Switch-hitting early could be key for next generation in MLB Breakthrough Series
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Most hitters spend years trying to perfect one swing. Deniel Gonzalez and Chris Woodson Jr. are working on two.
Learning two swings requires years of repetition and countless patience. But the ability to hit from both sides of the plate can create advantages against pitchers, help in key situations and provide scouts with another reason to take notice.
Those benefits are what drew both players to switch-hitting, a unique skill they brought to the Breakthrough Series at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla.
“The advantage is that I can get noticed more, in a way,” Gonzalez said. “Because obviously, not too many people hit on both sides, and it's just easier for at-bats in a game. … I thought this is a great [opportunity] to get your name out there.”
One advantage comes when a left-handed hitter faces a right-handed pitcher and sees a release point farther away, giving him a fraction of a second longer to track the ball. It can also help in situational baseball, making it easier to move runners.
Gonzalez started switch-hitting when he found out his dad, who played college ball at Queens College and Monroe College, was a switch-hitter.
“He started [coaching] me … and mainly, it was just about getting the swing down and mechanics [were later] down the line,” Gonzalez said.
A natural lefty, Gonzalez said the hardest part has been having the patience to learn both sides of the plate, but the work became worthwhile because of the advantages it created against left-handed pitching.
As a catcher, learning both sides of the plate has also helped him understand the strike zone better, which has translated into smarter at-bats.
“Well, my lefty stance … my feet are more closed, and I have a leg -- a little kick -- going sometimes and that's natural,” Gonzalez said. “For my righty [stance], I’m a little more wide and I try to keep it [with] less movement, and just go from there and take a swing.”
Woodson, who is an outfielder and left-handed pitcher, arrived at switch-hitting from a different path.
He was 12 years old when he decided to learn, with the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly shutting down the world, and he used his spare time to develop the skill.
“I just knew that would help my game,” Woodson said. “The advantage of being a switch-hitter is being able to read pitchers better … for scouts, too, they see that it’s an extra tool for you to have.”
When he told his coaches, they thought he was joking, but that didn’t matter to Woodson.
“I was being serious, like I wanted to switch-hit, [but] it wasn’t like the best. But I still wanted to keep doing it, and eventually, [it] just started being better for me,” Woodson said.
Now, years later, he feels most comfortable hitting from the left side, a comfort built through countless one-handed drills with smaller bat tubes and tee work before he began getting game reps at 14.
“I just have better qualities on the left side, like I can get out of the box faster,” said Woodson, who is a natural righty. “I feel like my hands are faster and there’s more right-handed pitchers [to face].”
Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards also understands the benefits of switch-hitting. The righty started switch-hitting when he was six and hit left-handed extensively growing up, which is what made him get better.
“I would just say like the reps because my left side was just so much weaker, especially as a young kid, so [I was just] trying to get the coordination right,” Edwards said.
The way it has helped him in the Majors is by breaking things up. Since he mostly hits left-handed, it’s nice for him to get a right-handed at-bat every once in a while.
“Pitching up here is good,” said Edwards, who entering Monday tied for fifth in the Majors with 74 hits and tied for 10th in the NL with a .302 batting average. “So [being] able to match up a little better against them is an advantage. Sometimes -- two different swings to manage -- it can be a lot at times, but overall, I’d say it’s good.”
Edwards’ advice to young switch-hitters is simple: Always focus on the bigger picture.
“Somebody along the way, especially as an amateur, is going to tell you you probably shouldn’t do it because they want to win those games,” Edwards said. “Ultimately, for you to be a better player down the road, where now in the Major Leagues, it’s helping me. ... Make sure you see it through, don’t let a coach when you’re younger tell you to stop doing it when it can really help you in the future.”