Platoon system

Despite some resistance from players who prefer consistent play time, this strategy has been effectively used by managers like Casey Stengel of the New York Yankees to win multiple World Series championships.

In American football, the term "two-platoon system" refers to the practice of using different players on offense, defense, and special teams.

[6] The first recorded platoon took place in 1887, when the Indianapolis Hoosiers briefly paired the right-handed Gid Gardner and left-handed Tom Brown in center field.

[7][8] In 1906, the Detroit Tigers alternated Boss Schmidt, Jack Warner, and Freddie Payne at catcher for the entire season.

[1] The approach was seldom used in the 1930s,[9] but Casey Stengel, managing the Braves, platooned third basemen Debs Garms and Joe Stripp in 1938.

[10][12] Garms won the National League's batting title in 1940 with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a part-time player under Frankie Frisch.

Stengel, now managing the New York Yankees, became a well known proponent of the platoon system,[14] and won five consecutive World Series championships from 1949 through 1953 using the strategy.

[1] Harold Rosenthal, writing for the New York Herald, referred to Stengel's strategy as a "platoon", after the American football concept, and it came to be known as "two-platooning".

[17] In the late 1970s through early 1980s, Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver successfully employed a platoon in left field, using John Lowenstein, Benny Ayala, and Gary Roenicke, using whichever player was performing the best at the time.

Generally, small market teams, which cannot afford to sign the league's best players to market-value contracts, are most likely to employ platoons.

[23][24] The 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox platooned Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava in left field.