Luis Castillo
As LHB: .369 OBP/.326 SLG/.694 OPS in 1,761 at-bats
As RHB: .389 OBP/.483 SLG/.872 OPS in 656 at-bats
Castillo, like Berkman, has a 20% decrease in production, but unlike Berkman, Castillo hits better from the right side of the plate than he does from the left side. The problem is he is not a stellar hitter from either side.
As a leadoff hitter, Castillo's main job is to get on base, which he does well from each side of the plate. In the right-handed batter's box, at least he couples that with a .483 SLG. One cannot say the same thing about his life as a lefty batter. It is not simple feat for a player to have a slugging percentage lower than his on-base percentage, but Castillo has found a way to do it.
The Minnesota Twins would be well-advised to build an invisible dog electric fence around the lefty's batter's box, attach a collar around Castillo's neck, and shock him until he learns he is no longer allowed to bat left-handed.
Brian Roberts
As LHB: .375 OBP/.437 SLG/.812 OPS in 1,369 at-bats
As RHB: .310 OBP/.350 SLG/.660 OPS in 586 at-bats
Brian Roberts burst on the national scene last year when he posted splits of .459 OBP/.726 SLG/1.185 OPS, .440 OBP/.569 SLG/1.009 OPS, and .407 OBP/.534 SLG/.942 OPS over the first three months of the season. He cooled off during the course of the year, but still finished up the season with a very respectable line for a lead-off hitter of .387 OBP/.515 SLG/.903 OPS.
Now he is notorious for another reason, namely being a poor switch hitter. With a 19% drop-off in OPS, there is really very little reason for him to continue hitting from the right side of the plate. Not only does Roberts' OPS suffer when he bats righty, but his batting average also takes a precipitous drop from .305 BA to .237, a decrease of .68 points.
The fact that Roberts is just an average defensive second basemen makes the disparity between the sides of the plate even greater. A player whose offensive ability is his most important contribution to the team should not continue to hurt the team by batting so poorly when facing a particular handed pitcher.
Bobby Kielty
As LHB: .345 OBP/.362 SLG/.708 OPS in 875 at-bats
As RHB: .380 OBP/.487 SLG/.867 OPS in 534 at-bats
Article comments
1 - Silas Kain
If this a rhetorical question? Oops, this is about baseball. Never mind.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Odd that last week Gary Gillette tabbed Varitek and Berkman each as one of the top five switch hitters in each league. (Link requires subscription).
Berkman: "A natural lefty, Berkman is much more dangerous from the left side of the plate. He has a good swing and handles the bat very well, especially for a hitter with power, which makes him one of those rare sluggers who are also excellent on the hit-and-run."
Varitek: "An aggressive switch-hitter, Varitek has plus power to all fields. He consistently pounds left-handed pitching but is no slouch against right-handers, either. While he is a tough out, he can be seduced into chasing breaking pitches and high fastballs as evidenced by his 349 strikeouts in the past three seasons."
3 - David Barbour
It is odd considering that his wording seems to indicate even he realizes those two batters are much better hitting on side of the plate.
Correction: When you place the mouse over Mark Bellhorn's image, the caption should read "Try the Right Side, Bellhorn." Apologies.
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
I saw that too. Probably an indirect assertion that the plate appearances on that side is a net benefit for the batter's production.
Example: Adam Dunn bats left-handed. In the past three years his slugging is .100 points lower against lefties, total OPS down by about .150. If he hit on both sides of the plate and his OPS from the right was still down by .100, it would still be seen as poor performance from the right hand side.
I'm sure there's examples of people who quit the switch hitting and dedicated himself to one side (thus benefitting his batting), but it's Saturday night and I don't have the resources to use my memory.
5 - Anne
I agree Brian Roberts should try batting lefty all the time, but you are dead wrong about his defense. He's significantly above average in all stats except the seriously flawed range factor and in watching him on a regular basis as an Orioles' fan he certainly looks above average and is by far the best defensive infielder the Orioles have. His glove is certainly far superior to the aging Chris Gomez who would be his likely replacement if he were benched against some lefties. Giving up switch hitting might be difficult for him because his father who was the baseball coach at UNC for many years taught him to switch hit before he taught him to read, so it's not like most switch hitters who picked it up in high school or junior high. I still think he should give it a shot in Spring Training though.
6 - Mitch Bartlett
If you are a batting against a pitcher that pitches the same arm you are batting, there is a huge difference in the angle from which you see the ball. Seeing the ball better from the other side of the plate makes a huge difference. I think their numbers would be far lower if they stopped switch hitting.
7 - josh
1) Brian Roberts is not below average defensivley
2)Lance Berkman- home field 315 down the line to left field, hitting right handed is probably a good idea
3)Almost every big league hitter hits considerably worse when facing a pitcher that throws how he hits (ex. righty vs. righty). So how can you guarantee that these guys will hit better if they just hit from one side of the plate.
4)Major League pitching has a ton of movement, any advantage you can have with pitches breaking towards you is a big help.
5) I switch hit in college and it is a alot easier to track pithes
6) Alot of right handed throwers are right eye dominant, so its easier to pick up pitches hitting left handed with your left eye closest to the pitcher.
7)There are alot of "specialty relievers" who come in late in games such as sidearmers or submarine throwers who's job (lefty pitcher) is to get the tough lefty outs. Some of these guys are nearly impossible to hit unless your hitting from the other side of the plate.
8)These guys are professional baseball players, I'm sure they know what they're doing.
8 - Chadd
Lance Berkman is one of the best switch hitters of all time. The idea that he is on this list is laughable. Berkman puts more emphasis on his batting average and on base percentage than on his power numbers. The ability to see the ball better from the opposite side of the plate allows him to be a more selective hitter. He is known for his excellent eye and patience. His right handed swing is a line drive swing...his left handed swing is one of the sweetest in baseball. He is a pure hitter. Power is just one aspect of his well rounded game. He is content with a solid batting average and on base percentage right handed in lue of big slugging numbers. He's a throwback. Berkman's numbers alone put him on lists and in conversations with the best switch hitters of all time...hall of famers. Questioning a player of this caliber's judgment is ignorant.
9 - Didureallywritethis?
Dude. You need to stop writing articles that are critical and make comparisons until you take a stats and a few econ or science courses so you can make relevant comparisons. The relevant comparison in this case is: How does Berkman do against left-handed batters when he bats left handed? Since those stats don't exist(most likely) then compare his right handed numbers with lefties against lefty average corrected for total average or batters with a similar average left against right handed pitcher....OTW you are spraying nonsense.