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PITCHERS MUST IMPROVE EVERY DAY
From Collegiate Baseball
Voice of Amateur Baseball
Vol 51, No 5
March 7, 2008
PITCHERS MUST IMPROVE EVERY SINGLE DAY
By Ron Wolforth
Houston, Tex - One of the toughest sells in being a pitching coach is to constantly remind your pitchers that they need to continually improve each and every facet of their game.
It is so easy to rely on a good fastball or a good breaking ball or the fact that you have good control. We are often convinced that the level of success we are achieving now is a birthright and will continue on for the rest of our lives.
What I recommend is somewhere in your facility, or at your school you have the following message for your pitchers where they can clearly see it every day...
"Every level that you go up, the strike zone will become smallerand smaller and the hitters will become better and better.
"The hitters that you dominate today will be through with their careers tomorrow and the only hitters that will be left are the ones that give you great trouble today"
We rtepeat it on almost a daily basis at Pitching Central to remind our pitchers of what the real world really looks like.
What does this mean?
We must always be improving our fastball no matter how hard we throw because what is good enough today will not be good enough tomorrow.
We must always be improving our breaking ball no matter how nasty our stuff... making it look more and more like a fastball, creating later and later action or break and being able to throw it for a higher percent of strikes in 0-0 counts and being able to bury it in hard to hit but yet irresistible locations in 0-2 and 1-2 counts.
We must constantly be improving our change-up also making it look like our fastball and be able to locate it in fastball counts 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 and 3-1.
We must constantly be improving our command and therefore our ability to be continually "pressing" on the hitter and forcing them to swing earlier in the count.
We must be constantly improving the health and durability of our shoulder, elbow and arm because as we move up in levels the margin for error shrinks and our ability to recover and to still be effective even when we are extended increases dramatically.
So whenever I see one of my players trying to put it in neutral and coast downhill, I remind him of what the future holds. I point to the sign or remind him of the message.
The past is gone forever and we can no longer affect it.
Tomorrow is nothing more than a promissory note. The only thing we can truly affect is right now, today. This moment!
In closing, I have often said that "intent" is the most important thing in improving one's velocity.
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GETTING INTO THE PROPER BATTING STANCE
Getting into the proper batting stance
This month's tip is written by a great friend of The Batter's Box - Chris Carter, Owner of the Coastal Baseball Academy in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
843-236-9993
chriscarter@coastalbaseballacademy.com
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There is no such thing as one correct batting stance. There are things, however, that we all must do to get to a good contact position. We all watch major league baseball and see a different batting stance with every player. There is one stance that every major leaguer does get to, and that is at the contact position. This is the moment of the swing at which a player will make contact with the ball. The main points of being in the proper body position at contact are head down, balanced body, front foot down and locked out, weight behind the front knee, and bottom hand staying inside the baseball enabling the hands to get to the palm-up/palm-down position. Having the best batting stance for each athlete will help in getting to all the main points at contact.
The ideal batting stance for all players must be comfortable. Many young athletes play other sports; these sports can help teach a correct batting stance. Every athlete has his/her ideal athletic position or stance. How do you guard someone in basketball? How does a linebacker setup in football? These are good athletic positions. Baseball is no different.
Getting into your batting stance begins with the feet. Think of building a batting stance the same way you would build a house, we begin with the foundation. As a hitter our foundation is our feet. The feet should be a little wider than shoulder width apart and the toes in a straight line to the pitcher. The knees should be slightly bent enabling the hitter to get closer to a good athletic stance. The second place that needs to be bent is at the waist. This will help the eyes move over the toes The head positioning is key, the eyes need to be level and squared up to the pitcher in order to see the ball easily. The body is now in a good athletic stance.
The bat should feel comfortable to the hitter. A bat too heavy or light will affect the way you hit. Pick out one that feels good. A common misconception is a heavier bat will make the ball go farther. The truth is bat speed makes the ball go farther. A bat too heavy will drag through the hitting zone and decrease the chance of hitting it solid. Grip the bat in your fingers, not your hands, this will help loosen your wrists and help control the bat better. Take your stance with a good grip and keep your elbows down! The back elbow is a big key to a good swing, if it is too high it will affect your swing in a negative way.
