At Risk Of Becoming Too Right-Handed

[Talkin' Baseball]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

[Wattage]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

unless the right handed hitters actually struggle against righties, that isnt a problem.
if the righties hit better against righties than the available lefties, then give me the all righty lineup. no question.

[scoutyjones2]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

RH hitters are disappearing. Especially OFers

[Talkin' Baseball]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

unless the right handed hitters actually struggle against righties, that isnt a problem.
if the righties hit better against righties than the available lefties, then give me the all righty lineup. no question.

Well sure, that's just not the way it usually works.

[ecleme22]

As with our millions of catchers in the minors, it's not a problem until it reaches the MLB level.

And if, in 2028, we need to sign a LH 3B (Donovan?), we can.

[mattmitchl44]

Right-handed hitters seem to be somewhat less polarized:

Last five years

RH hitters vs. RH pitchers - wRC+ 95
RH hitters vs. LH pitchers - wRC+ 106

LH hitters vs. LH pitchers - wRC+ 87
LH hitters vs. RH pitchers - wRC+ 108

Overall LH hitters do better simply because there are so many more RH pitchers.

[Basil Shabazz]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

unless the right handed hitters actually struggle against righties, that isnt a problem.
if the righties hit better against righties than the available lefties, then give me the all righty lineup. no question.

Well sure, that's just not the way it usually works.

Actually, it is how it works. The assumption that a right-handed-heavy lineup is automatically a problem is overstated.

League-wide, right-handed hitters generally hold up much better against same-handed pitching than left-handed hitters do. The average platoon penalty for a right-handed batter facing a right-handed pitcher is noticeably smaller than the penalty a left-handed hitter faces against a left-handed pitcher. In other words, RH/RH matchups are much more competitive than LH/LH matchups.

There's a pretty simple reason for that: roughly 72-73% of all innings are thrown by right-handed pitchers. Right-handed hitters grow up seeing right-handed pitching every day, from youth baseball through the majors. Left-handed hitters, on the other hand, rarely face left-handed pitching, so their same-side splits tend to be more pronounced.

So I don't think roster construction should start with "we need X number of left-handed bats." It should start with "who are the best hitters?" If your right-handed hitters can handle right-handed pitching—and many of the best ones do—there's no reason to force a lesser left-handed bat into the lineup simply for balance.

Balance is nice. Production is better. If Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Blaze Jordan, etc., prove they're everyday hitters regardless of who's on the mound, I'll take the better lineup over the more aesthetically balanced one every time.

[Alex Reyes Cy Young]

Right-handed hitters seem to be somewhat less polarized:

Last five years

RH hitters vs. RH pitchers - wRC+ 95
RH hitters vs. LH pitchers - wRC+ 106

LH hitters vs. LH pitchers - wRC+ 87
LH hitters vs. RH pitchers - wRC+ 108

Overall LH hitters do better simply because there are so many more RH pitchers.

Excellent info. It would take an incredible player for me to part big dollars for a RH bat assuming that was his primary skill set. 70+ % of all pitching is RH. If I am forking out 200+ mil for a hitter they better be LH.

[MrPostman01]

Didn't the Cards just go guano crazy drafting way too many lefty loosies?

[woofy25]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

unless the right handed hitters actually struggle against righties, that isnt a problem.
if the righties hit better against righties than the available lefties, then give me the all righty lineup. no question.

Well sure, that's just not the way it usually works.

Actually, it is how it works. The assumption that a right-handed-heavy lineup is automatically a problem is overstated.

League-wide, right-handed hitters generally hold up much better against same-handed pitching than left-handed hitters do. The average platoon penalty for a right-handed batter facing a right-handed pitcher is noticeably smaller than the penalty a left-handed hitter faces against a left-handed pitcher. In other words, RH/RH matchups are much more competitive than LH/LH matchups.

There's a pretty simple reason for that: roughly 72-73% of all innings are thrown by right-handed pitchers. Right-handed hitters grow up seeing right-handed pitching every day, from youth baseball through the majors. Left-handed hitters, on the other hand, rarely face left-handed pitching, so their same-side splits tend to be more pronounced.

So I don't think roster construction should start with "we need X number of left-handed bats." It should start with "who are the best hitters?" If your right-handed hitters can handle right-handed pitching—and many of the best ones do—there's no reason to force a lesser left-handed bat into the lineup simply for balance.

Balance is nice. Production is better. If Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Blaze Jordan, etc., prove they're everyday hitters regardless of who's on the mound, I'll take the better lineup over the more aesthetically balanced one every time.

This is clearly true, logical, and common sensical. Spot on post in a forum filled with junk.

[Talkin' Baseball]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

unless the right handed hitters actually struggle against righties, that isnt a problem.
if the righties hit better against righties than the available lefties, then give me the all righty lineup. no question.

Well sure, that's just not the way it usually works.

Actually, it is how it works. The assumption that a right-handed-heavy lineup is automatically a problem is overstated.

