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Any Lefty throwing Switch hitters in MLB?

vtmet Nov 28 2006 08:17 PM

Having a discussion elsewhere about Mark Carreon and Rickey Henderson...in regards to the fact that both were left handed throwers, but right handed hitters...which is an unusual combo since the world of baseball favors lefty hitters and righty throwers... But one combo that I don't remember ever seeing is a left handed thrower that was a switch hitter...Does anyone know of any mlb players that foot that bill? Righties have always tried to bat lefty...but eventhough most lefties can't hit left handed pitching, I can't remember a bonafide lefty batting RH'd against lefties...0ther than guys like Ricky and Carreon, who only batted RH'd...

dinosaur jesus Nov 28 2006 08:21 PM

I don't know, but add Koufax and Koosman to the lefty throwers, righty hitters. And probably a lot of other lefthanded pitchers who figured they weren't going to hit much anyway, so they might as well protect their pitching hand.

dinosaur jesus Nov 28 2006 08:24 PM

I do have one for you: Greg Harris, the switch-hitting switch-pitcher.

cooby Nov 28 2006 08:26 PM

Mazzilli claimed to be able to throw with either arm, but I don't know if he ever did throw lefty in a game.

dinosaur jesus Nov 28 2006 08:28 PM

I do believe that Mazzilli could throw every bit as well with his left as with his right. So can my grandmother. He never did do it in an official game, though.

seawolf17 Nov 28 2006 08:34 PM

[url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6279][/url][url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6363][/url][url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/seguida01.shtml][/url] Lance Berkman, J.C. Romero, and the slightly larger David Segui.

vtmet Nov 28 2006 08:57 PM

="seawolf17"][url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6279][/url][url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6363][/url][url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/seguida01.shtml][/url] Lance Berkman, J.C. Romero, and the slightly larger David Segui. Thanks... all 3 are bonafide lefties that switch hit... I don't know if I'd consider someone like Mazzilli or Greg Harris in the same category, since I think that both of them were bonafide RH'd throwers that learned to wing-it throwing lefty...Although I do think that the switch hitter and tthrower thing is pretty cool because I do the same thing (it really helps in darts because I can't hit bulls-eyes RH'd, but it's about the only thing that I can hit LH'd)...

Johnny Dickshot Nov 28 2006 09:02 PM

I can hit bullsye's drunk but not sober

seawolf17 Nov 28 2006 09:04 PM

I can hit bullseyes sidearm, but I'm worthless overhand. I'm the Chad Bradford of the dart kingdom.

metirish Nov 28 2006 09:07 PM

Darts if huge in ireland,we would play all the time down the pub, at the time I worked for this English fella and he was shit hot at darts,he used to practice in the dark at times,of course I would try that in my bedroom, you should see to wall around the board....down the pub the lads would call me " the javelin" I threw the dart so hard....

MFS62 Nov 28 2006 09:40 PM

C'mon, folks. How could you all have forgotten another lefty thrower/ righty hitter - our own Cleon Jones? Later

KC Nov 28 2006 09:58 PM

We should all meet for darts somewhere one Saturday afternoon. I throw a heavy dart, light ones go all over the place for me. I never woulda thoughta Cleon, still can't, just to keep the thread on topic.

Johnny Dickshot Nov 28 2006 10:02 PM

MFS62 wrote: C'mon, folks. How could you all have forgotten another lefty thrower/ righty hitter - our own Cleon Jones? Later Becase the question asked for switch-hitting lefty throwers?

vtmet Nov 28 2006 10:07 PM

When you say you throw a "heavy" dart...I take it that you mean that you throw with some heat on your throw? I can't throw darts with that wimpy dart toss that you are supposed to use...when I throw darts you hear a "pop" when the dart hits the board (and it takes a bit of effort to pull the dart back out of the board)...I was visiting my friend a few weeks ago and he plays in dart leagues, he had 3 nice sets of darts of different weights and qualities...no matter which set of darts that he used, he would occasionally have a dart that would stick in the board and then fall out...I used all three sets of darts and never had one fall out, even when you heard it hit metal first...

metirish Nov 28 2006 10:10 PM

Phil "the power" Taylor is a legend in the game...has won 12 straight world titles.....back to topic.....um, I got nothing...