Now that the hitter is in a good stance, remind them to be confident. Confidence is huge when trying to hit. When a hitter is in the batter's box with many different thoughts going through his/her mind, the chance for success decreases. There is one thing that a hitter should be thinking when in the batter's box, and that is 'see the ball.' Be loose, have fun, and see the ball...good things will happen!
Remember there are many different philosophies in hitting, as coaches and parents, keep it simple. Baseball is a great game, let's keep it simple and fun for younger players and it will always be a great game!
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Mental Hitting by Jim Romeo
Written by Jim Romeo, the former Head Baseball Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY. At 25 he was the youngest Head Baseball Coach of any 4-year varsity college program in the country.
As a former college coach who now runs a baseball camp year round, I spend a lot of time talking and teaching the skill of hitting a baseball.
Too many times players and coaches are too concerned with the mechanics of the swing and forget about the mental side of hitting. We can spend hours going over swing mechanics and even players with beautiful swings may still only wind up batting .250.
I'm amazed whenever I ask a player, "What's your favorite pitch?" I get all types of answers from "curve ball on the outside corner to fastball low and away" but most of the times, it's a question that kids of all ages have no answer for. Most players answer the question with, "I like strikes." The plate is 18 inches wide and the strike zone goes from the 'letters' to the 'knees' now that's a pretty big area for which a strike can be called.
It's important for players to learn and understand which pitches they hit the best. After all, if you don't know what pitch you're looking for, you will most likely wind up swinging at bad pitches and not waiting for 'your pitch'.
Over the course of a season, the difference between batting .250 and .300 is only one more hit a week! That could be a seeing eye base hit or a bloop over the first baseman's head! More importantly and perhaps even easier is making one or two less outs a week by not swinging at bad pitches. I see plenty of baseball games and I'm amazed at how many players swing at a first pitch curveball. Most of those players wind up making an out. I'll ask the player, "Why did you swing at that pitch? Were you looking for a curveball?" 99% of the players I ask that question to respond with a no. When I as why they swung, they said because the pitch was a strike. Once you explain to them that you shouldn't swing at a pitch that you aren't looking for with less than 2 strikes, you can see the light bulb go on over their heads! Ask yourself how many times you've swung at a bad pitch and made on out and you'll be surprised at how many times you can recall doing that.
Most kids are afraid to hit with one or two strikes on them. I tell players it's better to be 0-1 in the count than 0-1 in the game. If you take a pitch that you aren't looking for, the next pitch you see may be 'your pitch' and that increases your chances of getting a hit or at least getting a good swing.
It's also important to get yourself ready for each pitch. Too many kids swing defensively. They wait too long and swing tentatively. You must assume that each pitch you are about to get is 'your pitch'. If you assume it's your pitch you'll be ready for it. It's much easier to have the mindset of yes - yes - yes - swing! If instead you think in the batters box, maybe - maybe - maybe - yes - swing, then you aren't being aggressive. It's much better to think yes - yes - yes - no, that's not my pitch than to say maybe - maybe - yes that's my pitch.
At the Spartans Baseball Camp we spend a lot of time on swing mechanics with players and an equal amount of time on helping kids learn what their favorite pitch is and then being disciplined and aggressive so when they see their favorite pitch they get a good aggressive swing at it.
About the author: Jim Romeo was the former Head Baseball Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY. At 25 he was the youngest Head Baseball Coach of any 4-year varsity college program in the country. He was also the youngest coach to win the CACC Coach of the Year Award as well as Louisville Slugger Coach of the Year award. He recruited and coached 12 All Conference Players, 3 All Region and 3 All American Players in his 3 years at St. Thomas Aquinas College. He also had 4 players sign professional contracts during that time. Before resigning to run the Spartans Baseball Camp on a full time basis, he led the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans to their best year going 25-11 and winning the CACC Championship and finishing 3 games shy of the NAIA College World Series. He is the Director of the Spartans Baseball & Softball Camp which is held in Bergen County, NJ and Rockland County, NY. The Spartans Baseball & Softball camp just celebrated their 10 Year Anniversary this past July. They off year round camps and clinics as well as private instruction in all aspects of baseball & softball. You can visit their website to learn more at www.baseballcamp.com or call (201)568-7802.
