Do left handed hitters really have an advantage over right handed hitters?

(1907- Ty Cobb)

The answer is yes, for 3 reasons.

Statistically, left handed batters have a batting average that is 7 points higher than right handed batters - .270 for lefties, .263 for righties (J. Walsh, The Advantage of Batting Left Handed).

From the hitter’s perspective, batting left-handed is advantageous several reasons.

1. With a runner on 1st base the 3-4 hole is much easier for a lefty to find.  This is a great spot to be a left handed hitter.   With the 1st baseman holding on the runner and the second baseman playing double play depth, a huge hole is open up on the right side of the infield.

One of the easiest things to do as the batter is to roll over a baseball and hit a ground ball to your pull side. Right handers will hit ground balls to shortstop and third base all day and get out quite often.  The third baseman and shortstop can pinch and take away the holes.

But when you have a runner at first base lefties have a great opportunity to use that hole and hit a ground ball through the infield.  This could be the single biggest advantage for a left handed hitter.

It is not as easy for a right hander to hit a ground ball through that hole.  Most hitters usually will hit more ground balls to their pull side and more fly balls to the opposite field.

2. Left handed hitters are one step closer to 1st base than right handed hitters.  It’s commonly believed that being one step closer to 1st base gives you a better chance of beating out a ground ball in the infield.

Every year there are a handful of plays that you are thrown out by a half a step.  Being one step closer to first base when hitting may get you that extra half step to beat out a few extra balls a year.  As an infielder I feel that fast lefties put more pressure on the infielders than righties.

Walsh (mentioned earlier) didn’t find this factor to be statistically relevant.  He believes it’s because lefties pull more balls to the 1st and 2nd basemen, and the shorter throw neutralizes this advantage.  I’d love to hear if what you think about this issue in the comments section below.

3. Left handed hitters get more off handed match-ups making it favorable to the hitter.  Another advantage for left handed hitters is that they get to see a lot of right handed pitching.  Having an off handed at bat (lefty facing righty) usually makes for a more comfortable at bat.

Here’s a few reasons why:

Better view of the ball.  You get to see the baseball a little better when the pitch is coming into you.  Many lefties are uncomfortable when facing  a left handed pitcher.

Disarming the Slider.  One of the most difficult pitches to hit is a slider that is thrown from a same sided matchup (righty vs righty).  The reason for this is that if your front side opens up even a little bit it opens up the outside part of the plate making it very difficult to reach the pitch.  With an off handed matchup you don’t have to worry about that pitch.  Everything is coming into you.

Head position.  It is easier to see the ball with both eyes with an off handed matchup.  Surprisingly many hitters will only really be looking for the ball with one eye when he is facing the same sided pitcher because he doesn’t have his head turned far enough.  Have you ever tried to catch a ball with one eye?  It is difficult.

Source: http://probaseballinsider.com/advantages-of-being-a-left-handed-hitter/

Improve eye-hand coordination

What is eye-hand coordination?
Eye-hand and eye-foot coordination refer to how quickly and accurately an athlete's muscles and limbs react to the input of visual messages gathered by the eyes.

Eye-hand coordination is the athlete's ability to synchronize finger, hand and arm movements with constantly changing visual information from a dynamic sporting environment.

Why is eye-hand coordination important in athletic performance?
Visual coordination affects timing, reaction speed, body control and balance.

Numerous studies across various sports have shown that eye-hand coordination speed is faster among athletes when compared to non-athletes.   In addition, studies have shown it to be a characteristic which distinguishes expertise levels among athletes.

How can athletes improve their eye-hand coordination skills?
Athletes can improve their eye-hand coordination skills with deliberate vision training exercises that require the sychronization of motor movements with visual input.

Effective exercises may vary from simple visual-response tasks that require minimal brain processing, such online computerized reaction speed tests, to more complex visual-response tasks that require greater analysis of visual information, such as juggling, soft toss, or computerized target shooting games.

To access the Articles, Videos and Research Studies click this link: http://www.sportsvisionmagazine.com/training/vision/eyehandcoordination.html

Baseball's Pitching Dilemma: 'Too Hard, Too Fast, Too Much, Too Soon'

Josh Beckett grew up as a baseball star in the baseball hotbed of Texas. He was so good at his Houston-area high school that the Florida Marlins made him the second overall pick in the 1999 draft

He played high school baseball. He played fall ball. He played summer ball.

But during those three months of the summer, Josh Beckett almost never pitched. His father wouldn't allow it. His coach wouldn't allow it. For those three months a year, Beckett played the outfield instead.

