I found thirteen batters when I ran this query for top switch hitters at baseball-reference.com:
Entire Careers, From 1901 to 2013, Switch-hitter, (requiring onbase_plus_slugging>=.8 and At least 7500 plate appearances), sorted by greatest On-Base Plus Slugging:
Here are the top three found:
Mickey Mantle .977
Lance Berkman .954 Chipper Jones .930 |
I just ran the same query for all batters. The top three switch hitters are in the top 25 of the 157 batters found.
Mantle 10
Berkman 17 (natural lefty)
Jones 25
Next switch hitter among the 157: Bernie Williams .858 at number 65.
Thirteen of the 157 are switch hitters, 8.3%.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Batters: Lefty v. Righty "Plate Appearances"
Righty Lefty Both
Min 51.34% 27.07% 2.57%
Max 63.71% 39.47% 19.99%
Ave 57.75% 33.16% 9.09%
________________________________________
While switch hitters have about 9.1% of plate appearances they are only about 8.3% of the top batters. The percent of switch hitters from 2000 through 2012 is higher, ranging from 13.6% in 2012 to 16.5% in 2004. Carlos Beltran is the only active player among the top switch hitters, number 5 at .855, number 71 overall.
Mickey Mantle is really the only great switch hitter and that seems to be because he was a really great righty batter. Here is a list of 21 righty batters, both switch hitters and righty only, against lefty pitchers since 1950 sorted by OPS.
From 1950 to 2013, vs LHP as RHB (within Platoon Splits), (requiring PA≥3225), sorted by greatest On-Base Plus Slugging for this split
Rk | I | Player | Split | From | To | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ROE | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | I | Hank Aaron | vs LHP as RHB | 1954 | 1976 | 1366 | 1.007 | 3546 | 3044 | 967 | 174 | 23 | 216 | 582 | 25 | 10 | 457 | 282 | .318 | .405 | .603 | 1.007 | 1835 | 72 | 10 | 2 | 33 | 101 | 41 | .291 | ||
2 | I | Willie Mays | vs LHP as RHB | 1951 | 1973 | 1279 | 1.003 | 3509 | 2933 | 895 | 144 | 43 | 205 | 519 | 74 | 32 | 528 | 398 | .305 | .410 | .593 | 1.003 | 1740 | 81 | 14 | 5 | 29 | 77 | 43 | .292 | ||
3 | I | Mickey Mantle | vs LHP as RHB | 1951 | 1968 | 1196 | .999 | 3225 | 2747 | 906 | 134 | 28 | 161 | 486 | 28 | 10 | 458 | 441 | .330 | .424 | .575 | .999 | 1579 | 66 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 51 | 49 | .345 | ||
4 | Frank Robinson | vs LHP as RHB | 1956 | 1976 | 1464 | .947 | 3936 | 3268 | 963 | 180 | 22 | 194 | 550 | 58 | 21 | 589 | 495 | .295 | .406 | .541 | .947 | 1769 | 90 | 45 | 4 | 30 | 114 | 51 | .295 | |||
5 | Al Kaline | vs LHP as RHB | 1953 | 1974 | 1345 | .908 | 3491 | 3001 | 930 | 161 | 25 | 129 | 438 | 19 | 13 | 444 | 280 | .310 | .398 | .509 | .908 | 1528 | 87 | 15 | 5 | 26 | 67 | 52 | .306 | |||
6 | I | Dave Winfield | vs LHP as RHB | 1973 | 1995 | 1569 | .903 | 4001 | 3454 | 1011 | 175 | 32 | 183 | 590 | 36 | 31 | 512 | 445 | .293 | .382 | .521 | .903 | 1799 | 118 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 102 | 48 | .290 | ||
7 | Rickey Henderson | vs LHP as RHB | 1979 | 2003 | 1483 | .871 | 4153 | 3384 | 976 | 181 | 19 | 117 | 342 | 410 | 135 | 721 | 508 | .288 | .414 | .457 | .871 | 1546 | 44 | 20 | 10 | 18 | 37 | 40 | .309 | |||