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Fast Ball Fact and Fiction- The Science of Real Velocity
Fastball Fact and Fiction - The Science of Real Velocity
Provided by Karl Meinhardt
www.nationalpitching.net
For Active.com
May 16, 2006
Every pitcher wants to throw harder. Every professional scout and/or college recruiter will tell you that 90mph is a magic number. There is a lot of fiction and not enough real fact about pitchers and their fastballs. The National Pitching Association performed a scientific study to better understand what contributes to the velocity of a fastball. These findings may just challenge the way you think of fastball velocity.
Our goal is to help pitchers and coaches, maximize fastball performance, and minimize risk of injury. Hence the name of the study: Safe, Usable, Velocity (SUV).
What is velocity?
There are three ways to look at the velocity of a pitch.
Real velocity or the actual MPH "read" on a radar gun.
Perceived velocity or the way a pitched baseball is "read" by a hitter because of real velocity and deception.
Effective velocity or how a previous pitch's speed and location affects a hitter's read on the next pitch's speed and location.
Obviously, since we wanted to determine what generates velocity in a delivery, we had to come up with valid and defendable testing protocols. We chose to isolate and measure the contribution of hip/shoulder rotation to real velocity by quantifying pitch speed from our NPA two-knee drill position which has the pitcher down on both knees facing the target at approximately a 45 degree angle. Putting a pitcher on two knees allows us to:
Minimize and/or eliminate any directional weight shift.
Isolate and measure the impact of hip/shoulder separation and rotation for correlation with maximum ball velocity on each throw.
Where pitchers get their momentum.
Once we quantified a pitcher's maximum velocity on his knees we moved him to a mound. Pitchers move farther and faster directionally, when they stride down a hill. By charting his maximum velocity pitching on the mound and comparing the maximum velocities generated in each test we could calculate the percentage that rotation and the percentage that direction contributed to his maximum real velocity.
Our biggest surprise came with the revelation that the larger percentage of total velocity comes from a pitcher's rotational momentum (hips and shoulders) and not his directional momentum (legs)!
Let's take a look at how the different body parts work in the pitching delivery and what the study showed about their contribution to the velocity of the ball.
Legs
Legs are the foundation through which kinetic energy is initiated--the mechanism by which the total body mass is delivered down the mound. This is achieved through what we call weight transfer. This weight transfer turns potential energy into kinetic energy and helps determine the efficiency of both the timing and force thus affecting the amount of energy getting through the body to the baseball. Proper weight transfer sets up the efficient interaction and timing of rotational and directional momentum.
Ball velocity is optimized when:
Posture is maintained.
The back leg stabilizes while the back knee flexes, firms up, and loads (isometrically) during front leg lift.
There is an aggressive first forward movement with butt and center of gravity leading head/spine into front foot contact.
During this one second of weight transfer, a pitcher's lift leg should stay off the ground as long as possible to create a longer stride.
Head/spine stay on a natural line into a natural landing (foot strike) position.
Landing leg stabilizes, landing knee flexes, firms up and loads (isometrically) to translate kinetic energy up through body and out onto baseball at release point.
Hips/Shoulders
Our research has indicated 80% of ball velocity is generated by rotational momentum when:
Hips and shoulders separate between 40º - 60º around an upright spine.
Hips and shoulders maintain their angle of separation as long as strength and flexibility will allow while total body tracks forward into landing foot.
Throwing shoulder/glove shoulder delay rotation until hips have slowed/stopped their rotation.
Scapular "loading" is allowed to be an unconscious accommodation that helps the throwing shoulder to stabilize and compensate for the weight of the throwing arm/ baseball as they change direction and snap from external rotation into release point.
Spine/Torso
Our research has indicated 20% of ball velocity is generated by directional momentum when:
Total body tracks head and spine on line in the exact direction created by shifting weight from posting foot to landing foot.
