Why Doesn’t MLB Have More Players Like Ohtani

Wes Ferrell was a 20-game winner six times as a pitcher during the late 1920s and 1930s. He also played some left field, was used as a pinch-hitter and had a career batting average of .280 with 38 home runs.

The Cardinals got the “Full Ohtani” in Los Angeles the other night. That is, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was LA’s starting pitcher - making his way back from elbow surgery - and also the designated hitter. He shined in both roles.  

Over four innings, he allowed two hits and one run and struck out eight. The 2025 Cardinals scored one run or less in 30 of their first 118 games, so we’re not talking the ’05 Cardinals - who lined up with Albert Pujols, Larry Walker, Reggie Sanders, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen and Mark Grudzielanek. 

Nonetheless, Ohtani was sharp. As DH, he supported himself with a long home run. As of today, he has 41 of those, with 77 RBIs. Last year, he led the league in home runs (54) and RBIs (130) while batting .310 and stealing 59 bases. 

The guy’s a stud, no question.

That said, me thinks too much is made of his split-screen capabilities. The fact that he is able to do both well - hit and pitch - is unique, yes, but only in that he is given the opportunity.

And frankly, in this baseball era of teams carrying 13 pitchers and only three bench occupants, an era where versatility is cherished, it’s surprising more two-for-one players don’t exist.

In my mind, there’s no question there could be. Many professional baseball players, if not most, were “Ohtanis” early in their athletic lives. The best athlete on a high school or amateur team commonly was the No. 1 pitcher, as well as the best hitter and/or position player. 

I haven’t seen a high school or American Legion game in some time, but I imagine that is still the case. The starting shortstop one game is a starting pitcher the next.  

For example, it seems reasonable to suggest Mike Shannon could have been a pitcher and position player had the opportunity presented itself. 

To that end, here’s a fun fact: Shannon actually did take the mound at Busch Stadium I, the starting pitcher in a game on Aug. 20, 1955. That is, he was hurling for Epiphany in a CYC juvenile game. The 16-year old “Moon Man” singled, doubled and struck out 12.

Shannon is among the best homegrown athletes St. Louis has ever known, and he had a cannon for an arm. He excelled both as a pitcher and outfielder at CBC High School through his senior year in 1957 - beside being a football and basketball star.

He started his professional baseball career in 1958. Did he lose the ability to pitch over a few months? Of course not.

But he was developed as a full-time outfielder in the Cardinals system, because he was most valued as an everyday player. At the time, the player development game was a one-lane highway. If you were considered a good hitting prospect, you needed at-bats, you needed reps in the field, and your pitching days were over.

If your were prized as a pitcher, you needed innings, you needed another pitch, you needed refining … your bat became inconsequential. “Designated Hitter was not an option. The American League did not adopt the designated hitter until 1973, and the NL didn’t follow until 51 years later in 2022.

Stan Musial is another study in diametric dynamics. Musial signed in 1938 as a lefthanded pitching prospect. In 1940, he led the Florida State League in won-loss percentage, finishing 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA. 

He was still a work in progress, to be sure, with 145 walks in 223.1 innings. But he had a promising arm. At the same time, his natural talent as a hitter was impossible to ignore. He batted .356 as an outfielder when he wasn’t pitching. 

Then fate played its part. Musial was playing center field for Daytona on Aug. 11, 1940 when his spikes caught in the turf and he landed awkwardly diving for a fly ball. His left shoulder was damaged and his pitching days were over. 

The Cardinals took a chance on his bat and he blossomed. By September 17, 1941, he was playing right field and going 2 for 4 with two RBIs in his big-league debut. Musial batted .426 in 47 at-bats to finish that season, the first of his 22 major league seasons.

Throughout history, there have been pitchers capable of excelling as hitters, and vice-versa. The name most often mentioned in Ohtani conversations is Babe Ruth.

Ruth was primarily a pitcher to start his career - a prominent pitcher. In 1916, the Boston left-hander was 23-12 with a league-leading 1.75 ERA. He won 24 the next season, 18 the year before. In three World Series starts, he was 3-0 with an 0.87 ERA. 

But again, baseball had no designated hitter rule - and he was Babe Ruth. Can you imagine making out your lineup card and leaving him out? By 1920, Ruth - individually - was out-homering every other team in the American League. His pitching days were over.

