TOWER GROVE — Back before he was an All-Star and well before he began slugging his way into the records (yes, that’s right, do read on), Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick once found his name inked into the leadoff spot. Manager Tony La Russa gave a simple reason for putting Ludwick’s punch in the No. 1 slot.

“I thought about Rickey Henderson,” he said, “to be honest with you.”

As Ludwick will tell you, it ain’t his speed that reminded La Russa of The Rickey. It ain’t the batting gloves, glowing with the color of smooshed lightning bug guts, either. What Ludwick and Henderson share is a simple line on the back of their baseball cards. It reads, in short: B/R, T/L.

Bats right. Throws left.

Henderson is the best B/R, T/L player ever.

Ludwick may just be having the best power season ever for a B/R, T/L.

According to a report this past spring in the Newark Star-Ledger, there have been 10 players who bat right and throw left to play at least 450 games in the majors. It is as Jason Lane said in that article, “not the best route to go.” Ludwick is still a hundred games shy of becoming the 11th, but already he’s made his claim to being the best slugger of the group. As mentioned in Sunday’s paper, Ludwick is the first B/R, T/L player hit 30 home runs and the first to drive in 90 RBIs. Only Lane and Henderson have hit more than 25.

But calling Ludwick’s season the best power year by a B/R, T/L takes more than just those triple-crown jewels.

Using Baseball-Reference’s Player Index, it’s possible to search through all of the B/R, T/L hitters — from Damon Hollins to Jimmy Ryan, Carl Warwick to Hal Chase – and see how they slugged or how their runs-created rank. Ludwick, with about six weeks yet to hit, ranks among the best ever. If he keeps his current pace, he will be the first B/R T/L to have at least 250 plate appearances and slug better than .600. The top five slugging percentages (min. 250 PA):

1. Ryan Ludwick …. .612+ … 2008
2. “Rickey gonna be Rickey” … .577 … 1990
3. Hal Breeden … .560 … 1973
4. Rickey gonna be Rickey … .516 … 1985
5. Jason Lane … .499 … 2005  

“My left eye is dominant, I guess,” Lane told the Star-Ledger about why he B/R T/L’s. “Growing up in Northern California, I loved Rickey Henderson. But I never put it together (that they were both in the throw left, bat right club) until I got further into the game.”

Henderson dominates most of the B/R T/L rankings, and will be representing the rare species (rightbattia leftus) in Cooperstown, certainly as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. (Can’t wait for the speech.) The top nine seasons by a B/R T/L in terms of “Runs Created” belong to Henderson. Twelve of the top 14 seasons in “Runs Produced” belong to Henderson. As far performance over a career, no B/R T/L is close.

But when it comes to a season, Ludwick is making a run at Rickey.

Consider:

** RUNS  CREATED **

1.-9. Rickey Henderson … from 138 RC in 1985 (24 HR, 146 R, .314 BA) to 103 RC in 1984.

10. Cleon Jones … 100 RC … 1969

11. Ryan Ludwick … 99+ RC … 2008

Ludwick is about to become only the third B/R T/L to have 100 RC in a season, and with more than 120 RC this season he would move into the all-Rickey top three. Runs produced is also an all-Rickey rankings that Ludwick is elbowing his way into.

** RUNS PRODUCED (RBI + R - HR) ** 

1.-4. Rickey gonna be Rickey … 194-160

5. Hal Chase … 160

6. Rickey gonna be Rickey … 158

7. Hal Chase … 157

8t. Rickey gonna be Rickey … 155

8t. Cleon Jones … 155

11. Hal Chase … 153

12t. Rickey gonna be Rickey … 152

14. Ryan Ludwick … 144+

It’s the raw power numbers, however, where Ludwick is leading the B/R T/L pack. Already mentioned was slugging percentage, but look three others: ISO (isolated power, which is similar to a batting average for extra-base hits); OPS+ (on-base percentag plus slugging percentage compared to the league average — more than 100 is above average, less than is below); and just counting up the extra-base hits by a B/R T/L player.

ISO (min. 250 PA)

1. Ryan Ludwick … .306+ … 2008
2. Hal Breeden … .260 … 1973
3. Rickey Henderson … .252 … 1990
4. Brian Hunter … .248 … 1992
5. Brian Hunter … .246 … 1994

OPS + (min. 250 PA)

1. Rickey Henderson … 188 … 1990
2. Ryan Ludwick … 157+ … 2008
3. Rickey Henderson … 157 … 1985
4. Rickey Henderson … 155 … 1992
5. Hal Chase … 154 … 1916
6. Cleon Jones … 151 … 1969
7. Rickey Henderson … 150 … 1981
8. Rickey Henderson … 148 … 1993
9. Rube Bressler … 147 … 1926
10. Rickey Henderson … 145 … 1987, ‘84

EXTRA-BASE HITS

1. Jason Lane … 64 … 2005
2. Rickey Henderson … 64 … 1990
3. Rickey Henderson … 64 … 1986
4. Ryan Ludwick … 62+ … 2008
5. Hal Chase … 58 … 1915

Back in high school, Ludwick realized the rarity of batting right and throwing left so he attempted to make himself into a switch-hitter. He wanted to know what it felt like to see the ball as well from righthanders as he did batting righthanded against lefties. This past spring training, he said he wished he stayed with it.

It would fit into his ambidextrous life.

Ludwick writes with his left hand, throws with his left  hand and kicks with his left foot (when, you know, chipping through extra points). Everything he does righthander. He eats righthander, plays tennis righthanded, golfs righthanded, et cetera. Asked how he could get through youth baseball without a coach or someone trying to get the lefthanded thrower to also be a lefthanded hitter, Ludwick joked:

“No one straightened me out.”

The records — at least those specialized ones above — sure show that.

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