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Tracking the history of baseball’s two-way players


Ronald Martinez // Getty Images

Tracking the history of baseball’s two-way players

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels on the pitcher’s mound



Jared Beilby // Stacker

Two-way players are a rarity post-1930

Bar chart of major league baseball’s two-way players by decade



Transcendental Graphics // Getty Images

Pre-1900s: Two-way players run rampant

Members of the St John baseball team pose on a field, circa 1895



Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images

Early 1900s: The dead ball era signals a decline

Baseball pitcher Doc Crandall throws a baseball in 1910



Transcendental Graphics // Getty Images

1918–1919: Babe Ruth pulls double duty for two seasons

Babe Ruth warms up before a game



Transcendental Graphics // Getty Images

1920s–1930s: Bullet Rogan leads the way for Negro Leaguers

Bullet Rogan and the rest of the 1934 Kansas City Monarchs



Todd Warshaw // Getty Images

1940s–2010s: The two-way player enters a dark age

Rick Ankiel winds back to pitch the ball



Sarah Stier // Getty Images

2018–present: Shohei Ohtani ends long dry spell

Shohei Ohtani hits a home run


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