View source for Switch hitter

{{Short description|Baseball player who can hit both left- and right-handed}}
{{other uses}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2009}}
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In [[baseball]], a '''switch hitter''' is a player who [[Batting (baseball)|bats]] both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers.

==Characteristics==
Right-handed batters generally hit better against left-handed pitchers and ''vice versa''. Most [[curveball]]s break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher, making them harder to hit with the barrel (or "[[Sweet spot (sports)|sweet spot]]") of the bat. Additionally, the pitcher's release is farther from the batter's center of vision. In the words of [[Pat Venditte]], one of the few [[Switch pitcher|ambidextrous pitchers]] in major league history, "If I'm pitching right-handed and they're hitting right-handed, it's tougher for them to see. And then, your breaking pitches are going away from their barrel rather than into their barrel."<ref>{{YouTube|id=FtofU1hgf2w|title=ESPN E:60 Pat Venditte segment, 2009}}</ref> Even so, many switch-hitters perform better from one side of the plate than the other.

Numerous switch-hitters have achieved a higher batting average on one side of the plate, but hit with more power from the other. For instance, [[New York Yankees]] great [[Mickey Mantle]] always considered himself a better right-handed hitter, but hit home runs at a higher rate from the left side of the plate.<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/deaths/mickey_mantle_obituary.shtml "Mickey Mantle Obituary"], ''Baseball Almanac''. Retrieved on July 14, 2008.</ref> However, many of Mantle's left-handed home runs were struck at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]], a park notorious for being very friendly to left-handed power hitters due to its short right field porch, and Mantle batted left-handed much more often than right-handed, simply because there have always been more right-handed than left-handed pitchers. Mantle's longest home run, a 565-foot clout in 1953 at [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]'s [[Griffith Stadium]], came batting right-handed.

Most switch-hitters have been right-handed throwers, but there have been several notable switch-hitters who threw left-handed, including [[Cool Papa Bell]], [[Lance Berkman]], [[Dave Collins (baseball)|Dave Collins]], [[Ron Roenicke]], [[Doug Dascenzo]], [[Mitch Webster]], [[Wes Parker]], [[Melky Cabrera]], [[Nick Swisher]], [[Justin Smoak]], [[Michael Toglia]], [[Jake Mangum]], [[David Segui]], [[Dylan Carlson (baseball)|Dylan Carlson]], [[Daniel Nava]], and [[J. T. Snow]] (who, in the final years of his career, hit exclusively left-handed).

== History ==
The first switch-hitter in baseball history was [[Bob Ferguson (infielder)|Bob Ferguson]]. His switch-hitting was different that of today's baseball game, as he switched sides simply based on his feeling at a particular moment or certain situational reasons (such as an elite fielder on one side of the diamond). Ferguson took a notable at-bat in 1870, where he walked off the game while batting from the left side, when he had typically batted right-handed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bob Ferguson – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/bob-ferguson-2/ |website=[[SABR]] |access-date=2023-06-05 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Switch hitters were not productive in the [[Dead-ball era|dead-ball]] era or the early live-ball era. Since the advent of the [[live-ball era]], switch hitters have served to produce a high [[on-base percentage]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mantle is Baseball's Top Switch Hitter – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/mantle-is-baseballs-top-switch-hitter/ |website=[[SABR]] |access-date=2023-06-05 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The number of switch hitters in MLB peaked in 1987 and has declined since, according to [[Baseball Reference]] data.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Lloyd |first=Jason |date=2024-08-07 |title=Why one of baseball’s unique skills, switch hitting, is trending toward extinction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5609702/2024/08/07/mlb-switch-hitters-numbers-down/ |access-date=2025-10-15 |work=The Athletic}}</ref> In 2018, there were 48 switch hitters on MLB rosters. Five of the league's 30 teams did not have a switch hitter on their roster that season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCauley |first1=Jamie |title=Switch hitters not anymore frequent even in age of analytics |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2018/05/29/switch-hitters-not-anymore-frequent-even-in-age-of-analytics/35457131/ |access-date=29 March 2020 |website=USA Today}}</ref> By 2024, there were 58 switch hitters and less than half of them were American-born players.<ref name=":0" />

== Switch-hitting pitchers ==
While pitchers batting has become increasingly rare with the adoption of the [[designated hitter]] by the [[American League]] in 1973 and by the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] in 2022, there have been some major league pitchers who could bat from either side of the plate. These include: [[Mordecai Brown]], [[Norm Charlton]],<ref name="st29Oct2010">{{cite news|last=Stone|first=Larry|title=10 great moments in switch-hitting history|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003130073_moments16.html|access-date=29 October 2010|newspaper=Seattle Times|date=16 July 2006}}</ref> [[Marvin Rotblatt]], [[Sid Monge]], [[Johnny Vander Meer]], [[J.C. Romero]], [[Kyle Snyder (baseball)|Kyle Snyder]], [[Wandy Rodriguez]], [[Troy Patton]], [[Tim Dillard]], [[Tyler Johnson (baseball, born 1981)|Tyler Johnson]], [[Carlos Zambrano]], [[Dock Ellis]], [[Vida Blue]], [[Anthony Claggett]], [[Kris Medlen]], [[Justin De Fratus]], [[Drew Storen]], [[Kenley Jansen]], [[Derek Holland]], [[Turk Wendell]], [[Pat Neshek]], [[Adam Ottavino]], [[Ken Waldichuk]], [[Dylan Bundy]], and [[Lance Lynn]].

