Another Myth: First Pitch Swinging

This topic has been talked over to the point of getting boring. You seem to put a great significance on THE FIRST PITCH. Having been around the game for longer than I would like to admit, I ask you to explain to me how a hitter who has seen 1,000's of fastballs would see the first pitch of the game fastball any different from all of the other 1,000's of fastballs? Are you saying that the leadoff hitter is not mentally/phyiscally prepared to step into the box. If you base your theory on BA of first pitch of game, have you compared that stat to the 34th pitch of the game or the 72nd pitch of the game?

You have to view big pitcher, there are so many variables. Please do not take offense to this comment but I would not backup statement based upon my experience coaching a 12 year old travel team for a year, reason being there are some pretty knowledgable baseball people lurking around here.

I rest my case with the obvious ..... have a plan and zone in on your pitch, if you get it let it rip, if not take pitch. If you were to analyze good hitters who zoned in on and got there pitch you would see BA are pretty good even if it was first pitch of the game.

Now I know how Genevieve and Jack Parr felt.

Enough said.

Good luck, everyone.

I think you have to have a plan within a team context.
Don't be predictable as a team. Don't give away a first pitch opportunity or have everyone swing free and easy.
Try to keep the pitcher guesing as to what the batter might be looking for and and to whether or not he will swing at a first pitch. ...makes him work a little harder on that first strike.
He'll miss more, make more mistakes.
Shift the advantage a little more to the batter.
Rollerman

TRHit's example of his son a few posts back is not what Beenthere is talking about. TR's son came up in the last inning (I believe). You are NOT going to see that pitcher again, so all bets are off. You get that first pitch cheese, you jack it. absolutely...

I can agree, in theory, that when a STARTING pitcher is one you've never seen, you may want to take a first pitch to judge his release, speed, movement, etc. But that would only be against a pitcher you would expect to see again in the same game. When a reliever comes in, you better be ready to hit!!

Random thoughts..... NOTE: If you can't hit a curve ball, none of this applies.

Taking a first pitch helps most hitters calibrate and relax, especially early in the game.

Adjusting to the release point, which can't really be done on-deck, is at least as important as timing the heater.

The more pitches you take, the quicker you "extend" the other team's pitcher.

If you swing at the first pitch on your first two at-bats, you wont see another first pitch strike (from my team anyway).

And then you don't throw a strike on first pitch in that 3rd AB and the hitter takes becuase he has a good eye. You just put yourself in a hole. Im a free swinger, if i see a first pitch fastball. If its a curve or a ball i take. Simple as that, Point is it makes no difference. Early in count agressive behind your defensive.

quote:

The more pitches you take, the quicker you "extend" the other team's pitcher.

Same applies for hits and runs.

We could go around in this circle for weeks.

I will only suggest that if everyone else knows that you always swing at a first pitch fast ball, the managers in your league will move that pitch just off the plate.