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27 replies

Pitching Strategy

CL Coach Labeots100+ posts
Coaches,

We have always gone into games with the pitchers having a "general" strategy. (i.e. first pitch strikes, strikeout pitches outside, various general things like that) I'm wondering now if we should be more specific? We don't have scouting reports and may "know" maybe one hitter a team (power hitter usually) beforehand.
I've working on calling a game, but we have never entered a game with a specific strategy.

What strategy do you use?
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T Texan1,000+ posts
I always let the pitcher call his own pitches in tandem with the catcher. They need to learn to read the individual batter.

Open or closed stance? Either presents an opportunity.
Position in the box - away from the plate, hanging toes on the plate, forward, backward?
Type swing - Uppercutter? Hard swing?
Nervous, afraid of the ball?
How did he react to the first pitch?
How is the blue calling the zone? Is he giving the pitcher something to take advantage of?

For the leadoff hitter, you usually have a batter who shows good judgement. Give him something to hit, but not something he can hit well.

Just a few thoughts.

"Show me a guy who can't pitch inside and I'll show you a loser." Sandy Koufax
T TexHSBB10+ posts
WE spend alot of time scouting district opponents. We usually end up around 50 -65 AB of our opposition. IMO, the coach should call the game. He is more prepared, has hopefully been doing it a while, should know his guy and the opponent well. I hate to hear, "why did you throw that", or something similar. The kid will learn to pitch when he leaves you and moves to the next level by what you have given him.
gratefulgrateful1,000+ posts
In my opinion, guys, scouting the opponents is okay, but if your pitcher has strengths he must go to those strengths. The hitters has to adjust to the pitcher. Find one batter in the lineup that you want to make sure doesn't hurt you, then make sure he doesn't. You can spend a lot of energy and time on scouting when your answers are right there in your pitcher's hands.
T TexHSBB10+ posts
Grateful,
I tend to disagree. I know at the level of play here, that your top 2 or 3 guys better have command of 3 pitches. I believe the reason for all of the scouting we do, is to find the weaknesses in each hitter. We throw to their weakness, not to our strength. You can't tell me that if you have a dead red hitter that you will pump him fastballs because that is your pitchers strengths?? If hitter has trouble on the inner half, we throw them in, etc. The object is to have command of your pitches, and keep hitter off balance, not stay to your strengths.
RacabRacab1,000+ posts
Best pitching strategy is reading the tips that the batter is giving you at every pitch.

1. If the swing is late on the fastball, don't throw a breaking pitch on the next pitch.
2. If the batter foul a pitch straigh back, don't repeat it the fastball.
3. If the hitter is ahead on the fastball, it is time for the breaking pitch.
4. The best time to throw a change up is when the hitter is expecting fastball
5. Don't throw a firts pitch fastball down the middle to a free swinger.
6. Learn how to throw a change up in full count against great hitters
And a thousand tips more.....

"Peace is, the respect for the other people's rights".
Benito Juarez
L Lamber100+ posts
Careful, Redbird, you'll put your membership in jeopardy!!!

BTW, have you ever figured out that a hitters first move to the ball is perpendicular to the pitch?

Blue Dog

You know why my wife uses an 8" frying pan......because her mother did.........and she did because her mother did etc etc.
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CADadCADad5,000+ posts
A pitch fouled straight back usually occurs because the hitter is just a bit behind the pitch but they can adjust to get the bat around just a bit quicker. However, he doesn't make the adjustment well enough to account for the pitch being a bit higher than expected because the pitch was faster than expected. What kind of pitchers do you see the ball fouled straight back against the most often? Pitchers with good fastballs. Hitters make an adjustment to get the bat around quicker, however it is much harder to make the adjustment to the ball not dropping as much as expected. When a pitcher really is getting it past a hitter then you'll see them fouling it off the opposite way and getting under the ball. Why is it so hard for you to admit that hitters tend to swing under good fastballs? Now if you don't want to call that being late on the ball, fine with me. However, I consider not being able to hit a pitch cleanly because the pitcher is faster than I can handle even if I start the swing a bit earlier being a bit late.

I don't know how many times I've seen a hitter who is facing faster pitching than they are used to swing under pitch after pitch. They can make the adjustment to get the bat around but they continue to swing under the pitch because their minds are telling them that a ball they see at a given height at release is going to drop a certain amount before reaching the plate and with the faster pitch, especially a four seamer, it just doesn't drop as much. For all but the very best hitters, including big league hitters it can take quite a while for the mind to make the adjustment and allow the hitter to swing at a little higher point.
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CADadCADad5,000+ posts
I respect bbscout and redbird's right to disagree with me on the subject. They've got solid credentials. I understand what bbscout is saying and if you limit your consideration of being late to where the bat is in the swing he is correct. I consider swinging under a pitch because it is faster than expected as being late whether the bat gets around or not.

So I'd like to ask bbscout a simple question. Do you agree that hitters tend to swing under good fastballs? If you agree and won't buy my explanation please explain why it is that they swing under good fastballs.
L Lamber100+ posts
Do you remember saying hitters were late when they hit the ball into the ground? Yeah...something like....since the hands start high and they only get to the top of the ball (when hitting a ground ball) then they were late.

Now they are late when they are under the ball?

Is it possible that neither has to be true?

Then stop acting like its fact.
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CADadCADad5,000+ posts
What I said was that if a hitter swung from high to low it could partially make up for the fact that when they are late on a swing they'll be swinging at a point lower than the ball will actually be. However, if you get the bat all the way around and swing at a point lower than the ball actually is the path of the swing up to that point makes little or no difference and you'll tend to foul it straight back or even swing under the pitch. Is it probable that both are true? Yes.

By the way, I believe it was Ted Williams who said that you tend to hit more ground balls when going the opposite way and more fly balls when pulling the ball because of where the bat is in the high to low to up swing.

The combined effect of being late and letting an outside pitch get deeper tends to be more of a slice or a foul off to the right.

By the way, I believe that Ted Williams also believed that hitters swing under good fastballs although I'll have to research the Science of Hitting again to see where he says it.

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