The Advantages of Being Left-Handed in Baseball

by Red on November 1, 2012

When it comes to one’s dominant hand, without a doubt the righties have an overwhelming majority. In fact, approximately 10% of the population is left handed. However, when looking at professional baseball players, this statistic is actually much larger. About 25% of all baseball players are lefties. Left-handed baseball players actually have some significant advantages over their right-handed counterparts.

The majority of pitchers in baseball are right handed, as are the batters. Therefore, when the baseball is thrown, the right-handed batter must peer over his shoulder to view the ball. When this occurs it makes it a bit more difficult to perceive the ball’s depth or the speed at which it has been thrown. On the other hand, when a left-handed batter watches the ball they do so at a different angle. This angle gives a better view of the ball which makes it easier to perceive the speed of the pitch. As a result, left-handed batters do have an advantage over right-handed ones.

Another advantage held by left-handed hitters pertains to the momentum they have after hitting the ball and running to the base. After a right-handed player swings the bat, their torso is directed towards the position of third base. He must stop his body and propel himself in the opposite direction. With left-handed batters, their body is already turned towards first base once the ball is hit. Therefore, they already have momentum in that direction, which helps them get to base quicker.

Knowing the dominant hand of various baseball players can provide some practical benefit to fans at home that enjoy sports betting. Many baseball bets can be placed on the results of certain games. If a bettor has more information about a specific team, they can place bets on online sports betting and casino sites. Some casino sites like www.luckynuggetcasino.com just offer games, but sports betting is one of the top features at many online casinos. Lucky Nugget, however, offer Golden Glove online slots game, which brings together two of the greatest things in the world – baseball and gaming.

3 comments
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noisyking
noisyking

I don't challenge the science, but by this measure, wouldn't it be a disadvantage to be a left-handed pitcher? Then 75% of batters (all the righties) would have the more advantageous angle on your pitches.

But the reality is that there are some phenomenal lefties (Johnson, Grove, Koufax, Spahn, etc), and lefty pitchers are often coveted. I'm obviously missing something in this equation. :-/

kurt
kurt

@noisyking As I understand it, the reason lefties are at an advantage in pitching, too, is that batters, by training and experience, build their swings for what they're going to face most often. If most pitchers were lefties they'd train for that and have an advantage, but they don't, because they need to focus on what they'll see most often.

And now I feel like I should add a paragraph recommending a betting site. But I won't.

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