Pete Rose was described as a 'utility player' (in one article I saw). This presumably means that he was good at more than one role. Was this a compliment to his talent or was it meant as a dig at him? Are 'utility players' commonly found? How varied would such a player's talents be? In cricket, the closest analogy, an 'all-rounder' is someone who is a talented bowler (pitcher) and batsman. Sometimes this means no more than that he is capable of supplementing the bowling or batting and is regarded as a useful member of the team to have around. He is usually a batsman who can bowl better than the average batsman but sometimes he is a truly great talent in both arts: Sir Gary Sobers (West Indies) was not only one of the game's greatest bats but was a dangerous opponent in not just one but two styles of bowling and Ian Botham (England) could win matches with either skill or both,though his bowling succeeded as much through psychology as accuracy.(That's why Mr Gary Sobers became a 'Sir' . Mr Botham is still waiting for his knighthood )
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04-20-06, 09:10 AM
Koz
As a baseball fan I would not consider Pete Rose as your classic “utility player”. While he did indeed play several positions; in his case he did it to help his team and prolong his career. It was not meant as an insult, but more of a compliment.

The classic “utility player” is usually a spot starter. He is not a part of a team’s “regular” lineup day in day out but he is on the active roster. Baseball is a long season that has 162 regular season games. There are often injuries, personal issues to deal with, or players get sick. Some (especially catchers) take a day off here and there to rest their body a little in order to remain strong at the end of a season.

A good utility player on a good team can probably be a starting player on many other teams. He is able to play several positions well and is a fair to good hitter. He also has a different mentality than most regular starters. Most starters play one position and expect to see their name in the lineup at that position daily. A utility player comes to the ballpark everyday seldom knowing if his name will be on the lineup card at all. He also does not know what position he will be playing. It takes a different mentality to excel as a utility player.

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