Skip to main content

LHP Jason Vargas is ambidextrous

Jason Matthew Vargas
Born: February 2, 1983 in Apple Valley, CA
School: Apple Valley HS (Apple Valley, CA)
MLB Teams: Mariners/Marlins/Mets

Position: Pitcher
Height/Weight: 6' 0", 215 lb.
Bats: Left
Throws: LHP in the MLB, ambidextrous throw when young


When Jason Vargas was only 5 or 6, he threw with both hands. He started out throwing right-handed, then switched to being left-handed at an early age. In the big league he is only listed as LHP.


Determined Vargas Vies for Mets’ Rotation

By BEN SHPIGEL

Published: February 15, 2007


Growing up in Apple Valley, Calif., about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, Vargas was ambidextrous. About age 5 or 6, he picked up a ball in his left hand. Read more


As a youngster, he originally threw the ball right handed, but switched to being a southpaw before he started organized baseball.

“I remember it a little,” he said of his ambidextrous changeover. “I guess when I was a kid I mainly threw the ball right handed, then I switched over on my own and my dad got me a glove and it stuck there every since. But I was only 5 or 6. It wasn’t a Billy Wagner thing where I broke my arm and ended up with 100 mph in the other one. That would be nice.”
The former high school quarterback does throw in the low 90s with his left arm and appears to be on top of his game this season. 

Jason Vargas Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pitchers Glove Rules - Size and Color

What are the rules on a pitchers glove? According to the official baseball rules, a pitchers glove can be up to 12 inches in size , of any weight , and any color except white or gray as long as it is not distracting.  The Akadema ABX-00 glove, pictured above, is 12 inches,  solid black and is not distracting according to local umpires. Little League Rules Gray glove is not allowed for pitching  White glove is not allowed for pitching Little League Rule 1.14: Each fielder, other than the first baseman and the catcher may wear a glove not more than 12 inches long nor more than 7 3/4 inches wide, measured from the base of the thumb crotch to the outer edge of the glove. The glove may be of any weight. Little League Rule  1.15 (a) : The pitcher's glove may not, exclusive of the piping, be white or light gray, nor, in the judgment of an umpire, distracting in any manner. (source: Little League Baseball Rules Regarding Bats and Gloves ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fastball Velocity - How fast do kids throw?

How fast does a Little League pitcher throw? The average fastball is between 50-60 mph for a  pitcher in the Majors division of Little League (11-13 yo). Pitchers in the Little League World Series throw fastballs 60-70+ mph. Only a few pitchers touched 70+ mph in 2015 and 2016. One man-child hit 81 mph on the radar. This velocity is almost unhittable from 46 feet  and extremely rare for a 13 year old. #18 RHP Carlos Gonzalez - Panama 79-81 mph fastball  105 mph MLB equivalent reaction time #18 RHP Jaekyeong Kim - South Korea 75-76 mph fastball #19 RHP Ryan Harlost - Mid-Atlantic, Endwell, NY 71-74 mph fastball Threw a complete game to win the 2016 Little League World Series Loreto Siniscalchi , a 6'1" pitcher from Canada, threw in the mid 70s and completely dominated the hitters from Japan.  He led Team Canada to its first victory over Japan in 18 years. Big right-hander Isaiah Head from Kentucky threw 70-73 mph fastballs. His recor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Baseball Glove Options for Switch Pitchers

Custom made  Mizuno ambidextrous glove Looking for a glove for a switch pitcher? Before spending hundreds of dollars on a custom glove, please think about age of the player and how much time they will spend pitching. Here are glove options for ambidextrous pitchers, based on age: Age 3-5 Kids don't pitch at this age. They should be learning the proper way to throw. Young kids should try catching the ball with two hands. Use tennis balls or foam balls for throwing. Forget about the low quality plastic glove - it's in the landfill within a year. Gloves are awkward for young kids. If they learn two hand catch when they are young and continue with the skill, they will do well fielding balls when they are older. Learning to throw with both arms is easy at this stage. If a child can throw with either hand when they are three-years-old, it doesn't mean that they are talented or ambidextrous - it just means that they are a typical kid. Gloves:  Buy a smal...
7 comments
Read more