League-wide, right-handed hitters generally hold up much better against same-handed pitching than left-handed hitters do. The average platoon penalty for a right-handed batter facing a right-handed pitcher is noticeably smaller than the penalty a left-handed hitter faces against a left-handed pitcher. In other words, RH/RH matchups are much more competitive than LH/LH matchups.

There's a pretty simple reason for that: roughly 72-73% of all innings are thrown by right-handed pitchers. Right-handed hitters grow up seeing right-handed pitching every day, from youth baseball through the majors. Left-handed hitters, on the other hand, rarely face left-handed pitching, so their same-side splits tend to be more pronounced.

So I don't think roster construction should start with "we need X number of left-handed bats." It should start with "who are the best hitters?" If your right-handed hitters can handle right-handed pitching—and many of the best ones do—there's no reason to force a lesser left-handed bat into the lineup simply for balance.

Balance is nice. Production is better. If Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Blaze Jordan, etc., prove they're everyday hitters regardless of who's on the mound, I'll take the better lineup over the more aesthetically balanced one every time.

This is clearly true, logical, and common sensical. Spot on post in a forum filled with junk.

This is obviously true and I hope it happens just that way. I was never suggesting just having an aesthetically balance lineup.

[Futuregm2]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

unless the right handed hitters actually struggle against righties, that isnt a problem.
if the righties hit better against righties than the available lefties, then give me the all righty lineup. no question.

Well sure, that's just not the way it usually works.

Actually, it is how it works. The assumption that a right-handed-heavy lineup is automatically a problem is overstated.

League-wide, right-handed hitters generally hold up much better against same-handed pitching than left-handed hitters do. The average platoon penalty for a right-handed batter facing a right-handed pitcher is noticeably smaller than the penalty a left-handed hitter faces against a left-handed pitcher. In other words, RH/RH matchups are much more competitive than LH/LH matchups.

There's a pretty simple reason for that: roughly 72-73% of all innings are thrown by right-handed pitchers. Right-handed hitters grow up seeing right-handed pitching every day, from youth baseball through the majors. Left-handed hitters, on the other hand, rarely face left-handed pitching, so their same-side splits tend to be more pronounced.

So I don't think roster construction should start with "we need X number of left-handed bats." It should start with "who are the best hitters?" If your right-handed hitters can handle right-handed pitching—and many of the best ones do—there's no reason to force a lesser left-handed bat into the lineup simply for balance.

Balance is nice. Production is better. If Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Blaze Jordan, etc., prove they're everyday hitters regardless of who's on the mound, I'll take the better lineup over the more aesthetically balanced one every time.

But Oli is going to lose his mind without being able to go L/R/L

[Wattage]

If things continue on their present course, we are at risk of becoming too right handed. Most of the hitters on the horizon in the upper minors are right handed- Joshua Baez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Jesus Baez, Deniel Ortiz. Third base has become predominantly right handed with the addition of Blaze Jordan and the removal of Nolan Gorman. Most of the players failing in the majors are left handed- Nolan Gorman, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, and lately Nathan Church. The players most talked about trading are left handed- Lars Nootbaar, and to a lesser extent, Burleson. Left handed hitters in the upper levels of the minors who are performing well are Leonardo Bernal (switch hitter), Won-Bin Cho, and Ryan Campos.

The point is, the Cardinals are going to have to be intentional about maintaining some balance with their hitters. Left alone, they are trending right handed.

unless the right handed hitters actually struggle against righties, that isnt a problem.
if the righties hit better against righties than the available lefties, then give me the all righty lineup. no question.

Well sure, that's just not the way it usually works.

there are less rlpercentage of righthanders who crush lefties but struggle vs righties than lefties who crush righties but struggle with lefties.

the reason being, that righthanded pitchers are very common so if you are gonna be an everyday starter in mlb, you have to have some competence against righthanded putchers or else you are delegated to just a niche bench player.

there are elite left handed bats who struggle vs lefties. point in case is that burkeson ranks 39th in all of mlb hitters in ops despite abysmal numbers vs lefties.

vut that isnt possible for a righty. all elite righthanded hittery by definition hit righthanders well. you cant be elite just by crishing lefties and struggling vs righties. its just not possible.

they also get so much more practice against righties so theres lessnof a unfamiliarity aspect. thus why some righties actually still struggle vs lefties more than righthanded pitching.

if a prospect is good enough to become a starter, then he can probably hit righthanded pitching

[Wattage]

Right-handed hitters seem to be somewhat less polarized:

Last five years

RH hitters vs. RH pitchers - wRC+ 95
RH hitters vs. LH pitchers - wRC+ 106

LH hitters vs. LH pitchers - wRC+ 87
LH hitters vs. RH pitchers - wRC+ 108

Overall LH hitters do better simply because there are so many more RH pitchers.

Excellent info. It would take an incredible player for me to part big dollars for a RH bat assuming that was his primary skill set. 70+ % of all pitching is RH. If I am forking out 200+ mil for a hitter they better be LH.

thats an insane take. if a righthanded hitter has elite numbers vs righties. sign him dont sign a lefty just cuz they are lefty.