Throwing and Hitting

[hogan873]

I've seen plenty of players that are right-handed and bat either switch or left-handed, but there are not many who are left-handed and bat from the right. I wonder why. How many players started batting the way they do when they were little leaguers? If a player became a switch hitter, is that something they picked up early or later on in high school?

 

So, let's start a discussion. Whether you play organized ball or just mess around in the backyard with the kids, do you throw right or left-handed and how do you bat? The only "organized" ball I've played is slow-pitch softball, and I always threw and batted right. But now when I play wiffle ball or a pick up game with my kids and their friends I'll bat left and right.

[Y2HH]

I've seen plenty of players that are right-handed and bat either switch or left-handed, but there are not many who are left-handed and bat from the right. I wonder why. How many players started batting the way they do when they were little leaguers? If a player became a switch hitter, is that something they picked up early or later on in high school?

 

So, let's start a discussion. Whether you play organized ball or just mess around in the backyard with the kids, do you throw right or left-handed and how do you bat? The only "organized" ball I've played is slow-pitch softball, and I always threw and batted right. But now when I play wiffle ball or a pick up game with my kids and their friends I'll bat left and right.

 

I throw right, but can bat either side -- however, in the latter years of my play I've stopped batting from the left side, as my accuracy has fallen from that side.

[bigruss]

Ive always been R/R.

 

But I had a coach who when he was in high school thought it would be cool to become a switch hitter, and so he did. And man was he good, he can still walk up to the plate and hit BP home runs from either side.

 

It all depends on how coordinated someone is from either side. I could never bat left handed, even if I put in the work for it, I would never be all that great good enough for whiffle ball but nothing for a real game). If you are coordinated enough, its actually a great way to help with mechanics, as you now know how to swing with proper mechanics so you can teach that left hand part from the get go of how to swing right.

[DrunkBomber]

I throw left and bat right. I can also catch with a glove on either hand. In little league growing up I always had a glove on my left hand and would have to catch the ball, pull my glove off and then throw with my left hand.

[HuskyCaucasian]

My sister could throw ambidextrously. She is a natural lefty, but I am a righty. So, she grew up using my right handers glove and had to learn to throw with her right hand.

 

I dont know if she can still do it, but she was pretty accurate with both arms.

[NorthSideSox72]

I grew up R/R, but then picked up hitting LH in high school, and am now better LH. Depends on the game though - I go LH for hard ball and 12", but usually RH in 16".

 

My high school coach was fantastic, well known guy in IL HS baseball. When he got the freshman summer pre-camp in each year, he had all of us do an eye dominance test. Usually, your dominant eye is the opposite of your dominant hand. So for righthanded people, they are usually left eye dominant. But in my case, though I throw righthanded, I am right eye dominant - what this means is that, in terms of seeing the ball well, I'd be better off hitting LH. Anyone in the camp who had this happen, he put in a program to learn hitting from the other side.

 

Worked for me.

 

Also, I'm fairly ambidextrous. Last time I was at The Cell and did the radar gun, my LH throw was only 5 mph slower than RH, even though I've thrown RH my whole life. Maybe I should have been a lefty.

 

[SouthsideDon48]

I'm very mish-mashed when it comes to left/right. First off, I write left-handed and I do most things left-handed, such as forks, spoons, screwdrivers, steering, eating chips, dealing cards, etc. My right hand is my "cleaning hand" and the hand I use to punch with, hold things, etc.

 

Throwing: When I was a kid and I played little league, I threw right-handed. I think it was because my parents didn't think of seeing if I was better at throwing right or left, so they just assumed I'd throw right. I've thrown balls with my right hand all my life and I have more accuracy. However, I seem to be able to throw things in my bedroom's trash can with more accuracy with my left hand.

 

Hitting: Again, in little league I always batted right-handed. I'm still able to square up on balls and hit for power right-handed, but over the years my accuracy with batting right-handed went down. So in my frustration at the batting cages, I took a break and started batting left-handed and started hitting grounders and line drives with much more accuracy but no power. So now, when I goof around with my friends at the park, I can switch-hit and it's fun, it keeps things fresh.

 

So, in summary... my baseball card would look like... Throw: R Bat: Switch

[shipps]

Geez I thought this was about some disgusting thread of who's pitching and who's catching? Soxtalk its what I come to expect.

[hogan873]

Geez I thought this was about some disgusting thread of who's pitching and who's catching? Soxtalk its what I come to expect.

