Major League Baseball: These players who stood out for their versatility

UPDATE DAY

Los Angeles Dodgers fans should expect to see star player Mookie Betts play multiple games at second base during the 2023 campaign. 

Since the start of spring camps, the 30-year-old played a few games at second base, having been in the major leagues as an outfielder for nine years. 

“My guess is that Mookie will start about 40 games at second base and 110 games as an outfielder,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday, as reported by Sports Illustrated. p>

While this change may come as a surprise to many, considering that Betts is one of the best outfielders in major league baseball, this isn't the first time a star player has changed positions late in his career. . Here are five other similar cases:

Hank Aaron

The famous Hank Aaron has changed positions many times in his career. After a first year as a left fielder, he moved to right field, where he played the vast majority of his career. At 37, however, Aaron was moved to first base for two seasons, before returning to the outfield for another two years. He finally concluded his brilliant career by playing two campaigns as a designated hitter. In 23 seasons, he has always been in the top 15 of the circuit for the title of most valuable player.

Babe Ruth 

Let's stay in baseball legends with the case of Babe Ruth. The “Bambino” was a pitcher when he started his major league career with the Boston Red Sox. In 1916, he also led the circuit in earned run average (1.75). Ruth was transferred as an outfielder, where he wrote his legend with the New York Yankees. Versatile, he played 1132 games on the right and 1003 games on the left. Ruth also had five starts on the mound with the Bronx Bombers and went a clean 5-0 record.

Craig Biggio 

< /p>

The now 57-year-old enjoyed a stellar 20-season career with the Houston Astros and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, his third year of eligibility .

Craig Biggio played the majority of his major league games as a second baseman, but also played two other locations on the field. The New York native has played 255 of his 2,850 games as an outfielder. However, it was as a receiver that he began his career. He played 428 games at this position, including his last career in 2007. At that time, he put the mask back in the major leagues for the first time in 17 years.

Pete Rose 

In 24 seasons in major league baseball, Pete Rose has seen just about every corner of the field. The one who mainly worked as a second baseman also played games at all positions, except for catcher, pitcher and shortstop.

No matter how he was used in defense, Rose has always been a threat with stick in hand. This is what allowed him to have such a long career.

Tim Wallach 

The Montreal Expos nostalgics will remember Tim Wallach. The third baseman is possibly the most underrated player in Loves history. He also holds the team records for games played (1,767), hits (1,694), runs scored (934), RBIs (934) and doubles (360). After many seasons where he played mostly as a third baseman, he was moved to first cousin in 1992. Wallach really didn't like it and came out publicly. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December of that year.