To switch or not

Unless they provide you equal swings, do not attend.
Bob

Way too many unanswered questions…Why ditch the R and not the L ? (starting with this one first)

L is his better swing. I would assume lefty swing has better value? Throws right FWIW but can switch pitch.

Bob- how do we know until we get there? I don’t really have anyone to ask. I guess I could have him ask the coaches ahead of time but don’t want to come off as rude as these are colleges he is interested in attending. Have only done a few but it’s consistent.

Is he being recruited before the prospect camps? If so it is an easy thing to mention to the coaches beforehand. My son did a camp as a rising freshman just for fun. The kids being recruited seemed to get a full round of BP and the other kids got 10 or so pitches.

@Herewego posted:

L is his better swing. I would assume lefty swing has better value? Throws right FWIW but can switch pitch.

Does "better" mean bat path/contact or bat speed/power. I have always seen switch hitters have a power side and a contact side.

But honestly, being truly ambidextrous makes me pause a little on that statement.

Herewego;

when you send your check, make a condition of your payment that he is a switch hitter and receives the opportunity to have BP from the left and right side or pay 1/2 of the fee. During the Area Code tryouts for 17 years no player was denied this opportunity and there was NO fee.

Bob

I agree with you herewego.  If son switch it on his own he only got half of each. When they asked him to swing from both sides he normally got a couple more on each side. But I cannot imagine any showcase/camp doing anything other than laughing if you sent them the request from above.   I will agree if he’s being recruited ahead of time then he can mention it to the coaches it be possible for me to get at least a few extra swings from each side

Keep switch hitting until someone tells him not to.

(Son was recruited as a switch hitter and drafted as a switch hitter).

I'd caution most against switch hitting in the current environment.  Now, more than ever, being able to mash is almost everything to most coaches.  If he mashes more on one side versus the other, I would stick to that one side, destroy the ball, and consider getting back into the switch hitting pond AFTER he's committed and/or when no prospective coaches are watching.  I've seen too many kids hold onto switch hitting with a death grip only for it NOT to pay the dividends they hoped it would.  Most end up being decent/solid on both sides of the plate, but great from neither.  And great is what most coaches are buying right now.  I think it takes just the right coach to care a lot about switch hitting.  Time is short.  If I'm a coach, I don't have the time to hear an explanation for why a kid switch hits but didn't dazzle me because he only got 5 swings from each side.  Either show me in a few swings or I have move on.

Some will disagree with me, but I just don't think it holds the same value that it maybe used to.  What I have seen though, are coaches REALLY interested in LHHs.  I got a spreadsheet a year and half ago that had about 350 schools on it and what positions they were still in need of.  I was floored.  I saw a ton of programs I'd never even heard of and they were looking for LHH SS's who have a 32+ ACT and ran 6.60 60s or better.  As I looked up and down the sheet, I was taken aback by how many specified wanting LHHs for positions that WEREN'T OF or 1B.  If your kid can switch hit, I'd recommend dropping the right side and just focusing on mashing from the left.  IF there is time.  But if his right side is clearly more powerful than his left, drop the left.

@Herewego If he is sticking with switch hitting, I wouldn't ask ahead of time for equal reps on each of the plate.  You do it right there on the spot.  You take your 10 on the right and once you're done, you tell them you're going to jump to the other side of the plate and do 10 there.  You don't ask.  That might sound audacious, but 99% of kids who attend camps and showcases play the timid role.  Absolutely terrified to advocate for themselves and simply accept what is given to them.  After one event my son did he was frustrated about a couple times he felt victim to some bad throwing for BP and weakly-hit ground balls to showcase is backhand.  I told him if that happens again, simply ask for more.  You don't do it in an arrogant way.  Disarm them with smile or whatever and say "give me another one."  He took me up on my advice and he's never walked away from a showcase/camp without getting exactly what he asked for.  Want a couple more pitches?  Just ask.  Show some initiative.  In my experience, that's more likely to impress a coach than turn them off.  The ones who want it most, go get/take what they want.

