Position player

In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. This is generally all players on a team except for the pitcher, who is considered separate from the position players; in the American League, there is also a designated hitter, who bats but does not play any defensive positions (and is therefore not a position player). Position players are eligible to pitch, and a manager may have a player do so in the case of a blowout during a game, or if he runs out of eligible pitchers in a game, usually occurring when the game goes into many extra innings. However, this is rare.

The term is also used in hockey, to refer to all non-goaltender players, although skater is the more common term in hockey.

See also

• Baseball positions

Baseball positions Pitchers by role Ace pitcher Starting pitcher Relief pitcher Middle relief pitcher Long reliever Setup man Closer Left-handed specialist by style Power pitcher Control pitcher Groundball pitcher Flyball pitcher Switch pitcher Defensive players by number Pitcher (1 / P) Catcher (2 / C) First baseman (3 / 1B) Second baseman (4 / 2B) Third baseman (5 / 3B) Shortstop (6 / SS) Left fielder (7 / LF) Center fielder (8 / CF) Right fielder (9 / RF) by type Pitcher Catcher Infielder Outfielder Utility player Utility infielder Position player Fourth outfielder Corner outfielder Offensive players by role Batter Runner Batting order (1–9) Designated hitter Pinch hitter Pinch runner Lead off Leadoff hitter Cleanup hitter by style Clutch hitter Contact hitter Power hitter Switch hitter Non-players Official scorer Umpire Manager Coaches Batboy Ball boy/girl General manager Related Captain Battery Disabled list Phantom ballplayer Platoon system