The platoon system in baseball is a method of designating two players to a single defensive position—usually one right-handed and one left-handed. Typically the right-handed half of the platoon is played on days when the opposing pitcher is left-handed and the left-handed player is played otherwise. The theory behind this is that generally players hit better against their opposite-handed counterparts, and that in some cases the difference is extreme enough to warrant complementing the player with one of opposite-handedness.
Platoons can also be organized along other axis, for example, splitting games between home run hitters and speedy contact hitters as the park dictates. In a sense, late-inning defensive replacements are a form of complex platooning.
Managers well known for platooning include Earl Weaver, Tris Speaker, and Casey Stengel. The players involved in platoons are typically journeymen -- players not considered so valuable in any sense that they must be played every day, though if well complemented, they can be very effective.
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