Versatility = Chances to Play

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

At our Player Development events one of the things we stress is defensive versatility. We try to encourage every player to be comfortable at multiple positions, because you never know the circumstances you will find yourself in each year. Many players in our program have made the jump from high school to college only to find a successful upperclassman cemented at their primary position. When that happens, it doesn’t matter how great you were in high school, the returning college shortstop who hit .400 last year is going to be the starter. Your ability to play another position (and keep your ego in check) may be the only chance you have to crack the lineup.

As I watched the Angels and Red Sox play in the ALDS, two Team One alumni reminded me of the importance of having the ability and willingness to play different positions. Jed Lowrie knocked in the winning run in the final game of the series for the Red Sox. He is their starting shortstop – the same position he played at North Salem High School in Oregon when he attended our Team One event – but this has not always been the case. In fact, Lowrie played very little shortstop while starring for powerhouse Stanford University. His first taste of college baseball came in the spring of his freshman year when he got to play several games at third base. By the end of the season, he had won the starting second base job. He remained their All-American second baseman through his junior year when he was selected as the 45th pick overall in the 2005 draft by the Red Sox. His versatility has helped him already in his short Major League career as Jed has played 2B and 3B in addition to SS this year for the Sox.

Another talented player who made a position switch is Mark Teixeira. Teixeira was one of the top high school players in the country when we saw him at Team One as a third baseman. He started at 3B from the day he set foot on the Georgia Tech campus and put up impressive numbers during his ACC career. In fact, he won the Dick Howser Trophy as the College Player of the Year. Despite all of his success, professional baseball presented Mark with a new challenge. His path to be the Texas Rangers’ third baseman was blocked by another top prospect, Hank Blalock. As we all know, Mark made a seamless transition to first base where he has won two gold gloves and is a perennial All-Star. Mark’s versatility and willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team is evidenced by the fact that he played 3B, LF, RF, DH and 1B during his first year in the Major Leagues.

These are just two examples of players who had tasted success at one position but were willing and able to change positions in order to earn playing time and help their team. Do yourself a favor – keep working hard at your primary position, but make sure you’re comfortable playing another position or two if the situation arises.


Steve Bernhardt is the Executive VP of Baseball Operations with Baseball Factory. Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt currently serves as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.