Switch Pitching 101

Jesse Harris (Class of 2013) Hometown: Connersville, Indiana High School:   Connersville HS Team: Connersville High School Spartans Summer Team: St. Leon Legion (Indiana) College: Ball State University Positions: LHP/RHP, INF Bats: Switch Hitter Throws:  Both, ambidextrous    throws harder right-handed Glove: Custom Mizuno glove ($400)  Jesse Harris demonstrates his custom Mizuno glove (2007) As a Junior, in 2012, Jesse Harris was selected to play in a high school baseball showcase.  Five local players selected for baseball showcase By JAMIE TAYLOR, newsexaminer.com Friday, July 13, 2012 “I’m very excited about the showcase,” Harris said. “When you get nominated to go play in front of 40-plus college and pro scouts, it feels like you have done well to get there. Harris will display his skills at the second and third base positions, as well as from the mound. Although the skill levels of the players attending th...

Ambidextrous pitcher Ryan Perez, pitching for the Chicago White Sox Area Code team in Long Beach, California. Switch pitched from the right side and left side in the same inning.  The video includes an  interview with Perez who uses a six-finger ambidextrous glove. --- Switch Pitcher Ryan Perez - YouTube Videos ---

Alex Urbanek Hometown: Story City, Iowa School: Roland-Story High School (Class of 2014) Roland-Story High School Honor Roll Height/Weight: 5'8" 145 (JR) Bats: Right (former switch hitter)
 Throws: Both Positions: LHP/RHP, 1B (Left), C (Left)
 Gloves: uses two different gloves for pitching Pitches: Fastball, curveball and change-up When he started: Started switch pitching in games when he was 12 years old. Naturally right-handed, Urbanek’s mom and dad taught him to throw left-handed when he was young. His family is big into baseball. ( amestrib.com ) Alex Urbanek has been throwing with both hands since Little League. Initially, his parents trained him as a southpaw, although he is naturally right-handed. In Little League, he was a switch-hitter - but in high school, he bats right-handed.  In addition to switch pitching, Urbanek plays first base and catcher - both left-handed. Roland-Story sophomore can bring it from both sides By Tommy Birch...

Ambidextrous Pitcher in High School Name: Jeffrey William Schwarz Born: May 20, 1964 in Fort Pierce, FL High School: Fort Pierce Westwood High School (Fort Pierce, FL) College: None Height/Weight: 6' 5" / 190 Position: Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Both / RHP in the MLB Draft: 1982: Chicago Cub in the 24th Round (596th) Pro Teams: White Sox (1993-94), Angels (1994), Yokohama BayStars (1995 Japan) Where is he now? 2012 - Pitching Coach with the Gulf Coast Marlins (Rookie Level) Jeff Schwarz in the News: Chicago White Sox - 1993 Two hours before Sunday's game at Comiskey Park, I ran into Jeff Schwarz, the ambidextrous White Sox middle reliever. I asked how he was feeling, if he was ready to go, the usual mundane questions. "I'm ready-either right- or left-handed," he replied. ( Schwarz Doubly Armed and Ready  by Jerome Holtzman,  Chicago Tribune , June 28, 1993) Schwarz starting throwing left-handed when he was 13 years old ...

A baseball player who can pitch with both arms is bound to have a nickname. Pat Venditte  [Ven-dit-tee] (Minor League Pitcher, NY Yankees) -  El Pulpo  = The Octopus - Dexter - Dr. Strange Glove (by Ed Tseng) Venditte’s unique approach to pitching earned him this nickname from his college pitching coach: Dexter. Ryan Perez (Judson University) - Amb (short for ambidextrous) Paul Richards (MLB player and coach) “The Wizard of Waxahachie” Ambidextrous Pitcher , is also know as - Ambi Pitcher - Switch Pitcher  - Both Handed Pitcher (BHP) - Double-Handed Pitcher - Switch Handed Pitcher (SHP) - LHP / RHP (on the roster) Switch pitchers have also been called - Ambi - Amphibious (from Yogi Berra Quote) - The Freak - Double Trouble - Deuce - Duel Pitcher - Twin Pitcher - Double Pitcher - Double Barreled Pitcher - The Bullpen - Six Finger Pitcher - Double Duty - Two-Handed Pitcher - Two-Way Pitcher - Switcher - Switcheroo -...

