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I couldn't agree more, boulder. Very well put.
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The stats pretty much say a hitter should find a pitch they can drive before getting to two strikes. Once you have two strikes the pitcher is in control of the at bat.
I don't necessarily agree with that statement. I saw one of Lebanon HS prominent hitters (Hutchison) have 2 strikes against her and then pitch after pitch she kept fouling them off, waiting for the pitcher to bring one back in to her. She did and a hard line drive was hit back to right field. The better hitters can still work the pitcher even with 2 strikes on them.
It's a law of averages Andrew and not a definite I'll be glad to continue this talk. Are you going to be at the games Friday night? I'll borrow money from the wife and buy you a coke.
I agree with Tim's approach, although it applies to contact hitters too. They should also be looking for a pitch they can hit solidly even though they aren't swinging for the fences.... Its about being selective on location and then aggressive on what you can drive. Not just hit but drive.
The pitcher catcher and umpire work out of a strike zone, the batter works out of a hitting zone. Jut because blue called it a strike dosent mean its something the batter can drive. If you have never seen a pitcher before and you swing at the first pitch and ground out what have you accomplished. If you go thru the line up 3 or so times and you see she has a history of trying to get up in the count by coming across the middle of the plate then your second time at bat by all means punish her by driving it.
A hitter should punish her the first time if it's a pitch that can be driven...
I like long at bats, I like watching my hitters go deep in the count. I like wearing pitchers out and punishing them if they make a mistake. Hitting is a game within a game. Its about adjustments.
Why do most power hitters go deep in a count while most contact hitters do not? The reason is A power hitter is looking for that one pitch to drive. A contact hitter is looking to put the ball in play. I teach my kids to swing for power below 2 strikes and to swing for contact after. Attacking any thing close at 2 strikes. ...
My daughter is not a speed player. Bats 3rd. Last two games she has hit two homeruns on first pitch fastball. High school ball. Enough said.
Congrats to your daughter for the long ball but like you said, High School Ball, where getting a fastball down the middle is as common as a walk in rec ball. Enough said.
You have to remember - just like a batter is looking for "their" pitch to drive, the pitcher is also throwing pitches to bait the batter dictated by the batting order, count and inning. Pitchers and their coaches know that batters have a tendency to take more pitches their first at-bat, and can be a little more aggressive getting called strikes. Any smart pitcher (and coach) should know that by the second time through the order, or about the third inning, the strategy drastically changes. The good hitters have seen what the pitcher has to offer, and has picked up on habits, patterns and tendencies. Consequently, the pitches SHOULD be "less inviting" to the meat of the order - or the pitcher will typically get shelled - which is common in high school.
Just like pitchers have patterns that can be detected over time, so do hitters. Colleges book every single pitch of every at-bat, so opposing batters have a history of tendencies. A smart coach will call pitches based on that history, and a good pitcher will execute that plan with accuracy.
Pitchers (actually coaches who call pitches) who ignore Tim's concept of "hitters having a hitting zone" and "umpires having a strike zone" will fail in grand fashion. IMO, the strike zone is way overrated, because great hitters are trained to hit pitches within THEIR zone - not necessarily the strike zone. Conversely, great pitchers SHOULD KNOW THAT, and should pitch with that in mind.
S0 - taking the first pitch? Again, it depends on the level of the game, and the skill of the batter/pitcher. A typical HS 6 - 9 batter is usually a gift first strike for a decent pitcher. But don't count on that at the college level.
Also, consider that a strike-out in early innings is not such a bad thing. Consider that the batter has now seen the pitches offered, and can develop a plan next at-bat. The "duh" factor is the team with the most runs wins. It doesn't matter if those runs are scored in the first inning or last. A great batter/pitcher duel is a thing of beauty, and watching the smart ones go head to head is what makes the game exciting.
I don't necessarily agree with that statement. I saw one of Lebanon HS prominent hitters (Hutchison) have 2 strikes against her and then pitch after pitch she kept fouling them off, waiting for the pitcher to bring one back in to her. She did and a hard line drive was hit back to right field. The better hitters can still work the pitcher even with 2 strikes on them.
I have always been a huge proponent of Quality at Bats (QAB) as this will lead to On Base Percentage being high and to score more runs then the opposition. Quality at bats are measured by how well a batter controls the strike zone and timing of her swings. When a hitter does these two things well, she has produced a Quality at Bat. She may Strike out, ground out, or fly out and still produce a quality at bat. None of these two things detract from the fact the batter did the quality things she wanted to do. She controlled the hitting zone by making the pitcher throw strikes, and she focused on the ball well enough to take aggressive, well timed swings. The more often she produces quality at bats the higher the probability that she will reach base safely. Nothing drives me more nuts when my offense gives a pitcher a five or six pitch inning.