8 | Paul Molitor | vs LHP as RHB | 1978 | 1998 | 1237 | .870 | 3358 | 2951 | 951 | 182 | 28 | 75 | 333 | 164 | 53 | 342 | 291 | .322 | .391 | .479 | .870 | 1414 | 35 | 12 | 17 | 34 | 42 | 42 | .334 | |||
9 | I | Tony Perez | vs LHP as RHB | 1964 | 1986 | 1378 | .859 | 3429 | 3054 | 894 | 190 | 28 | 127 | 526 | 10 | 10 | 339 | 495 | .293 | .361 | .498 | .859 | 1521 | 74 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 64 | 46 | .312 | ||
10 | Brian Downing | vs LHP as RHB | 1973 | 1992 | 1260 | .845 | 3264 | 2700 | 755 | 131 | 5 | 107 | 382 | 15 | 14 | 501 | 407 | .280 | .395 | .451 | .845 | 1217 | 68 | 27 | 12 | 24 | 40 | 26 | .293 | |||
11 | Cal Ripken | vs LHP as RHB | 1981 | 2001 | 1500 | .822 | 3675 | 3261 | 929 | 192 | 11 | 128 | 444 | 9 | 16 | 357 | 304 | .285 | .354 | .468 | .822 | 1527 | 94 | 14 | 4 | 39 | 54 | 46 | .279 | |||
12 | Lou Piniella | vs LHP as RHB | 1968 | 1984 | 1188 | .809 | 3225 | 2962 | 928 | 172 | 22 | 63 | 382 | 14 | 19 | 217 | 250 | .313 | .359 | .450 | .809 | 1333 | 106 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 61 | 47 | .323 | |||
13 | Alan Trammell | vs LHP as RHB | 1977 | 1996 | 1264 | .805 | 3292 | 2881 | 844 | 160 | 21 | 73 | 339 | 71 | 42 | 335 | 235 | .293 | .366 | .439 | .805 | 1265 | 55 | 10 | 42 | 24 | 32 | 47 | .297 | |||
14 | Willie Randolph | vs LHP as RHB | 1975 | 1992 | 1293 | .786 | 3653 | 3080 | 914 | 141 | 30 | 30 | 272 | 83 | 39 | 503 | 207 | .297 | .395 | .391 | .786 | 1205 | 76 | 9 | 40 | 21 | 26 | 56 | .309 | |||
15 | Eddie Murray | vs LHP as RHB | 1977 | 1997 | 1693 | .785 | 4133 | 3708 | 1022 | 185 | 8 | 142 | 576 | 41 | 12 | 375 | 442 | .276 | .340 | .445 | .785 | 1649 | 122 | 9 | 0 | 41 | 59 | 46 | .278 | |||
16 | Robin Yount | vs LHP as RHB | 1974 | 1993 | 1343 | .783 | 3520 | 3116 | 890 | 168 | 37 | 68 | 375 | 49 | 40 | 341 | 372 | .286 | .354 | .429 | .783 | 1336 | 64 | 7 | 23 | 33 | 53 | 60 | .303 | |||
17 | Ted Simmons | vs LHP as RHB | 1968 | 1988 | 1381 | .782 | 3481 | 3123 | 878 | 156 | 13 | 102 | 516 | 4 | 14 | 303 | 298 | .281 | .345 | .437 | .782 | 1366 | 123 | 17 | 6 | 32 | 75 | 53 | .282 | |||
18 | Brooks Robinson | vs LHP as RHB | 1955 | 1977 | 1382 | .752 | 3462 | 3115 | 869 | 148 | 20 | 80 | 400 | 5 | 4 | 277 | 267 | .279 | .336 | .416 | .752 | 1297 | 89 | 12 | 15 | 43 | 59 | 47 | .281 | |||
19 | Dave Concepcion | vs LHP as RHB | 1970 | 1988 | 1309 | .746 | 3240 | 2910 | 833 | 167 | 14 | 43 | 300 | 113 | 43 | 287 | 344 | .286 | .348 | .398 | .746 | 1157 | 95 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 42 | 55 | .310 | |||
20 | I | Pete Rose | vs LHP as RHB | 1963 | 1986 | 1689 | .736 | 4410 | 3995 | 1171 | 180 | 31 | 41 | 376 | 66 | 36 | 356 | 297 | .293 | .351 | .384 | .736 | 1536 | 99 | 13 | 24 | 19 | 55 | 73 | .307 | ||
21 | Ozzie Smith | vs LHP as RHB | 1978 | 1996 | 1470 | .681 | 3596 | 3114 | 799 | 173 | 17 | 23 | 265 | 158 | 51 | 374 | 222 | .257 | .336 | .345 | .681 | 1075 | 59 | 11 | 70 | 27 | 23 | 49 | .268 |
Despite the disadvantage of playing his home games in the original Yankee Stadium, which was very tough on righty batters, Mantle is in a virtual tie at the top with Aaron and Mays. There are four other switch hitters: Murray (15), Simmons (17), Rose (20), Smith (21).
No comments:
Post a Comment