A position player in baseball is a player who plays a defensive role as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. This excludes pitchers and designated hitters, who do not play a defensive fielding position. Position players are responsible for fielding balls, making plays to get batters or runners out, and covering specific areas of the field during defense
. The nine defensive positions typically assigned to position players are:
- Infielders: first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman
- Outfielders: left fielder, center fielder, right fielder
- Catcher
Pitchers are generally not considered position players, although position players may occasionally pitch in special situations such as blowouts or extra innings
. In summary, position players are all the non-pitching defensive players on a baseball team who play at one of the fielding positions other than pitcher, and they play a crucial role in defense and fielding during the game