"I definitely don't think I was abused," Beckett said one day in late May. "My dad would never have let that happen. [Summer league coach] Clay Hill wouldn't let it happen. My high school coach, too."

A few days after we spoke, Beckett would make the 321st start of his 14-year big-league career, and it would be a memorable one. He threw the first no-hitter in the major leagues this year, against the Philadelphia Phillies.

One other thing about Beckett: He's never had Tommy John surgery.

He's 34 years old. He's closing in on 2,000 major league innings. He's been on the disabled list with blisters and with mild strains, and he needed surgery last year for thoracic outlet syndrome. But at a time when it seems every pitcher has had Tommy John surgery once, more and more have had it twice and others are on the way to get an MRI to see if they need it, Beckett has so far avoided it.

There's no real way to know if not pitching for those three summer months in high school has helped in keeping his elbow relatively healthy for the 15 years since then. Not every pitcher whose arm is abused gets hurt, and not every pitcher who was protected stays healthy.

But at a time when doctors and trainers describe what we're seeing as an "epidemic," with another baseball draft fast approaching (it begins on Thursday), and more and more of the available pitchers having already had Tommy John surgery or likelier than ever to need it in the years to come, it's probably worth paying attention to some guys who didn't need to get cut.

* * *

The numbers really are staggering.

In just April and May of this year, 28 professional pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery, according to an online database maintained by writer Jon Roegele. Only two of those pitchers (Josh Johnson and Peter Moylan) were past their 30th birthday. Five were 21 or younger.

Roegele's list doesn't even count pitchers who aren't yet in pro baseball. Studies by the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, reveal that anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of Tommy John surgeries performed in recent years have been on pitchers in high school or even younger, a huge increase from 10 years ago.

East Carolina University pitcher Jeff Hoffman, who likely would have been one of the first players drafted this year, was one of this spring's victims, going under the knife on May 14. Nevada-Las Vegas pitcher Erick Fedde, another likely first-rounder, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com, also had Tommy John surgery in May.

Doctors and trainers increasingly believe that overuse of teenage pitchers is behind the rise. They also believe that overuse and overthrowing as a teenager leads to a far greater risk of serious arm trouble as a professional. And they have studies to prove it.

"I don't think there's any question it starts in youth baseball," said Kevin Rand, who has spent 33 years in professional baseball, the last 12 as the head athletic trainer for the Detroit Tigers. "You read medicals of kids in the draft, and you'll see one where this kid could have been a good pitcher, but it ended at 15.

"They're throwing too hard, too fast, too much, too soon."

Ask around the baseball world, and you'll hear the same thing from everyone—from current major league pitchers to trainers, doctors, scouting directors, college coaches and even coaches involved in youth baseball.

You'll hear of kids pitching 12 months a year. You'll hear of kids playing for multiple teams during the summer so that they can pitch multiple times per week. You'll hear of kids throwing in a high school game one day and then visiting a private pitching coach and throwing more just two days later. You'll hear of kids visiting private strength trainers, lifting weights and then pitching in a game the very next day.

You'll even hear of 12-year-olds trying to throw split-finger fastballs.

"It's nothing short of child abuse is what it is," Rand said.

But it's not illegal.

"Many [youth baseball programs] have good regulations," said Dr. Glenn Fleisig, the research director at ASMI. "But there's a lot of baseball that is unregulated. Little League Baseball brought [overall limits] up in court, but the kids and the parents won.

"The courts said it's their free right to pitch as much as they want."

Fleisig, who serves on USA Baseball's medical and safety committee and also as the pitching safety consultant for Little League Baseball, can only work to spread the word and get his recommendations out to parents.

The Tommy John epidemic has helped his cause in a way, leading to this story and many others, and leading to Fleisig being swamped with interview requests.

"Someone should do a study on my overuse," he joked.

But really, he and the other medical people want this story to get out. They want it talked about, because they understand that their only chance to combat this epidemic is to convince parents that they need to protect their kids.

"I think a lot of people are looking at it—and that's a great thing," said Stan Conte, the veteran athletic trainer of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a member of a Major League Baseball committee studying the issue.

"Hopefully we can get youth leagues to protect the kids from themselves," Conte said. "It has to be the adults in the room making the decisions. But parents all think it's someone else's kid who is going to get hurt."

* * *

More and more kids are getting hurt, and more and more are getting fixed.

Tommy John surgery, originated in 1974 when Dr. Frank Jobe had the revolutionary idea of using a tendon from elsewhere in the body to replace the torn ulnar collateral ligament in Tommy John's 31-year-old left elbow, has indisputably saved the careers of hundreds of pitchers over the 40 years since then. It's been perfected to the point that 80 to 90 percent of pitchers who have the surgery are able to return to the same or higher level of competition in a year.

