Former Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Eyeing Becoming Two-Way Player This Season

In an attempt to increase his value, one of the past Philadelphia Phillies pitchers is looking to become a two-way player this year.

Sep 11, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (22) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies had an opportunity to go after two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani last winter, and even though it was always likely the phenom was going to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, there wasn't a real push made by the front office to land him.

Despite the price, that turned out to be a mistake.

Ohtani won another MVP award, this time without even pitching, while also carrying the Dodgers on his back when the roster was riddled with injuries before winning the World Series title this past season.

Simply put, every team would like to have someone on their team like Ohtani.

Not only is he one of the best hitters the game has ever seen, but when he's healthy, he performs like the ace of a staff.

That combo is rare and is one of the reasons why he's such a unicorn talent.

The value he provides also has made other players consider the possibility of doing the same thing in their careers, especially with Major League Baseball creating what has been deemed the "Ohtani Rule" which allows a starting pitcher who hits for himself to remain in the game as a designated hitter even when pulled.

Someone eyeing becoming a two-way player is former Phillies pitcher Michael Lorenzen.

In a detailed report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, he dives into the possibility of the right-handed pitcher getting the requisite at-bats needed to earn that designation this season, thus creating immense value for other teams who could look to acquire him at the deadline.

"The idea conceived by Lorenzen and his agent, Ryan Hamill of CAA, could make the pitcher a free-agent fit for non-contenders such as the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins — and a coveted trade target later. Hamill, according to sources briefed on his conversations, is talking with such clubs about signing Lorenzen, getting him the necessary plate appearances to qualify for two-way status and then flipping him to a contender that would benefit from carrying him as a 14th pitcher. On June 20, 2022, the league imposed a 13-pitcher limit on each team’s 26-man roster. But players who meet the two-way requirements — pitching at least 20 innings and playing 20 games as a position player or DH, with at least three plate appearances in each game — do not count as one of the 13," the insider revealed.

That is a lot to unpack.

Basically, Lorenzen is looking to boost his value this winter by signing with a lower-tier team willing to use him as a hitter to reach the threshold needed to send him to a contender as the loophole 14th pitcher.

Will it work?

That's the risk Lorenzen and his representation are willing to take.

The 32-year-old last had a plate appearance in the 2021 season with the Cincinnati Reds, but during his career, he's recorded 133 at-bats where he's slashed .233/.282/.429 with seven homers, 11 extra-base hits, 24 RBI and seven walks compared to 47 strikeouts.

There's not a whole lot there, and that certainly pales in comparison to what Ohtani has done, but if one of the teams Rosenthal mentioned is interested in this unorthodox approach, that would certainly present them an opportunity to acquire assets, while giving other teams a weapon that others don't have.