Switch Pitching 101

David Alan Robertson Born: April 8, 1985 in Birmingham, Alabama College: University of Alabama Height/Weight: 5'11", 195 lb Team:  New York Yankees Position: RHP Bats: Right Throws: Both, RHP in the MLB David Robertson, a right-handed pitcher, started throwing left-handed as a teenager, when his right shoulder was weak. He continued to throw lefty for fun at the University of Alabama.    As a pro, he throws BP lefty in the offseason. He did not become a switch pitcher, but he did face an ambidextrous pitcher in high school. As a pro, he throws BP lefty in the offseason. Nicknamed " Houdini " for his ability to escape pressure situations with runners on base. How Phillies reliever David Robertson became an ambidextrous pitcher, sort of | Scott Lauber by Scott Lauber, Updated: May 12, 2019 A Wacky Wannabe Southpaw Robertson Earns a Living With His Right Arm but Has More Fun Throwing Lefty David Robertson Stats and Bio David Robertson Stati...

Tristram E. Speaker  Nicknames: " Spoke " and " The Grey Eagle " Born: April 4, 1888 in Hubbard, Texas Died:  Dec 8, 1958 (Aged 70) High School: Hubbard HS, Hubbard, TX College:  Polytechnic College , Fort Worth, TX   ( The college  became Texas Wesleyan University) Teams:   Boston Red Sox (1907-1915), Cleveland Indians (1916-1926), Washington Senators (1927), Philadelphia A's (1928) Inducted  into the  Hall of Fame  by BBWAA as Player in 1937 (165/201 ballots). Tris Speaker - Hall of Fame Position:  CF Height: 5' 11" Weight: 193 lbs. Bats: Left Throws: Left, ambidextrous Hall of Fame centerfielder, Tris Speaker, played pro ball until he was 40 years old.  He tallied  3,514 hits over 22 years.  Speaker's specialty was hitting doubles -- he led the league eight times and still holds the career mark with 793. He only struck out 220 times in his entire career.  Speaker finished his...

News stories about MLB prospect Drew Vettleson  - a former high school switch pitcher who plays outfield for the Rays organization Follow Drew on Twitter at  @DrewVettleson 2014 In 2014, Drew Vettleson was playing in the minor leagues for the Washington Nationals - Harrisburg Senators, Class AA Drew Vettleson traded by the Rays to the Washington Nationals , Feb 13, 2014 By Patrick Reddington |  federalbaseball.com Drew Vettleson, also 22, was a supplemental 1st Round pick by the Rays taken 42nd overall out of Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, Washington. In three seasons in Tampa Bay's organization, the left-handed hitting outfielder put up a combined .276/.340/.420 line. In 2013, at High-A Charlotte, Vettleson posted a .274/.331/.388 line with 29 doubles, six triples and four home runs in 121 games and 516 plate appearances. Here's what the Nationals' press release on the deal had to say about the outfield prospect: "Vettleson, who wa...

Carlos Carrasco Born:   Mar 21, 1987, in Barquisimeto, Venezuela Team: Cleveland Indians 2009-2011 Height/Weight: 6' 3" 210 lbs. Position: RHP Bats: Right Throws: Pitches right-handed, ambidextrous thrower Carlos Carrasco is a right-handed pitcher, who can also field balls and throw well left-handed. He is an ambidextrous thrower, but not a switch-pitcher. Carrasco was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2003. Carrasco, not a switch-pitcher, can throw left-handed By Sheldon Ocker  Beacon Journal sports writer   August 5, 2011 If manager Manny Acta ever needs a left-hander to balance out the Indians’ rotation, all he has to do is look toward one of his right-handers. Actually, that’s a little strong. Carlos Carrasco is not ready to take the mound yet, or ever, as a left-hander. However, he can throw a baseball with his left hand accurately and from distance. “It’s pretty impressive,” Acta said Thursday. “I’ve see...

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 Vargas gets shot as Silva’s replacement MAY 12, 2009 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 ambidextrou...

Ed Head - Ambidextrous Pitcher Edward Marvin Head Born: January 25, 1918 in Selma, Louisiana High School: Ouachita Parish HS, West Monroe, LA Team: Brooklyn Dodgers 1940-1946 Position: Pitcher Height: 6' 1", Weight: 175 lb. Bats: Right Throws: RHP in MLB; LHP in high school Ed Head was a southpaw in high school, but switched to his right after breaking his arm in a bus crash in 1935. Here is the story: Ed Head wasn’t the first—or last—Louisiana high school pitching standout who went on to big league stardom. But he is the only one who was a lefthander in high school and a righthander in the big leagues. For the first 17 years of his life, Head was a southpaw. But his left arm was crushed in a head-on collision of two school busses on a narrow country road near the Arkansas state line in 1935, when Head and his teammates were on their way back to Bastrop after a baseball game. The doctor in Mer Rouge wanted to amputate, but Head vetoed that motion ...

All-Star pitcher Cal McLish Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish Born: December 1, 1925 in Anadarko, Oklahoma Hometown:   Oklahoma City High School:  Central HS (Oklahoma City) Position: Pitcher Height/Weight: 6' 0", 179 lb. Bats: Both  Throws:  Both, Right handed in the MLB Cal McLish, an ambidextrous 18-year-old pitcher had played American Legion and semi-pro ball in Oklahoma before signing with Brooklyn Dodgers’ scout Tom Greenwade in 1944.  McLish  went right from American Legion ball to the Dodgers at age 18 in talent-scarce 1944 (during World War II). After a year with the Dodgers, McLish spent 1945 in the Army. He returned to baseball in 1946. McLish won 92 games in 15 major league seasons with seven teams. His best season came in 1959 when he was an All-Star.  That year, he went 19-8 with a 3.62 ERA with Cleveland. McLish was 92-92 over his 15-season career with a 4.01 ERA and 713 strikeouts.  He was ...

George Louis Wheeler born George Louis Heroux Born: August 3, 1869, Methuen, Massachusetts Team: Philadelphia Phillies (1896-1899) Height/Weight: 5' 9", 180 lb. Bats: Both Throws: Both, ambidextrous Wheeler, primarily a right-handed pitcher, threw left-handed on a handful of occasions to become one of the few known " switch pitchers " in MLB history. George Wheeler  Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac George Wheeler's stats - Baseball-Reference

Japhet Monroe Lynn Born:  December 27, 1913 in Kenney, TX Position : Pitcher  Throws:  Right  (ambidextrous thrower) Height:  6' 0",  Weight:  162 lb. Bats:  Right,  Throws:  Right  (ambidextrous thrower) Debut:  April 25, 1939 Teams  (by GP): Giants/Cubs/Tigers 1939-1944 Red Lynn was 25 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 25, 1939, with the Detroit Tigers.  The following report indicates that Red Lynn was ambidextrous. Although he only pitched right-handed in games, he sometimes threw batting practice left-handed. 1943 Los Angeles Angels Pacific Coast League (Triple-A) The Angels had outstanding pitching. None of the seven pitchers who worked more than 100 innings had an ERA higher than 3.08. The big winner was Japhet Monroe (Red) Lynn , 21-8, 2.47 who led the PCL in victories. He won his first nine decisions of the season. Lynn, a 29-year-old Texas-born right-...