The best MLB switch-hitters of all time

One of the great power hitters this century, Teixeria hit 409 home runs during a brilliant career that included notable time with Texas and the New York Yankees. That total ranks fifth all time among switch-hitters. He went deep 297 times from the left side. Four times during his career, Teixeria recorded at least 38 home runs, and registered a personal-best 43 in 2005 with the Rangers. The three-time All-Star's overall .509 slugging percentage sits fourth on the career list for switch-hitting batters. 

Consistently solid might be the best way to describe the major league career of Singleton, who spent the final 10 of his 15 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. Singleton, who certainly benefited from the designated hitter, batted .282 for his career, though he was better from the left side. Combined, Singleton topped the 2,000-hit mark, slugged 246 home runs, recorded 317 doubles and registered an impressive 1,065 RBI. H also owned a .388 on-base percentage while being named to three All-Star teams — all with the Orioles. 

When it comes to modern-era baseball (1901 and beyond), the name Ripper Collins likely won't conjure up many memories. However, the first baseman packed quite a lot into a major league career that spanned parts of nine seasons. Collins, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (where he won two World Series titles), Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh, batted .296, recorded 1,121 hits and clubbed 135 home runs in 1,084 career games. He was named an All-Star three times during his big-league career.

Much like the aforementioned Mark Teixeira, Sierra was loaded with power. Entering the 2022 season, Sierra ranked ninth among switch-hitters with 306 career home runs (216 coming as a left-handed batter), while playing for nine different teams and earning four All-Star nods. Sierra, who recorded 2,152 hits during his lengthy big-league career, also ranks among the top 10 for switch-batters with 1,322 RBI. He led the majors with a career-high 119 RBI in 1989, while starring for the Texas Rangers.

With more than 2,000 hits and nearly 300 home runs during his career, Bonilla etched himself as one of the more potent offensive players in the game. Now, perhaps he did not stand out in any one category, but offensive dependability was always a staple of Bonilla's game. The six-time All-Star batted .280 from the right side of the plate and .278 when swinging lefty. Combined, Bonilla drove in 1,173 runs while playing for eight different teams, notably Pittsburgh and the New York Mets. Bonilla was also a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

The St. Louis Cardinals' legend still ranks among the greatest switch-hitters of all time with a .289 batting average. Schoendienst was a 10-time All-Star, and seven times he batted .300 or better. When that Hall of Famer's career ended, Schoendienst had 2,449 hits and 773 RBI over 8,479 at-bats. He also registered more than 400 doubles. As a player, Schoendienst was part of two World Series-winning clubs, with the Cardinals in 1946 and Milwaukee Braves in '57. He then had three different stints as St. Louis' manager.

Another early switch-hitting star, Carey played all but parts of four seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, with who he helped win a World Series in 1925. A member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Carey was a .285 career hitter. He's also been considered one of the great base stealers of all time, swiping 738 bags during his stellar career. Though not known for his power, Carey was an exceptional contact hitter, posting 2,665 hits, including 419 doubles, and registering a .361 on-base percentage. 

White spent his entire 15-year major league career with the New York Yankees. In doing so, White was a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, who recorded more than 1,800 hits and batted .271 (and most impressively, nearly the same from either side of the plate). While also posted an OBP of .360, and stole 233 bases. He also played a pretty solid outfield (owner of a .986 career fielding percentage) for the Yankees, and has long gone down as one of the more dependable players to ever sport the famed pinstripes. 

Not just one of the great offensive catchers in MLB history, Posada rightfully has a spot on this list by doing it extremely well from either side of the plate. While Posada batted .288 as a right-handed hitter, and .267 from the left, he clubbed 203 of his 275 career home runs from the latter side. In fact, that home run total is the most of any switch-hitting catcher in baseball history. The five-time All-Star and four-time World Series champion, who spent his entire 17-year career with the New York Yankees, is also tops among said catchers in slugging percentage (.474).

McGee enjoyed quite the major league career (winning the World Series as a rookie with St. Louis in 1982), and is one of the more versatile greats of the game. A career .295 hitter, McGee collected 1,565 of his 2,254 hits from the left side of the plate, where he batted .298. However, he hit an impressive .288 and clubbed 41 of his 79 career homers as a right-handed batter. A two-time batting champ (1985, '90), McGee was the NL MVP in 1985, and also won three Gold Gloves, while being named to four All-Star teams with the Cardinals.

Davis finished his career in the modern era of baseball, and joins the likes of Roger Connor (1880-1897) as one of the first great switch-hitting players. Davis, who had his best years with the New York Giants (1893-1901), was a .295 career batter, who also recorded 2,665 hits and 1,440 RBI. Davis posted a career .362 on-base percentage during a Hall of Fame career that most likely has gone under the radar for the casual baseball fan (or even those in the know). Davis, who won a World Series with the Chicago White Sox in 1906, also managed the Giants.

One of the most complete players in major league history. Wills was not just one of the most successful base stealers of all time (586 steals), he also batted .281 and recorded 2,134 hits — combined from both sides of the plate — while playing most of his lengthy career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with who he won three World Series titles during the 1960s. He was a seven-time All-Star, named NL MVP in 1962 while batting .299 and swiping 104 bags, and won a pair of Gold Gloves as a standout shortstop.

With 2,380 hits over a 19-year major league career that featured stops with five different teams, three All-Star nods and three World Series titles, Davis made quite a living hitting the baseball. Another player who extended his career thanks to the designated hitter, Davis batted .277 from the left side of the plate and .269 from the right. He also clubbed a combined 350 home runs and recorded 1,372 RBI — both ranked seventh all-time among switch-hitters entering the 2023 season — during his career.

One of the great Houston Astros of all time, Berkman recorded 1,905 hits and batted .293 for his 15-year big-league career. He hit .304 from the left side, where 1,501 of those hits came. Sure, Berkman did most of his damage from that left side, but he was feared by pitchers regardless which way he was swinging (career .406 OBP ranks third among all switch-hitters). Berkman was named to six All-Star teams and won a World Series with St. Louis in 2011, when he batted .301 with 31 homers and 94 RBI to earn NL Comeback Player of the Year during the twilight of his career.

Amid all the New York Yankees' greats, Williams still seems to fly under the radar. He helped the club win four World Series titles (1996, 1998-2000) and was a five-time All-Star. At the plate, Williams was a career .297 hitter, which ranks in the top 10 among all switch-hitters. Williams, who pounded out 2,336 hits during his 16-year career, batted .308 as a right-hander (with an impressive .398 OBP), but a stout .292 from the left side. His 287 career home runs are also among the most for a switch-hitting performer.

Even with seven All-Star nods, a Gold Glove and World Series title (with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981), Smith seems severely underrated when it comes to overall recognition of his MLB accomplishments. He played 17 seasons, and his 314 home runs and .489 slugging percentage both rank eighth among all switch-hitters. Smith was a .303 hitter from the left side. However, he batted a solid .274 with 33 home runs when swinging from the right side, where he posted a .352 OBP during a career that began in Boston, where he's part of the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

There is no better offensive, switch-hitting catcher in baseball history than Simmons. During a career that spanned an impressive 21 seasons, Simmons, who starred mostly for St. Louis and Milwaukee, batted .285 with 1,389 RBI (both the best average among catchers that switch-hit), while slugging 248 home runs. The eight-time All-Star, who rightfully earned induction into the Hall of Fame in 2020 via the Modern Baseball Era Committee, batted .285 as a right-handed hitter and .279 from the left side. Three times he drove in 100 or more runs.

A .300 hitter for his career (fifth all-time among switch-hitters), Alomar was an all-around threat from either side of the plate. However, he was a true menace from the left side, where he batted .313, while recording 2,047 of his 2,724 hits. Alomar recorded nearly 800 extra-base hits and stole 474 bases while playing for seven different teams, notably Toronto, Baltimore and Cleveland. A 12-time All-Star, the Hall of Famer and two-time World Series champion with the Blue Jays also won four Silver Slugger Awards and posted a career .371 on-base percentage during his 17 seasons. 

One of five switch-hitters with at least 400 home runs, Beltrán cracked 435 during a career that spanned 20 seasons (on seven different teams), and featured nine All-Star nods. Beltrán also sits second among all switch-hitters in doubles (565), third in RBI (1,587) and sixth in hits (2,725). Perhaps the most remarkable statistic to Beltrán's name, though, is that he hit the same .279 from either side of home plate. Though he slugged more than twice as many home runs as a left-hander batter, Beltrán owns a career on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) of .841 from the right side and .835 via the left.

It was pure joy watching Raines play, most notably with the Montreal Expos, but he also had a few good seasons with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. A .294 career batter, Raines hit .295 as a lefty and .290 from the right side of the plate. Combined with his efforts from both sides of home plate, and the Hall of Famer posted a .385 on-base percentage, which, according to STATSPerform, ranks 10th among all switch-hitters in the entire history of Major League Baseball. Of course, Raines is one of the great all-time base stealers, swiping 808 bags.

One of two switch-hitters with at least .500 home runs (504), the ever-steady Eddie Murray hit the ground running while being named AL Rookie of the Year with Baltimore in 1977. Murray's 3,255 hits, spanning his 21 seasons, rank second all time among switch-batters, while his 1,917 RBI are the most by any player who swung from both sides of the plate. An eight-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, the Hall of Fame first baseman batted .292 as a lefty (while hitting 365 of those homers) and .276 as a right-handed batter. 

Of course Major League Baseball's hit king has a spot on this list. "Charlie Hustle" has those 4,256 hits to his name, but he also ranks No. 1 among all-time switch-hitting leaders in runs (2,165) and doubles (746) while starring for Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Montreal. A career .303 hitter, Rose earned most of his success from the left-side of the plate, but it didn't really matter where he was taking swings. He was consistently a threat to reach base, as backed by his .375 on-base percentage, which ranks in the top-20 among career switch-batters.

Probably not a household name to the average baseball fan, but Frisch is the modern-era leader among all switch-hitters with a .316 career batting average. While playing for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, the Hall of Fame second baseman, who recorded 2,880 hits, was part of four World Series championship teams (two with each club) and honored as an All-Star three times. It's also interesting to note that Frisch totaled more triples (138) than home runs (105) during his stellar major league career.

Jones' Hall of Fame career spanned 19 years, all with the Atlanta Braves, and played into his 40s. An eight-time All-Star and 1999 NL MVP, Jones is the only switch-hitter in MLB history to bat at least .300 (.303), post an OBP of .400 or better (.401) and a .500 or higher slugging percentage (.529). According to Major League Baseball, Jones, who batted .304 as a righty and .303 from the left side, and the aforementioned Frankie Frisch are the only players to hit at least .300 from both sides of the plate. He collected 2,726 hits and 468 home runs.

What Chipper Jones did was certainly impressive, but the legendary Mantle remains the gold standard when it comes to switch-hitting royalty in the major leagues. The Yankees Hall of Famer is still the only switch-hitter to hit 50 or more homers in a season — doing it in 1956 (52) and 1961 (54). A natural-born right-handed hitter, it didn't matter, Mantle was lethal from either side of the dish, recording 2,415 hits, 536 home runs, 1,509 RBI and a .298 average for that iconic 18-year career spent entirely with New York.