SURPRISE, Ariz. -- With the success of two-way star Shohei Ohtani in 2018, the Angels have become much more open to the concept of having players who can serve as both a pitcher and a position player going forward.

In addition to Ohtani, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year Award winner, the Angels have four other players in their organization who are listed as two-way players, including Kaleb Cowart, Jared Walsh, Bo Way and William English. Manager Brad Ausmus said he could see it becoming more of a trend going forward, leading to the creation of what he jokingly dubbed as “super-super utility” players.

The Angels began the conversions of Walsh, Cowart and Way last year, while English was selected as a two-way player in the fifth round of last year’s MLB Draft, but he has yet to pitch professionally. All four players are at different stages of their development as two-way players so here’s a deeper look at the four:

Cowart

Cowart, 26, was a two-way star at Cook High School in Adel, Ga., with some teams viewing him as a pitcher and others as a position player. The Angels took him with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft with the intent of making him a switch-hitting third baseman. Cowart developed into a Gold Glove caliber third baseman, but he struggled offensively over parts of the previous four seasons, hitting .177/.241/.293.

After the 2018 season, Cowart threw in front of Angels' brass in October and the decision was made to try him out as a two-way player. He had an interesting offseason, getting claimed by both the Mariners and Tigers before ultimately getting reclaimed by the Angels this spring. He was focusing on mostly pitching with Detroit, but the Halos see him as roughly 85 percent right-handed relief pitcher, 15 percent position player, according to Ausmus. He’s fared well offensively in limited action this spring, going 2-for-5 with a grand slam, and he has been pitching in batting practice sessions, including his latest one on Monday. Cowart is out of Minor League options, which means he has to clear waivers if he doesn’t make the club. If he’s not on the Opening Day roster, the Angels would love to see him clear waivers so he can work on his pitching at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Walsh

Unlike Cowart, Walsh saw action as both a pitcher and a hitter last year, although it was just eight relief appearances with one earned run allowed in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Walsh, ranked as the club's No. 21 prospect by MLB Pipeline, is a more accomplished hitter, as he batted a combined .277/.359/.536 with 29 homers, 34 doubles and 99 RBIs in 130 games across three levels, including Salt Lake. But he worked on his pitching in the instructional league and the lefty has a solid curveball to go along with his fastball that sits in the low 90s.

Walsh, 25, is hitting .294/.429/.529 with four doubles and five RBIs in 10 games as a hitter this spring, while posting a 7.36 ERA with two strikeouts and three walks in 3 2/3 innings as a pitcher. He saw action as both a pitcher and a first baseman in the same inning of Sunday's game against the Mariners. Ausmus said he could see situations where Walsh faces a lefty, goes to first base if a right-hander is up and then could return to the mound to face another lefty. Walsh can play first base and the corner outfield spots.

Way
 

Way, like Walsh, worked on his pitching during instructional league after last season, but he hasn’t pitched in a Cactus League game this spring. The 27-year-old is in Minor League camp, but he has only seen action in five games as a center fielder, hitting .375/.545/.750 with a double and a triple. He hit .313/.383/.376 in 71 games across two levels, including Triple-A last season, while also pitching in six games and posting a 2.84 ERA with five strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.

English
 

English, 18, was signed above slot last year at $700,000 and he was limited to action as a hitter, batting .220/.325/260 with four doubles in 30 games as a designated hitter at Rookie-level Arizona. But this year, they're going to give the right-hander the chance to pitch and play in the outfield. He's considered highly athletic with a strong arm and raw power at the plate, but he remains a project. He just missed being on the Angels’ Top 30 Prospect list, but he could join it midseason with a strong showing.