The "Hitting According to the Count and situation" thread has spawned yet another topic. In the mental approach of hitting, the topic of "guessing" at the plate comes up. I feel we need to talk about this because of a quote by micmeister that I thought was interesting:
"There is nothing I've said on this site that won't help a High School or younger player to be successful. I believe for a High School or younger hitter, timing is the biggest thing to master and the more simple the swing can be made, the more successful they will be. When a Scout sees a player, they see the potential in an athlete, but they have to be successful at their level to even get a look. I just believe that when a young player tries to guess what a Pitcher is going to throw while he is at the plate, he is trying to "operate" without the knowledge or the experience to be successful. There will be certain Pitchers that they will have faced enough to have the needed information, but for the most part, you will only face one Pitcher one time in your career."
Here are some questions that may come up here.
1. Should a hitter "guess" at the plate?
ABSOLUTELY! Unless the pitcher is telling you what is coming or tipping his pitches, what else can you do? IMO you cannot look for all pitches (fastball, curveball, changeup, slider, etc.) in any given count at the same time. Micmeister says: "I believe for a High School or younger hitter, timing is the biggest thing to master and the more simple the swing can be made, the more successful they will be." I agree. But how can you look for all pitches with different speeds, movements, and locations, and keep your timing? How simple is that? Hitting is tough enough, but if a player PAYS ATTENTION to the game, he can make an educated "guess" as to what pitch he should be looking for. This applies to ALL age groups and ALL levels of baseball.
2. How do you go about guessing?
Paying attention, as I said before, is the most important thing. If you have faced the pitcher before, go back to your at bats against him. What did he throw you? What did he get you out with? etc.
As for younger hitters, like high school kids, facing a pitcher for the first time can be tough. You're not sure what he throws or how to approach your at bat. Here's how. First, pay attention to all of his warm ups. Most pitchers will show all there pitches when warming up. If you are batting fourth, for example, you should have three mental at bats off of the pitcher before you hit. Put yourself in your teammate's shoes when he is hitting. What did he start him out with? What is his out pitch? Is he tipping his pitches? Always be looking for something. So, you're batting fourth and now you are up. If you have paid attention, you should have somewhat of an idea of what he wants to throw. After the at bat, go over it in your head. What did he start me out with? What did I see well? Is it tough to pick the ball up off of him? etc. Build off of that first at bat and watch all the other at bats. There is no reason not to be watching the pitcher when you are playing a game. The more you watch, the more information you get. The more information you get, the better idea you will have of what he is going to throw you.
3. What if he throws something different than what I am looking for?
If it is less that two strikes, TAKE IT. You get three strikes for a reason, and remember, the more pitches you see, the more information you get.
4. What if he throws me the pitch I am looking for?
Well, you should be timed best for that pitch, so let it rip!
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Please post with any questions, comments, or theories that you may have on this. I want to see the response!
Original Post
As Ted Williams said; "Everyday I thank God for stupid pitchers," so I am not going to worry about what they think of me. I always feel that I am a step ahead of pitchers.
