hsbaseball101 posted:New pitch rules, new pitchers that can't find the strike zone. Players need to act like they're Roberto Clemente. Or 2016 Puig. You can't hit those pitches in the pros but you should be able to in HS, especially if you step into the box with a 33 or 34" bat. At least 2 baseballs on any count, 3 on two strikes, 4 baseballs on 3-2.
I've had two varsity games this year on the dish...so this is really an ineffective sample size, but I did notice something in this first year of pitch counts (before, it was innings pitched in a week.)
Every pitcher I've seen has become more reliant on FBs and offspeed in the zone to get ahead early, rather than using breaking balls to get the batter to chase or to set up for later in the count. With that, there has been more contact and--surprisingly--better defense. My two games were 3-1 and 3-2, with a lot of defensive help from all four teams.