Two prospects in this year's draft have skills to be taken seriously on both sides of the ball: Louisville's Brendan McKay, a left-handed pitcher and a first base/designated hitter type, and high school phenom Hunter Greene, a right-handed pitcher with 100 mph heat and the athleticism to play shortstop. Then there's Shohei Otani, the Japanese pro who is a starting pitcher and outfielder for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Some MLB teams appear ready to spend nine figures to sign Otani if his parent club makes him available through the posting system for MLB teams to bid on his services.
So does baseball have space to bring back the two-way player? Not so fast. We spoke with four professional player evaluators to see how they view the possibilities.
Can it work?
"Could your league-average first baseman or DH also be your third or fourth starter? It's worth testing because we don't really know yet. I'm not sure I see the harm in either player DH'ing on their non-pitching days, at least through A-ball. I'm intrigued by the notion and think someone like McKay, who is already doing it in college, would be worth giving it a shot with." -- Pro scout who has worked for both American League and National League teams