How rare are ambidextrous pitchers?

Henry Knight, switch pitcher, had a 12:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in high school

Ambidextrous pitchers are extremely rare in high school baseball.

One in A Million

In the USA, the chance of meeting a high school ambidextrous pitcher is 1 in a million.*

For comparison...

What are the odds of getting struck by lightning?
The odds of becoming a lightning victim in the U.S. in any one year is 1 in 700,000. The odds of being struck in your lifetime is 1 in 3,000. (source: nationalgeographic.com)

How many switch pitchers are playing high school baseball?

It's tricky to come up with an exact number of high school switch pitchers in the USA, but based on news reports in the past five years I came up with a rough estimate.

The ratio is about ...

1 ambidextrous pitcher per 22,500 HS players

Note: This estimate is based on verified information from reliable sources, including news channels, newspapers, coaches, recruiting networks, Perfect Game, and HS Baseball Web.

How many switch pitchers per class?

In 2015, there were only 6 switch pitchers out of ~135,000 players in the senior class.
(NCAA - number of High School Baseball Players)

There are usually 5 to 7 switch pitchers in entire USA per graduating class.
List of Switch Pitchers >>

Is there a switch pitcher in the MLB?

Pat Venditte is the only switch pitcher in major league baseball. Venditte was called up to the big leagues on June 5, 2015 and made his stellar debut with the Oakland Athletics vs Boston Red Sox.

In 2015, he regularly threw both ways as a relief pitcher for the Nashville Sounds (AAA - Athletics organization).

Ryan Perez, a college switch pitcher, was drafted in 2015 by the Cleveland Indians. Perez who throws 90+ mph with both arms, is now pitching in the minors leagues.

How many switch pitchers are in college baseball?

A few switch pitchers throw in college - Aubrey McCarty (Vanderbilt), Alex Trautner (Creighton), Marcus Garcia (Sierra College) and Ryan Perez (Judson).

What is a switch pitcher?

A switch pitcher, also know as an ambidextrous pitcher, has the ability to throw multiple innings with either arm in baseball games. They have the ability to switch throwing arms between batters, to gain an advantage (left-on-left or right-on-right), but often stick with throwing from one side during an inning.

When do kids start throwing with both arms?

Switch pitchers are rarely naturally ambidextrous. Switch pitching is a skill that is developed with lots of practice. Ambidextrous pitchers often start throwing with both arms when they are young.

Pat Venditte, who switch pitches in the minor leagues, started throwing both ways when he was only 3 years old.

Henry Knight, a successful high school pitcher, started throwing with his non-dominant arm at age 9, and switch pitching in games when he was 10 years old.

Ambidextrous Glove

Typically, high school switch pitchers use a six-fingered glove, with two thumb slots, that can be worn on either hand.

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More information

List of Switch Pitchers

Chances of a switch pitcher playing in college

Sounds Ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte has the rarest of MLB skills

Estimated probability of competing in college baseball (NCAA.org)

Sources

US Census 2010 (*out of all high school age students)
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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 ...

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...

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...

UnknownSeptember 22, 2015
Great blog. My son is ambidextrous. I didn't realize it is that rare. I found this because I was looking for a ambidextrous glove for him, especially for when he is playing center field. He is 9 and playing club ball here in Phoenix. He plays on the 9u Arizona Grizzlies.

thanks

Kevin Danzeisen

Switch Pitching 101

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