You'll hear that pitchers come back from Tommy John surgery stronger than before, throwing harder than before. You'll hear that you might as well just give all pitchers Tommy John surgery, just to get it out of the way.

Don't believe it.

First off, there is a risk. As much as Tommy John surgery has been mastered, there are a significant number of cases in which it doesn't work.

Second, nobody comes back throwing harder because he had Tommy John surgery. The doctors say the best they can hope to do is make the replacement ligament as good as the original. If there's any increase in velocity, it's due to other factors (such as getting stronger or normal development).

Finally, Tommy John surgery often isn't the final word. The best guess now is that the replacement ligament has a shelf life of about seven years, or at the most two or three years longer. Thus, a pitcher who needs Tommy John surgery at age 17 could be looking at another one by the time he's 24, or just when his major league career would get going.

And the success rate of a second Tommy John surgery is significantly lower.

Professional teams are well aware of that risk. At least 10 of the 30 major league organizations won't even consider drafting a pitcher if he has already had Tommy John surgery.

Read more: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2080837-baseballs-pitching-dilemma-too-hard-too-fast-too-much-too-soon

Joe Mauer's Inspiring Path to Becoming an MLB All-Star

                                                                       (Mauer on Right)
                                                       
Watch Video:
http://www.stack.com/video/3441939300001/joe-mauers-inspiring-path-to-becoming-an-mlb-allstar/

Minnesota Twins All-Star Joe Mauer talks about how his early years as an athlete shaped him and propelled him to MLB success.

MLB All-Star 1B Joe Mauer discusses his upbringing in Minnesota as the youngest of three boys. He relates how he and his older brothers developd their baseball ability in their basement by practicing with skinny, taped-up pipes and wiffle golf balls. He also explains his father's hitting invention, the Quick Pitch, which drops a baseball into the strike zone, forcing the hitter to use a compact swing to make contact.

Mauer played football, baseball and basketball growing up, which allowed him to develop a well-rounded athleticism. After a successful high school career, he was offered a football scholarship to play QB for Florida State. He chose baseball instead after realizing he had the ability to play at a high level. He discovered his prowess after making the USA U-18 baseball team following an impressive camp. Mauer was one of the youngest players and the only one representing the Midwest.

Within two years, he was the Twins starting catcher on Opening Day—less than ten miles away from his high school.

Mauer prides himself on playing the game the right way, working hard and keeping his mouth shut. He wants to be remembered for working hard, not for something controversial he said.

Youth baseball players learn on the job skills

About 20 participants attend inaugural one-day event to receive evaluations of their skills.

GLENDALE — A group of nearly 20 participants were set to be put to the test, knowing they would be evaluated following the completion of nearly 10 drills across the expansive baseball field at the Glendale Sports Complex on Tuesday.

From hitting ability to arm strength to running speed and more, the contingent took part in the inaugural My Pro Day, a skills evaluation conducted across the country by the United States Baseball Academy for players 5-18.

With radar guns used at practically every drill station, the players looked to accelerate their learning curve before receiving a detailed report on what skills they have mastered and where they need to improve after attending the one-day event.

"It's not your typical baseball camp you go to in the summer," said Joe Cotti, the chief evaluator of the workout at the Glendale site and a former Hoover High baseball coach from 2010-12. "You are not receiving instruction.

"Instead, it's a complete evaluation process and you get tested for velocity, agility, hitting and speed. You go from station to station and you get a better idea of where you stand."

Prior to the start of the four-hour event, each participant was given an evaluation sheet chronicling every exercise they would encounter. Following the completion of a drill, the participants' marks were recorded on the scorecard.

It proved to be the ideal course of action for each member in their quest to advance to the next stage of competition. The event was attended by high school players and Little Leaguers from around Glendale and Los Angeles and as far away as Louisiana.

Devin Aure, 8, came prepared to showcase his skills.

Aure, a Los Angeles resident, went to the bullpen down the right-field line to test his pitching skills. The right-hander threw five pitches at an average speed off 44 miles per hour.

"I'm usually an outfielder or infielder," said Aure, sporting a blue baseball cap and uniform. "It doesn't hurt to know how to pitch, either.

"I want to be a baseball player and this is a good camp because you find out where you stand in different areas. I felt like my pitches were good and fast. I also wanted to see how fast I could run."

Amari Yolas, 9, appeared confident after he stepped into the batter's box and hit five balls of a tee. Four of the balls Yolas hit went to the right side of second base and one landed in the outfield.

