I've heard it said about baseball pitchers trying to make it to the major leagues... if you're a right-hander you better have several pitches, good control, etc. If your a left-hander, you just need to be breathing.
The fact is, lefties are in demand. Take the MSU pitchers that were drafted this week: Chris Stratton (Giants), Nick Routt (Reds) and Kendall Graveman (Marlins). Chris Stratton is a RHP, but he is dominant...hence the 1st round pick. But Nick Routt was far from dominant, and he battled injuries. Still, he was selected 20 rounds ahead of Graveman. And preseason All-American RHP, Caleb Reed, wasn't even drafted.
Here's a look at what Routt, Graveman and Reed did during their MSU careers...
Nick Routt, LHP
| Freshman (2009) | 5-3, 4.15 ERA | 4 CG, led team in ERA |
| Sophomore (2010) | 1-1, 6.52 ERA | Season-ending arm injury |
| Junior (2011) | 3-3, 3.86 ERA | 13 starts |
| Senior (2012) | 3-5, 3.80 ERA | .330 opponents batting avg. |
Kendall Graveman, RHP
| Freshman (2010) | 2-4, 6.66 ERA | That is an unfortunate ERA |
| Sophomore (2011) | 5-0, 3.65 ERA | 32 walks: 21 strikeouts |
| Junior (2012) | 4-4, 2.81 ERA | 16 starts, 89.1 IP |
Caleb Reed, RHP
| Freshman (2009) | 1-2, 9.17 ERA | .373 opponents batting avg. |
| Sophomore (2010) | 1-7, 6.99 ERA | 2nd on the team in IP (67) |
| Junior (2011) | 1-2, 1.55 ERA | 12 saves |
| Senior (2012) | 1-5, 2.47 ERA | 9 saves, 31 appearances |
Clearly, Graveman's numbers are better than Routt's. Caleb Reed's are too. But Routt is a lefty. If a LHP is a "junk-baller" like Graveman and Reed than that's fine...in fact, it's great...whatever so long as he can get it over the plate. But from a righty, the scouts are looking for the guys with electric fastballs and hard-biting sliders.
So, if your child was born a lefty, teach 'em 1st base another time....head for the mound.