SOMETIMES, THE QUESTION IS NOT "IF?", BUT "WHEN?"
Like, when should a player stop trying to switch hit?
Seems like a good question.
I think the answer is essentially two-fold:
1) When a guy hits MUCH better from one side than the other, over a statistically significant period of time.
2) When the bad hitting side is unlikely to catch up to the good side.
The Mets' minors have such a top prospect player.
I don't know the real answer, only this player and the coaches do, but let's get you involved here:
Here are that player's combined 2019 and 2021 split stats (2021 #'s thru August 1):
HITTING RIGHTY VS. LEFTIES:
2019: 17 FOR 91, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .187/.267/.308
2021: 16 FOR 76, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .211/.241/.289
Clearly, an objective grader would have to give that a failing grade. Overall, about .200/.255/.300.
An F. I imagine you might agree.
Let's continue:
HITTING LEFTY VS. RIGHTIES:
2019: 100 for 367, 23 doubles, 9 HRs, 58 RBI, .272/.352/.420
2021: 52 for 183, 17 doubles, 13 HRs, 48 RBIs, .284/.355/.601
Combined lefty vs. righty at bats in 2019 and 2021?
550 ABs, 40 doubles, 22 HRs, 106 RBIs, .276.
If I were assigning a hitting grade, I'd give that an A-.
Maybe not quite sensational, but awfully darned good as a lefty hitter vs. righties, wouldn't you agree?
The player?
OF/2B Carlos Cortes, now of the AA Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Now, maybe Carlos firmly feels that if he only had more plate appearances against lefties, which have clearly a scarce occurrence for him the past two seasons (167 ABs vs lefties vs. 550 ABs vs righties), he'd do much better against the lefties.
Maybe not, though.
My guess is, likely not.
The Analytical Me?
The above stats are screaming out to me:
STOP HITTING RIGHTY.
GO 100% LEFTY.
If you are flat out raking as a lefty hitter vs. righties, and he is, but are way, way worse as a righty against lefties, doesn't it stand to reason that if he were to hit lefty vs. lefties, he'd likely not hit as well in those ABs as he hits vs. righties, but he'd likely hit a lot better in those lefty vs. lefty ABs than when he hits righty vs. lefties?
Again, since I don't see him day-to-day, so I have to reserve making a definitive judgment. All I can really do is speculate.
But my speculation is that he should hit 100% as a lefty batter.
Maybe he'd hit better overall as a lefty - and get to the majors faster. Like 2022 in the Mets' outfield fast.
Now THAT would be a switch, wouldn't it?
Mickey Mantle was the greatest switch hitter of all time. He hit 50 points higher as a righty, but hit a lot more HRs per AB as a lefty. It made perfect sense for him to switch hit. He was essentially equally strong from both sides.
But if there is a drastic difference, sometimes moving higher means discarding that which is low performance.
3 comments:
If a switch hitter hitting righty struggles he likely won't get appreciably better from that side simply because he won't get enough at bats to improve. If it were the other way around I'd give it a longer look because he will get more LH AB's and, through repetition, he would have a better chance at getting better from that side. Most of the successful switch hitters are natural righties and they've gotten better as lefties through AB's. It's hard to say what Cortes's natural side is because he's an ambitious-dextrous thrower. Like you I can't make a definitive judgement but what you say makes sense.
The word is ambidextrous-I sometimes hate auto-correct.
Holmer, I like ambitious-dextrous. Carlos has been ambitious trying to hit righty vs. lefties due to his dexterity. He and his coaches know best, but if he were to, say, even hit .240/.320/.400 as a lefty vs. lefties, that would be an improvement overall to his numbers.
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