Switching to LEFTY? Really????

Sounds just like Cabbage and I 3 years ago.

Some assorted tidbits of feedback...

Cabbage is 2012 LH throw, RH hit, plus speed. He dabbled with switch for a while at 14, 15 yo and I think would have been fine if he fully commited to it. Played varsity as freshman and felt pressure to perform now. He had good RH gap power but not LH, so he backed off the switch efforts.

This past fall, he was talking to a scout team HC who had heard of him. Coach asked his L/R orientation for throw and hit. He perked up at LH throw and was visibly disappointed when he heard RH hit.

We have another kid on our v team - a 2013 with ++ speed on that has been working switch (naturally RH) for a few years. His strength hitting LH is just now starting to come around nicely and is contributing at the V level more effectively from the left than from the right. Six months ago, he could barely get the ball out of the IF from the left. He has challenges getting the reps he needs during normal practice as coaches are not (rightfully so) going to give him twice the reps so he can work both sides.

So, tying this all together, IMO...

-It makes sense to pursue, particularly if he has ++ speed.
-With speed, hitting from left side is and advantage that is noticed by the right folks.
-14 is definitely still early enough.
-He will need to get tons of reps on his own and expect those challenges at HS practices.
-It is not surprising that he has trouble waiting on RH side, being naturally LH, his left pull side is stronger when hitting RH.
-Also not surprising that the bat feels heavier LH - all the muscles are still developing for this specific newer movement.

Strange sidenote - Cabbage plays V baseball and basketball - pitches/throws baseball LH, shoots the basketball RH.

Good luck and have fun.

I would continue to encourage reps from both sides and see where it goes with time. It's possible that the left side is his natural side and with 5-10 thousand reps it might just become the side he needs to be hitting from. And, in the meantime, he will be building "both sides" of his body evenly, which is a very good injury preventing tactic...

Let him do what he feels most comfortable with. I switched to lefty (mainly to emulate Ted Williams, and I'm pretty young). I still hit the ball better lefty because I learned through poor coaching right-handed.

I taught myself through emulation, reading, and practice left handed. There are many LH hitting, RH throwers in Cooperstown.

Which eye is dominate?

Bob

My two boys are a little strange in that the older one bats and throws lefthanded, while writing and doing many things righthanded and the younger one throws and bats righthanded but writes lefthanded. I wish the younger had learned to switch hit but he never did.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob Williams:
Which eye is dominate?

Bob

LEFT

Left is the front eye hitting right handed and the reason he sees the ball, starting with the release point.

However practicing and hitting from the left side
will provide the opportunity to continue to play if he cannot hit right side due to an injury.

The Panda [SF Giants] injured his right wrist [operation] and when he returns will probably hit from the left side for a few weeks. He hit both sides.

Edgar Martinez [Mariners] talked hitting with Robert and I, for one hour and he mentioned that he practiced his swing from the left side for "muscle memory".

Eddie Murray did not begin hitting on the left side until his 1st pro season at age 18.

Summary: keep swinging left and right. It will be an insurance policy. I would like to see your "Ted Williams" swing. During an "All Star" game Ted asked Mickey Mantle "when you hit right is your top hand stronger or bottom hand and when you hit left is your top hand stronger or your left".

Mantle started to think and went into a "slump" for 2 weeks.

Bob

Bob asked a key question regarding eye dominance. I didn't realize until I was 19 years old how important it was for me being "left-eyed" and batting right.

A friend and I were killing time shooting whatever moved down on a creek one day and he asked why I bent my head across the barrel. I finally realized that for all those years I had been shooting off my right shoulder, but craning my neck around to site with my left eye. Dumb country boy but I was a pretty good shot.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob Williams:

I would like to see your "Ted Williams" swing.
Bob

I'll put it up as soon as I can figure out how to get my camera working again.

Your son sounds exactly like my player, who is naturally ambidexterous. He fully committed to switch hitting summer before junior year. The bat feels heavier on the left side to your son because the top hand is not as strong yet. He will have to develop both forearms. If you are in a position to not worry about average, he should committ to switching now. My player had great power right so coaches wanted to keep him there over the years. It turns out he has equal power left, this season hitting 12 wall doubles on the left side He saw very few at bats right handed but takes equal reps every day both sides. Being a natural righty is an advantage to a switch hitter. He feels comfortable even when he hasn't had the opportunity to see a pitcher right handed for a few games.
In high school with no pregame bp and long layoffs inbetween games, you will sacrifice sometimes on average while learning. It is hard to get into a groove but don't be discouraged. My player feels so comfortable left handed now he doesnt even think twice about going right on a righty.
The biggest drawback is that very few people understand switch hitting and that is evident at camps and showcases. Often the swith hitter gets shortchanged at bp.

My 12 YO son throws right and has always batted LH, since tball 6 years ago. For a time we thought he'd be LH all the way, but he gradually switched to writing when he was maybe 4-5. But any sport that uses two hands, he does LH-dominant. Might be a genetic basis, I'm RH but my Dad and both brothers are LH. Not sure if my son is right-eye dominant. Anyhow, I've never let him try to swing anything other than LH. Never seen the need, nor has a coach. He's a fine hitter with pretty good power so why mess with a good thing?

being a natural left handed hitter and trying to maintain a right handed swing is a whole other ballgame than what ctandc is talking about.