MLB's Ultimate Dual-Threat Stars Across All 9 Positions
Everything about being an MLB position player is difficult. It literally doesn't get any harder than hitting the ball, and catching and throwing the ball is no picnic either.
It really makes you appreciate the guys who get it done on both sides, so why don't we honor the best of the best?
We're going to shower praise on the best "dual-threat" players at all nine positions heading into the 2026 MLB season. There's room for debate at some positions, but nobody will argue that these guys aren't as impressive in the field as they are in the batter's box.
We'll start at catcher and make our way to an obvious pick at pitcher.
Catcher: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
1 of 9
Age: 29
2025 Batting Stats: 159 G, 705 PA, 60 HR, 351 TB, 169 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 1,072 Inn, 2 DRS, 7 Catching Runs
The Book on His Batting
The one criticism you can lob at Cal Raleigh's offense is that he strikes out too much. He fanned in 26.7 percent of his plate appearances last year to land in the 14th percentile among all hitters.
But then again, he was a 30-homer slugger before he became just the seventh player to ever hit 60 last year. His new trick was being a truly elite switch-hitter, posting an OPS over .900 from both sides of the plate.
The Book on His Fielding
This is where Raleigh's reputation is admittedly doing some heavy lifting. He was a Gold and Platinum Glove winner in 2024, but took a step back with his defense in 2025.
That said, he didn't allow a single passed ball last season while otherwise rating as an above-average framer and thrower. His only real flaw was with blocking the ball, and he was far from the worst at it.
Honorable Mentions: Will Smith (LAD), Alejandro Kirk (TOR)
First Base: Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
2 of 9
Age: 31
2025 Batting Stats: 162 G, 724 PA, 29 HR, 302 TB, 138 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 1,429 Inn, 17 DRS, 9 OAA
The Book on His Batting
Matt Olson cleared 30 home runs four times in five years between 2019 and 2023, so it's a disappointment that he's fallen under that threshold in each of the last two seasons.
Yet even his new baseline is still impressive, and the lost home runs obscure how he's made gains in the doubles department. Whereas he averaged 33 per 162 games between 2019 and 2023, he's averaged 39 doubles since 2024.
The Book on His Fielding
First base, as we all know, is incredibly hard. Just not for Olson, who's a three-time Gold Glove winner with almost twice as many Defensive Runs Saved as the next-best guy dating back to 2018.
It's Olson's range that sets him apart from other first sackers. He's a good athlete among slow-moving hulks at the cold corner, particularly on plays to his left toward the foul line.
Honorable Mentions: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), Michael Busch (CHC)
Second Base: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
3 of 9
Age: 32
2025 Batting Stats: 126 G, 556 PA, 28 HR, 248 TB, 145 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 878 Inn, 1 DRS, 1 OAA
The Book on His Batting
This is the part that really sets Ketel Marte apart from his fellow second basemen. He's averaged 30 home runs across the last three seasons, whereas the co-leaders at the position in 2025 only got as high as 31.
Like Cal Raleigh, Marte is so good largely because he's a legitimately good switch-hitter. His .893 OPS as a lefty and .891 OPS as a righty were nearly exact mirrors of each other last season.
The Book on His Fielding
This is where you can take issue with this selection. Marte has never won a Gold Glove, and he's not exactly top of mind among the best defenders at the keystone in MLB today.
And yet, he is in the black for both DRS (29) and OAA (7) for his career, and he's twice had more than 10 DRS in a season. The most recent of those was just last year, when he was a Gold Glove finalist.
Honorable Mentions: Nico Hoerner (CHC), Brice Turang (MIL)
Third Base: Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
4 of 9
Age: 32
2025 Batting Stats: 128 G, 535 PA, 21 HR, 195 TB, 120 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 1,116.1 Inn, 5 DRS, 4 OAA
The Book on His Batting
Matt Chapman had some lean years at the plate between 2021 and 2023, for which his overall OPS+ was a modest 108. He has since cleared 120 in each of his two seasons with the Giants, also homering 48 times.
Chapman has really cut down on his strikeouts as he's gotten older and more experienced, and it's cost him nothing in terms of contact quality. He's been in the top 10 percent for average exit velocity in each of the last four seasons.
The Book on His Fielding
Chapman has five Gold Gloves in his collection, and he wouldn't have them without his arm. He's one of the more accurate throwers in baseball, and he's gotten as high as 94.1 mph on the gun.
Because of that, anything Chapman can get to is likely to be an out. And he gets to plenty, with good range to his left and right and elite range coming in on the ball.
Honorable Mentions: Alex Bregman (CHC), José Ramírez (CLE)
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
5 of 9
Age: 25
2025 Batting Stats: 157 G, 687 PA, 23 HR, 312 TB, 136 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 1,340 Inn, 3 DRS, 24 OAA
The Book on His Batting
After consecutive 30-30 seasons in 2023 and 2024, Bobby Witt Jr. unfortunately fell short in 2025. Even so, his 162-game baseline for his major league career is 27 home runs and 38 stolen bases.
