Is switch-hitting a thing of the past?

[CCard]

You don't see it near as often now days. It seems like you see more lefty on lefty than ever. Is it even taught anymore in little league? I would think that with the inherent advantage a lefty has against lefty hitting would make more think about trying it. When I see one of our flailing at a pitch half a foot outside it just makes me wonder, "Why not try it?"

[ramfandan]

It's my understanding that Springfield Cardinals AA catcher Leonardo Bernal is a switch hitter. We may see him in a year or so in St. Louis.

[Wattage]

You don't see it near as often now days. It seems like you see more lefty on lefty than ever. Is it even taught anymore in little league? I would think that with the inherent advantage a lefty has against lefty hitting would make more think about trying it. When I see one of our flailing at a pitch half a foot outside it just makes me wonder, "Why not try it?"

Because theres a more inherent advantage with swinging with your dominant hand vs your weaker hand.

Generally growing up, theres almost no advamtage to switch hitting because little league putchers dont have developed putches enough to make a lefty lefty matchup that inherently different so it would make trying to switch hit at that age an absolute disadvantage unless the person was truly ambidextrous.

But the problem is if you dont start switch hitting young, it probably isnt an option later if you dont develop that coordination. But not every 8 year old coach and parent is thinking i should teach my kid to switch hit even if its harder for him right now to learn 2 ways just because someday he may make the majors and it become more handy.

I think also the general shift towards homerun or bust also makes it harder cuz as hard as it is to develop swinging wirh nondominant hand, its even harder to generate power that way so the homerun or bust mentality has also killed switchhitting in that regard

[Cardinals1964]

Platooning is killing the switch hitter.

[Ozziesfan41]

Platooning is killing the switch hitter.

This. Look at edman so weak left handed he’s pretty much a platoon player anyway. They would rather use a platoon player who is left handed and mashes right handed pitching and a right handed hitter who can mash left handers in a platoon

[mattmitchl44]

Among qualified hitters, there are only three switch hitters to are at least league average (wRC+ 100 or more) against both LHPs and RHPs:

Cal Raleigh
Jose Ramirez
Geraldo Perdomo

Over 2023-2025, the list is:

Cal Raleigh
Jose Ramirez
Ketel Marte
Francisco Lindor
Anthony Santander
Josh Bell

[sikeston bulldog2]

You don't see it near as often now days. It seems like you see more lefty on lefty than ever. Is it even taught anymore in little league? I would think that with the inherent advantage a lefty has against lefty hitting would make more think about trying it. When I see one of our flailing at a pitch half a foot outside it just makes me wonder, "Why not try it?"

Because theres a more inherent advantage with swinging with your dominant hand vs your weaker hand.

Generally growing up, theres almost no advamtage to switch hitting because little league putchers dont have developed putches enough to make a lefty lefty matchup that inherently different so it would make trying to switch hit at that age an absolute disadvantage unless the person was truly ambidextrous.

But the problem is if you dont start switch hitting young, it probably isnt an option later if you dont develop that coordination. But not every 8 year old coach and parent is thinking i should teach my kid to switch hit even if its harder for him right now to learn 2 ways just because someday he may make the majors and it become more handy.

I think also the general shift towards homerun or bust also makes it harder cuz as hard as it is to develop swinging wirh nondominant hand, its even harder to generate power that way so the homerun or bust mentality has also killed switchhitting in that regard

Switch hitting should be taught with a wiffle ball and bat. The light weight of the bat allows for easy perfect muscle development and mechanical perfection. Then as they age, they adjust bat weights.

Hitting wiffle balls is the way.

[Hazelwood72]

https://retrosimba.com/2011/12/31/will- ... h-hitters/

This article is a golden goodie blast from the past. In the mid-80’s, we had 5 switch hitters in the starting lineup. But as a previous poster said, in these days where the so-called “experts” overweight the HR, switch hitting has fallen out of favor.

Have Mozo’s Minions had a good switch hitter since The Big Puma (aka Elvis) Lance Berkman? Berkman absolutely KILLED us when he was an Astro, then SAVED OUR BACON in the epic 2011 World Series as a Cardinal. Man, that guy was a PROFESSIONAL hitter. And so good in the clutch.

[moose-and-squirrel]

do kids even play fuzzball anymore? great way to hone batting skills

[imadangman]

Among qualified hitters, there are only three switch hitters to are at least league average (wRC+ 100 or more) against both LHPs and RHPs:

Cal Raleigh
Jose Ramirez
Geraldo Perdomo

Over 2023-2025, the list is:

Cal Raleigh
Jose Ramirez
Ketel Marte
Francisco Lindor
Anthony Santander
Josh Bell

I'd be interested to see if there is list of recent players who ditched their switch-hitter status like Shane Victorino did at one point back in the day.

[sikeston bulldog2]

do kids even play fuzzball anymore? great way to hone batting skills

It didn’t take us long to break wiffle balls. So we taped them up. Masking tape.

[Hazelwood72]

do kids even play fuzzball anymore? great way to hone batting skills

It didn’t take us long to break wiffle balls. So we taped them up. Masking tape.

I killed my arm playing Wiffle Ball in college in Rolla. Throwing that lightweight ball real hard to get a sharper curve did my elbow in. Of course, the beer drinking during our frat house games anesthetized the pain allowing me to continue pitching when I should have stopped!

Hit past the pitcher = single. Hit onto 8th Street = double. Fly ball across 8th into the Rolla Post Office parking lot = home run!

[JDW]

Never had the confidence to swing left handed in a game until later on when I started playing softball, in which we were often ahead by so much we'd mess around switching positions and hitting off handed. For me, viola, I had so much more power hitting left handed I really regret not trying it more seriously as a youngster with the inherent advantages a LHH has.
If you're right hand dominant, your right hand has so much more influence while swinging left handed than it does as a RHH imo. Mickleson figured that out as a golfer. Any initial awkwardness goes away quickly with practice for those that are really into working at it.

[sikeston bulldog2]

do kids even play fuzzball anymore? great way to hone batting skills

It didn’t take us long to break wiffle balls. So we taped them up. Masking tape.

I killed my arm playing Wiffle Ball in college in Rolla. Throwing that lightweight ball real hard to get a sharper curve did my elbow in. Of course, the beer drinking during our frat house games anesthetized the pain allowing me to continue pitching when I should have stopped!

Hit past the pitcher = single. Hit onto 8th Street = double. Fly ball across 8th into the Rolla Post Office parking lot = home run!

I can’t believe you said that- this went thru my head an hour ago- hit it across the street in the air, base hit; off the side of the house across the street, double; off the roof, triple; over he house, home run. All ground balls were outs and two fouls to any side was an out.

[HorseTrader]

Just two switch hitters that we all know

1st batter Hitting left handed against right hand pitcher OPS .647 Hitting Right handed against a lefty .756
2nd batter Hitting left handed against right hand pitcher OPS .685 Hitting Right handed against a lefty .818

Carlson and Edman.

[Hazelwood72]

Never had the confidence to swing left handed in a game until later on when I started playing softball, in which we were often ahead by so much we'd mess around switching positions and hitting off handed. For me, viola, I had so much more power hitting left handed I really regret not trying it more seriously as a youngster with the inherent advantages a LHH has.
If you're right hand dominant, your right hand has so much more influence while swinging left handed than it does as a RHH imo. Mickleson figured that out as a golfer. Any initial awkwardness goes away quickly with practice for those that are really into working at it.

I don’t know about baseball, but Arnold Palmer often said that if he were teaching a beginning golfer he would have them swing from the opposite side so that the dominant hand was at the bottom leading the downswing.