[Argonaut]

So after I've watched Josh Bell in an online league play better than I expected for my White Sox team, I decided to do some tests around switch-hitting.

Hypothesis

It makes logical sense that a switch-hitter will do better than a righty or lefty with equal ratings, because of how OOTP works. The batter's ratings are factored on top of the ratings of the pitcher he is facing, and pitchers will tend to have better ratings against same handedness batters. Switch-hitters negate that effect by swapping sides of the plate.

Methodology

But how big is the effect? I tested the Pirates version of Josh Bell in OOTP21, putting him up against the Rangers, Reds, Athletics, and Cubs. I simulated 10,000 games each with Bell as S/R/L with the same ratings.

For the rotations, Texas has 4 RHP and 1 LHP, the Reds 5 RHP, the Athletics 2 RHP and 3 LHP, and the Cubs 3 RHP and 2 LHP. So there's a good mix of different looks from teams.

Results

I've attached the results below. As expected, RHB Bell struggles against the Reds rotation, and LHB Bell struggles against the Athletics rotation. But Switch Bell steadily performs well whatever he faces.

The only time where switch-hitting didn't provide much benefit was against the Cubs, where LHB Bell actually was a bit better than the Switch Bell. Could be random variance. The Cubs had a fairly balanced 2 LHP in the rotation and 2 LHP in the bullpen, which could have been a factor.

But overall, as expected switch-hitting will provide a hidden benefit for players of equal ratings. This is most pronounced against heavy RHP or LHP teams.

Caveat

The one instance I can think of switch-hitting being a drawback is with certain park factors. Some parks favour LHB or RHB more in AVG and/or POW. The batter could jump to the "wrong" side of the plate in some parks. But I feel that having the side advantage against pitchers will be better in most parks. This doesn't include Perfect Team which can have some very skewed park factors.

Numbers

Based on my non-exhaustive testing, the hidden benefit comes down to a 3.1% better OPS than a RHB with equal ratings, and a 1.8% better OPS than a LHB with equal ratings.

Not a massive benefit, but worth considering. An .885 OPS certainly "looks" better than a .858 OPS. Every little edge in baseball and OOTP counts.