why does the player search not show handedness? i'm flipping through looking for a left-handed pitcher to fill out my rotation, and i need to individually click on each profile. it's a pretty big hassle.

I think they try to limit the number of fields that show on the search so performance is not affected.

You're probably thinking of your rotation like an actual GM would, but I focus more on the ratings than the handedness.  Rather than looking simply for a left-handed pitcher, look for the best starting pitcher available (assuming you're looking at the free agent list).  You'll typically notice that left-handed pitchers have a higher vL rating than vR, but obviously I'd rather have a right-hander with vL/vR of 68/75 than a left-hander that is 68/62.

The advantage left-handed pitchers may provide would be if many owners in your world care very little about vL for hitters and focus only on vR.  If the collective vL for hitters in your world are much lower than the collective vR, handedness may come into play.  But I took a quick look at my worlds, and there doesn't seem to be a huge disparity between the two.