What's so great about LHPs?

It's really rather elementary:

Finding HS RHP's sitting at 85 mph, and having a decent 2nd pitch is like finding flowers on Mother's Day.

Finding HS LHP's with a low 80's FB, having a 2nd pitch, and able to throw strikes is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Regards
Bear

micdsguy-Good question "why coaches and scouts drool over LHPs".

Since there are many,many more righties than lefties, hitters naturally are going to get more experience and therefore become more proficient hitting against righthanded
pitchers. Lefthanders have the advantage or the element of "surprise"(for lack of a better term). Compare it to boxing, when a RH boxer faces a LH it's more difficult for
him to adjust as opposed to the LH adjusting to the rightie since he's probably faced
mostly righties in his career.

There is also the fact that you brought up about LH batters having a harder time against
lefties which gives a coach/manager more options when calling for relief pitchers.

Does seem kind of strange, doesn't it, that a lefty that throws 85 is as valuable as a righty that throws 90?

I was especially seeking stats proving the value of lefties. Baseball-Almanac.com says that lefties have pitched about 25% of the no hitters. But that is about the percentage of lefty pitchers in the game.

I have a book that gives opposing batting averages by dominant hand. Lefty batters are about 20 points worse against southpaws. Nothing huge, and there aren't many lefty batters.

I've never seen ANY stats on runners picked off, but I'm sure southpaws do excel in that category. (does MLB keep stats on pickoffs?)

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I can see some advantage in having a lefty follow a righty pitcher to the mound, and visa versa, but how useful are lefty starters?

Good coaches drool over any pitcher, Righty or Lefty who can get outs consistently and doesn't walk batters

Barry "don't know what that stuff was" Bonds once told the story that in a minor league game he looked silly against a lefty and his explanation was that he "had never hit against one before". A bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point.

Lefties are often seem blessed with natural ball movement. I umpired a Little League game once and an 11 year old lefty wasn't throwing hard enough to even pop the mitt, but his ball looked to break 4-5 inches every time, with no wrist snap at all. I have no idea why. Righties never seem to have the same natural movement.

I am a lefty and never understood what a blessing it was as a kid. I always wanted to be a catcher and they said there was no such thing as a left-handed catcher. Thus, I viewed being left-handed as a curse. It also limits you defensively from playing short, second, or third. If I had to do it all over again, I would have practiced harder at being a good pitcher like everyone was telling me at the time.

I think it's just part of the psychology of the game, coming from the old days. Since the majority of pitchers were righties, it was out of the norm to face a lefty, thereby making it more difficult. But I think if you can hit a baseball well, it shouldn't matter which side it comes from.

m-guy
I have always wondered the same thing. Most hitters are right handed so it would follow you would want to have more right handed pitching. I love it when there's a left hander on the mound. My son bats rh'd.

Anyone ever seen lefty versus righty stats for W-L, ERA, opposing batting averages, etc for a large universe of college or pro pitchers?

I haven't, and I've seen a ton of baseball stats in my time.

ClevelandDad -
I agree with you on the disadvantage that lefties have as position players. I have 2 lefties, and they would have given anything to play shortstop once in a while! In fact, I remember one summer, in a game that didn't really count in the standings, the coach let them play any position they wanted to in the field. Mine played as a lefty shortstop--funniest thing I ever saw --wish I'd had the video camera that day! Lots of twists and turns to make a routine play. But he sure had fun that day...