7/31/2026

Left vs. left



A couple of days ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, the host mentioned a player’s great performance, in particular, that player is a left-handed hitter and he still hits well against southpaws.


After listening to the show, I was just thinking about left-handed hitters’ performances against left-handed pitchers over the last several seasons. Which hitters did hit very well against lefties? To solve my doubt, I decided to check on the statcast website.


Batting Average
(vs. LHP, left-handed hitter, 2021~2025, min PA: 200)

Player

BA

Yordan Alvarez

.317

Charlie Blackmon

.289

Freddie Freeman

.285

Eric Hosmer

.283

Anthony Rizzo

.280

Cody Bellinger

.279

Bryce Harper

.277

Luis Arraez

.275


Yordan Alvarez is one of the most dangerous hitters in the majors. So far this season, he has an OPS over 1.000. Hitting against lefties isn’t a problem for him. From 2021 to 2025, he owned a batting average over .300. He’s the only left-handed hitter who had a batting average of .300 or higher against southpaws.


Charlie Blackmon retired at the end of the 2024 season. He spent 14 seasons with the Rockies, hitting .293/.353/.479 with 227 home runs and 801 RBI. He’s certainly an important hitter in the Rockies franchise history. Additionally, he hit well against lefties. From 2021 to 2024, his batting average against lefties was over .280.


It’s Freddie Freeman’s 17th season in the majors. So far in his career, he has an OPS over .800 with 2500+ hits, 300+ home runs and 1300+ RBI. Freeman is one of the most consistent hitters in the majors. He can hit well whether it’s against righties or lefties. Against left-handed hitters, his batting average over .280 over the last 5 seasons. Freeman had 250+ hits against southpaws from 2021 to 2025.


In addition, Eric Hosmer announced his retirement in February 2024. He played 13 seasons in the majors, hitting .276/.335/.427 with 198 home runs and 893 RBI. As a left-handed hitter, he wasn’t afraid of lefties. From 2021 to 2023, his batting average was over .280 against southpaws.


Moreover, Anthony Rizzo officially announced his retirement is September 2025. He played in the majors from 2011 to 2024. In those 14 seasons, he batted .261/.361/.467 with 303 home runs and 965 RBI. From 2021 to 2024, he had a batting average of .280 against lefties.


Finally, Cody Bellinger and Bryce Harper each had a batting average over .275 against left-handed pitchers from 2021 to 2025. And they collected 200+ hits against lefties over the last 5 seasons.


Looking back at the last 5 seasons, well, Blackmon, Rizzo and Hosmer already retired, however, they were able to hit against lefties while playing. Furthermore, Yordan Alvarez, without a doubt, is a tough hitter to face. He isn’t afraid of hitting against lefties and he actually becomes nightmares to many southpaws. At the same time, Freeman is surely a trustworthy hitter in the majors and facing lefties isn’t a problem for him. In the meantime, Cody Bellinger and Bryce Harper, who both used to win an MVP award, know how to hit against lefties. In the 2026 season, of course, we can keep watching how good Yordan Alvarez is. In the meantime, it’s worthwhile to see Bellinger, Harper and Freeman hitting when they face lefties.

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