<P> Platooning can be viewed negatively . Players prefer to play every day, and managers, including Walter Alston, feared that sharing playing time could decrease confidence . Mookie Wilson of the New York Mets requested a trade in 1988 after serving in a platoon for three seasons with Lenny Dykstra . </P> <P> The advantage to alternating hitters based on handedness was known from the early days of baseball . Bob Ferguson, in 1871, became baseball's first switch hitter, allowing him to bat left - handed against right - handed pitchers, and right - handed against left - handed pitchers . 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 . In 1906, the Detroit Tigers alternated Boss Schmidt, Jack Warner, and Freddie Payne at catcher for the entire season . As manager of the Boston Braves, George Stallings employed platoons during the 1914 season, which helped the "Miracle" Braves win the 1914 World Series . No Braves outfielder reached 400 at - bats during the 1914 season . In 1934 and 1935, Detroit Tigers' manager Mickey Cochrane routinely platooned Gee Walker, a right - handed batter, to spell center fielder Goose Goslin and right fielder Jo - Jo White, who were both left - handed batters . Cochrane, a left - handed batter, also platooned himself behind the plate with Ray Hayworth, a right - handed batter . Also in the 1930s, Bill Terry of the New York Giants platooned center fielders Hank Leiber and Jimmy Ripple . The approach was seldom used in the 1930s, but Casey Stengel, managing the Braves, platooned third basemen Debs Garms and Joe Stripp in 1938 . Stengel himself had been platooned as a player by managers John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson . Garms won the National League's batting title in 1940 with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a part - time player under Frankie Frisch . </P> <P> Terms for this strategy included "double - batting shift, "switch - around players", and "reversible outfield". Tris Speaker referred to his strategy as the "triple shift", because he employed it at three positions . The term "platoon" was coined in the late 1940s . Stengel, now managing the New York Yankees, became a well known proponent of the platoon system, and won five consecutive World Series championships from 1949 through 1953 using the strategy . Stengel platooned Bobby Brown, Billy Johnson, and Gil McDougald at third base, Joe Collins and Moose Skowron at first base, and Hank Bauer and Gene Woodling in left field . 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". </P> <P> Following Stengel's success, other teams began implementing their own platoons . 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 . Weaver also considered other factors, including the opposing pitcher's velocity, and his batters' ability in hitting a fastball . The Orioles continued to platoon at catcher and all three outfield positions in 1983 under Joe Altobelli, as the Orioles won the 1983 World Series, leading other teams to pursue the strategy . </P>

Who said if you have two quarterbacks you have none