Los Leones del Escogido contraron al lanzador ambidextro Pat Venditte El lanzador estadounidense debut{o el pasado domingo en Santiago en la Final del torneo de béisbol otoño-invernal dominicano. Lanza a ambas manos. Entrevista realizada a Pat Venditte, pitcher ambidiestro de Águilas de Mexicali. En el cierre del octavo, pitcher ambidextro Patrick Venditte,en su debut en el béisbol dominicano hizo historia , lanzando a la derecha a Hector Luna, a la izquierda ante Brandon Moss y a la derecha contra Miguel Tejada.beisbol CSTVs - Going Yard  The Switch Pitcher Creighton junior pitcher Pat Venditte can get hitters out with either arm. ---

As a switch pitcher, sometimes you have to go with whatever it takes to help support your team. This is especially the case for pitchers on select or tournament teams.  A few players will be the starters, other middle relief pitchers and one or two might be the closer. What is the role of a switch pitcher in tournament play? Starter  If you consistently throw first pitch strikes, and put the ball in play, then you might grab a spot as a starter. Starters are expected to go three or more innings in youth leagues. High school starting pitchers often throw for five or more innings. The best pitchers can throw a complete game. It's important to rely on the fielders and put the ball in play. Many starting pitchers average 12 to 15 pitches per inning. Middle Relief  Can you handle pressure situations? Can you get batters to ground out to shortstop? Or hit an easy popup to center field? Then you might grab a spot as a relief pitcher. Closer...

.. as the old saying goes - but you can steal every other base, just like Billy Hamilton. The first step is to get on base. After struggling to a .215 mark in his first pro stop — when the Reds turned the second-round draft pick into a switch-hitter — he's hitting .323 so far this year with a .413 on-base percentage.  Hamilton, a shortstop in the Reds organization, has played all year for the Bakersfield Blaze of the California League. In 82 games, he has stolen 104 bases. That's right - 104 stolen bases! Read more about Billy Hamilton Source: Larry Stone, The Seattle Times Keeping Up with Billy Hamilton by Mark Smith, May 7, 2013 Billy Hamilton  is one of the most intriguing prospects in baseball. In a game where home runs are king, Hamilton’s speed still excites the imagination in a  Pete ‘Wheelie’ Wheeler  way. Drafted in the second round in 2009, Hamilton stole our hearts. Then he stole 103 bases in 2011; and then a minor league record 155 las...

Maxwell Joseph Muzio Homick (Max Homick) Born June 10, 1992 in  San Luis Obispo, CA High School: Rancho Bernardo HS College: University of San Diego Positions: LHP/OF/1B Bats/Throws:  L/L College As a freshman in 2012, Max Homick pitched for the University of San Diego -- posting a record of 1-0.   High School Homick, is an ambidextrous player who lettered four years at Rancho Bernardo High School. He was recruited to play for Arizona State, USC and UC Irvine. In his senior year,   he had seven homeruns, 27 RBI, five stolen bases and a batting average of .300. His pitching record was 10-1, with a 0.66 era, 85 strikeouts, and a total of 84 innings pitched. Max Homick Profile and Stats

While doing historical research on switch pitchers, I ran across a few photos of vintage ambidextrous baseball gloves on the  Baseball Glove Collector Gallery Check out the Rip Collins Ambidextrous Glove Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Mar 24, 1955 All thumbs? -- No, just two, Rip Collins , former major league star tells Bob Purkey of the Pirates as he demonstrates a "two-fisted" glove he designed. The glove has two thumbs, and can be used by either a right-hander or a left-hander. But what has two thumbs? 1914 Reach/Spalding ambidextrous glove, model SC In 1911, Samuel Cline patented an ambidextrous fielders' glove for A.J. Reach Co. source:  1914 Reach/Spalding ambidextrous glove More Ambidextrous Gloves >> ...

Henry Knight pitching for Franklin High School (Photo:  Jerry Johnson ) This is the story behind ambidextrous pitcher Henry Knight from Seattle. Practice makes perfect Throwing with both arms takes a lot of regular practice to develop good mechanics and strong accurate throws. Excellent instruction and hard work is very important. Practicing the little things, like pickoff throws, can make a big difference in games. Throwing Lefty and Righty at the Park It was overcast and 50 degrees the other day, when Henry went down to the local baseball field to practice throwing with both arms -- like he often does on the weekend. There was a stocky redhead player on the infield practicing catching with a coach - both were in catcher's gear.  We asked the coach if we could share the infield and he said "Sure, no problem. They need to get ready for high school tryouts."  Henry started throwing left-handed to warmup, then took the mound to work on picko...