3-0 count

[Passion4theGame]

when your batter has a 3-0 count what do you tell her?
Do you have her take the next pitch or not?
obviously there are different situations for this.
just curious how others handle 3-0 counts.




I handle 3-0 counts with my batter as her strike zone just shrunk to the size of my fist. To me a walk is just as good as a single. I need base runners.

I have handled 3-0 counts as a "green light" for the batter too.

 

[wpaguy]

Domingo...LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ0Y7xol2AQ

 

[crystlemc]

If that next pitch is the hitter's perfect pitch, then kill it! You have to figure, on a 3-0 count, that next pitch is likely the most beautiful strike you've ever seen. Now, that being said, if that pitcher has been struggling to buy a strike all game, then I may just say take it.

 

[crystlemc]

Domingo...LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ0Y7xol2AQ

Domingo is my dude....lol. Chicks dig the long ball!!

 

[wow]

You semi pro?

 

[shummel]

Agreed that every situation is different, but a lot of good points listed above. In a tight game? Take sign! In a non important situation? Swing away if it is a good pitch.

However, this coming weekend when you have a 3-0 count, your batter should swing no matter what!!! Especially in your Slammers game!

Scott Hummel
Cincy Slammers 04'

 

[tjsmize3]

I will tend to give a hot hitter the green light with runners on base, while in other situations I may give the take sign 3-0... really depends on where we are at in the game and what we need most. What I have moved away from however is telling kids 3-0 and green light to look for a "perfect pitch," ... "one right down the middle" ... "in a very, very small zone," etc... All this really does in my opinion is make the hitter over-think the situation... that's a pretty good pitch, but is it the "best I have ever seen?" ... is it "right down the middle" or is it a little too much to the left? .... do I really "love" it??? If I am going to give the green light 3-0 it's because I think I have a better than average fastball hitter with a big red zone in a fastball situation. If we decide to challenge the pitcher and go at her 3-0 I want my hitter on time and swinging hard. I'll trust her instincts to lay off of a pitch she doesn't feel good about.

 

[SAmMaydayMalone]

I will tend to give a hot hitter the green light with runners on base, while in other situations I may give the take sign 3-0... really depends on where we are at in the game and what we need most. What I have moved away from however is telling kids 3-0 and green light to look for a "perfect pitch," ... "one right down the middle" ... "in a very, very small zone," etc... All this really does in my opinion is make the hitter over-think the situation... that's a pretty good pitch, but is it the "best I have ever seen?" ... is it "right down the middle" or is it a little too much to the left? .... do I really "love" it??? If I am going to give the green light 3-0 it's because I think I have a better than average fastball hitter with a big red zone in a fastball situation. If we decide to challenge the pitcher and go at her 3-0 I want my hitter on time and swinging hard. I'll trust her instincts to lay off of a pitch she doesn't feel good about.

I agree, depends on the situation and who is up.

 

[Passion4theGame]

Agreed that every situation is different, but a lot of good points listed above. In a tight game? Take sign! In a non important situation? Swing away if it is a good pitch.

However, this coming weekend when you have a 3-0 count, your batter should swing no matter what!!! Especially in your Slammers game!

Scott Hummel
Cincy Slammers 04'

Scott you gonna have us in a 3-0 situation a lot this weekend? you hope not right..?
Should be a really good tournament. I know the pool our teams are in is a tough pool. a lot of good talent. Should be fun. See you Saturday.


Jeff Hill
KAOS Fastpitch '04

 

[BouldersDad]

Bases loaded I would probably take. Less than 2 out runners in scoring position I'm looking to advance runners so a walk or an opposite field shot if the opportunity presents its self. If
Defense corners are statues I'm thinking small ball because I'm pretty sure the next pitch is coming into our zone. There is almost an infinite amount of possibilities. It could all boil down to whos hot and whos not at the plate.

Tim

 

[JoeA1010]

All depends on the situation and who is hitting. In most situations, this is a take sign.

