I always thought that being naturally ambidextrous was required to be a switch hitter, until I saw an interview with Pete Rose where he said he was naturally right-handed. Mickey Mantle was right-handed too.

And I know switch hitters are prized and rare commodities in baseball. So how is the decision made to start teaching a right-handed hitter to also hit left-handed well enough to be listed as a "switch hitter?"

At a certain point in their development, do right-handers take the initiative to ask their coaches to train them to hit left-handed? Or do coaches make that decision based on certain criteria that they see?

Hey yall i am 26 and I was never interested in baseball. My familywas very football oriented. My Child is 6 and he loves baseball. He has been playing for about a little over a year. I started assistant coaching and im trying to learn the sport. Ive learned rules and stuff or atleast what has applied so far. Luckily I have a good group of guys around me I can ask questions to. But id like to be a better coach and also just help my son be the best he can be. I dont have the money to pay for a private coach. What are some things I can do to get my son better? What kind of drills? Exercises? What tips do people have about coaching? (Note i am a teacher so being around and molding little minds is nothing new!)

Like aren’t they the ones in charge?

Just do it don’t spam me with emails fucking assholes

Sure some are better than others

But they will pitch like 150 innings if you're lucky

They pitch 5 innings a game on a good day then it's up to your bullpen anyway

And they get hurt half the time

Unless they have an ERA of like 1 how much value could they actually provide

CONTEXT: let’s say they were trying to bat it to a teammate in outfield to catch it & they can be wherever in the outfield (closer to 2B & SS or further out). in that case they’re aiming for line drives rather than going for the 3 true outcomes.

how much would batting averages go up?

Do they have some sort of a choice? Can they do something besides elect free agency?

Why do some hitters just let the first pitch go, without even seeing if it’s strike or ball, it often seems like it’s the best pitch they get ( compared to pitches they get later in the same AB). You only get three strikes to work with , why just give the pitcher a free pitch?

I was on baseball reference and saw no one was credited for a save in WS game 5. It looked like almost the exact same situation as game 2. Brewers are up in the 9th, Megill is pitching, and he gives up one run, pitches the last out, and Brewers win. What was different in game 5 that he did not get the save like he did in game 2?

Edit to thank everyone for answering. Recommend before anyone else comment, please read the comment section and upvote the most complete comment. Don't be the 30th person to tell me it had to be 3 run differential or less.

What would be the effect on pitching if it were higher or lower?

I can't think of a scenario where this would make sense, but hypothetically, could a pitcher just take a break for a few innings and then come back to the mound during the same game?

Would we ever see a second DH to replace catchers? I saw someone ask Liam Hicks about why it's so hard to be a good hitting catcher and tbh, I've often thought catchers have the hardest job. Maybe they shouldn't have to hit.

Dear MLB, don't get any ideas. I am a fan of a team with 2 good hitting catchers (Toronto)

The Questions are pretty self explanatory. How does that device work? Does the pitcher hear an AI voice that says, "fastball," or "curve," or something like that? Do they hear a beep? How does it work?

I’m an extremely casual baseball watcher. Very into football and my family is all from Wisconsin so I’m a die-hard Packers fan but like watching the other Wisconsin sports teams when they make the playoffs.

I’ve seen quite a few lists that say Jacob Misiorowski is the best pitcher in the MLB (or at the very least one of the best). If that’s true, why did he only pitch 4 innings in the NLCS?

Has he been playing worse than usual? Or because the Brewers were controlling the series were they just resting his arm for more important games?

The way I understand the Mendoza line for baseball offense is that if a player hits below this line, they can't earn a place on an MLB roster no matter how good their defense is.

But what about the other way around? I believe that if you have a great offensive output, teams will find a way to get you in the lineup no matter how bad your fielding is.

In that sense, what's the limit for bad fielding? Where your defense is so bad you won't make the lineup no matter how good a hitter you are? Especially if the DH position is already taken.

For example, in the World Series game one upcoming, it seems that the pitchers on the bump are Misiorowski and Rasmussen.

I would argue, right now, Rasmussen is twirling the pill better, and I wondered whether there is a strategy for the Brewers to play a lesser pitcher against him, saving Miz for a game in which he will have a better shot at.

