Switch-hitters

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  • Blzer
    Resident film pundit
    • Mar 2004
    • 42520

    #1

    Switch-hitters

    Who are the best in the game now? By that, I mean their consistency from both sides of the plate.

    Sandoval has committed to strictly left-handed hitting now, just as Victorino went to RH only a couple of years ago (and J.T. Snow comes to mind as going only to LH long ago). Can't remember others who only stuck to one side, but these are a few.

    When do most switch-hitters begin? I started at twelve years old. I'm a natural righty, and started to have issues when the hook was introduced in my life. I was obviously all about Barry Bonds and tried to imitate him on the field in any way possible, and batting lefty seemed like the obvious first choice. I started more like how most softball players do, using it for speed reasons and did a lot of drag bunting. Though through time, I had improved my swing up until the point it bested my right-handed batting (probably because I faced so many more righties).

    However, I still couldn't bat lefty against lefties. I've tried and I am pitiful. Probably because I don't practice it, but righty on lefties is just fine for me. Plus, I can only hit a fungo righty, so I always keep that swing intact in case I haven't batted that way for a while.

    Just curious what most people know about for MLB players and their switch-hitting backstories. Some are truly ambidextrous, others built one over the other over time. I'm also curious about the many RH throwers that are LH batters, when they began that and if they were ever switch-hitters in the past.

    This thread can obviously spin many ways. I just wanted to throw out my personal experience with switch-hitting.
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  • LowerWolf
    Hall Of Fame
    • Jun 2006
    • 12268

    #2
    Re: Switch-hitters

    I think your Bonds story is pretty common. Chipper Jones became a switch-hitter by imitating players when playing in the backyard.

    I used to play wiffle ball and we'd set lineups based on real teams. I'd bat left-handed any time a lefty in my "lineup" came up. I got to be a pretty good left-handed hitter in wiffle ball, but I could never translate that over to baseball.

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    • TeixeiraFanatic
      Pro
      • Feb 2008
      • 925

      #3
      Re: Switch-hitters

      I also started around 12. I loved mimicking players stances, but never committed to hitting switch until I broke my left wrist. As a right handed batter, not having my bottom hand left me almost unable to swing. So I worked on hitting lefty and just about swinging with one hand. After I healed, I went back to RH a majority of the time but still practiced left handed and occasionally hit lefty in game.

      As for the question, my username probably gives my answer away but with his recent resurgence, I'd say Mark Teixeira. Over his career he's hit for a higher average from the right side while hitting for more power from the left. If I recall correctly, he started as a right handed hitter.

      Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk
      MLB: St. Louis Cardinals
      NBA: New York Knicks
      NFL: Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams
      NCAA: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

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      • Blzer
        Resident film pundit
        • Mar 2004
        • 42520

        #4
        Re: Switch-hitters

        Originally posted by LowerWolf
        I think your Bonds story is pretty common. Chipper Jones became a switch-hitter by imitating players when playing in the backyard.

        I used to play wiffle ball and we'd set lineups based on real teams. I'd bat left-handed any time a lefty in my "lineup" came up. I got to be a pretty good left-handed hitter in wiffle ball, but I could never translate that over to baseball.
        Yeah, I started doing that in the backyard as well only with a tennis ball. It was kind of weird rules we had now that I think about it, because there were just so many ground balls. My friend and I would imitate all of the stances though, left or right.

        Batting lefty always felt comfortable for me. I didn't have the swing down when I began, but I saw the ball well and felt like I knew what I was doing on that side. My coach encouraged it and I never looked back. Well, except for keeping righty of course.
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        • lhslancers
          Banned
          • Nov 2011
          • 3589

          #5
          Re: Switch-hitters

          I am a natural lefty hitter. So when I was 10 my father took me to a golf pro at a local course and the guy turned me around to right handed because at the time you couldn't get left handed clubs. I learned to hit a baseball right handed. To this day I cannot hit a golf ball lefty. I throw right handed and write with my left hand.

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          • Blzer
            Resident film pundit
            • Mar 2004
            • 42520

            #6
            Re: Switch-hitters

            I should try to golf lefty. The main issue is investing in clubs, of course. Don't really want to waste money renting them then either just to say: "Yeah, this won't work." So I only have really golfed righty. [sent from my flip phone!]
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            • Blzer
              Resident film pundit
              • Mar 2004
              • 42520

              #7
              Re: Switch-hitters

              Well, Sandoval just showed me today that he still isn't really that comfortable hitting against lefties.
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