@DanJ posted:

I'd caution most against switch hitting in the current environment.  Now, more than ever, being able to mash is almost everything to most coaches.  If he mashes more on one side versus the other, I would stick to that one side, destroy the ball, and consider getting back into the switch hitting pond AFTER he's committed and/or when no prospective coaches are watching.  I've seen too many kids hold onto switch hitting with a death grip only for it NOT to pay the dividends they hoped it would.  

Some will disagree with me, but I just don't think it holds the same value that it maybe used to.  What I have seen though, are coaches REALLY interested in LHHs.  I got a spreadsheet a year and half ago that had about 350 schools on it and what positions they were still in need of.  I was floored.  I saw a ton of programs I'd never even heard of and they were looking for LHH SS's who have a 32+ ACT and ran 6.60 60s or better.  As I looked up and down the sheet, I was taken aback by how many specified wanting LHHs for positions that WEREN'T OF or 1B.  If your kid can switch hit, I'd recommend dropping the right side and just focusing on mashing from the left.  IF there is time.  But if his right side is clearly more powerful than his left, drop the left.

Agree w/ DanJ here. Son played against a team this summer that had an '22 SEC commit who was a switch hitter. Committed probably as a 9th grader. Watched him hit from both sides during the game. I told my son afterward "He's not going to make it his first year. He can make decent contact from both sides, but he's not a threat from either one." He was no longer committed by early October.

And not sure if we have the same org, but son received a similar needs spreadsheet. Lots of "LHH" on there, no matter what position they played. And the rest were "Power bat" or "Impact bat". They want people that mash.

DanJ you hit on a lot he's been perseverating over. My advice to him was give 'em what they want in the few swings they give you. I like the idea of just hopping over and standing for the other side. Left is def his dominant side in every aspect, although righty isn't far behind. He has to put more time in the cage for righty though. He spends so many hours on each side in the cage - I wonder would it serve him better to focus on just lefty?  He has definitely considered this.  Will also have him talk with him hitting coach as well. He wants to maximize his worth at this point as a 2023. He is already a RHP/SS and mostly gets looks b/c of pitching. He IS a powerful hitter and top of the line up in very competitive majors team.  Now he wants to start catching again (which he hasn't done since 13U) "because I am a great catcher". (Stopped b/c of the pitching - no shortage of confidence).  I think signing day looming has him pumped up a little. Wise to consider putting efforts into left. He is certainly falling into the does well both sides, but not overpowering either. Great conversation!

Herewego;

My son was a switch hitter and SS. From the right side he copied Eric Davis and from the left side copied Daryl Strawberry. Unfortunately his "running" was like Gary Carter.

As a Coach, I encourage "switch hitting" because of the "on base" % that is achieved. Remember there are 11 ways to score from 3b with less than 2 outs.

Every College Coach has his goals and outline for a winning team. Personally, I do not like the P/SS combination or Catcher/Pitcher. Each requires a different throwing arm angle and the replacement SS is likely to make error and then the pitcher will throw an additional 10 pitches that inning. During the 17 years of the AC tryouts and games, I seldom observed a "masher"! The actual games are NOT BP.  Which eye is "dominate".

A strong competitive Pitcher and his catcher and Coach can determine a hitter's weakness when he is "on deck". Keep switch hitting until you "hit the wall" and cannot be productive to your team.

Bob

"Left is def his dominant side in every aspect, although righty isn't far behind."

I think you answered your own question. Now just focus on hitting 10 nukes from the L side. I always prefer keeping things real simple

10% of people are left handed, yet almost half of HOF hitters are lefty...

One thought. Swing at strikes. Some camps will switch pitchers if they have enough left handed help.Don’t rush—you usually get 10 swings, not 10 pitches. A college coach probably gets all the info he needs in the first 2-3 swings. So 5 each side is plenty