Wes Ferrell is another prime example. He primarily pitched for Cleveland and Boston during a 15-year career, and did it well. He won more than 20 games for the Indians four consecutive seasons (1929-32), then won 25 and 20 for the Red Sox in 1935-36. 

But Ferrell could also rake. During his career, he batted .280 with a .351 on-base percentage. He collected 38 home runs, 57 doubles and 206 RBIs and had 139 at-bats as a pinch-hitter.

Warren Spahn was one of the most amazing men in baseball history. He won 363 games - the most by a lefthander, He had 23 wins and 22 complete games in 1963 at the age of 42, and won 180 games after his 35th birthday. He was making up for lost time.

In his early 20s, Spahn lost more than three full seasons to WWII. After making his big-league debut in 1941 at the age, he spent the next three years as a combat engineer in the Army. He saw action at the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded at Remagen. He received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and accepted a battlefield commission that extended his service by six months.

Oh, and one more thing about Spahn - he could hit. He had 35 home runs and 189 RBIs in his 21 seasons.

How about Don Drysdale? “Big D” was 12-13 as a 21-year-old pitcher  in 1958. He also hit seven home runs in just 66 at-bats - good for a .591 slugging percentage. At age 28, Drysdale finished 23-12 on the mound and batted .300 with seven home runs for an .839 OPS.

Another Cy Young winner who could win gate lumber was Bob Gibson, A great athlete, Gibson was a two-sport star at Creighton, where his No. 45 basketball jersey is retired. He had 251 career wins for St. Louis, seven complete game World Series wins and that remarkable 1.12 ERA in 1968.

In 1970, when he wasn’t leading the NL in wins (23), Gibson batted .303 with two homers and 19 RBIs. In ’65, Gibson batted .240 with five home runs. What’s more, “Gibby” had World Series home runs in both 1967 and ’68. During his career, he had 14 plate appearances as a pinch-hitter and scored 14 runs as a pinch runner.

What if Ferrell, Spahn, Drysdale or Gibson had devoted more time to hitting, took serious batting practice, worked with coaches, got three or four at-bats a day? Could they have been impactful hitters? 

Rick Ankiel was a star pitcher and hitter in high school. But there was no DH in the National League when he was drafted by the Cardinals, and they projected him as a dominating left-hand pitcher.

In 1999, Ankiel was 13-3 while jumping from Class AA Arkansas to Class AAA Memphis. In 2000, he was 11-7 for the Cardinals before suffering the yips in the playoffs. Then came elbow problems and his pitching career evaporated.

Long story short, he made it back as a power-hitting outfielder, batting .264 with 25 home runs for the Cardinals in 2008. Is there any question that, before the control problems and injuries, Ankiel could have been a two-way player if the DH was in play? Perhaps playing every day would have eased the pressure of only pitching every fourth or fifth day. Perhaps he would have thrived, who knows.

Here’s another thought: Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn was an outstanding high school pitcher. In his junior year, he was 13-0 with a 0.67 ERA and fanned 117 in 76.1 innings. He also played shortstop and batted .417 with eight home runs. 

Still just 23, Winn is now a fine defensive shortstop and an offensive contributor. At the same time, the club just traded away its best late-inning relievers. Under the circumstances, is it crazy to suggest Winn could play shortstop and be called on to get an out or two in the late innings? After all, according to MLB, he has recorded infield throws at 101.2 mph.

Moreover, Jordan Walker earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a pitcher and hitter. The Cardinals outfielder was clocked with a throw of 99.5 mph in the Arizona Fall League. Is it nuts to think a 6-foot-6, 250-pound guy who throws that hard might be effective as a pitcher? Maybe - if he didn’t haver to learn. new position, he could find his stroke as a designated hitter while he contributes as a ?

I’m just sayin.’

It’s been 52 years since the major leagues made it possible for a player to be both a once-in-a-while pitcher and an every day hitter. And yet, Ohtani is the only pitcher in the big leagues who still bats. 

Tony Cloninger was 24-11 for Milwaukee in 1965; he had five home runs and 23 RBIs in 111 at-bats for the Braves in 1966. Cloninger had a fine career, but it had one major flaw - timing.