Mantle is Baseball’s Top Switch Hitter

In spite of Pete Rose’s 44-game hitting streak in 1978 and his achievement of more than 3,000 hits in his career, Mickey Mantle has been selected as the greatest switch hitter in baseball history. In a survey conducted by the Society for American Baseball Research earlier this year, Mantle was ranked first by 215 of the 302 researchers who cast ballots. In total points, the Yankee outfielder was well out in front with 780½, followed by Rose with 519½, Frank Frisch with 398, and Max Carey with 26 points.

The survey, conducted because of the increased emphasis on switch hitters in recent years, also included selection of an all-time all-star team of switch hitters. Mantle was a near unanimous choice (missing on one ballot) for one of the outfield positions. The others were filled by Max Carey and Reggie Smith. Going around the infield, the winners were James “Ripper” Collins, first base; his former manager and teammate on the Cardinals, Frank Frisch, second base; Rose (who also received 63 votes for the outfield), third base; and Maury Wills, shortstop. The catcher was Ted Simmons, and the pitcher, Early Wynn. A detailed summary of this survey will follow later in the article.

Rose and Frisch, both aggressive, talented players who hit for a higher average than Mantle, lost out to the Yankee star because of the latter’s great slugging ability. Mantle revolutionized the art of switch hitting by belting 536 home runs in his career. This was a quantum jump over the 135 hit by Collins in his career. Mantle shattered all assumptions that no player could hit that hard from both sides of the plate.

Since Mantle retired, Reggie Smith has moved in as the leading long ball hitter among those who bat both ways. At the start of the 1979 campaign, he had 270 roundtrippers, the great majority of which were hit from the left side. Other switch hitters now active who are hitting with considerable power include Ted Simmons, Ken Singleton, and Eddie Murray.

Prior to Mantle’s time, switch hitters made little contribution in the home run, slugging, and RBI departments. In 1942, for example, the leading home run hitter among switch hitters was Roy Cullenbine with 6. In 1920, at the start of the lively ball era when Ruth hit 54 home runs, Frisch and Wally Schang led the switch hitters with 4 each. Schang, incidentally, was one of the first batters known to have hit two homers in one game, one right and one left. Playing with the Athletics in a game against the Yankees at Shibe Park on September 8, 1916, Schang hit a grand slam homer into the rightfield stands off right-hander Allan Russell in the first inning, and then hit a solo shot to the scoreboard in center in the second off southpaw Slim Love. The incident was not publicized at the time because of an unusual circumstance So much rain fell that day that reporters, assuming that the game could not possibly be played, did not go to the park. For schedule reasons, Connie Mack insisted that the game be played, and it was, late in the afternoon, in a sea of water and in front of fewer than 100 people.

Switch hitters made their primary contribution as players getting on base and then scoring runs. Rose, Frisch, and Carey were among those who did it by getting hits; Tommy Tucker, who was a pretty fair hitter, had an extra talent in getting hit by pitches (more than 200 times in his career). A large number had an unusual talent for receiving bases on balls.  This included, not only Mantle, who was a great threat with the bat, but little Miller Huggins, who led the NL four times in walks, and Donie Bush, who led the AL five times. Others who led or who had outstanding walk totals included Lu Blue, Roy Culienbine, Augie Galan, Jim Gilliam, Ken Singleton, and Roy White, the only former teammate of Mantle still with the Yankees. In 1947, when Cullenbine was with the Tigers and accumulated a team record of 137 walks, he had a stretch of 22 consecutive games, from July 2 through July 22, where he received one or more bases on balls. This is a major league record.

It is also a switch hitter who holds the career record for fewest times grounding into double plays. Don Buford hit into only 33 double plays in 4553 at bats or once every 138 times at the plate. His frequency rate is lower than that of all left-hand batters, such as Lou Brock, Joe Morgan, and Richie Ashburn, who have that extra step advantage. Augie Galan, another ambidextrous batter, played the full schedule for the Cubs in 1935 and never grounded into a double play.

