Why are lefties better pitchers?

Question

I am writing an original oratory on the pros and cons of being left-handed, and I wanted hard, concrete evidence as to why left-handed pitchers are "better" than right-handed pitchers. I know the lefty vs. lefty advantage, and I know the advantage left-handed batters have against right-handed pitchers, but I could never find a good reason why lefty pitchers are so valuable. I used to be a pitcher....but that was in 6th grade, when left-handed or right-handed pitchers stunk...

Answer 1

Left handers have an advantage against left handed hitters. At least traditionally, there have been many who were actually better at getting right handed hitters out than lefties.

This became important because left hand hitters were beating up right handed pitching. So many hitters who throw right handed learned to switch hit or hit from the left side. You don't see many right handers hitting left handed any more but it was very common in the 50s and 60s. Even as late as the 70s you had alot of guys like Craig Nettles who threw right handed but hit left handed. So left handed pitchers became exceptionally important in the left handed stacked lineups of the 50s and 60s. Many of the most dangerous hitters were switch hitters or left hand hitters.

Left handers are traditionally the only ones who can throw a screwball. For a time this was a devastating pitch that gave lefties a major advantage. The introduction of the less arm intensive sinker put an end to the arm damaging screwball. So Lefties lost another advantage they enjoyed.

Today there really is no advantage for Lefties in baseball. Switch hitters are rare. Not sure if anybody in the majors today bats left handed while throwing right handed. The balence between left and right handed hitters is usually pretty even. A few lineups are stacked pretty heavy one way or another in the middle of the batting order. The significance of the middle of the order has declined greatly as most defensive posisitions are expected to hit as well as be good fielders. In the past if you could get the middle of the order out then you faced all or nothing easy KO victims for one or two spots and light hitting catchers, CFs and middle infielders who were often lucky to hit .250 with no power. Today the 9th hitter is often hitting .280 or better and many line ups do not have a single reguler who isn't a threat to hit 20 HRs. They may not field as well as the skilled defensive players of the 50s and 60s but they outhit those guys by a ton.

So with the statistical advantage erased. The equalization of specialty pitches there is no advantage for a Lefty in the majors any more.

Left handers have done better than the statistical average says they should in many fields. Music is one you should look into. An amazing number of Rock guitarists for example are left handed. In baseball they comprise a slightly higher than average number of star players. Historically Lefties have done very well but much of that was because of the reasons named above and Lefties no longer have those advantages. Lefties are also known for skill in mathematics and art. Two endeavors they seem to do much better than the average in.

I'm right handed, so it's just observations. Athletically Left handers have no advantage. In football, basketball and soccer where left/right makes little difference I think you'll find no edge in performance levels for Lefties.

One idea you might pursue. Left handers face more challenges as a child. The world is a right handed world. So Lefties are forced to adapt to the environment, create novel solutions to compensate and are far more likely to be ambidextrious as a result. This early challenge might induce higher development in problem solving areas of the brain. If that is indeed the case we might want to re-evaluate many aspects of child rearing and education.

Answer 2

Lefty pitchers are valuable because there are just not as many of them.

Historically Lefty pitchers are just as good as righties. There are no statistical advantages between the two (via MLB stats).

HOWEVER and this is what you should focus on in your paper.

There are roughly 80% righties in the world and 20% lefties. That is a HUGE difference in statistical terms,
BUT in baseball alone, there is a difference of 60% righties to 40% lefties. This is again a huge difference between our social norm vs. sports.

This might be the beginning of an argument that lefties are more athletically inclined!

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why are lefties better pitchers?
I am writing an original oratory on the pros and cons of being left-handed, and I wanted hard, concrete evidence as to why left-handed pitchers are "better" than right-handed pitchers. I know the lefty vs. lefty advantage, and I know the advantage left-handed batters have against...

Answer 4

It's because of the way breaking balls move. A slider or curveball thrown by a right handed pitcher will break down and away from a right handed batter, a left would have their breaking ball break down and in, which is an easier pitch to hit. Also a righty handed pitcher can't pitch inside to a left handed hitter without the ball coming across the plate, which again makes it easier to hit.

Answer 5

Left handers are not more athletically inclined than right-handed people. If that were true we would have more than the half-dozen left handed quarterbacks in the NFL.

Because there are so many more right-handed pitchers there are more left-handed hitters (including switch-hitters) than would normally occur based on population statistics. This large number of left-handed hitters causes teams to search very hard for adequate left-handed pitchers to counteract the batters.

Notice how many left-handed pitchers are given chance after chance with multiple teams. Look at Jamie Walker, the new left-handed relief specialist of the Baltimore Orioles. He was given a $12 Million contract for the next three years. Statistically he was nothing special, but he throws with his left hand so his services are desired.

200+ game winner Kenny Rogers has said several times that earlier in his career the only reason he stayed in the majors was because he is left-handed. If he threw with his right hand he would have been back on his fathers strawberry farm many, many years ago.

Answer 6

Lefties are no more athletically inclined in any sports than anyone else. scouts enjoy having lefties because throughout life they held things differently and the angle at which they wrote on paper makes their fastballs have more movement, thats why a lefty throwing 90 with good movement is seen to be just as good as a righty throwing 95 straight as an arrow, which one would be easier to hit?

Answer 7

I think it is that when you see so many right handed pitchers that when the ball comes out of a left handed pitcher it is harder to pick up the ball out of his hand.

P.S. To the guy above
Chase Utley from the Phillies bats lefty and throws righty

Answer 8

they are only good to have because they are different - it mixes up the rotation, so its not just the same right hand power pitching every day

and they help against left handers because they can throw pitches that start out behind the batter and end over the play, a right hand pitcher cannot. Same thing right hand pitchers to do right hand batsman.

Answer 9

For most of the worlds population its a mental thing,a lot of hitters just cant hit leftys,the ball comes out of there hand funny and its harder to pick up

Answer 10

most of the time left handed pitchers arent better its just because there are more right hand pitchers and most hitters cant adapt to left hand pitching or they havent seen much of it most hitters arent use to left pitchers that why left hand pitchers are pretty good