MINORS: The Eyes have it—Brendan McKay

Shohei Ohtani's early MLB success may have changed baseball forever. Ohtani is opening up the game to hybrid players, guys who succeed at both the plate and on the mound. For years, organizations would choose the role for these type of players, like former big leaguer Rick Ankiel. The Cardinals took Ankiel in the 2nd round of the 1997 draft as a pitcher. After his pitching career was stymied by control problems brought on by psychological issues, Ankiel excelled for a few seasons as a hitter, before retiring as a part-time player at 33.

Now, because of Ohtani’s success, teams are open to letting hybrid players try both disciplines. Leading up to last year’s draft, there were two Top 5 picks with a chance of sticking as a hitter, a...

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