A few weeks ago Zach Buchanan of The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote a column titled “Can Michael Lorenzen be a two-way player?” It’s an intriguing question, and not an entirely far-fetched idea. The 25-year-old Reds right-hander was both a pitcher and a center fielder at Cal State Fullerton. Per Buchanan’s article, he could “kind of see it come to fruition” in the future.

For Christian Bethancourt, the future is now. As Eno Sarris shared yesterday in his look at two-way possibilities, the Padres are planning to use the strong-armed backstop both behind the plate and out of the bullpen.

Don’t count Bobby Dalbec among those looking to follow in Bethancourt’s footsteps. His resume suggests he could — Dalbec dominated on the mound in last year’s College World Series — but Boston drafted him as a third baseman, which is where he wants to stay. Our own Eric Longenhagen feels he has a future there, as Dalbec came in at No. 5 on that Red Sox’ top-prospect list.

When I talked to him this spring, the 21-year-old University of Arizona product told me he doesn’t particularly like pitching, and that he did it primarily because the Wildcats wanted him to play both ways. No longer having to perform double duty “took a big weight off [his] shoulders.”

He cited preparation as the biggest challenge.

“Some guys could probably do it [in pro ball],” said Dalbec. “But by no means would it be easy. Even in college, it was tough to balance out the daily routines of being both a pitcher and a position player. I was never able to condition like a pitcher. I didn’t have the time to do all of the dry reps pitchers do, because I was always hitting. And pitchers run a lot. I wouldn’t have any legs to play third base the next day if I did that.”

Dalbec hadn’t seen the article on Lorenzen, with whom he’s familiar from the college baseball circuit. In his opinion, the Reds reliever would have a more feasible chance of making it work because of his primary role.

“I definitely think being a pitcher, and being able to swing it, might be a little easier to manage than being a position player and going to warm up in the bullpen, and then coming in to pitch,” opined Dalbec. “I’ve been asked a lot if I’d like to try to do both, but unless the team asked me to, I don’t think I would. It’s not easy.”