Low back/spine hyperextend to keep torso upright and stacked as shoulders square up and track into a flexed and firm front leg.
Glove swivels and stabilizes over front foot as throwing arm lays back in external rotation.
Low back/spine goes into flexion just before throwing forearm snaps straight into release point.
Again, the spine/torso (squat thrusts) of a golfer swinging a club does the same thing as the spine/torso (stack and track) of a pitcher throwing a baseball.
With the availability of the velocity study data comes the obvious question: Can we become more mechanically efficient so we can make the most of our genetic potential to throw the ball faster? The answer is yes!
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Running All Year is a Key to Speed
Professional Advice from Professional Trainer Martin Rooney
Thursday, April 10, 2006
Every day, I receive questions from coaches and athletes asking what I think are some key ingredients to becoming a faster, more successful athlete. I always start my answers with one word: consistency.
Consistency must be a principle underlying your speed work if you are ever to reach your athletic potential. Without consistency in your training, there will be periods of time during the year where you are actually getting slower. Even though you may be lifting weights and think that is enough, you can’t neglect running and speed work.
The most successful athletes that I have encountered at the Parisi Speed School adopted the principle of consistency when it concerns speed training. Even if they are performing only one or two speed workouts per week throughout the year, they are still going to improve performance. Each workout that you perform throughout the year is another small step toward your goals. Think about it, every little thing you do or do not do is either getting you closer, or further away, from the prize.
When an athlete stops speed work for portions of the year, that athlete’s nervous and muscular systems lose the ability to produce fast, powerful contractions and the coordination that is required for perfect technique. Science has shown that as little as one week without speed work can start to slow performance and make the road back to peak performance a more difficult one. In addition to this, athletes that are not training at all, or are solely working on strength training without speed, are at greater risk for injury. Their muscles are simply not prepared for the velocity of the contractions during eventual practices and games.
As with anything you want to achieve in life, nothing can replace consistent work toward that goal. We all know that speed is a skill, and to master any skill, there must be continuous practice. Now get to work!
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Bunt Defense with Runners on 1st and 2nd
Expert: Pat Rigsby
Date: 5/10/2006
Subject: bunt defense - college level
Question:
Runners on 1st and 2nd no outs. The Preferred method to defense bunt under normal circumstances. The Responsibilities of each infielder.
Answer:
The main goal of any bunt defense is to get an out. Each of your bunt defenses is designed to get an out at a certain base. If getting that out is not possible, you must get the batter out. Many big innings occur when a defensive team does not get an out in a sacrifice-bunt situation.
The key to running a good bunt defense is having the fielder make the correct decision about where to throw the ball. The bunted ball will dictate which base to throw the ball to. All bunt defenses should be put on by the catcher, who gets the play from the coach.
Bunt defenses start with the pitcher throwing a strike on the lower part of the plate, a pitch that is hard to bunt. A large percentage of pitches thrown up in the strike zone are called balls, so pitching high tends to lead to walks in the bunting situations. In addition, a ball up is more vulnerable to be hit hard. That becomes a factor if the bunter pulls back to hit. A strike is important in this situation because if the bunter takes the pitch, the offense will see your defense. They may then change the direction of the bunt, execute a hit-and-run, fake bunt and slash, or do any number of things.
A missed bunt is a great opportunity to pick off a base runner. Many base runners tend to overextend their secondary leads in bunt situations. Catchers should look for those opportunities.
You can try several maneuvers to see if a team is bunting or not. You can have your pitcher go to a long count and step back, use the inside move at second base, or try a pickoff attempt.
Responsibilities for infielders with runners on 1st & 2nd with no outs...
Catcher
Field any ball that is in front of you that you can get to before or at the same time as the pitcher or first baseman. You have an easier throw since your momentum is moving you towards the field. Chances are if you and any fielder are going to arrive at the bunted ball at the same time, then there will most likely only be a play at first base. Remember, you are in charge of where the ball is to be thrown. The goal is to try and get the out at third, but on a ball that is bunted well, you may have to call for the ball to go to first.
