7 Reasons Why Lefthanded-Throwing Position Players Are Becoming Rarer Than Ever In MLB
Image credit: Vinnie Pasquantino (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
One of my favorite aspects of baseball is the outsized role of handedness in game play. A position player’s batting hand or pitcher’s throwing hand play key roles in how they are deployed and how opponents attack them.
In the past decade, a position player’s throwing hand has also become increasingly deterministic.
In a feature for ESPN.com this spring, Hall of Fame baseball writer Tim Kurkjian noted the decline in first base production in the major leagues. The piece is well-reported and highly recommended.
In the story, Kurkjian made note of the dwindling number of lefthanded-throwing first basemen in MLB. Last season, just four lefthanded throwers played at least 100 games at first base: Josh Naylor, Vinnie Pasquantino, Rowdy Tellez and Michael Toglia. This continues a recent trend.
Over the past five 162-game seasons, just 11% of teams have used a lefthanded thrower as their first baseman for at least 100 games. In the mid 2010s, that percentage was about 25%.
In the expansion era overall, 30% or more of teams regularly deployed lefthanded throwers as primary first basemen. The highest total in one season was 12 in 1984, when players like Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly were the positional paradigm for a league that had 26 teams.
From a defensive perspective, lefthanded throwers have historically been preferred at first base. It’s easier for them to get the tag down on pickoff attempts. It’s easier for them to find a lane to throw to second base on force plays.
Yet, teams are showing us they are clearly fine playing righthanded throwers at first base.
The same is true in the outfield. The number of regular outfielders who throw lefthanded also is on the wane, though not as dramatically.
Twenty lefthanded throwers played 100 games in the outfield in 2024. As recently as 2011, the total of lefthanded throwers was 27. Lefthanded throwers comprised nearly 28% of all outfield regulars a decade ago. That figure is roughly 22% today.
Because outfield and first base are the only field positions available to lefthanded throwers, the number of plate appearances afforded to lefty throwers has consequently declined in recent seasons.
For the three years ending with 2013, lefthanded-throwing position players batted an average of 30,178 times per season.
For the three years ending with 2024, the average was 22,577 per season.
In the span of a decade, plate appearances by lefthanded-throwing position players—pitchers were removed from the sample—decreased by 25%.
The trend is similar in the minor leagues. Lefthanded throwers are playing less than they used to, collectively, at the four full-season levels. Baseball-Reference web developer Dan Hirsch developed throwing-hand data for the 30-team era, which dates back to 1998. He found that in 2024 the lefty-throwing cohort registered its lowest plate appearance total for a full season since baseball expanded to 30 teams.
So where have all the lefthanded-throwing position players gone? As with most things in life, a variety of factors contribute to change. Let’s take a look at seven key contributing factors.
Versatility Has Become The Name Of The Game
A position player who throws lefthanded can only be so versatile. Catcher and the non-first base infield positions are completely cut off to him. A lefthanded thrower who can rake or go get the ball in center field will play. Others have to fight to carve out a role.
Most MLB teams carry 13 pitchers on their 26-man rosters, leaving 13 spots for position players. Nine of those position spots go to lineup regulars, leaving just four bench spots. One bench spot goes to a second catcher, one to an infielder who can cover middle infield and one to an extra outfielder for platooning and general coverage.
That leaves teams with one free roster spot to fill. Increasingly, they are filling it with the most versatile player they can find, which has given rise to a newer brand of utility player: the infielder/outfielder. To fulfill the “infielder” part of the job description, candidates must throw righthanded.
Last year, players who played at least 20 games in the outfield and at least 20 at one of the righthanded-throwing positions of second base, third base or shortstop include Willi Castro, Brendan Donovan, Mauricio Dubon, Adam Frazier, Enrique Hernandez, Jeff McNeil, Zach McKinstry, Whit Merrifield, Dylan Moore, Chris Taylor and Matt Vierling, among many others.
This is a growing contingent of MLB players and one that counts only righthanded throwers among its ranks. The MLB season is a long one, and every little bit of flexibility helps managers navigate it.
