HS Jr. has always been a strong lefty pull hitter. As he got older, I gave him a suggestion about having an approach at the plate. You know, something other than swing at good pitches, or swing at strikes.
My suggestion was to go to the plate and look for fastballs middle to middle in. If he got it on the first pitch, hit it. If not, wait until he got that pitch and try to put it in the gap or down the line. If you get a curve, lay off. If you get a fastball on the outside corner lay off. Look for a middle or middle in fastball.Once you have two strikes on you, then you can swing at a curve or take an outside pitch the other way. But not until you get two strikes.And because he has the type of personality or mentality to wait, he is capable of maintaining comfort at the plate, even if he gets behind in the count.
That approach plays to his natural strengths, and he has done very well with that approach. Of course, every coach (HS, legion, travel) wants him to go oppo. He has spent the fall and winter working on going backside more often. It's not that he never did it, its just that he waited deep into the count until worrying about it.And by going deep into the count with that approach, he either got the pitch he wanted or got walked a lot.The reality is that he didn't have to swing at a curve or outside pitch that often by simply waiting.
In my opinion, there aren't really any reasons for lefties to go opposite as far as moving runners over and such. Hitting oppo for a lefty is needed because pitchers will try to go there and because everyone should be a well rounded hitter that can go to all fields. But guess what, most high school kids aren't consistent enough not to miss over the plate or inside. No matter how bad they want to live outside. Even major league pitchers do it fairly often.
Now a new season is about to start. I heard one college hitting coach give this approach at a camp. Go up to the plate looking for something that you can drive the other way, but he ready to react to the inside pitch that you can pull. I like that statement and can agree with that approach and understand it as college pitchers are more capable of living on the outside edge.
So, should he continue to look middle/middle in or go 180 with his approach and start off looking opposite.
