New York Yankees backers take advantage of lefty/righty MLB dynamics

One out of every five people is left-handed, yet there is a disproportionately high number of left-handed batting champions in baseball history. Some handicappers theorize that lefties have an edge in getting to first base, for when they swing, their body is already moving towards first, while righty batters swing towards third base and then have to change direction and run to first when a ball is put in play. Regardless, the fact is that a high percentage of batting champions have been left-handed (Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Rod Carew, George Brett, Don Mattingly, Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Ichiro Suzuki).   

When baseball betting, it is essential to examine how players and teams hit against lefty and righty pitchers. Some teams are loaded with right-handed hitters and may have an edge against lefty hurlers. Or, some teams have a few key hitters who happen to perform poorly against lefties.

Boston’s Bad April

The Red Sox, for instance, got off to a terrible start in April, particularly struggling against lefty pitchers. During their 5-11 start the Sox lost to southpaws Brett Anderson, Brett Cecil, Darren Oliver, Matt Harrison and David Price, and picked up back-to-back losses against Cleveland lefty reliever Rafael Perez. Boston has a talented lineup that is coming around now, but they are also loaded with lefty batters. Don’t be surprised if opposing managers continue to throw lefty starters and relievers at Boston.

The Tampa Bay Rays used to be susceptible to lefties, but not so this season, which has been a big plus on the road, where they have the best record in baseball. Tampa Bay is getting great production from newcomer Johnny Damon, a lefty who is hitting lefties and righties equally, plus B.J. Upton has a .341 on-base percentage against southpaws. Remember this team lost a pair of lefty bats over the winter to free agency in Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena. Crawford has moved on to Boston and notice he’s hitting .252 against righties, but a miserable .121 against lefties.

One of the more extreme came a few years ago when the Padres struggled against lefties significantly. Four of the Padre starters at the time were lefty sluggers in RF Brian Giles, 1B Ryan Klesko, CF Dave Roberts and 3B Sean Burroughs. Burroughs hit .270 against righty pitchers, but .172 against lefties.  San Diego had a winning record against righties that season, but a losing one against lefty pitchers.

Bronx Bombers in Yankee Stadium

This is why many times the opposing lineup can be the reason managers prefer to send a southpaw to the mound. Other times it can be the configurations of the ballpark. For decades, the New York Yankees loaded their lineups with left-handed hitters to take advantage of Yankee Stadium. The old Yankee stadium was the ‘House that Ruth Built’ and was aptly named, built in 1923 when Ruth was in his prime. It had a short porch in right field, which made hitting home runs much easier for left-handed batters. Ruth and Gehrig were lefty sluggers, a trend that continued right up until the new Yankee Stadium came in last season.

The new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009, is still a great hitter’s park for lefties, even though it’s smaller than the older park and great for righty sluggers, as well.  Of course, for some hitters this doesn’t matter. Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki is a left-handed batter but it doesn’t matter who he faces. Last season Suzuki hit .318 against righty pitchers and .309 against southpaws and this season he’s hitting better against lefties (.333) than righties. He has such extraordinary talent that it really hasn’t mattered whether you throw a lefty or righty at him. In 2004, the year he had a record 262 hits, he hit .359 against righties and .404 versus southpaws!

Shifty Southpaws

This is why it’s important to know lefty/righty dynamics, and whether a player is weaker or stronger against certain pitchers. David Ortiz of Boston has always struggled against southpaws and in 2011, despite a very strong overall start, notice he has a .447 slugging percentage against lefties, .558 against righties.

When the Red Sox lost to lefty David Price, they were a minus-175 favorite in the MLB odds, and when they lost to lefty Matt Harrison they were a -135 road favorite. In fact, the Rangers are 6-1 in their last seven home games versus a left-handed starter, while the Twins are 2-9 in their last 11 home games vs. a lefty starter. This is where you can find overvalued road teams that can struggle against lefties, making a home dog that much more inviting. After all, baseball dogs pay more and the whole idea is to turn a profit over the long haul.

So don’t leave over/unders and ATS wins and losses up to lady luck. Make sure you dig deep with your handicapping research. In baseball, lefty/righty dynamics offer edges and cashing at the betting window is all about identifying and utilizing those edges.