Third Baseman
You will break towards home early as the pitcher is completing his stretch. The idea is to make the hitter think that the third baseman is coming in hard. As the pitcher delivers the pitch to the plate, the third baseman will stop and start backing up towards third. He can't run strait to third because he will still have to field any ball that is bunted hard enough that the pitcher can't get to it. Once the ball is bunted, he will get back to cover third base.
Pitcher
Pitcher will charge on the third base side of the infield. That half is his responsibility.
First Baseman
In this situation, position yourself as if you're holding the runner at first. As the pitcher takes his stretch, start creeping in toward home and break as he starts his delivery. Since the pitcher is covering the third base side of the infield, you will need to cover from the foul line to the mound.
Second Baseman
You will be covering first on the play.
Shortstop
Described above. Covering second base.
Hope this helps,
Pat Rigsby
www.baseball-university.com
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STEALING SECOND BASE
April 28, 2006 --
Stealing Second Base
This will be a quite long-winded subject, but deservingly so! There are several different techniques and certain ones are best used in different situations.
The Lead
The number one rule as a base runner when you are not standing on the base is keep your eye on the ball. In other words, when taking signals from the third base coach, the runner should have a foot on the base. Too many kids get picked off because they are watching their coach give signals while standing off of the bag. Furthermore, a player should always watch the pitcher when taking a lead. Someone said your lead should be a body length and a step and this became the standard. Why limit yourself to a certain distance? Now, I am not saying that this isn’t a good reference point, but there are millions of kids out there who have never ventured beyond this point! A better rule might be on your first lead, go with the body length and a step, wait for a pick-off attempt, and evaluate your lead. Some pitchers have quick moves, while others are rather slow. A base runner must take advantage of every opportunity.
As far as technique in taking a lead, there are several different methods. I instruct my players to take a crossover step behind the right foot, followed by two sideways steps. This is a good base to work from and the lead can be extended or shortened from there. The player should take his lead at the front edge of the bag. In other words, the runner should be as close to the pitcher as possible while still being even with the base. The purpose of this lead is to give the pitcher the perception that you are closer to the bag. A pitcher who isn’t worried about the base runner will soon find the base runner no longer on first base!
Getting a good jump
This is absolutely the most important aspect on stealing a base. If a player does not get a good jump, he will be out most of the time. A player who is aggressive with his jumps will have far more success. I tell my players that there is no such thing as a steal signal; too many kids think they have to go on the next pitch. Our signal is a “green light” signal; meaning the player can steal IF HE GETS A GOOD JUMP! There are several different ways of obtaining a good jump:
Watching the pitcher’s feet (Right handed pitcher only.)
This is one of two basic techniques used in stealing second base. The pitcher has three options once he is in the set position. He can pitch, pick, or step off. When the pitcher throws to the plate, the first part of his body to move will be his left heal. When a pitcher picks, or steps off, the first part of his body to move will be his right heal. A well-trained base runner is able to focus on both feet and be able to react immediately. Left foot go, right foot back. The pitcher has a way of countering this technique. (See defense, the balk move)
Watching the front shoulder
The other basic technique is for the runner to watch the front (left) shoulder. When the pitcher goes to the plate, his front shoulder will “close” towards third base. If he picks, it will open towards first. Again, the pitcher has a counter attack for these two techniques.
Tendencies
This technique is for the aggressive style coach and player; not everyone will be able to use it. Many pitchers, especially at the youth level will have some sort of tendency such as:
ONLY PICKS ON THE WAY UP WHEN COMING SET
ONLY PICKS ON THE WAY DOWN
ONLY PICKS WHEN HE IS SET
PICKS ONLY AFTER BEING SET FOR ONE SECOND (NEVER PICKS ONCE HE HAS BEEN SET FOR MORE THAN A SECOND)
ALWAYS PICKS AT A CERTAIN TIME FRAME (SET, ONE SECOND, PICK)
WILL NEVER PICK MORE THAN ONCE IN A ROW
WILL NEVER PICK TWICE
TAKES A DEEP BREATH RIGHT BEFORE PITCHING
The above-mentioned tendencies, as well as many others are things a base runner should look for. Keep in mind that a runner does not have to wait until he is on base to pick up on tendencies. A good base runner watches the pitcher as soon as his teammate gets on base.
