jimoh
Veteran
Posts: 3,980
|
Post by jimoh on Jul 15, 2021 6:06:12 GMT -5
I am a natural lefty, that begin my LL "farm league" playing days, as a 7yo, during the mid60s, as a right handed batter. My very first coach, Coach Lewis, about a handful of games into that season, asked my folks if he could keep me after a few games and regular practices, for about 20-30 minutes or so, to pitch me extra BP, but with me hitting LH...
...a couple of weeks in, across 10 or so games+practicess, I started settling in, and, by end of that season, I was good enough, to be able to switch hit at a decent level, in the backyard Wiffle ball field, w my 3 brothers, in spirited 2 on 2s, as a switch hitter.
This was really neat, because we'd each take an MLB team (Red Sox always went 1st; Twins most often went 2nd), and, mock out that teams batting order, trying to mimic that teams hitters, at the plate, and, while I was able to do a pretty good Yaz, I was esp excited to be able to rock my fave player at the time - Reggie Smith - from both sides of the plate!
[...] I also hit lefty a little bit in pickup games because Reggie Smith was on the Sox, including once in the backyard where I thought hitting lefty meant I would not hit the house--wrong! Broke a window. I don't think everyone realizes how good Reggie Smith was and how it was too bad he was traded away. It was so nice that Dave Roberts put 76 year old Reggie Smith on the all-star team as a coach and even sent him out to make a pitching change. dodgerblue.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-wanted-reggie-smith-to-have-moment-mlb-all-star-game/2021/07/14/
|
|
|
Post by jimed14 on Jul 15, 2021 14:18:56 GMT -5
The weirdest sport is hockey. Most players shoot LH, even most of the right handed ones. It doesn't make sense to me, but I grew up playing baseball and took up hockey as an adult.
|
|
|
Post by salemsoxer on Jul 15, 2021 14:41:59 GMT -5
You play hockey left handed so when you are using only one hand, the top hand, it’s your dominant (right) hand
|
|
|
Post by jimed14 on Jul 15, 2021 14:56:02 GMT -5
You play hockey left handed so when you are using only one hand, the top hand, it’s your dominant (right) hand Yeah, I get that, but I could not get over the awkwardness of trying to shoot LH when I swung a baseball bat RH about a million times in my life. It's similar to how difficult it is for me to get used to holding a golf club correctly, because it's so different from a baseball swing.
For me, shooting a puck LH is as awkward as trying to write LH.
|
|
|
Post by vermontsox1 on Jul 15, 2021 18:10:22 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by RedSoxStats on Jul 15, 2021 20:32:08 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by iakovos11 on Jul 15, 2021 20:40:15 GMT -5
I think he was one of the names linked to Boston in Rd 2, but also likely that was with the assumption that they wouldn't get Mayer. Not that you couldn't draft 20 shortstops, but that's less likely a good strategy than drafting 20 pitchers. It could have worked, but I'm guessing when they got Mayer and then saw Fabian on the board at 40, they had to jump.
|
|
redsox04071318champs
Veteran
Always hoping to make my handle even longer...
Posts: 15,664
Member is Online
|
Post by redsox04071318champs on Jul 15, 2021 20:49:51 GMT -5
I think he was one of the names linked to Boston in Rd 2, but also likely that was with the assumption that they wouldn't get Mayer. Not that you couldn't draft 20 shortstops, but that's less likely a good strategy than drafting 20 pitchers. It could have worked, but I'm guessing when they got Mayer and then saw Fabian on the board at 40, they had to jump. The Sox probably had the plan to draft Leiter in the 1st round and Arroyo in the 2nd round. They were probably pleasantly surprised when Mayer was available in the first round and again pleasantly surprised in the 2nd round when Fabian was available.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Jul 15, 2021 21:13:24 GMT -5
They need to start listing the two-way guys as "athlete" like college football recruiting when they don't know what position the kid is going to play yet.
|
|