Zach Buchanan

zbuchanan@enquirer.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Michael Lorenzen isn’t shy about what he thinks he can do on a baseball field. Sure, he’s proven he can be an electric reliever, pairing his high-90s fastball with a variety of secondary pitches to post a 2.88 ERA out of the bullpen last year. If he had a long and storied career as a feared back-end reliever, no one would be surprised.

But that’s an awful small box to be placed in, Lorenzen thinks. Similarly small is the debate about whether he should start or relieve. The 25-year-old right-hander wants more than that.

He wants to be the first two-way player in modern baseball history.

“No one’s ever done it,” Lorenzen said. “It’s something I would be excited about, something I would be ready for. It’s something that in the future I can kind of see come to fruition sometime.”

Lorenzen certainly has the background. He was drafted out of Cal State Fullerton as a pitcher, but was a legitimate prospect as a center fielder and hitter. He’s in fantastic shape, and prides himself on his athleticism.

To a certain extent, the Cincinnati Reds are willing to let him try. On Friday, manager Bryan Price called a hit-and-run with Lorenzen on first, resulting in a stolen base. If the Reds go with a short bench to start the year, Price wants to use Lorenzen as a pinch-hitter and runner in games he’s unavailable to pitch.

It’s a short-term solution to Price, but even he thinks the advent of the two-way player is approaching.

“If there’s ever a time, it’s now,” Price said. “Everyone is looking at multi-positional guys.”

Lorenzen might be as good a candidate as anyone, provided he doesn’t pull something raising his hand at the opportunity. And provided someone doesn’t beat him to it. He does have some competition.

The San Diego Padres are experimenting to an extent, allowing backup catcher Christian Bethancourt to pitch in relief in addition to his defensive duties. And whenever 22-year-old Japanese phenom Shohei Otani becomes available to major-league teams, they’ll will surely be tempted by his dual talents as a power hitter and power pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball.

“I don’t think I’m just a pitcher,” Lorenzen said. “I’m an all-around baseball player. One day it’d be sweet to be a two-way player. I’m not saying that’s something I can’t do. I really think that I can do that.”

At the same time the Reds are letting Lorenzen do a little more, they’re working with him to do a little less. The 25-year-old still has a starter’s repertoire of fastball, cutter, curve, slider and change-up, a mix that would surely help him over six or seven innings. But it can be hard to get a feel for all five if you’re only throwing 15 pitches.

Price thinks Lorenzen is best suited focusing on his fastball, cutter and slider and keeping the other two in his back pocket for longer outings.

“There’s some of that starter mentality,” Price said. “He still has all the pitches. We haven’t cut back the pitches that he throws or his repertoire. I think in these shorter stints, you see a guy that’s trying to find his way through his stuff.”

So for now, the Reds see Lorenzen as a reliever with benefits. The experiment may be a short one – Price’s distaste for a four-man bench is strong, so he might not stomach one for an extended period of time.

The recent history of pitchers pinch-hitting isn’t long one to begin with. Brooks Kieschnick leads all pitchers in career pinch-hit appearances over the last 14 years with 72, all coming in two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit a strong .288/.347/.455 line as a pinch-hitter, but had the benefit of being a former outfielder prospect who’d recently transitioned to being a reliever.

Lorenzen would be coming in without the significant experience of facing major-league pitching. But believes he can convince the Reds to use him in the role for a full season.

“I’m sure they’ll see that it’s going to work and they need to take advantage of it,” he said, “and that I’m open for them to take advantage of it.”

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