Johnny Dickshot Nov 28 2006 10:13 PM

I used to play all the time and wasn't that good. The dart jocks at the pub diagnosed my problem as too much arm action. I explained I came from a frisbee background where the wrist is important but especially when powered by a violent forearm snap.

metirish Nov 28 2006 10:15 PM

Johnny, Rick Peterson could fix the arm action..send you to Alabama for some Bio-Tech stuff and next thing you know you'll be over in England playing for the title .

KC Nov 28 2006 10:15 PM

Heavy as in weight, and I throw a "wimpy" dart ... unless I'm pissed off because I'm going to lose and throwing garbage. Sharp darts don't fall off a good board, dull ones do.

vtmet Nov 28 2006 10:17 PM

I think that the hardest thing to do in darts is to "double in" and "double out"...I'm great at "tripling in" and "tripling out" and suck at trying to almost miss the board, so ahead of the match, I'll try to talk my opponent into letting me have to "triple in" instead...sometimes it works since it's obvious by my first throw that is moving at a good velocity that I'm not a shark...I've got a similar problem in tee-ing off in golf...I can't tee off with a golf swing, instead my swing looks more Dave Kingman's baseball "all or nothing" swing...

vtmet Nov 28 2006 10:21 PM

KC wrote: Heavy as in weight, and I throw a "wimpy" dart ... unless I'm pissed off because I'm going to lose and throwing garbage. Sharp darts don't fall off a good board, dull ones do. Thanks, I heard the term "heavy dart" before but I guess that I misinterpretted what they meant...as far as the "good" board, I don't think that the dart was the problem for my friend, I think it was a good board that was in his basement for too many damp Springs...

Johnny Dickshot Nov 28 2006 10:22 PM

One thing I could always do was double in at 15. You're making me want to go play darts again.

Frayed Knot Nov 28 2006 10:23 PM

dinosaur jesus wrote: I do believe that Mazzilli could throw every bit as well with his left as with his right. So can my grandmother. He never did do it in an official game, though. Did your grandmother?

vtmet Nov 28 2006 10:23 PM

MFS62 wrote: C'mon, folks. How could you all have forgotten another lefty thrower/ righty hitter - our own Cleon Jones? Later Wasn't the original question, but I have to admit that I forgot that Cleon was a Lefty thrower...I did remember that he was a RH hitter though...

metirish Nov 28 2006 10:25 PM

Double 16 was my shot..but who the hell couldn't hit that....3 and 19.....was the killer for me...

vtmet Nov 28 2006 10:30 PM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: One thing I could always do was double in at 15. You're making me want to go play darts again. It's funny how it's easier to hit certain spots on the board than others, which makes "301" easier for me than "Cricket" is... Funny thing is, I thought that in "301" you had to "double in" and "double out" and that you could get triple points for hitting a "triple"...however, I was just reading some online dart rules, and it doesn't mention anything about triples, and only mentions that you have to "double out", doesn't mention that you have to "double in"...

KC Nov 28 2006 10:37 PM

301? Is that like 501 Lite?

dinosaur jesus Nov 28 2006 10:37 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: ="dinosaur jesus"]I do believe that Mazzilli could throw every bit as well with his left as with his right. So can my grandmother. He never did do it in an official game, though. Did your grandmother? Old Granny Hamner? No. She was dying to, but they wouldn't let her.