Each of Yolas' hits clocked 80 MPH off the bat.

"I think it's a great drill," said Yolas, who plays on a Little League all-star team in Baldwin Hills. "You get a better idea of how fast you hit the ball.

"I'm also looking to get better at tracking down balls. I usually play shortstop. You try to find ways to get to the ball quickly and this [event] helps you get a better idea."

Julian Corral, a Glendale resident, came to the competition looking to improve his speed on offense and defense.

Corral, 7, said the drills will help him as he plans to pursue playing baseball for a while.

"There are so many things you can learn, like learning how to throw and run faster" Corral said. "I think it's cool that you can come here and learn."

Cotti, who coached last season at Milken Community, said the participants' results are entered into an international database and divulge how they measure up against players their age around the nation.

"They find out where they stack up and they know where they will compare with others," Cotti said. "You get used to the exposure and you keep learning.

"The more things you can do, the more comfortable you'll get."
Source: http://www.glendalenewspress.com/sports/tn-gnp-sp-youth-baseball-players-learn-on-the-job-skills-20140625,0,3067137.story

Summer Instruction Series: Switch Hitting - Mark Teixeira

One of the best switch hitters in college baseball history was 3B Mark Teixeira of Georgia Tech, now a first baseman for the New York Yankees.

He hit .427 in 2000 with 18 homers, 21 doubles and 80 RBI. Lou Pavlovich, Jr. interviewed him at the beginning of the 2001 college baseball season about how he learned to be such a great switch hitter.

Here is the story that was published in the January 5, 2001 edition of Collegiate Baseball.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

Rarely has college baseball seen the likes of Mark Teixeira. The All-American third baseman for Georgia Tech is living proof that work…gut-busting work…will get you where you want in life.

Considered one of the finest switch hitters in college baseball history, he put up staggering numbers in his first two seasons with the Yellow Jackets:

• In 2000, he hit .427 with 18 home runs, 21 doubles, 80 RBI along with a slugging percentage of .772. He collected 103 hits, scored 104 runs, had an on-base percentage of .547 and was extremely disciplined at the plate with 67 walks as he was named National Player of the Year by several outlets. His 67 walks (which included 17 intentional passes) led the Atlantic Coast Conference and was only nine shy of the ACC all-time record.

• As a switch hitter in 2000, he had virtually the same power numbers from both sides of the plate when you factor in the number of bats he had. As a left-handed hitter against right-handed pitching, he batted .405 with 12 homers in 163 at bats. As a right-handed hitter against left-handed pitching (in less than half the at bats, 78), he hit .474 with 6 homers.

• Even more remarkable was that Teixeira had an on-base percentage of .633 when leading off an inning and hit .457 with runners on base.

• A year earlier as a freshman for Georgia Tech, Teixeira hit .387 with 13 home runs, 18 doubles and 65 RBI which earned him Freshman National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball.

“Mark is right in line with some of the greatest hitters I have ever had the privilege of coaching,” said Georgia Tech head Coach Danny Hall.

Hall has closely observed the development of future Major Leaguer Barry Larkin in his days as a coach at the University of Michigan as well as Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek with the Yellow Jackets, plus other high profile hitters.

“Whatever the challenge is, he (Teixeira) is able to meet it head on and separate himself from the pack in terms of performance and skill level. He is a very dedicated, focused guy as well as being extremely mature. He has the whole package.”

Hall said Teixeira led the NCAA Division I hitters last year in runs scored at 104 which many people don’t realize.

“Most people think of Mark as a switch hitter with power who knocks runners in. But he can steal bases as well and is a smart runner,” Hall added.

Learning To Switch Hit
How did Teixeira become such a polished hitter from both sides of the plate? It all began at the ripe old age of three.

“I was barely walking when I began swinging a bat,” chuckled Teixeira.

“We have a unique history of baseball in my family. My dad played baseball at the U.S. Naval Academy and my Uncle Pete played baseball at the University of Florida and in the Atlanta Braves’ organization. Because of the history of baseball in my family, I got an early start. We played Wiffle Ball all the time and kept playing it until I began high school. Obviously, I hit plenty of real baseballs as well. But my friends and I played home run derby a lot with Wiffle balls. I had a special group of friends in the neighborhood who enjoyed playing this game for fun. Swinging the light bat helped your eye/hand coordination and was very important to my early success.”

Teixeira said he has always been a good hitter.

“It just came naturally to me. But I never took it for granted. I kept hitting all the time. My dad would throw me batting practice daily at a young age when he got home from work until dark. At the age of five, I began switch hitting. But I got frustrated and stopped doing it. I was a natural right-handed hitter and stayed that way until the age of 13. Then I started switch hitting again and worked and worked at it.

