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THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: The surprising disappearance of the switch-hitter


It was a complete mystery.

I covered an international fastpitch softball tournament a few years ago and was immediately astonished.

The elite hitters were amazing, hitting fastballs from just 46 feet away and hitting drives to all parts of the field.

And completely outside the premises.

I remember being amazed at the hand-eye coordination of the batters, the speed they could muster, and even the ability of some specialists to hit perfect bunts for base hits.

It seemed impossible that these guys could hammer strikes on pitches that looked like they were almost thrown from over the plate.

I mean, 46 feet?

Seriously?

A world-class softball pitcher can throw the ball at around 80 miles per hour (some can top that), which is equivalent to a baseball pitcher throwing from a distance of 60 feet, 6 inches (18.88 m) at 100 miles per hour or a little more.

And yet.

Some of the best fast-pitch hitters in the world have tried a career in baseball. And with what result?

Oh well.

They end up in Double-A ball with a batting average of about .230 and go back to looking for a regular job.

I couldn’t understand this and asked one of the best hitters in the softball tournament why hitters with such skills couldn’t make it to professional baseball.

“FEAR,” he said.

What?

I didn’t understand.

“Think about it,” he said. “Softball involves a lot of speed, but there are no pitches that are aimed at you from the start.”

“In baseball, a right-handed hitter has to deal with a slider that’s coming straight at his head at 90 miles an hour – but then it bounces away and possibly lands right in the strike zone.

“To be successful as a hitter in baseball, you must overcome the fear of a pitch fired directly at you.

“In softball, the throws intended to take the ball out of play rise or fall, or they may be change-ups – but because of the nature of the throw, the throws do not break off sideways like they do in baseball.”

I asked some of the really good fast-pitch hitters what they would do if they wanted to start over and hoped for a career in baseball.

Most gave the same answer.

They would learn to hit with both hands.

IT MAKES Sense.

If you no longer feel physical fear during your stay in the Batter’s Box, one problem will certainly be solved.

You no longer have to worry about dangerous swerving turns, sliders, sweepers, and all the other new pitches invented every season bending AWAY from you.

Hitting away a whole group of difficult shots seems to be a sensible hitting strategy.

And yet.

The disappearance of switch hitters is even more dramatic among Americans.

Recent research for a New York Times article makes it clear that the trend is moving inexorably in one direction.

“Of the roughly 550 batters who had made a batting appearance through the end of June, only 58 were switch hitters, according to Stathead,” the Times reported.

“This continues a trend from last season, when the number of switch hitters in baseball plummeted to its lowest level in 50 years.

“Only 26 of those are American-born players, one more than last year, when the number of Americans was the lowest in nearly 60 years.”

“While Latin American players are often encouraged to switch shots as children, it has become almost taboo among American youth.”

Sailor Manager Scott Servais believes switch-hitting is the greatest advantage in any sport.

He has a practical, first-class explanation for this trend – and it has nothing to do with fear.

“Youth baseball has changed dramatically in our country over the last 15 years,” Servais said.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about college scholarships or getting into professional sports. And there’s a lack of patience to develop those things in young players. So they get on select teams and travel all over the country, and mom and dad pay a lot of money to put them with all the top coaches.

“Why would we ever put you in a situation where you might fail? And you will fail.

“Switch hitting is really hard. It’s really hard when you’re young. And they’re afraid of failure.”

CATCHER Cal Raleigh isn’t sure which side of the box is his natural side. Raleigh, like Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman, is a powerful catcher who bats with both hands.

Cal was always a right-handed batter, but his earliest memories of his baseball career include the powerful catcher being able to swing the bat from both sides of the plate because his father forced him to do so.

“Every day I thank the Lord that my dad made me a switch hitter,” Raleigh said.

“Because I see what disgusting things are thrown up there.”

Listening to Servais or Raleigh, it seems surprising that switch hitters are disappearing.

Servais says family pressure is a problem, at least in America, but no one says switch-hitting makes baseball harder.

That would be crazy.

However, the trend is going in the wrong direction because children do not want to “fail”, not even in a single attempt to hit the ball.

Seems silly and hurts players in the long run.

Youth sports in the United States have become so competitive that kids feel like every shot counts, even at the club level or in travel leagues.

It can be difficult for kids (and coaches) to “give up” hitting opportunities in games to work on player development, such as a right-handed player learning to hit left-handed.

Whether the number of switch hitters in the major leagues, especially in the USA, will increase again will depend on how this is handled in the youth leagues in the future.

The data is not encouraging.

Of the 140 or so most promising baseball prospects on FanGraphs’ preseason list – from Class AAA down to Rookie Ball – 34 were switch hitters who had yet to debut.

Eight were Americans.

Maybe the numbers look better for future softball players.

At least they come home for dinner.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s Cheap Seats columns appear four times a week in The Press, usually Tuesday to Friday unless there is something happening.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”

By Olivia

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