That's not even counting all the other things Witt is good at offensively. He's a .314 hitter for the last two seasons, and that comes with 92 doubles and 17 triples in addition to 55 homers.
The Book on His Fielding
Happen to catch Team USA's game against Mexico in the World Baseball Classic on Monday? If so, then you know just how ridiculous a standard day at shortstop can be for Witt.
He's been the AL's Gold Glove winner in each of the last two seasons, and nobody is even close to him on the OAA leaderboard for the last three. He's at 54, putting him a full 13 over Dansby Swanson.
Honorable Mentions: Corey Seager (TEX), Francisco Lindor (NYM)
Left Field: Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
6 of 9
Age: 31
2025 Batting Stats: 150 G, 663 PA, 23 HR, 239 TB, 120 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 1,274.1 Inn, 9 DRS, 0 OAA
The Book on His Batting
Contrary to Cal Raleigh and Ketel Marte, Ian Happ is not a particularly balanced switch-hitter. There was a 104-point gap between his OPS as a lefty and his OPS as a righty last year.
Yet after three straight years of 20-odd homers and an OPS+ in the 120 range, there is nonetheless something to be said for Happ's level. It's a high floor that is preferable to some of the higher ceilings at the position, such as Jarren Duran's.
The Book on His Fielding
Happ and Steven Kwan are both four-time defending Gold Glove winners in left field. And if anyone's being honest, Kwan is the better defender of the two.
Yet beyond being the significantly more productive hitter, Happ gets points for having a more reliable arm than Kwan. He only has three fewer outfield assists since 2022, but also 11 fewer throwing errors.
Honorable Mentions: Steven Kwan (CLE), Jarren Duran (BOS)
Center Field: Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
7 of 9
Age: 25
2025 Batting Stats: 160 G, 710 PA, 32 HR, 309 TB, 128 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 1,406.1 Inn, 9 DRS, 10 OAA
The Book on His Batting
Julio Rodríguez swings and chases too much for his own good, and it's an open secret by now that he typically takes off the first half of every season. In four years, he has a .737 OPS before the break and a .902 OPS after it.
You therefore have to hand it to the guy for sustaining a baseline of a 130 OPS+ and 30 homers from season to season. And if you add doubles to the equation, he's gone 30-30-30 in two of the last three years.
The Book on His Fielding
They call center field at T-Mobile Park the "No Fly Zone" for a reason. There's a lot of ground for Rodríguez to cover out there, yet he consistently rates as one of the rangiest outfielders in baseball.
His 38 OAA since 2022 are second only to Pete Crow-Armstrong—yeah, dude's been that good in just two full seasons—and the distribution of those is shockingly even. He rates as above-average going left, right and back on the ball.
Honorable Mentions: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Daulton Varsho (TOR)
Right Field: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
8 of 9
Age: 27
2025 Batting Stats: 155 G, 691 PA, 25 HR, 265 TB, 125 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 1,299 Inn, 15 DRS, 8 OAA
The Book on His Batting
Fernando Tatis Jr. always has been and still is mainly about his loud tools on the offensive side. Even if his 42-homer season in 2021 now looks like an outlier, he's still consistently in the top 10 percent for exit velocity and hard-hit rate.
Experience is also making him a more advanced hitter, with last season seeing him become better than average at both drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts for the first time. It all adds up to an across-the-board strong floor as a hitter.
The Book on His Fielding
While Tatis is not exactly, say, Aaron Judge on offense, his defense is where he stands head and shoulders above his fellow right fielders. Especially for DRS, which has him 12 ahead of anyone else since 2023.
The range is there in spades, particularly when he goes back on the ball. There also isn't a better arm out in right field, as he's touched 96.7 mph and thrown out a league-high 23 runners since 2023.
Honorable Mentions: Corbin Carroll (ARI), Wilyer Abreu (BOS)
Pitcher: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
9 of 9
Age: 31
2025 Batting Stats: 158 G, 727 PA, 55 HR, 380 TB, 179 OPS+
2025 Defensive Metrics: 47 Inn, 1 DRS
The Book on His Batting
At the risk of alarming anyone, pitchers don't hit for themselves anymore. That whole thing mercifully went the way of the dodo back in 2022.
And yet, Shohei Ohtani isn't so much the last unicorn as the unicorn. He's led his league in OPS in each of the last three seasons, which is a hard thing to pull off even for guys who don't have to worry about pitching.
The Book on His Fielding
If it's the name of the best fielding pitcher you want, then Max Fried is what we have for you. He's a four-time Gold Glover with a special talent for picking guys off.
Still, go figure that fielding his position is yet another service that Ohtani provides. And it's certainly the most overlooked, as he has 6 DRS since 2021 and has committed only two errors in 537 career innings in the field.
Honorable Mentions: He's one of a kind, folks
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
