Who Should Give Up Switch-Hitting? - Page 4

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• 1 - Silas Kain

  Jun 16, 2006 at 9:24 pm

  If this a rhetorical question? Oops, this is about baseball. Never mind.

• 2 - Matthew T. Sussman

  Jun 17, 2006 at 7:52 pm

  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

  Jun 17, 2006 at 9:11 pm

  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

  Jun 17, 2006 at 9:28 pm

  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

  Feb 07, 2007 at 7:55 am

  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

  Jul 14, 2007 at 6:28 pm

  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

  Jun 26, 2009 at 4:26 pm

  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

  Jul 17, 2009 at 1:53 pm

  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?

  Aug 15, 2011 at 1:56 pm

  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.

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