When Lefties Saved The Day

Happy National Left-Handers Day! Shout out to all the kids who had to sift through hundreds of gloves for righties to find the one left-handed glove at the local sporting goods store or the ones who shagged flyballs in the outfield while the righties worked on double plays.

Some of the best defensive players in baseball have been southpaws and even defied the norms to play right-handed positions such as second, third, shortstop and even catcher. While the infield positions, besides first base, call for a righty because lefties must spin around to make a throw, there have been several instances when a left-hander had to save the day. So, in honor of all the “wrong handers,” let’s look at the best times a lefty played out of position.   

Don Mattingly

During his 14 seasons with the New York Yankees, Don Mattingly was known for his elite glove at first base. The former Yankee captain earned nine Gold Gloves and ranked 11th all-time for first baseman fielding percentage. Despite being known for his accolades at first, Mattingly showcased his defensive skills all over the field. Mattingly made an appearance at every fielding position except for shortstop and catcher. He was slotted at third three times in his career and started at the hot corner two times. Unsurprisingly, his opponents made it a priority to go at him whenever possible. Mattingly had 13 chances at third, in which he threw out 11 and even recorded a putout.

While the lefty put on a show with his spin throw to first, his most famous out-of-position moment came against the Kansas City Royals in the Pine Tar Game of 1983. Mattingly replaced SS Bert Campaneris when the game finally resumed but was only there for a third of an inning.

Anthony Rizzo

1B Anthony Rizzo is one of the most recent examples of a lefty out of position. He made several “appearances” at second base with the Chicago Cubs, especially during the Joe Maddon era. In 2017 the Cubs flipped Rizzo with the second baseman primarily when a pitcher batted to guard against the bunt. They did it so many times during the season that CBS Sports added him as a second baseman in fantasy baseball. The Cubs started the strategy at the end of the 2016 season and in the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants.

In a late-season game, the Cubs ran out of position players in the ninth inning versus the Cincinnati Reds. That’s when Rizzo became the seventh lefty to play third and the first since 1997. Rizzo constantly proves he can hit, field and even pitch.

Jack Clements

Many argue the only advantage for a righty catcher is that fewer left-handed batters are obstructing their throw. However, this is enough to make lefty catchers a significant rarity. Over the years, there have been 29 southpaw backstops in MLB history, the last of whom was Ben Distefano of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1989. But one man made a career of being a lefty catcher way back before OF Babe Ruth had even started playing.

1B Jack Clements registered 1,076 games behind the plate. In comparison only two active catchers — Yadier Molina and Kurt Suzuki — have crossed that mark. Clements spent 17 years in the big leagues, most of which were with the Philadelphia Phillies. Baseball didn’t start recording caught stealing stats until Clements’ seventh season, but in his last ten years, he threw out 611 runners, which puts him in the top 50 all-time. Clements also spent some time at short and third with four games apiece and a perfect fielding percentage on a combined 22 chances.

Hal Chase

1B Hal Chase is known as one of the most corrupt players in baseball history, primarily for his role in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, but before then, he was considered one of the best at his position. Chase is ranked 20th all-time in putouts for first basemen, and he transferred his defensive skills all over the diamond.

Chase logged 35 games at second throughout his 15-year career. Chase didn’t stop at just second, though, as he is the last left-hander to record an out as a shortstop. Chase made an appearance at every position except for catcher, including a third of an inning for the Yankees in 1908. Despite playing when the game was much simpler, Chase made playing second as a lefty seem possible. However, the trend to put lefties in the middle of the field never seemed to catch on.

Mike Squires

Mike Squires was primarily a defensive first baseman for the Chicago White Sox from 1977 to 1985. In 1981, he won his only Gold Glove at the position, and two years later, he started to try out a new position. Squires made one appearance at third in ‘83 and 13 in ‘84. He has played more games at third than any other lefty since the 19th century.

It all started when Tony LaRussa, who is the White Sox manager again, decided to empty his bench against the Royals by replacing all but two fielders. Instead of replacing the first baseman with Squires, he sent him over to third. Although he didn’t have any chances in his first game, the lefty recorded outs on all 12 balls hit to him the following season. Squires even started in four games that season and played for the whole game once.

Squires made two appearances behind the plate because he had always wanted to. Fellow lefty and owner of the White Sox, Bill Veeck, was keen on the idea. The owner always believed lefties could make good catchers. But, since then, no one else has seemed to agree.

John Cassidy

OF John Cassidy did something throughout his 11-year career in the late 1800s that no other lefty has ever done. Cassidy played all nine fielding positions, including 32 appearances on the mound and 24 at non-left-handed positions. This type of feat is much more common for righties as 46 players have done it with the opposite hand, including five in the same game.

For the left-handers, getting the chance to play one righty dominant position is extremely difficult, but there was more flexibility for players during the simpler baseball times. Cassidy is like a forefather to all the left-handers in baseball who proved they can play non-traditional positions. Outside of the outfield and first base, Cassidy logged the most games at third with 17 over two seasons. However, Cassidy was not much of a defensive mastermind as he committed 24 errors in 71 chances. But who wasn’t committing that many errors back then?

Time for a walk-off bonus lefty. One of the greatest baseball players of all time, 1B Lou Gehrig, was listed as the starting shortstop in 1934. Of course, it doesn’t count as an actual appearance at short, but the Yankees did it to keep his games streak alive. Gehrig was too hurt to play the field but was able to hit once.

Several lefties have proven they can play any position on the field. So while there is little chance we see a full left-handed starting lineup anytime soon, there’s proof that left-handers can play anywhere. Who did it the best, and who else do you think could play out of position? Let us know.

Cover photo courtesy of Paul Beaty/AP Photo