PHOENIX — Most pitchers are frustrated hitters. Not frustrated because they can’t hit, but because they gave up hitting before the game weeded them out. At some point, a coach or a scout suggested they concentrate on pitching, and that was that.
“You’re a good hitter in high school because you’re an athlete, and you get to college and they say, ‘Hey, you’re pitching,’ ” said Los Angeles Angels starter Matt Shoemaker, who once played third base, too.
“I think that happens with most guys,” he continued. “Whether you’re in high school or college, being a two-way guy, you’re always like, ‘I want to do both’ — and if you do one, you miss the other.