While acknowledging that switch swinging has no bearing on stolen bases, we feel compelled to point out that those who bat both ways seem to excel on the basepaths far beyond their limited numbers. Take, for example, such aggressive base runners as Max Carey, Frank Frisch, George Davis, Bob Bescher, Donie Bush, Walter Wilmot, Miller Huggins, Augie Galan, Jim Gilliam, Don Buford, Sandy Alomar, and Maury and Bump Wills.

Switch hitters also seem to strike out less; that is, with the exception of Mantle. Of the more than 60 major leaguers who have fanned more than 900 times in their careers, only one (Mantle) is a switch hitter. Only two switch batters led their leagues in season strikeout totals: Mantle in the AL, and Bob Bescher in the NL.

Ten years ago, to call attention to the increased use of switch hitters, we would recall the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers’ infield of Wes Parker, first base; Jim Lefebvre, second base, Jim Gilliam, third base; and Maury Wills, shortstop. The most recent example to illustrate the emphasis on switch hitting is the 1977 batting race in the National League. Dave Parker won the crown, but of the top 11 batters in the league, five were switch hitters: Garry Templeton .322, Simmons .318, Rose .311, Reggie Smith .307, and Lenny Randle .304. Competing against these five were three left-hand swingers and three right-hand hitters. Ironically, these five switch swingers were outhit by another, Ken Singleton in the American League, who hit .328. Also emerging from this group is one of the great triple hitters in modern times. This is Garry Templeton, who led with 18 in 1977, the highest total in many years, and 13 in 1978, and has a good chance to repeat in 1979. No NL batter has ever led three years in a row in this category.

The top season records for switch hitters are carried below:

 

Year	Department	Season Leader and Club	Total
1962	At Bats	Maury Wills, Los Angeles NL	695
1922	Runs	Max Carey, Pittsburgh, NL	140
1973	Hits	Pete Rose, Cincinnati NL	230
1978	Doubles	Pete Rose, Cincinnati NL	51
1893	Triples	George Davis, New York NL	26
1961	Home Runs	Mickey Mantle, New York AL	54
1956	Total Bases	Mickey Mantle, New York AL	376
1957	Walks	Mickey Mantle, New York AL	146
1897	RBI	George Davis, New York NL	131
1889	Batting	Tommy Tucker, Baltimore AA	0.375
1956	Slugging	Mickey Mantle, New York AL	0.705

 

On the career leaders in the various batting departments, the totals are as of the end of the 1978 season. Note that since the start of the 1979 season, Rose has passed Mantle for leadership in runs scored and total bases.  Asterisks indicate active player totals.

 

At Bats		Runs		Hits
Pete Rose	10196*	Mickey Mantle	1677	Pete Rose	3164*
Max Carey	9363	Pete Rose	1657*	Frank Frisch	2880
Frank Frisch	9112	George Davis	1546	George Davis	2683
George Davis	9027	Max Carey	1545	Max Carey	2665
Red Schoendienst	8479	Frank Frisch	1532	Red Schoenclienst	2449
Mickey Mantle	8102	Donie Bush	1280	Mickey Mantle	2415
Maury Wills	7588	Red Schoendienst	1223	Maury Wills	2134
Don Kessinger	7541*	Jim Gilliam	1163	Dave Bancroft	2004
Kid Gleason	7445	Lu Blue	1151	Kid Gleason	1951
Donie Bush	7206	Tommy Tucker	1083	Don Kessinger	1909*

 

Doubles		Triples		Home Runs
Pete Rose	572*	George Davis	167	Mickey Mantle	536
Frank Frisch	466	Max Carey	159	Reggie Smith	270*
George Davis	442	Frank Frisch	138	Roy White	157*
Red Schoendienst	427	John Anderson	126	Tom Tresh	153
Max Carey	419	Duke Farrell	123	Pete Rose	150*
Mickey Mantle	344	Pete Rose	111*	Ken Singleton	136*
Augie Galan	336	Lu Blue	109	Ripper Collins	135
John Anderson	326	Tom Daly	103	Ted Simmons	125*
Reggie Smith	325*	Dan McGann	102	Ken Henderson	118*
Dave Bancroft	320	Walter Wilmot	91	Roy Cullenbine	110