Edgy DC Nov 28 2006 10:40 PM

The reason, I suppose the lefty-throwing/switch-batting combo is so rare is that the true advantage of switch hitting is natural righthanded hitters (who are almost always righthanded throwers) get closer to first base and protect themselves from bailing out 70% of the time or more. Learning to hit from the other side of the plate is typically too hard if the bailout advantage is going to be added only 30% of the time and you're moving farther away from first.

RealityChuck Nov 28 2006 10:42 PM

All lefty throwing switch hitters in MLB, not counting pitchers, through 2005: Nick Altrock OF Bob Beall 1B Marty Becker OF Lance Berkman OF/1B Bob Bescher OF Lu Blue 1B/OF Tom Brown 1B/OF Mark Budaska OF Scott Bullett OF Morgan Burkhart LF/1B Melky Cabrera CF John Cangelosi OF Syd Cohen OF Dave Collins 1B Ripper Collins 1B/OF Doug Dascenzo OF Jack Daugherty OF/1B Puchy Delgado OF Eric Fox OF Bruno Haas OF Walter Holke 1B George Hunter OF Win Kellum OF Joe Mack 1B Bill McClellan 3B/SS/2B (that's an odd one -- Played 1878-1888) Otto McIvor OF Roy Moore OF Ed Morris OF John Moses 1B/OF Johnny Neun 1B (best known for his OTP) Dave Oldfield C Ernie Oravetz OF Dan Ortmeier RF Wes Parker OF/1B (Little known fact: after retirement, worked as a TV actor -- not bad, either) Case Patten OF Harley Payne OF Brock Pemberton 1B Mike Ramsey OF Dave Robinson OF Ron Roenicke OF/1B David Segui 1B/OF Eddie Smith OF Chuck Stevens 1B Da Rond Stovall OF Nick Swisher 1B/OF Jesse Tannehill OF Tuck Turner OF Jake Virtue 1B/2B/3B Libe Washburn OF Mitch Webster OF Emil Yde OF (though primarily a pitcher)

patona314 Nov 28 2006 10:43 PM

i always thought it was the righty curveball, being a lefty and such

dinosaur jesus Nov 28 2006 10:46 PM

Damn. Nice work. Nick Altrock was a pitcher, not an outfielder. Before he became a professional baseball clown, that is.

vtmet Nov 28 2006 10:47 PM

KC wrote: 301? Is that like 501 Lite? I thought that the game was called "301" but you can play it as "301", "501" or "701"...Kind of like "Rummy 500" can be played to differnet point totals...

Johnny Dickshot Nov 28 2006 10:47 PM

]Wes Parker OF/1B (Little known fact: after retirement, worked as a TV actor -- not bad, either) Anyone who saw his amazing turn on the Brady Bunch knew Wes Parker was doing TV. I didn;t know he was LH throwing switchie.

vtmet Nov 28 2006 10:49 PM

Nice list Chuck...a lot more common than I thought..thank you...

Edgy DC Nov 28 2006 10:55 PM

A mere three Mets in history.

vtmet Nov 28 2006 10:57 PM

Edgy DC wrote: A mere three Mets in history. true, but more common than left handed throwing catchers in mlb history...

metirish Nov 28 2006 11:00 PM

501 is the game that's played in the World Title games...11 dart finish is something else to see...

cooby Nov 28 2006 11:05 PM

dinosaur jesus wrote: ="Frayed Knot"] dinosaur jesus wrote: I do believe that Mazzilli could throw every bit as well with his left as with his right. So can my grandmother. He never did do it in an official game, though. Did your grandmother? Old Granny Hamner? No. She was dying to, but they wouldn't let her. Granny Hamner? As in Earl Hamner Jr? You're not John Boy, are you?

RealityChuck Nov 29 2006 09:04 AM

dinosaur jesus wrote: Damn. Nice work. Nick Altrock was a pitcher, not an outfielder. Before he became a professional baseball clown, that is. Yeah -- it was a quick and dirty query from the Lahman database. Evidently Altrock played outfield once or twice (it was probably the same for Yde).