The First Base Paradigm Has Shifted
Major league first basemen are more likely to throw righthanded today than they were a decade ago. There is another notable difference between then and now: First basemen also are shorter on average than they used to be.
First base used to be regarded as a tall player’s position. A tall first baseman presents the largest possible target for infielders’ throws. His long limbs give him greater reach to corral putouts and stretch for throws.
But over time, teams have come to realize that a shortstop or third baseman who can’t reliably make accurate throws across the diamond probably isn’t a long-term option.
A greater number of sub-6-foot players are playing first base today. A record 10 of them logged at least 50 games at the position last year, highlighted by Christian Walker, Luis Arraez, Josh Naylor, Spencer Steer, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Carlos Santana.
Today, Teams Receive Power From All Over The Diamond
Teams today are not as reliant on first basemen to provide as much offensive production as they once were. Every little bit helps, but offensive upticks at positions such as shortstop have lessened the demand at other positions.
First basemen in 2024 produced a 107 wRC+, the lowest of the 30-team era. Shortstops produced a 104 mark that is the highest of the same period.
Nothing distills the offensive sea change quite like this comparison:
- In 1998, first basemen outslugged shortstops by 498 home runs
- In 2024, first basemen outhomered shortstops by a margin of just 100
So over the course of 27 seasons, shortstops narrowed the gap on first basemen by nearly 400 home runs.
Led by shortstop supernovas Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson and Elly De La Cruz as well as other historic players such as Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Trea Turner, a total of 12 shortstops hit at least 20 home runs last season. That tied 2016 and 2019 for the most in MLB history.
This wave of powerful shortstops who retain their athleticism has taken over the position in the past decade. Collectively, these players have pushed shortstop production to historic levels, while also influencing younger generations to stick with the position, which only enhances players’ versatility when they enter pro ball and eventually reach MLB.
The universal DH also may cut into first base production. Now, every team has the option to sacrifice a bit of offense at first base in order to play a stronger defender. Or to simply divide first base and DH playing time among more individual players, muddying the definition of what constitutes a “first baseman.”
Teams Believe That First Basemen Are Made, Not Born
The taller, lefthanded-throwing first baseman once was viewed as the standard. But a club developing a lefthanded-throwing first baseman today has limited avenues to fit that prospect on the big league roster.
Unless the prospect runs well enough to man an outfield corner, his future is limited to one field position: first base. And to play first base—or DH—he has to rake.
Among the 70 players who had appeared in multiple games at first base through April 27 this season, just 11 of them are lefthanded throwers. Seven of those 11 are taller than six feet: Ryan O’Hearn, Vinnie Pasquantino, Gavin Sheets, Pavin Smith, Rowdy Tellez, Michael Toglia and recent callup Nick Kurtz. We can think of these players as “classic” first basemen as tall, lefthanded throwers.
The other lefty throwers are Jake Bauers, Alex Burleson, Josh Naylor and LaMonte Wade. All played outfield early in their big league careers, though not all that convincingly because they quickly migrated to first base.
This supports the notion that MLB teams view major league first basemen as players who played more demanding positions in the minor leagues. And to play the most demanding infield positions requires throwing righthanded.
Big league first basemen played all over the diamond as prospects, including:
- Catcher: Carlos Santana, Tyler Soderstrom and now Willson Contreras
- Second base: Jonathan Aranda, Luis Arraez and Michael Busch
- Third base: Ty France, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Colt Keith
- Shortstop: Ryan Mountcastle
A number of righthanded-throwing MLB first basemen even played more than 100 games in the outfield in the minor leagues, including Josh Bell, Matt Olson and Christian Walker.
But baseball tends to be a cyclical game. Now, a wave of lefthanded-throwing first base prospects, including Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, Tre’ Morgan, Xavier Isaac and Ryan Clifford, will try to alter the narrative that first basemen are made, not born.
Are Platoons To Blame?
Virtually all lefthanded throwers are also lefthanded hitters. And lefthanded hitters tend to be platooned in the big leagues, especially early in their careers.