[[Joaquín Andújar]] sometimes hit right-handed against lefties, sometimes left-handed. [[Tomo Ohka]] batted left-handed against right-handed pitchers in three games in 2006, but otherwise batted exclusively right-handed. Left-handed reliever [[Steve_Kline_(left-handed_pitcher)|Steve Kline]] was primarily a switch hitter but batted right-handed against right-handed pitchers several times throughout his career.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=ohkato01&year=Career&t=b#plato "Tomo Ohka Career Batting Splits"], ''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on November 15, 2014.</ref> Management also had a say in the switch-hitting careers of [[Bob Gibson]] and [[Dwight Gooden]]. Both Gibson and Gooden (each right handed and capable batters) reached the majors as a switch hitter, but their teams required them to bat only right handed to reduce the possibility of their pitching arms being hit by a pitch.

Switch-hitting pitchers should not be confused with a [[switch pitcher]], a player who can pitch both right-handed and left-handed, which is very uncommon.

==Notable switch hitters==

=== Members of the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] ===
* [[Roberto Alomar]] 
* [[Roger Connor]] – All-time home run champion before [[Babe Ruth]]. 
* [[Frankie Frisch]] – The only other switch-hitter with an extended career to hit .300 from each side of home plate.
* [[Chipper Jones]] – First-ballot Hall of Famer, and the most recent of only two switch-hitters with extended MLB careers (5,000 at-bats or more) to have a career batting average of .300 from each side of home plate.
* [[Mickey Mantle]] – The all-time home run leader among switch-hitters, a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
* [[Eddie Murray]] – The only other switch-hitter (apart from Mantle) with [[500 home run club|500 career homers]]. Also, is one of two switch hitters (Pete Rose being the other) with at least [[3,000-hit club|3,000 hits]].
* [[Tim Raines]] – Four-time National League (NL) stolen base leader
* [[Ted Simmons]] – Eight-time All-Star
* [[Ozzie Smith]] – Shortstop who did not hit a home run left-handed until his game-winning blast in Game 5 of the [[1985 National League Championship Series]], his 3,009th career at-bat (including postseason) from the left side. 15-time All-Star and one Silver Slugger
* [[Early Wynn]] – Won 300 games as a pitcher

=== League leaders and multi-time All-Stars ===
* [[Carlos Beltrán]] – Nine-time All-Star 
* [[Lance Berkman]] – Six-time All-Star
* [[Chili Davis]] – Three-time All-Star
* [[Ketel Marte]] – Three-time All-Star
* [[Bill Mueller]] – 2003 batting title, only player in MLB history to hit a grand slam from each side of the plate in the same game.
* [[Francisco Lindor]] – Five-time All-Star, two [[30–30 club|30–30 seasons]]
* [[Jorge Posada]] – Five-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger
* [[José Ramírez (third baseman)|José Ramírez]] – Seven-time All-Star, three 30–30 seasons
* [[Cal Raleigh]] – Broke the single-season home run record for catchers and switch-hitters in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Destin |first=Andrew |date=2025-08-24 |title=Cal Raleigh hits his 48th, 49th homers to set MLB season mark for catchers, passing Salvador Perez |url=https://apnews.com/article/cal-raleigh-home-run-record-seattle-mariners-a3342d04175089577f5ffda60ce38744 |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>
* [[José Reyes (infielder)|José Reyes]] – Four-time All-Star, four-time NL stolen base leader 
* [[Jimmy Rollins]] – Phillies all-time career leader in hits and doubles, 2007 NL MVP and [[Silver Slugger Award|Silver Slugger]], three-time All-Star and four-time [[Gold Glove Award|Gold Glover]].
* [[Pete Rose]] – Career hits leader in MLB, 17-time All-Star, 1973 NL MVP
* [[Reggie Smith]] – Seven-time All-Star
* [[Mark Teixeira]] – 2009 home run and RBI leader, three-time All-Star
* [[Jason Varitek]] – Three-time All-Star, Became the first player in MLB history to catch four no-hitters (later tied by [[Carlos Ruiz (baseball)|Carlos Ruiz]] in 2015)
* [[Carlos Zambrano]] – Three-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, NL wins leader in 2008
* [[Ben Zobrist]] – Three-time All-Star<ref>{{Cite web |title=Here's the greatest switch-hitting lineup of all time |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/best-switch-hitters-in-mlb-history |access-date=October 15, 2025 |website=MLB.com}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ambidexterity]]
* [[Left-handed specialist]]
* [[Lefty-righty switch]]
* [[Switch hit]], a cricket shot

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Baseball positions}}
{{Baseball|state=expanded}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Switch Hitter}}
[[Category:Batting (baseball)]]
[[Category:Handedness in baseball]]
[[Category:Baseball terminology]]