
|
|
3B
|
428
|
|
SS
|
294
|
|
RF
|
169
|
|
CF
|
97
|
|
1B
|
5
|
The once and future king. In my book, the greatest utility player of all time is Tony Phillips.
With 3 more games in CF, Phillips would have had the rather remarkable achievement of having 6 different field positions in which he played 100 or more games. He was 5 walks away (in 1994, which was a strike season) from having 100 or more walks in 6 straight seasons, and since he only had 114 games played in that strike-shortened season, it was merely a technicality that he didn't reach that level. Over the same span (1992-1997), his figures (per 162 games) were 124 runs, 16 HR's, and 129 walks, and his slash line was .281/.405/.414, with a 119 OPS+.
Who you prefer as #1 is likely just a matter of taste. Zobrist's 2 best seasons are probably better than Phillips', but I feel like Phillips was a little more versatile defensively than Zobrist was, and had a little better overall career. He's my #1.
I'll resume the series with the 2nd base rankings in the near future. In the meantime, thanks for reading.
Dan