In baseball, a switch hitter (or switch-hitter) is a batter who is able to hit from both the right and left sides of the plate.
Switch hitters commonly hit from the right side of the plate against left-handed pitchers and from the left side of the plate against right handed pitchers. In general, this gives the hitter a strategic advantage over the pitcher as right-handed batters generally perform better against left-handed pitchers and left-handed batters generally perform better against right-handed pitchers. This is because of the favourable trajectory of the ball out of the pitcher's hand (outside-in, rather than inside-out). Switch-hitting therefore negates much of the built-in advantages some pitchers have over some hitters (for instance, the advantages gained by left-handed specialists).
Switch hitters are commonly taught to switch hit at a young age, as learning to hit from the other side of the plate is often very difficult to do after years of hitting from one side only. Switch hitters also commonly have a "better" side of the plate. It's rare for a switch hitter, even a great switch hitter, to post similar batting and power numbers from each side of the plate, which has led some to question whether switch hitting is such an advantage after all.
Some notable Major League Baseball switch hitters include:
