Best MLB Switch Hitters: Who are baseball's kings of swinging both ways?

Switch hitters are players who can bat both right-handed and left-handed, usually choosing the way they bat depending on the pitcher. Switch-hitting is a skill coveted by many baseball players yet achieved by a few. It adds an interesting dynamic to a non-pitcher's game, making the player far more threatening.

Switch-hitting was prevalent in the major leagues even before the 20th century. However, the number of switch hitters started rising only after the 1950s.

Here, we take a look at some of the best switch hitters in MLB history:

Mickey Mantle

Any list of MLB switch hitters is incomplete without mentioning the great Mickey Mantle. MLB great Mantle secured All-star nominations 20 times and was a three-time MVP. He hit .330 during his career as a right-sided hitter, which was a decent improvement from his left-handed batting average of .281.

Chipper Jones

Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves tips his helmet to the crowd before his final at bat before the Braves lose to the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 during the National League Wild Card playoff game at Turner Field on October 5, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones is another unmissable player on any list compiling the best MLB switch hitters. He averaged .294 from the right side and .303 as a lefty. He ended his career with an average over .300, as well as hitting over 400 homers. A true MLB legend.

Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning during Game One of the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on October 14, 2012, in San Francisco, California.

The New York Mets legend averaged .280 as a right-hander and .279 from the opposite side, tremendous numbers which ensure him a place among the best switch hitters in the game. Beltran was a part of the 2017 World Series-winning Houston Astros and was named in MLB's report on the Astros' sign-stealing scandal.

George Davis

George Davis played in the big leagues for nearly three decades between 1890 and 1909. A versatile player, he was the first great switch-hitter in the history of the sport. It took over five decades before the number of switch hitters took off in the MLB.

Pete Rose

Former Cincinnati Reds player and Major League Baseball all-time hits leader Pete Rose takes a pitch from former Reds player Tony Perez while former Reds player Johnny Bench catches during his induction in to the Reds Hall of Fame before a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park on June 25, 2016, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Pete Rose averaged .292 as a right-hander and hit .295 from the left-side. An MLB all-timer, he has the highest number of hits (4,256) in the league.