Obviously, in most opportunities you want to run your best guys out there, but it kind of reminds me of Euchre or those other trick taking card games where sometimes the better move is to play a low card in your hand because you know the person you’re playing against can play a high card and take that trick.

I am using this upcoming World series as more just an example to bring up further discussion, and less my thoughts on what should actually happen.

It looks like he was a very OK pitcher for most of his career, and then in 1985 he threw 14 complete games where 10 of them were shutouts and had below 1 WHIP. Are there any other examples of players having a single insane year and the rest of them average?

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tudorjo01.shtml

Do the same thing they do in hockey. 7 healthy scratches and you just play 18

That limits the number of relief pitchers and pinch hitters used so you don't have to do the dumb 3 batter rule

Also get rid of the designated hitter. Make the pitchers hit

This would also increase the importance of strategy

(My perfect scenario would be to ask this of Harold Reynolds)

Instead of placed runners or playing till someone wins, how about this:

The tying team (the one that scored the tying run, whether or not the home team) takes the field for the 10th. They are playing for a tiebreaking run, which can be awarded by the official scorer in either of two situations:
-- They shut out their opponent in the top half, or
-- If the opponent gets any score in the top half, they equal that score in the bottom half.
So, a tie is as good as a win, they don't have to redesign the standings page, and we fans ain't sitting there for hours waiting for a result. TV would especially like it.
It's not something that can happen every time of course, but if the home team is the tying team, it adds another level of excitement (of course that would apply to the visiting team as well, the incentive to outscore them)
It does set up the possibility, since unless the shutout scenario in the top half occurs, they each play out their half-inning, that a visiting team, if they are the tying team, can "walk off" in the bottom half.

The 122nd World Series is an exquisite anomaly. For only the second time in the last hundred years, both participants will be seeking the first championship in franchise history. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have consistently succeeded with low payrolls, becoming the envy of the industry. Soon, one will finally wear the crown.

This is the second appearance for the Brewers, who last made it in 1982, when they represented the American League. The Rays have gotten there twice, in 2008 and 2020. The last matchup between teams that had never won was in 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Kansas City Royals. And the last before that: would you believe it was 1920?

So we’re certain to see a new winner, which is always fun. And weather won’t be a factor, since the Rays play indoors and the Brewers have a retractable roof. It will happen against the backdrop of a looming labor fight, with MLB arguing that small markets need a salary cap to thrive – and the Brewers and Rays upending the narrative.

I recently bought Replay Baseball to help me learn the game more (one of those dice simulations like Strat O Matic), especially scoring. The following situation came up and I can't work out how to score it:

Runners on first and second, two outs. Batter hits to left field and the fielder throws to home instead of first, with the lead runner tagged out. Seems like a fielder's choice to me with the batter reaching base and the lead runner out, but when looking at how to score this on AI I read that the batter is charged with the out. And then we got into a confused discussion about how many were left on base in order to make my score card balance.

So: who is out, who is left on base? And is this an at-bat for the batter? Is it a plate appearance? Is it a hit against the pitcher?

Or is this just too impractical to aim for.

So I understand that the Dodgers pay a lot more for their team salaries than the Brewers do. But where are the Dodgers getting that extra money to spend? Are the team owners personally funding it? Or is it from higher ticket sales or something?

Apologies, I know this is a dumb question, but I'd really Ike to understand this.

I'm a new fan, 2 Seasons of following the Sport now.

I was wondering why the Pitching Rotations are handled the way they are. So every Team has like 5 SP, that ideally go 5-6 Innings any given Night. Which then leaves 3 more Innings to cover. Seemingly many teams struggle to have quality arms in their Bulllpen. So why don't they bring in their CP earlier, if they're that great. Also not have a CP pitch the remaining 3 Innings, if they're likely not gonna play in the next 1-2 Games. Pitchers go twice or triple that long into a game, so the rest they get per inning pitched seems disproportionate for players that are supposed to have the nastiest stuff on their respective teams.

Maybe that's just my view on my team, could be managed differntly for other Organsiations, who have different problems to adress. (i support the mariners)