In baseball, a left-handed specialist is a left-handed relief pitcher who specializes in getting left-handed or poor right-handed switch batters out. These pitchers will commonly only pitch to a very small number of batters in each outing (often just one), and rarely to straight right-handed batters. Most Major League Baseball teams have a couple of left-handed pitchers in their bullpens, one of whom is probably a left-handed specialist. Lefty specialists may also be called, somewhat derisively, a LOOGY (or Lefty One Out GuY).[1]
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Effectiveness
The effectiveness of left-handed specialists against left-handed batters is the result of a number of fairly well-defined factors. Since most pitchers are right-handed, left-handed batters naturally have fewer at-bats against, and therefore less experience with, left-handed pitchers. The pitch trajectory from a left-handed pitcher is also reversed and their pitches therefore tend to have a more sweeping effect across the plate, which is harder to hit than the traditional outside-in trajectory from right-handed pitchers. This inexperience and seeming difference in pitch trajectory poses a large problem for many left-handed hitters.
Examples
Because left-handed specialists face few batters, they accumulate a relatively small number of innings pitched during the course of a season. An effective left-handed specialist may consequently enjoy a long career because his pitching arm has suffered less stress than that of other pitchers. For example, Jesse Orosco increasingly became a left-handed specialist late in his career and pitched in Major League Baseball for 25 seasons, retiring when he was 46 years old.
Right-handed Specialists
While there are right-handed specialists, the practice is uncommon for a number of reasons. Although their pitches have the same "sweeping" effect against right-handed batters as pitches from lefties have against left-handed batters, the average batter will face a right-handed pitcher in 70-80% of their at-bats, and thus there is more opportunity for right-handed batters to adjust to right-handed pitching than the converse. Also, given this natural inexperience, many left-handed pitchers have altered their pitching delivery to accentuate the "sweeping" nature of their pitches against lefties. While this potential exploitation exists for right-handed pitchers as well, it is usually of relatively little gain, given right-handed batters' ample experience with right-handed pitching. Submarine-style pitcher Chad Bradford of the Tampa Bay Rays is a right-handed specialist.
List of left-handed specialists
The following are Major League Baseball pitchers that has spent at least one season as a left-handed specialist.
A-B
- Joel Adamson
- Jeremy Affeldt
- Juan Agosto
- Armando Almanza
- Luis Arroyo
- Paul Assenmacher
- Rick Austin
- John Bale
- Joe Beimel
- Rigo Beltrán
- Jerry Blevins
- Pedro Borbón
- Garland Braxton
- Bill Bray
- Craig Breslow
- Tom Burgmeier
- Sean Burnett
- Tim Byrdak
C-E
- Greg Cadaret
- Jesse Carlson
- Larry Casian
- Tony Castillo
- Norm Charlton
- Jason Christiansen
- Pat Clements
- Keith Comstock
- Dennis Cook
- Rheal Cormier
- Neal Cotts
- Tim Crabtree
- Frank DiPino
- Scott Downs
- Alan Embree
- Sergio Escalona
- Scott Eyre
F-I
- Pedro Feliciano
- Randy Flores
- Tim Fortugno
- Rich Folkers
- Tony Fossas
- Aaron Fultz
- Mike Gallo
- Paul Gibson
- Jerry Don Gleaton
- Mike Gonzalez
- Mike Gosling
- John Grabow
- Eddie Guardado
- Lee Guetterman
- Mark Hendrickson
- Sean Henn
- Danny Herrera
- Mike Holtz
- Rick Honeycutt
- Vince Horsman
J-L
- Mike Jackson
- Mike Jeffcoat
- Vic Johnson
- Darold Knowles
- Ray King
- Dennis Kinney
- Steve Kline
- Joe Klink
- Hong-Chih Kuo
- Bob Lacey
- Dave LaRoche
- Craig Lefferts
- Bill Lefebvre
- Paul Lindblad
- Graeme Lloyd
- Boone Logan
- Javier López
M-N
- Jim Magnuson
- Ron Mahay
- Dámaso Marté
- Pedro Martínez
- Tippy Martinez
- Mike Matthews
- Macay McBride
- Bob McClure
- Roger McDowell
- Chuck McElroy
- Will McEnaney
- Kent Mercker
- Dan Meyer
- José Mijares
- Trever Miller
- Mike Mohler
- Sid Monge
- Rob Murphy
- Mike Myers
- Mel Nelson
- Fu-Te Ni
- Dick Niehaus
- Ron Nischwitz
O-R
- Eric O'Flaherty
- Will Ohman
- Darren Oliver
- Hideki Okajima
- Jesse Orosco
- John Parrish
- Yorkis Pérez
- Ron Perranoski
- Tommy Phelps
- Rafael Pérez
- Dan Plesac
- Renyel Pinto
- Jim Poole
- Scott Radinsky
- Dave Rajsich
- Erasmo Ramirez
- Dennys Reyes
- Arthur Rhodes
- Gordie Richardson
- Rich Rodriguez
- J. C. Romero
- Dave Rucker
- Glendon Rusch
- B. J. Ryan
S-T
- Valerio de los Santos
- Scott Sauerbeck
- Art Schallock
- Dan Schatzeder
- Fred Scherman
- Daniel Schlereth
- Scott Schoeneweis
- Bobby Seay
- George Sherrill
- Brian Shouse
- Tony Sipp
- Rudy Sommers
- Mike Stanton
- Jeff Tabaka
- Ken Takahashi
- Jack Taschner
- Taylor Tankersley
- Joe Thatcher
- Forrest Thompson
- Matt Thornton
- Dave Tomlin
V-Z
- Ed Vande Berg
- Mike Venafro
- Ron Villone
- Terrell Wade
- Jamie Walker
- Lefty Wallace
- Gabe White
- Bill Wilkinson
- Randy Williams
- C. J. Wilson
- Ricky Wright
- Wesley Wright
- Kelly Wunsch
- Cliff Young
- Clay Zavada
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
See also
References
Sources
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