Help hitting less polished pitchers

Practice/think hit to the opposite field.

 

Agree with Go44... take the same approach you take when anticipating off-speed from a top pitcher.  Stay back and think oppo.  One of the biggest things is to not buy in to the dugout talk - "this guy is so slow", "this guy is meat, I can't believe I didn't crush him", etc.  A big part of pitching effectively is disrupting hitter's timing.  A "lesser" pitcher can be very effective in that regard.  It is a challenge that must be overcome just as learning to hit guys that throw 88 with good secondary stuff.

I agree.  Everything is "off speed."  So take that approach.   

He has to keep from starting too early and hitting off his front foot. He has keep his weight back. Approach slow pitchers like BP. Just relax. They're not going to smoke him with a fastball. 

In general also agree think opposite field.

However do it with authority. Don't sacrifice a good hard swing.

Everyday 2016 slowed up his swing and developed a bit of a bad habit.

Went from a major pull power hitter to hitting softer line drives center/oppo.

Now we're trying to correct back to hitting the ball hard and looking to pull.

Work on staying back longer as you would in BP like RJM stated.

 

Thanks a lot.  Makes a lot of sense since he always tries pulling the ball.  Will work hard on this this off season.

All good suggestions.  I would add to the list, keep your swing.  Just a bit too much over swing and it can turn a great hitter into a bad one.  

Outstanding advice. Thank y'all.  Sounds like my son. 

For less polished pitch practice one can take the help of a pitching machine. Since it is challenging to play such less polished and spin balls, one must be well trained. A pitching machine will help you practice with a wide range of speeds and spins after which you will master the game.

Some very interesting points...

 

I like to tell my hitters to keep the front side in, hit the ball back up the middle.

Purpose, what do you do with an inside pitch?

Working on hitting the ball back up the middle allows the hitter to hit the ball where it is thrown. Inside pitch goes down the line, outside pitch opposite field. and down the pipe goes up the pipe. Concentration and reflexes take over.

 

Things you might consider is the average hitters who  hits the home run pitch off the slower pitcher. Wow you hit a homerun and went 1-5, not really impressive.

There is a time to grip it and rip it. When is the time?  2-3  now you owe it to yourself to rip it. Still thinking about hitting the ball up the middle

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Remember keep the front side in....

Might want to define 'keep the front side in'.  Remember kids are very literal and when you tell them that they will literally try to keep their front side in.  I think what you mean is don't get anxious,  step in the bucket pulling off the ball trying to cream the slow pitch.  The front side (shoulders & hips) always should turn.  And when you don't turn on the ball it is because you were completely fooled and that is not the swing you want.  Point from everyday dad is critical.  Keep same bat speed.  Read a study regarding the old faster it comes in faster it goes out myth.  I say myth because the speed of the pitch only adds a very minimal and insignificant amount to exit velocity.  However the saying in practice is somewhat true because most 'unpolished hitters' slow their swing for the slower pitchers and dial it up for the faster pitchers.  It is the swing speed that makes the ball go out faster not the pitch speed.  The reason why there are no ultra tricky pitchers throwing 70mph in mlb is because those hitters are in fact polished.  They won't make those mistakes.  First let me say my son has the same difficulty.  Team we faced last year and ten run ruled he went 0 - 4 (slow pitcher).  So I am not being critical of your son.  But the first step to recovery is recognizing you have a problem!  If you can't hit the slow pitchers then it is the hitter who is unpolished not the pitcher.  I tell my son (who also lead his team in hitting last year) that he is not a good hitter yet because the good hitter hits them all big and small!  And I am very honest with him about the fact that he will be a PO when he gets a little older if he can't hit the slow stuff away.  Your son was a freshman so maybe they didn't know him very well yet.  Now that the conference has seen him if they have any brains they will start 'showing' him fastballs and feed him a steady diet of off speed stuff outer edge.  He needs tons of reps.  He has to decide how he is going to attack that pitch and build the muscle memory.  Sorry for the long post but one question for you, do you have it on video?  Cause we always assume kids are late on faster pitches and ahead of slow pitchers.  And sometimes that is exactly the case.  But just as often they are under the fast pitch and over the slow pitch.  They are taking speed into consideration for their timing but not the drop or lack of drop for their bat path.  Is he grounding out a lot vs. Slow pitching?  That could be a clue.

Great point made, sorry...

 

 

Keeping your front side in is when the hitter doesn't open the hips or shoulders too quickly. Yes, the hips and shoulders will open on the swing, but if you try to hit the ball up the middle sometimes its too hard to do. A slow pitcher can cause the hitter to run off and leave the pitch(be way out front).

 

Bottom line is the hitter steps toward the pitcher in a straight line with his body.

Try hitting a pitch up the middle with your hips/shoulders opening up too quickly, can be a difficult task.

 

You made a great point…

Thanks

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