When I saw the news that Wayne Gretzky’s son had signed with the Chicago Cubs my first thought was “I bet he hits left-handed and throws right-handed.” And sure enough:
Gretzky, 18, finished his senior season with a .393 batting average (42-for-107), 10 doubles, four triples, a home run and 27 RBI in 31 games for Oaks Christian in 2011. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder recorded a .450 on-base percentage and was nine-for-10 in stolen base attempts. A left-handed hitter and right-handed fielder, Gretzky played first base and the outfield last season.
Why did I assume this? Because it seems like all Canadians do this. Now, just like with almost any vast generalization, there are exceptions — Russell Martin and Jason Bay come to mind — but consider some of the best Canadian baseballers — Joey Votto, Matt Stairs, Pete Orr, Justin Morneau, Adam Stern, Mark Teahen, Corey Koskie …
Is there any reason for this or is it just coincidence? Most people’s immediate reaction is that hockey has something to do with it, but I don’t see the connection. Any theories?
August 12, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Wow, that is strange. Larry Walker too.
August 12, 2011 at 9:44 pm
I just took a look at active players from Canada. Excluding pitchers and catchers, the only three who don’t fit this mold are Bay, Martin, and Brett Lawrie. Bizarre, huh?
August 12, 2011 at 10:09 pm
I vaguely recall reading this about Larry Walker and the theory was picking up a hockey stick before the bat. Now please explain why I throw left and bat right.
August 13, 2011 at 1:42 pm
well, if that is the explanation, then it should work for you, too. but i don’t know much about hockey—do all hockey players hold the stick the same way? or if not, would a right-hander hold the top of the stick with his left hand or his right? the analogous situation in baseball and golf is that the weak hand goes at the near end of the stick, and the strong hand goes closer to the middle. (of course, it doesn’t have to be this way. hank aaron batted “cross-handed” in the negro leagues before a MLB scout found him. they say he had ridiculously strong wrists—dunno if that’s cause or effect.)
it’s the opposite in tennis for players who hit a 2-handed backhand, but i think that’s because backhand is mechanically different from forehand. then again, hockey is like tennis in that you sometimes have to hit “forehand” and sometimes “backhand”. but it’s different in the sense that nobody hits a 1-handed forehand in hockey.
August 14, 2011 at 5:19 am
I went looking for American MLB players who also played a lot of hockey (e.g. Tom Glavine), kind of as a control group. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many of them. Only one person played in the NHL and MLB, but of course he’s Canadian (batted left and threw right, obviously).
I am kind of hoping that it has nothing to do with hockey, but that we’ve instead discovered an odd genetic difference between Canadians and Americans.
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