Young lefthanded-hitting regulars losing 40 or more starts a year in a platoon arrangement could be a factor in the overall decline in playing time for lefthanded throwers.
Platooning is not a new concept, though. Just as likely is the disappearance of roles that once befitted left-left players, such as fifth outfielder or pinch-hitting specialist.
But for those lefthanded hitters who throw with their right hand, life has never been better. This seems to be a profile preferred by MLB clubs, who get the best of both worlds in the arrangement. A lefthanded batter will have the platoon advantage in most plate appearances, while throwing righthanded affords him the flexibility to play any field position.
A record 50 bats-left and throws-right players batted at least 400 times last season, including all-stars Yordan Alvarez, Jarren Duran, Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Merrill, Shohei Ohtani and Corey Seager.
In particular, the L-R shortstop has never been more prevalent, with examples last year including Henderson, Seager, CJ Abrams, JP Crawford and—for the first half anyway—Oneil Cruz.
More L-R shortstops are on their way to MLB. Top prospects with this profile include Marcelo Mayer, Colt Emerson, JJ Wetherholt, Cole Young and Bryce Rainer. Some of these prospects will fan out to other positions in MLB, but at least one is likely to stick at shortstop and extend the trend.
Are More Young Lefthanded Throwers Being Moved To The Mound?
Lefthanded throwers know the odds in baseball. At all but the lowest levels of play, they are restricted to first base, the three outfield positions or the mound.
First base and outfield are positions that righthanded throwers can play, making it harder for lefthanded throwers to stand out. But a young lefthander who takes up pitching at a young age creates an avenue to get noticed.
“I believe that athletic lefties are being put on the mound early because it’s a ‘better sell,’ especially if they are tall and athletic,” said one longtime international scouting director.
He was referring to young players in the Dominican Republic, but it could be universally true for lefthanded-throwing ballplayers everywhere looking to stand out from the crowd.
Last season, a total of 42 lefthanded pitchers threw at least 50 big league innings. That was a historically high total. Only the 2015 and 2021 seasons saw more 50-inning southpaws.
Not Many International Position Players Throw Lefthanded
Juan Soto was the only lefthanded-throwing position player in MLB last season who was born in the Dominican Republic.
Wilyer Abreu was the only lefthanded-throwing regular born in Venezuela. A few others—part-timer David Peralta and brief rookie callup Jorge Barrosa—also reached the big leagues.
Lefthanded-throwing Cuban outfielders Oscar Colas and J.P. Martinez played sparingly in MLB.
The point is that few lefthanded-throwing MLB position players were born internationally. Most of the lefty throwers in big league lineups hail from the United States—or Canada, in the case of Josh Naylor—including Corbin Carroll, Riley Greene, Cody Bellinger, Vinnie Pasquantino, Steven Kwan, Cedric Mullins, Michael Harris II and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
So as the share of international major leaguers continues to grow, the lower number of lefthanded-throwing MLB position players may continue apace.
A number of lefthanded-throwing Dominican position prospects are vying to reverse the trend, notably Josue De Paula, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Yophery Rodriguez and 2025 signees Kevin Alvarez and Yorger Bautista.
Venezuela has Nelson Rada and Juneiker Caceres as lefthanded-throwing prospects, while Cuba has Yanquiel Fernandez and Victor Mesa Jr. as MLB hopefuls.
Even among American outfield prospects, lefthanded throwers are somewhat rare, with Max Clark, Zyhir Hope, Chase DeLauter, Spencer Jones, Drew Gilbert and Enrique Bradfield Jr. being notable examples. Clark, Jones and Gilbert all pitched as amateurs, giving them two-way backgrounds as lefthanders/outfielders.
However, a trio of L-L prep outfielders has been selected in the first round of each of the past two drafts: Braylon Payne, Dante Nori and Slade Caldwell in 2024, following Max Clark, Dillon Head and Kendall George in 2023.
These international and domestic prospect data points hint that there is perhaps some level of course correction taking place regarding lefthanded-throwing position players. After all, if baseball has taught us anything, it’s that everything is cyclical.