“After a period of time, hitting from the left side became natural and more power came. It took a long time. It probably wasn’t until the sophomore year of high school that I was completely comfortable with switch hitting. People might think it is easy to do if they are successful switch hitting in a batting cage. But it is light years different from a real game. You see curves, 90 mph fastballs, change ups and a whole assortment of pitches. To learn how to hit from the left side, you must learn to hit the ball the opposite way. Once I got that down, hitting from that side became much easier.”

Teixeira said he is not ambidextrous but was skilled with his left foot when he played soccer as a youngster and made layups with his left hand in basketball without any trouble. He has never thrown a baseball left handed.

On learning to be a disciplined hitter, Teixeira said, “Once I was in high school, pitchers know how to pitch well. You didn’t see fastballs down the middle. It forced me to learn the strike zone. My coach (Dave Norton of Mount St. Joseph’s H.S. in Severna Park, Md.) kept after me to not swing at pitches not in the strike zone since pitchers were trying to get me to chase bad pitches.

“I have never thought a walk was something bad. Some hitters hate to walk, but not me. I know a lot of hitters who would rather ground out than walk. But that is crazy. Walking helps the team and helps you. If you swing at balls, you will get yourself out.”

Teixeira was asked if he likes to take the first pitch to size up pitchers and get a feel for them, or if he prefers going after first pitches. “If the pitch is in my zone, I go after it immediately,” he said.

“Good pitchers try to get ahead in the count. If the ball is right there, why not drive it? If it is a great pitch that paints the corner, I let it go. My strategy on the first pitch of an at bat is just like the count is 3-1 or 2-0. It must be a great pitch where I want it.”

As far as his thoughts in the on-deck circle, he keeps it relatively simple.

“I prepare myself for my at bat beginning in the on-deck circle. You must know what type of pitcher he is.

If you faced him in the past, you have a base of knowledge on how he will pitch you. If you don’t know anything about the pitcher, you study him and try to pick up what you can in the on deck circle and in the dugout as well. Since I am a switch hitter, I study how pitchers throw to left-handed or right-handed power hitters. Once I get to the batter’s box, all I do is see the ball and hit it. I don’t think of anything else. I trust myself to react the way I can.

“You can’t over think in the box. You can’t have the voice in your head ask questions such as: What if he throws a curve, fastball in or away or a change up? If you do that, you are sunk. If I find myself doing that, chances are I will get myself out. It’s important for me to rely on my given hitting ability and simply to see the ball and hit it.”

Seeing The Ball
Teixeira said he doesn’t do anything unusual visually when he steps to the plate such as fine centering on the pitch.

“I look the pitcher straight in the eyes when I get to the plate. Once he breaks his hands in the delivery, I pick up the ball and drive it.”

He was asked what he does to get out of rare slumps.

“Usually nine out of 10 times, it is mental. I am usually trying to do too much. I may not be getting many pitches to hit, jumping at the ball or letting my back shoulder come down. To help get out of a slump, I use a batting T and hit balls or hit soft toss until my basic swing feels comfortable once again. For me, slumps are mostly mental. If I don’t feel comfortable in an at bat, I just won’t hit well.”

On being able to perform so well in a clutch time and time again, Teixeira said, “When nobody is on base, pitchers can be much more fine with you. But when runners are on, it gives hitters a huge advantage. I unusually get better pitches with men on base because pitchers must throw strikes. There is no room for error for them. I don’t bear down any harder with men on base. I just realize that the odds become better for me when these situations come up.”

Mental Skills Crucial
What also makes Teixeira so unique is that he has dissected the mental part of baseball and feels this knowledge is crucial to high performance.

“I purchased The Mental Game Of Baseball (written by Harvey Dorfman and Karl Kuehl) because the mental part of the game is so important to ball players.

“I feel properly utilizing the mind separates good players from great players. A lot of players have talent. Tapping the productivity out of the talent is the real key. If you have the mental edge, it can help propel you to the next level,” he said.

He discussed an American Legion game in which his team was down 11-0 in the third inning. However, the game was stopped due to rain and resumed the following day. His team came back the next morning and going into the ninth inning were only down by one run.

The first two batters struck out and the third batter walked. Teixeira came up to the plate and hit a 2-run homer to win the game.

“I learned a huge lesson in that game that you never, ever give up until the last out,” he said.

http://baseballnews.com/summer-instruction-series-switch-hitting/

Specialization: Does it Ensure a College Athletic Career?