What causes some batters to have trouble with same-handed pitchers?

[Jobu Voodoo]

For instance, why are some lefties able to hit with consistency whether the pitcher be left or right-handed while other lefties are able to hit righties all day, but do absolutely horrible against lefties...usually so horrible that they are generally benched if a lefty starts the game? Is it just harder to see and track the ball when it starts in and moves out as opposed to starts out and moves in?

[virg]

Sometimes it must be in the mechanics, sometimes in the stance alignment.
Pitchers' setups vary from lh crossfire to the rh opposite; release points changing accordingly. Between the lh and rh extremes, release points can vary several feet. I don't know about you but this would blind me. If the batter religiously aligns stance with the Plate [and not release] he's in effect letting the pitcher alter his stance, his head position, eyes' angle, and view of release point.

This can mean, open the stance a little for same-handed pitchers. Break the habit of aligning your stance with the Plate [which is fixed] and align with release points [which vary].

[scorekeeper]

For instance, why are some lefties able to hit with consistency whether the pitcher be left or right-handed while other lefties are able to hit righties all day, but do absolutely horrible against lefties...usually so horrible that they are generally benched if a lefty starts the game? Is it just harder to see and track the ball when it starts in and moves out as opposed to starts out and moves in?

What everything comes down to in the end, is the ability to execute, whether it be pitching, hitting, fielding, running, or strategizing. Not everyone has the equal abilities in everything, so the one who can execute what he’s trying to do better than his opponent trying to foil him will generally come out ahead. But even at that, luck is always a factor as well, so nothing’s guaranteed.

In the case of hitting, given fairly equal skills, “normally” the hitters who have the most experience at hitting against a similar pitcher will do better. Of course that’s assuming things like dominant eye and swing style are equal too.

I believe you’ll find the same thing happens with righties, which is why there’s a lot of “lefty-righty” strategy that goes on in baseball.

[johnlanza]

Sometimes it must be in the mechanics, sometimes in the stance alignment.
Pitchers' setups vary from lh crossfire to the rh opposite; release points changing accordingly. Between the lh and rh extremes, release points can vary several feet. I don't know about you but this would blind me. If the batter religiously aligns stance with the Plate [and not release] he's in effect letting the pitcher alter his stance, his head position, eyes' angle, and view of release point.

This can mean, open the stance a little for same-handed pitchers. Break the habit of aligning your stance with the Plate [which is fixed] and align with release points [which vary].

I'm far from being a professional hitting instructor, so I'm not sure how much weight my endorsement has, but I really like virg's suggestion.

[CircleChange11]

For instance, why are some lefties able to hit with consistency whether the pitcher be left or right-handed while other lefties are able to hit righties all day, but do absolutely horrible against lefties...usually so horrible that they are generally benched if a lefty starts the game? Is it just harder to see and track the ball when it starts in and moves out as opposed to starts out and moves in?

1. Unfamiliarity
2. Different angle of pitch.

- LHBs encounter LHPs far fewer than RHBs encounter RHPs in youth baseball.

- Rather than the ball starting out and coming in (RHB to LHP), the ball now starts in and moves out (LHP to LHB).

Both aspects contribute to it beiing more difficult.

[tg643]

Players of reasonable talent (for the given level of competition) who make adjustments and don't let myths cloud their thinking don't have trouble.

[shake-n-bake]

For instance, why are some lefties able to hit with consistency whether the pitcher be left or right-handed while other lefties are able to hit righties all day, but do absolutely horrible against lefties...usually so horrible that they are generally benched if a lefty starts the game? Is it just harder to see and track the ball when it starts in and moves out as opposed to starts out and moves in?

Movement away (sliders, cutters, sinkers), and how a particular hitter handles that versus how the pitcher is able to exploit it.

[Jobu Voodoo]

- Rather than the ball starting out and coming in (RHB to LHP), the ball now starts in and moves out (LHP to LHB).

Yeah, I asked if that was one of the reasons why. Is it harder to see because it starts in and moves out?

[Jobu Voodoo]

Players of reasonable talent (for the given level of competition) who make adjustments and don't let myths cloud their thinking don't have trouble.

So you believe that there is no difference and that players who have trouble are just buying into myths?

[CircleChange11]

Yeah, I asked if that was one of the reasons why. Is it harder to see because it starts in and moves out?

Think of it this way ...

Picture an overhead shot of a LHP pitching to a LHB and look at where the ball is released and the resulting angle that it comes in at.

Curveballs and Sliders are most effective to like-handed batters. Changeups are more effective to opposite-handed batters.

This is one of the reasons why a LH SP has to be very good at the MLB level. He'll face many more RHBs than LHBs ... so he'll almost always be in the "disadvantage". A LH reliever is in the opposite situation, he'll almost always be used against LHBs and have the "advantage".

[tg643]

So you believe that there is no difference and that players who have trouble are just buying into myths?

Yes. I played through college ball. I hit for higher average against lefties than righties every year. I opened my stance more and drove the ball up the middle and the other way rather than hitting gap to gap like I did against righties. However, there were times I guessed curve and tried to pull and drive the ball deep. I found there was no bigger piece of meat than a curve from a lefty when looking for it. My son (college) has no problem hitting lefties either.

[CircleChange11]

Yes. I played through college ball. I hit for higher average against lefties than righties every year. I opened my stance more and drove the ball up the middle and the other way rather than hitting gap to gap like I did against righties. However, there were times I guessed curve and tried to pull and drive the ball deep. I found there was no bigger piece of meat than a curve from a lefty when looking for it. My son (college) has no problem hitting lefties either.

Okay, now we're conflating the issue.

We're not talking about being able to hit like-handed pitching. We're talking about being able to hit like-handed pitching as well as opposite-handed pitching.

Tony Gwynn hit LHPs at .325

He hit RHPs at .345

Bonds had a .986 OPS vs. LHP; 1.084 vs. RHP

Gwynn's BA and Bonds OPS versus like-handed hitters is very good ... and a closer to their RHP performance than most. BUT, it's still not as good as their performance against RHPs.

We're not discussing it as if every batter has Ryan Howard's splits:

vRHP = .298/.397/.632/1.020
vLHP = .231/.311/.438/.739