I’m a righty with some skill at hitting lefty, though in my softball leagues, I just prefer to hit the ball to the opposite field from the right side (much for the reason you stated about weaker fielders, but also for the element of surprise). I think it’s a better approach than switch hitting, particularly for the element of surprise reason.

You probably would have more productively spent your time learning to direct the ball than to hit inferiorly from your other side. (Though, I’m aware, you were just fucking around and not attempting to hone a skill to be used later in life in recreational softball!).

On my main team, I hit behind a lefty who hits the ball to left, then I come up, a righty, and hit the ball to right – it has the tendency to confuse the shit out of teams.

Also, I’m a gap and singles hitter, so there’s a better chance of a runner going first to third on a single to the right than to the left. That’s another advantage of going the other way.

But at what point does unfamiliarity supercede vastly superior physical coordination, dexterity, and skill? OPS-wise, Lance Berkman is Rogers Hornsby from the left side, and Chili Davis from the right – that’s not hyperbole, that’s accurate! I think it’s worth asking this question.

Also, many of these guys become switch hitters at ages older than one may think. Think about it this way, at some point many people attempt to switch hit but ultimately fail because they are only good enough to hit MLB pitching from one side. Berkman clearly exceeds that standard. Now which standard keeps him switch hitting, that he’s still a hitter of good objective quality from the right, or that he’s better than the lefty version of himself against a lefty pitcher would be? Well, option B seems like it hasn’t been tested. Option A seems like a laughably low standard to hold one of the best hitters in baseball to.

Finally, perhaps my best argument, Berkman’s splits switching sides are greater than just about every other great hitter who is not a switch hitter when hitting against the platoon split. Sure, it would take some getting used to. But, he’s almost 25% better from against righties (from the left) than he is against lefties (from the right). Look at other great (non-switch) hitters, Manny, A-Rod, Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, etc. you just won’t find that kind of split.

And, as to the first question, switch hitters almost always switch to the platoon advantage side, like upwards of 99% of the time. So you can safely assume that his splits against handedness of pitchers accurately represent his performance when hitting from the opposite side of the plate. I have, less than a handful of times, seen switch hitters hit RH against Mariano Rivera to (usually unsuccessfully) attempt to counteract the cutter, but that’s about it.

What I learned as I toyed with batting lefty is that batting from the right side is a lot more comfortable, and I have more power (“power” being a relative term — I’d kill for “warning track power”), but because I’m extremely left eye dominant, and because the rearmost eye is the more important one in a batting stance, I was a lot more accurate from the left side. My swing was slower, but I was much more likely to get good wood on the ball.

Anyway, the point is, I miss playing baseball, even though I suck at it. If I could find a non-Baptist-church-sponsored league around here, maybe I’d pick it up again.

* – I was in right field not because my fielding was all that bad, but because my throwing arm is terrible — to say that I “throw like a girl” is a terrible insult to most girls, even aside from the inherent sexism of the expression.

Subsequent, the pitcher is allowed to change sides once.

As for the general rule, I believe the batter it allowed to switch sides once per AB. It might be the case that once he has one strike he can’t change anymore – barring a mid AB pitching sub. I’m not 100% sure and I don’t have time to look it up right now (should be preparing for a meeting now, lol).

As for the standoff, I think it’s kinda stupid. If I’m a hitter I make a determination about whose disparity between stronger and weaker sides is greater. If there’s a greater difference between by strong side and my weak side, than his, I just hit from my strong side. Vice versa, I force him to throw from his weak side.

Generally, I’m curious what would happen if, say, Lance Berkman, just said fuck hitting RH. The % of his XBHs for the left, so far outweigh his % of total ABs, that I wonder if it may be to his advantage to just hit LH all the time.

Check out his lifetime splits:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6279/splits;_ylt=AmUpHCmQBHgGRlknXiL6.xGFCLcF?year=career&type=Batting

There are other guys who I have the same question about, but they escape me off the top of my head.

Pitcher can be switched during an at-bat. But, if a pitcher is brought into game, he must pitch to at least one batter, so can’t switch him in middle of first batter faced (except for injury).

Pitcher can change hand he throws ball with.

I’m 99% sure there is no rule that prevents batter or pitcher from changing from left to righyt during an at-bat. But I guess we will have to wait for the guru…