Timing the Pitcher
This technique can be used from the youth levels all the way through the college ranks, if not beyond. It goes back to the tendencies. Oftentimes, a pitcher will come set for the same amount of time on every pitch. If a base runner knows that the pitcher always pitches after a two-second delay, why not steal just before that time has elapsed? Once again, a good base runner is storing this information from the dugout. This technique takes a bit of guts, but once it is attempted and shown to be successful, the savvy base runner will have tons of success. Is there a risk in this technique? There sure is, but one will find that when the timing is executed correctly, the success rate far outweighs the failure.
The coach can signal to his base runner the set count of the pitcher by tapping one hand with the other. One tap for a one second set two for a two-second, etc.
GETTING BACK TO THE BASE
There are several techniques used to get back to first base. When stealing, the base runner should always be “diving” back to the bag. In theory, if he is able to get back standing up, then his lead was not big enough. The “dive” back is a simple crossover and a pseudo headfirst slide to the bag. If you have noticed, I have put the word “dive” in quotes. It important to note that when going back to the bag, the runner isn’t actually diving. When a player dives, his body is high off of the ground and is easier to tag. The goal is to get as low as possible as soon as possible to avoid the tag. As soon as the runner gets back, he should get up (while still making contact with the bag) as soon as possible. Furthermore, he should always be looking for an overthrown ball.
If the runner is not “diving” back to the bag, his movement should be a crossover, followed by a step to the left side of the bag. He should then continue his momentum and open his right shoulder out towards the right field foul line. Obviously, he should look for an overthrown ball.
There is another way to get back to the bag. Oftentimes, a pitcher will make a lazy lob pick to first base. If a good base runner realizes that the pitcher is making this sort of pick, he should go straight to the bag, in front of the first baseman and come up “tall”. In other words, once he reaches the bag he should stand on his tiptoe, hoping the first baseman will lose vision and the ball is overthrown.
Submitted by: Jerry Berkson
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EFFECTIVE TWO-STRIKE HITTING
An Effective Two-Strike Approach Can Make You a Deadly Hitter
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By Amherst Mickey Mantle Coach Kevin Graber
APRIL 18, 2006
AMHERST, MA - I see it time and time again at every level of baseball, from our Mickey Mantle league all the way through the major leagues: Guys with absolutely no clue of how to hit with two strikes. Trust me on this one. With practice and a concrete gameplan, learning a two-strike approach can immediately transform you into a better and more dangerous hitter, no matter what type of hitter you are. Your batting average will increase, your strikeouts will decrease and you’ll drive in more runs and reach base more often than you ever thought possible.
Why change your approach with two strikes? Let’s first examine the reason why so many hitters fail in two-strike situations. It’s the only time a hitter must guard against every pitch, every speed and every location in the pitcher’s arsenal, and there are no second chances. As opposed to fastball counts, like 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, 2-0, 2-1, where you can really zone up a pitch and let the bat fly, in two-strike situations, concessions must be made. No matter what type of hitter you consider yourself to be (a power hitter, a gap hitter or a singles/slap hitter), you must do certain things mechanically to increase your chances of putting the ball in play with two strikes. Contact, not power, becomes your No. 1 priority.
The first key to becoming a good two-strike hitter is to become as quick with the bat as possible, allowing the maximum amount of time to identify the type of pitch and where it’s headed. You become quicker by choking up on the bat, which increases bat control; moving slightly closer to the plate to take away the outside strike; spreading your feet in your stance to improve balance; and crouching slightly, to help identify and lay off the high pitch.
