Is baseball a sport that favors right-handed players?

When watching baseball, I sometimes find myself wondering.

Is baseball a sport that favors right-handed players?

Even looking at professional baseball, almost all infielders throw right-handed.

Third base, shortstop, second base.
It is safe to say that almost all of them are right-handed.

Looking at this fact alone, it might seem like baseball is a sport that favors right-handed players.

However, the matter is not that simple.

Are left-handed batters really at an advantage?

A common topic is "left-handed batters have an advantage."

Reasons often cited include:

・Closer to first base
・Body momentum after the swing is toward first base
・There are many right-handed pitchers

and so on.

However, when I read a book that analyzed baseball scientifically, there was a statement that left an impression on me.

There is no significant difference in on-base percentage between right-handed and left-handed batters.

In other words, it is not that left-handed batters are decisively at an advantage.

At the very least, it does not seem to be a simple matter of "being a left-handed batter gives you an advantage in hitting."

Why are left-handed pitchers said to be at an advantage?

On the other hand, it is often said that being left-handed is an advantage for pitchers.

A common explanation is because there are few left-handed pitchers, batters are not used to them.

It is true that in youth baseball, there are very few left-handed pitchers.

Therefore, the idea that batters are not used to them explains it to some extent.

However, in professional baseball, batters see thousands, even tens of thousands of pitches.

They also analyze video footage.

Considering that, the explanation that it is an advantage simply because they are not used to it feels a bit weak.

In baseball data analysis, a phenomenon known as the platoon effect is well-known.

Simply put, this means that pitchers have an advantage when facing batters of the same handedness. as them.

For example,

・Right-handed pitcher vs. right-handed batter
・Left-handed pitcher vs. left-handed batter

In these cases, the ball is more likely to follow a trajectory that moves away from the batter.

In other words, the ball is harder to see.

This is the reason why it favors the pitcher.

In short, rather than left-handed pitchers being special, it is the combination of handedness that has an impact.

Why are there so many right-handed players in infield defense?

Handedness also has an impact on defense.

For example, in a situation where an infielder fields a ground ball and throws to first base.

Third base, shortstop, and second base.

In this motion, it is more natural for a right-handed player to throw.

This is because the body is already oriented toward first base.

For a left-handed player, it is easier to end up in a position where they have to rotate their body before throwing.

However, there are also cases where the opposite is true.

For example, when a second baseman fields a ground ball and throws to second base.

In this case, the movement for a left-handed player is smaller.

This is because the orientation of the body is already facing toward second base.

In other words, it is not always the case that being right-handed is advantageous in defense.

The reason there are no left-handed catchers

Regarding catchers, it is often said that left-handed players cannot be catchers.

However, this does not mean they are at a disadvantage in every play.

For example, when a catcher throws to first base.

In this case, the movement for a left-handed player is less.

This is because they can throw to first base without having to change their body orientation much.

However, the problem lies in other situations.

That is when a catcher throws to third base.

For example

・Preventing stolen bases
・Handling bunts
・Throwing to a runner on third base

In these cases, for a right-handed player, the movement of opening the body aligns with the direction of the throw.

However, for a left-handed player, they have to rotate their body significantly before throwing.

And for a catcher, the important throws are throws to third base and second base.

In short, for a catcher, being right-handed is advantageous for important plays.

That is why there are almost no left-handed catchers.

Ultimately, what determines it is "frequency"

As you can see from what we have looked at so far, in baseball, there are plays where being right-handed is advantageous and plays where being left-handed is advantageous.

So why are there so many positions centered around right-handed players?

The answer is likely the frequency of play occurrence.

The most common infield play in baseball is fielding a ground ball and throwing to first base.

And even in a double play, the final throw is to first base.

In other words, throws to first base are overwhelmingly frequent.

For this action, being right-handed allows for a more natural posture.

So, as a result, hasn't the infield become structured around right-handed players?

Is baseball favorable to right-handed players?

Considering this, baseball has parts that favor right-handed players and parts that favor left-handed players.

And those advantages and disadvantages are determined by:

• The type of play
• The combination of dominant hands
• The probability of the play occurring

determined by these factors.

Therefore, it cannot be easily said that "baseball is a sport that favors right-handed players" or "a sport that favors left-handed players."

The sport of baseball has a slightly more complex structure.

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