Has there ever been someone whois a good Hitter and a Good Pitcher?

Answer 1

Babe Ruth was a good pitcher but a better hitter which is why he won the most home runs in his day.

Answer 2

Aside from Babe Ruth, there have been quite a few. A lot of pitchers on the Braves of the early to mid-90s were good hitters. Fernando Valenzuela could handle the bat. Rick Wise was a good hitter (he once threw a no-hitter AND hit two home runs in the same game). Randy Wolf has always been a good hitter, as has Jason Jennings. Orel Hershiser was no slouch either, if I'm not mistaken, he hit close to .400 one year.

There are a lot of guys who played other positions when they first started in the minors, and they remain decent hitters after becoming pitchers full-time, like Jorge Sosa or Omar Olivares. Other guys played multiple positions in college, and just about everyone plays multiple positions in high school, and some guys still retain the ability or work harder on it.

Answer 3

Well, everyone has already mentioned Babe Ruth. What they didn't say is that many baseball historians think that if Ruth had stayed a pitcher, he may be considered today one of the all-time greats. He also set a consecutive scoreless streak in the World Series that stood for decades.

Also from the old era is Smoky Joe Wood. A young phenom, many said then (even the great Walter Johnson) that he was the fastest pitcher of his time. After being seriously overused one year, his arm gave out and he was never the same. He switched to outfield and stayed in the game many years with over a .290 average.

Answer 4

Ever heard of Babe Ruth?

He will always be remembered as one of the greatest hitters of all time, but he was an equally adept pitcher. In his first World Series game for Boston in 1916, Babe set a record that still stands today. Ruth took the mound in Game 4 against the National League Champion Brooklyn Robins. He got off to a rocky start in the first inning by giving up a quick run, but settled down to pitch 13 scoreless innings for the 2-1 win. The 14-inning gem stands as the longest complete game in World Series history. He posted a 94-46 pitching record and was regarded as one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game in the early portion of his career

Answer 5

The Great Bambino was pretty good, but in more recent memory Tim Hudson played at Auburn and was an outfielder as well as pitcher. Rick Ankiel is attempting to make it as an OF on the Cardinals last time i checked he was double A not doing too bad, especially for a typical pitcher, other than that i dont know. Dontrelle and Mike Hampton have been better than average hiting pitchers, and Carlos Zambrano can break a bat over his knee, which is awesome.

Answer 6

Of course Ruth, but there are a couple of others. Jorge Sosa, Bronson Arroyo and Dontrelle Willis hit a couple of homers last year, and there are a small handful of pitchers with somewhat-high batting averages.

I'm sure there are other players like this, but the new Pirates first baseman- Adam LaRoche- was originally drafted as a pitcher, and last year he hit 32 home runs with an average of around .280. So that's kinda neat.

Answer 7

John Montgomery Ward is a HOFer who once won 48 games in a year. After he threw his arm out, he played in the infield and batted over .300 a couple of seasons before retiring.

Everyone on this thread who said Babe Ruth is obviously correct.

There is a minor-leaguer in the Brewers organization named Yovanni Gallardo who is a great pitching talent, but batted over .400 in the minors this year!!! It's too early to tell, but he seems to be an exceptional talent. Watch for him in the rotation, or atleast the bullpen, by the end of the year.

Walter Johnson, 412 career wins and 110 shutouts in his career, was a very good hitter in his era. He hit for a healthy average as a pitcher, .230 or so, but also hit a good number of HRs and drove in lots of runs. Chriosty Matthewson was a comparable hitter. By today's standards, they would be better than Dontrelle Willis, but not by much.

In today's game, Dontrelle Willis and Mike Hampton are good hitters. Decent contact with some power. Willis swings so hard that I'm always afraid he'll fall down.

Rick Ankiel, as mentioned above, is trying to make a comeback as an outfielder. He isn't a good enough hitter for that, but as a pitcher, he was a stud at the plate.

In his younger years, Tom Glavine was a good enough hitter to pinch hit in some games for the Braves. It serves to be that he was a hockey player in his youth, and was drafted to play in the NHL the same season that the Braves picked him.

Also of note is Kid Gleason. You may know him as the manager of the 1919 Black Sox, played in the movie by the actor that plays Frasier's dad in the sitcom. Before his coaching days, Gleason was a very good baseball player, who, as far as I know, is the only person to amass a 30+ win season on the mound, and a 220+ hit season at the plate as an everyday player.

Thanks for reading.

Answer 8

Babe Ruth was and still is the man. He could hit and pitch. In today's game, Mike Hampton stands out more than any other pitcher in my mind. With the dumb DH rule in the AL, we don't get to see all of the pitchers at work.

Answer 9

Heard of a guy named Babe Ruth. He was pretty descent. Two current pitchers that can swing a bat pretty well are Carlos Zombrano and Jason Marquis. Those two guys should get more home runs then the rest of their team.

Answer 10

Someone more recent- Rick Ankiel of the ST.L Cards. Remember his great rookie season and brain cramps in the play-offs? He is good enough to still be toiling in the organization as an OF.
Dontrelle Willis is good enough that he often pinch hits.
Mike Hampton is good.
Of course, the Babe.
I think Arroyo had a fluke year.