Maybe you should go back to typing gibberish.

[shipps]

Maybe you should go back to typing gibberish.

 

Thats all that was too. I always type gibberish even when they are real words.

[SouthsideDon48]

Thats all that was too. I always type gibberish even when they are real words.

Funny thing is... your online persona makes me imagine you as someone who would mumble words in person.

 

...kinda like Kenny in "South Park".

[shipps]

Funny thing is... your online persona makes me imagine you as someone who would mumble words in person.

 

...kinda like Kenny in "South Park".

 

I normally say really bad things or make smart remarks under my breath more than mumble.

 

I am into your avatar dude.

[SouthsideDon48]

I am into your avatar dude.

Thanks, man. I lurve those curves.

[SoxAce]

L/R.

 

Blame Griffey Jr. for me batting left-handed, though I've always felt comfortable there and I do write with my left-hand.

[kjshoe04]

I bat left and throw right. Ventura style. I do things that involve more accuracy left handed such as writing, eating, etc. and throw things with my right hand. One thing that surprised me that I found out about my cousin is that he golfs right handed and hits a baseball left handed.

[BearSox]

I do everything but bat and play ping pong right handed. My whole family is R-R, but I'm just a natural lefty. No one taught me to bat lefty or anything like that, it was just natural for me. And I carried it over to ping pong when I was a kid because it felt like batting to me.

 

Only tried switch hitting for fun, never used it in a game or anything. Was mediocre at it, could hit the ball. I bet if I trained at it I could become decent batting right handed.

 

But I don't believe in switch hitting. Unless you can master hitting from one side of the plate, there is no reason for you to try and hit from both sides of the plate. Hitting is one of the toughest things to do, and I just believe you should just focus on learning how to hit from one side of the plate. Some guys can pull it off though, such as Chipper Jones and Mickey Mantle (was a better right handed hitter, but great from both sides).

 

The only time it makes sense to me and I can understand it is if you are like me and bat lefty but are right hand dominate, or the other way around. Like me, I'm a natural lefty, but if I batted righty, I'd be able to put my dominate hand to much better use as it would be on top when I bat righty.

 

Like Ted Williams said, if he batted/was a natural righty, he'd be even a better hitter.

[knightni]

I was always R/R when it came to softball, but I had a right wrist injury a few years ago and now I'm pretty much writing and every other thing left handed.

 

Never tried learning softball lefty yet. Maybe some day.

[RockRaines]

I'm somewhat like SSDOn.

 

Do alot of things with both R and L hands. I eat and write and things like that with my left hand. However I punch, use tools, clean etc with my right. I switch hit and throw with my right hand, but I ski and skate etc with my left foot dominant.

 

I guess I cant make up my mind. I started switch hitting when I was about 11.

[Texsox]

Right eye dominant and am R/R in baseball. I screwed around with batting lefty and was a decent drag bunter from the left side until teams caught on. I did attempt to improve my putting by trying left handed. I stuck with it for about a year and was better from 6' in but sucked at anything over 20'. I couldn't lag to save my butt. I am also goofy foot on a skateboard or surfboard.

[MHizzle85]

I bat left and throw right. Ventura style. I do things that involve more accuracy left handed such as writing, eating, etc. and throw things with my right hand. One thing that surprised me that I found out about my cousin is that he golfs right handed and hits a baseball left handed.

I feel like I should of known this.

 

I'm glad you also feel the need to be accurate when eating.

 

But on to the topic at hand, I do everything righty.

Edited July 5, 2010 by MHizzle85

[witesoxfan]

I feel like I should of known this.

 

I'm glad you also feel the need to be accurate when eating.

 

But on to the topic at hand, I do everything righty.

 

Wouldn't it suck to be inaccurate when eating though?

 

"Oh this bite of steak looks delicious, let me put it in my OWW NOT MY EYE AGAIN!"

[greasywheels121]

Throw left/bat right.

[SoxFan1]

Throw right, switch-hit bat. Though I went all-righty in high school. But I do just about everything in life with my right hand. I also golf right handed. My left hand is just retarded. Couldn't throw something lefty to save my life.

[zenryan]

R-R

 

But I can throw pretty well lefthanded too. It's a good way to win a dollar or drink from friends by making some stupid bet.

[JPN366]

S/R

 

Hitting Lefty...

Edited July 13, 2010 by JPN366