If you knew nothing at all about a hitter’s strengths, what if I told you there is a way a pitcher can find out what a hitter’s strengths are before he even gets into the box? No, I haven’t lost my mind and I resent that you’re thinking that! Before you condemn me, let me clue you in on this secret that very few know about!
It is mandatory for baseball pitchers to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the baseball hitters they face. There are certain very clever things a pitcher can do. If the hitter takes a practice swing before facing you, pay attention to his practice swing!
If he appears to be hitting an inside pitch with it, he is probably a pull hitter. If he appears to be hitting the ball the opposite way with his practice swing, chances are he likes to go the opposite way. If he appears to be hitting a high pitch, he probably likes the ball up. If he appears to be hitting a low pitch, you guessed it, he’s probably a good low ball hitter. One of the best baseball pitching tips to remember is that professional baseball hitters, all the way down to very young players like to practice what they do well and not what they do NOT do well. This very often includes their practice swings.
Some Guidelines To Use BEFORE You Actually See The Hitter Swing:
“Batter Has A Closed Stance.” He probably likes the ball away from him and out over the plate. Find out if he can handle a pitch inside.
“Batter Has An Open Stance.” He probably likes the ball inside. Find out if he can handle the low and away strike.
“Batter Stands Shallow In The Box.” Well, if the batter wants to give me an extra couple of feet on my fastball, I’ll take the extra foot or two he’s giving me to see if he can catch up to my heater.
“Batter Has His Hands Held High.” Almost always likes the ball LOW, with very few exceptions! You can check it out for yourself right now. Put your hands up high right now, by your back ear and pretend you are holding a bat. Move your hands like you are swinging at a chest high fastball. It doesn’t feel right, does it? Pitch him primarily up in the zone until he proves you to be wrong.
“Batter Has The Bat Curled Around His Neck.” Find out if he can handle a pitch that is up and in. His bat has to travel extremely far to hit that pitch well.
Some Thought Processes To Use AFTER You Have Seen The Hitter Swing:
Your first pitch is a real good fastball and he pulls it and hits a seed that’s a foul about 350 feet from home plate. You now know there is a very good chance he loves the fast ball. You should strongly consider going off speed on your next pitch. The only risk is that if he’s a good hitter, he might be thinking along with you after what he just did to your fast ball. (This is part of the chess match that takes place between a good pitcher and a good hitter.)
Good hitters are good hitters for a reason and that’s because they are always thinking. OK, he has clobbered your first pitch fastball. I’m not saying that you should not go off speed but you do have another option, considering this guy appears to love the fastball. The thought process goes like this…OK, you love the fastball, well I’ll give you another fastball. But this time it’s going to be six inches or so off the outside corner. Remember, if he loves to hit the fastball, he may chase one out of the strike zone because he doesn’t know if he’ll get another one from you. After two fastballs, he may start to think that you are going to stay with your heater. You might then go off speed, on your third pitch. If this sounds like a chess match to you, it is because it IS a chess match that should be going on between a good pitcher and a good batter!
Let’s make sure we are clear on something. Remember that even if I see that a hitter does not like a certain pitch or a certain location, it does not mean that you can throw that same pitch over and over and over again and expect to be successful. Good hitters will make adjustments at the plate. You still have to show him other pitches and other locations also. Be cautious that a batter doesn’t start out one way and then when he is actually swinging, he changes. For example, a batter may have his bat curled around his head but when he’s actually ready to hit, he changes and it’s not curled any longer.
Another example is if a batter has an open stance. He may possibly close his stance just before getting ready to swing. You have to pay attention, just like a batter who takes your pitch and follows it all the way into the catcher’s mitt to see how your pitch is moving. Baseball pitching tips require clever use of the mind as well as the body and pitching is not simply getting the ball and throwing the pitch. Please make sure you learn a hitter’s tendencies as quickly as possible!
And DONโT ever forget to take that sneaky look at those practice swings, one of the best baseball pitching tips you will ever learn! Baseball parents who want to help their son, as well as players and youth coaches, I post a new FREE baseball article on hitting, pitching or fielding EVERY Monday at LarryBaseball.com that you can add to your favorites now. Please feel free to share them with other baseball people you know or to use the links for your website, blog or newsletter to attract more visitors or to keep your current visitors returning. Show everyone how well schooled in baseball you areโฆI guarantee you will be raising a few eyebrows!
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