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
Commonly used in basketball, a two-way player excels at both the offensive side of the game and the defensive side of the game.[1][2]
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.
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]
In
Major League Baseball (MLB), there are few true two-way players, as
position players generally do not pitch, and most pitchers are poor batters. 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. Ironically, this very rule was what largely made it possible for two-way player Shohei Ohtani to pitch and bat on separate days. Prior to 2021, pitchers in the
National League still had to bat for themselves, but they were usually poor batters. In 2017, the average
batting average for all of MLB was .255. The average batting average for pitchers was .124, significantly worse than the league average.[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 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 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.[33]
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.[34]
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,[35] played significant time at
cornerback when starters were injured during the
2004 season. His three interceptions ranked second among Patriots players that season.[36] He also played cornerback in an emergency role during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
At the college level, some players play on both sides of the ball.[38] While he was at
UCLA (2013–2015),
linebackerMyles Jack also played
running back, and he won both the Pac-12 Conference Offensive and Defensive Freshman Player of the Year awards.[39] 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.[40]
Association football
A hardworking box-to-box midfielder,
Steven Gerrard has been lauded for his effectiveness both offensively and defensively;[41] and his ability to make late runs from behind into the penalty area.[42]
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.[46]
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, and none at higher levels can consistently switch between starting as a goalkeeper and an outfielder.
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 normally 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
Notes
^Recordkeeping was poor during Day's career; league historians claim he won as many as 300 games.[29][30]
^Nishizawa was primarily a pitcher from 1937 to 1943, and primarily a position player from 1946 onward.
^Akira Noguchi was primarily a pitcher in 1936–1937 and primarily a position player from 1942 onward.
^Biographer Kyle P. McNary estimates that Radcliffe had a .303 batting average, 4,000 hits and 400 homers in 36 years in the game.[31]
^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.[32]
^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.