Five Position Players who Should Become Full-Time Pitchers

Every once in a while, a team is so desperate for pitchers that they turn to their outfield bench to find a pitcher. Usually, it is a guy with a 70 mph fastball that he learned in high school. But there are a few players whose one-inning cameos have been so effective, and their performance in the field so mediocre, that they should seriously consider turning into full time pitchers.

Tony Pena Jr. (SS/P)

Tony Pena Jr. is the epitome of an all-defense shortstop. His career line: .237/.255/.312 in 817 PA. His value last season was actually $5.7 million *negative*, according to FanGraphs. Well, on July 21, 2008, Pena entered the ninth inning of a 19-4 blowout loss for the Royals. Using a 90 mph fastball and a 76 mph slider, he promptly retired the side in order with only 12 pitches—that is fewer than every other Royals pitcher who entered the game, including the excellent setup man Leo Nunez, who needed 13 pitches to record one out! He even struck out Ivan Rodriguez in the process.

Hey, one thing is for sure - if Pena ever wants to win a Silver Slugger award, he should become a full-time pitcher. Because there's no way in hell he's gonna win one in the field.

Jeff Cirillo (3B/P)

Now do not get me wrong, Cirillo was an excellent player in his prime. But let's face i—the guy is 39 years old and he has not played a single minute of Major League Baseball in over a year. Considering that in 2007, his line was a pedestrian
.249/.316/.368. If he wants to continue playing baseball, he should pursue a job in the bullpen. I am sure there are one or two teams who would give him a minor league contract—Florida? Pittsburgh?

Cirillo entered an August 20th game for the D-Backs against the Brewers, with Arizona down 9-0 in the ninth inning. He made effective use of an 82 mph fastball, a 72 mph curveball, and a 65 mph knuckleball. Despite walking two batters, he got out of the inning unscathed, in part due to a swinging strikeout by Craig Counsell. Since knuckleballers do not really need velocity, that is another advantage for Cirillo, who clearly is too old to throw a 90 mph fastball.

Scott Spiezio (IF/OF/P)

Spiezio's another decent player who is just too old to be effective in the field anymore. He did play professional baseball last season, in the form of five minor league games with the Braves' organization, but frankly, he would be more valuable as a mop-up reliever at this point in his career. Also, he did have those problems with the law, so maybe some team out there is willing to give him a "completely" fresh start, including a new position.

He entered a June 15th, 2007 game against the Athletics in the bottom of the eighth inning. He needed 20 pitches to get through the inning, giving up a walk to Dan Johnson in the process. Spiezio is the closest thing to a one-pitch pitcher we have seen so far—he threw 19 fastballs (84 mph) and just one slider (75 mph). But what is remarkable is that Spiezio was the only Cardinals pitcher that did not give up a run! He managed this feat despite facing Bobby Crosby, Johnson, Mark Ellis, and Jack Cust.

Aaron Miles (2B/SS/P)

As you might know, Miles just signed a two year deal with the Cubs, worth something like $5 million if I recall correctly—a deal that was lambasted by most bloggers and analysts across the country. Why not let Fontenot start at second and use Cedeno as the backup middle infielder? Well, unless they end up getting Peavy after all, the Cubs do have a hole in their bullpen (assuming Sean Marshall becomes a full-time starter). Maybe the Cubs' scouts like Miles as an 11th or 12th pitcher.

He does have a substantially larger sample size than the other guys on the list. Miles made a relief appearance on three separate occasions for the Cardinals, posting up an unimpressive 6.00 ERA in three innings, due to a J.R. Towles home run (the only homer he hit during the 2007 season). But Tony La Russa is a smart guy—if he saw enough in Miles to use him three different times, then surely the guy has some talent. One problem is that Miles's velocity just is notthat impressive—his fastball only reaches 73 mph, and he has only one other pitch—a 67 mph curveball. His control seems pretty decent though (no walks in three IP), so maybe he can overcome that issue.

Cody McKay (C/P)

Cody McKay just is not a good baseball player. Despite turning 35 years old in just over a week, he has made only 37 appearances in the majors, with a career line of .247/.280/.273, mostly as a backup catcher for the Cards. Well, his single relief appearance marked his debut in a Cardinals uniform, with Tony La Russa giving him the nod on April 8th, 2004 against the Brewers in the eighth inning.

McKay took full advantage, needing only 19 pitches to get through two scoreless innings. In comparison, the other Cardinals pitchers that day combined to throw 167 pitches over seven innings, giving up a total of 10 earned runs. Detailed pitch info is not available on FanGraphs, but Google tells me that he featured a knuckleball that day, which probably accounts for his superb efficiency. Again, here is a guy who clearly is not good enough to play catcher (or any other position for that matter) in the majors.
So why not try his hand in the bullpen?