 

Total Bases		Runs Batted In		Bases on Balls
Mickey Mantle	4511	Mickey Mantle	1509	Mickey Mantle	1734
Pete Rose	4408*	George Davis	1432	Donie Bush	1158
Frank Frisch	3937	Frank Frisch	1244	Lu Blue	1092
George Davis	3678	John Anderson	976	Pete Rose	1085*
Max Carey	3609	Pete Rose	954*	Max Carey	1040
Red Schoendienst	3284	Reggie Smith	941*	Jim Gilliam	1036
Reggie Smith	2997*	Tommy Tucker	932	Miller Huggins	1002
Roy White	2626*	Duke Farrell	912	Augie Galan	979
John Anderson	2574	Augie Galan	830	Roy White	910*
Dave Bancroft	2574	Kid Gleason	823	George Davis	870

 

 

Strikeouts		Batting Avg.		Slugging Avg.
Mickey Mantle	1710	Frank Frisch	.316	Mickey Mantle	.557
Pete Rose	899*	Pete Rose	.310*	Ripper Collins	.492
Reggie Smith	863*	Ted Simmons	.298*	Reggie Smith	.491*
Don Kessinger	747*	Mickey Mantle	.298	Ted Simmons	.449*
Ken Singleton	739*	George Davis	.297	Ken Singleton	.436*
Ken Henderson	726*	Ripper Collins	.296	Pete Rose	.432*
Tom Tresh	698	Tommy Tucker	.292	Frank Frisch	.432
Max Carey	695	John Anderson	.292	Roy Cullenbine	.432
Roy White	687*	Red Schoendienst	.289	Augie Galan	.419
Maury Wills	684	Ken Singleton	.289*	Tom Tresh	.411

 

Who was the first switch hitter in the majors? Based on available information, it was Will White, who began his pitching career with Boston in  1877 and moved on to Cincinnati the next season.

Ironically, he also was the first player to wear glasses. Was there a connection?

RESULTS OF SABR SURVEY ON SWITCH HITTERS

(Those Receiving Two or More Votes)

First Base

Collins, 206
Parker, 31 1/2
Blue, 27 1/2
Anderson, 12
Tucker, 12
LaChance, 3
McGann, 3
Holke, 2

Second Base

Frisch, 277
Schoendienst, 20
Gilliam, 5

Third Base

Rose, 228
Weaver, 39
Gilliam, 25
Austin, 4
Frisch, 4

Shortstop

Wills, 141
Bowa, 54 1/2
Bancroft, 50 1/2
Davis, 43
Bush, 5
Kessinger, 4
Rogell, 2

Outfield

Mantle, 301
Carey, 228
Smith, 204
Rose, 63
Galan, 33 1/2
Singleton, 26
White, 20 1/2
Philley, 6
Tresh, 5
Bescher, 4
Buford, 4
Anderson, 3

Catcher

Simmons, 253
Schang, 40
Farrell, 5
Hargrave, 3

Pitcher

Wynn, 87 1/2
Roberts, 68 1/2
Nichols, 59
Lyons, 54
Mullane, 16
Tannehill, 11

 

Outstanding Switch Hitter

Mantle, 215 1st-place votes / 780 1/2 points

Rose, 53 / 519 1/2

Frisch, 31 / 398

Carey, 1 / 26

Smith, 0 / 18

Wills, 0 / 13 1/2

Simmons, 0 / 8

Collins, 0 / 7

Schoendienst, 0 / 5

Roberts, 0 / 4

Bancroft, 0 / 3

Gilliam, 0 /3

Nichols, 0 / 3

Parker, 1 / 3

Weaver, 0 / 3

Davis, 0 / 2