Most likely time I will give a green light to any hitter here is second and third with two out. Walk doesn't help much and a base hit is two runs. The time that anyone on the team is taking here is last inning and the batter is not at least the tying run.

Another thought I often share with our hitters is to not bail out a pitcher who is struggling. Let her struggle. Not always a popular notion, but one that often wins games.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Pure showcase games are another wrinkle on this. You hate to take the bat out of their hands, however you don't want them getting themselves out on 3-0 counts either. As others (JoeA?) have pointed out in the past, whatever they throw 3-0 will likely be thrown again as they try to get back in the count.

Batter isn't likely to see a pitch down the middle at the higher levels. Teams should have an idea of what the pitcher throws when behind in the count and each batter should know what pitch they're throwing they'd most like to hit. If given a green light, the batter should should be sitting on that pitch they want to hit.

 

[BulldawgsDirector]

I ALWAYS call take sign. So absolutely feel free to groove a flat/fat fastball down the middle against us in this situation.

 

[FastBat]

IMHO...Sunday league...if the player's are doing anything less than a full swing with a 3-0 count. (Unless for a very important game. But, pool play, scrimmages, league, or basic 12u and younger, let them swing away!)

 

[Fairman]

On a 3-0 count we always use the take sign....

However.

A junior starter gets the take sign.
She then swings at a ball way over her head.
After a few more pitches she returns to the dugout.
I ask her if she saw the take sign?
She responds that of course she did and she took a swing!
She was pissed that we made her swing at a bad pitch.
I was speechless.

(This really happened)

 

[Passion4theGame]

on a 3-0 count we always use the take sign....

However.

A junior starter gets the take sign.
She then swings at a ball way over her head.
After a few more pitches she returns to the dugout.
I ask her if she saw the take sign?
She responds that of course she did and she took a swing!
She was pissed that we made her swing at a bad pitch.
I was speechless.

(this really happened)

priceless!!!

 

[BruisedShins]

On a 3-0 count we always use the take sign....

However.

A junior starter gets the take sign.
She then swings at a ball way over her head.
After a few more pitches she returns to the dugout.
I ask her if she saw the take sign?
She responds that of course she did and she took a swing!
She was pissed that we made her swing at a bad pitch.
I was speechless.

(This really happened)

My daughter always thought that "take the pitch" meant get hit by the pitch. So, the first time she got the take sign, the pitch happened to be a little inside, but she hung in there and "took" it right in the leg. She said she would have moved if she didn't get the "take" sign.

 

[Dad of Daughters]

My daughter always thought that "take the pitch" meant get hit by the pitch. So, the first time she got the take sign, the pitch happened to be a little inside, but she hung in there and "took" it right in the leg. She said she would have moved if she didn't get the "take" sign.

Our HS team uses wrist bands and has evolved from having the cells that we want the children to understand we don't want them to swing from saying "take" to then saying "red light" to currently saying "don't swing" to cut down on incidences like the above mentioned. Can't make this up.

 

[Hilliarddad3]

Depends on the girl but heck, if any pitch is down the middle from first to last, crush it, you only get three strikes so crush the first one you get....

 

[Lester]

for me... age dependent, game dependent, and IQ dependent...lots of explanation here and I'll pass for now.

Many times I'll lose an inning with a young player a couple times to let them learn the pro's and con's of deciding on the "read" that is in front of them, especially 11-13u. Even at 10u but the young ones will forget a portion if not all so I'm flexible there and player dependent. I'll later discuss the player's decision with them a couple innings later, whether they succeed or fail. If playing a must win, I'll call in something but I'll tell you that my last 2-2.5 years of coaching a Static team my signals were nearly all BS. The players did what they wanted for it was all bout putting my "ways" of teaching and their learning into play and and letting their IQ's blossom.

This surely changes at the different levels of ball, time with a team/player, and venue. Showcase, qualifier, national, etc.