Next, you employ an inside-out swing. This may be a new term for some of you. It’s commonly known as “staying inside the ball”, and it’s integral to hitting success. Simply put, the inside-out stroke enables the hitter to wait longer. In an inside-out swing, coupled with proper lower-body rotation, the barrel trails the hands through the hitting zone, enabling the batter to make contact deeper in his hitting zones, preferably smacking the ball back through the box or to the opposite field. In Ted Williams’ book, The Science of Hitting, Ted says he went from being a good hitter to a great hitter when he learned how to inside-out the fastball on the inside corner with two strikes. Is that a good enough endorsement?
Next, you must learn to WAIT, WAIT and WAIT! When you employ a proper inside-out two-strike swing, you pick up more time. And with two strikes, you don’t have to be as conscious of the inside fastball. You can wait longer, which makes hitting the off-speed and breaking pitches much easier. Don’t lunge forward at the ball. Stay back, be rock solid in your stance, and let the ball come to you! Don’t go out and get it. Tony Gwynn always says, “Weight and wait,” which means keep your weight back and wait for the pitch to travel deeper in the hitting zone.
Again it’s worth noting that all styles should become contact/singles hitters with two strikes. The hitter has to “give in” to the pitcher by shortening his stroke and gaining valuable time. With two strikes, you can’t anticipate pitches or guess with the pitcher. You can’t afford to make a mistake. You have to concede to the pitcher and just put the ball in play.
Now that you’ve choked up on the bat, spread your feet, moved closer to the plate, gotten into a slight crouch, are conscious of defending the outer half of the plate and have learned a proper two-strike inside-out swing, it’s time to tighten up your mental approach. First and foremost, you must be bound and determined that YOU WILL NOT GO DOWN LOOKING! If it’s even remotely close, you must wait on the pitch, let it travel in the zone and put the bat on the ball, preferably back through the box or to the opposite field. With two strikes, you must be more focused than at any other time in your life. Not striking out must become like life and death (well, maybe not like life and death, but you know what I mean). Striking out looking is one of the worst things you can do in baseball.
Next, you must strategize against a pitcher who is adept at changing speeds. If he throws an 80 MPH fastball and a 70 MPH curveball and a 65 MPH changeup, think in terms of gearing up for the middle or slower velocity pitch. That way, you give yourself a chance to catch up to the fastball, yet you’re still able to stay back and wait on the off-speed stuff.
To me, a hitter is only a good hitter if he can hit with two strikes. Becoming a good two-strike hitter, and then knowing a pitcher can’t strike you out, is a huge confidence boost. You’ll be more comfortable at the plate, and comfort leads to confidence. When we’re on defense, I call almost every pitch and location, and I know that the fastball sets up every other pitch. Knowing that you don’t have to worry about the fastball, because you can now catch up to it even if you’re not looking for it, means you’ll rarely be fooled by off-speed stuff with two strikes. Just sit back, let the ball travel deep in the zone, and inside-out the ball right back at the pitcher or to the opposite field.
Lastly, please take this one last bit of advice. As a professional hitter, I eventually became so adept at two-strike hitting that I began to use the technique ALL THE TIME, even in fastball counts such as 3-1 and 2-0. Don’t fall into this trap like I did. There’s a time to rip a 3-1 fastball into the seats (or the weeds, in our case), and there’s a time, with two strikes, to concede to the pitcher. Be sure you know the difference.
As an aside, let me say that not a season went by that a teammate didn’t ask me why I was so good at hitting with two strikes and why I seldom struck out, and it was always a source of pride. I hope that you’re able to achieve this same level of satisfaction soon.
To follow is just a short snippet of what the great Ted Williams has to say about two-strike hitting in his incredible book, The Science of Hitting.
“You have to think in terms of making everything quicker. How do you do that? You choke up a little bit. You quit trying to pull. You think more about that push swing, that 90-degree impact from the direction of the pitch. You think about hitting the ball back through the box. Joe DiMaggio, Joe Cronin, George Kell, Lou Boudreau, Harvey Kuenn - they could do it. Rod Carew, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly and Pete Rose are probably the most flexible hitters around today. When you’ve shortened up and quickened up, you can wait longer, you get fooled less, you become more consistent getting wood on the ball. Psychologically, becoming a good two-strike hitter inspires confidence. A batter knows he can still hit with authority.”
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