Somebody, somewhere on this site quoted Warren Spahn as saying, "Hitting is timing and pitching is upsetting that timing."
I'd like to add a little more to this from some of the more old school type players.
Some of us remember Gaylord Perry or have at least heard of him and would probably consider him a fairly decent pitcher. He was quoted as saying that "I could tell a hitter's weaknesses the first time I ever saw him, just by watching him take his stance." Perry went on to describe how if a hitter carried the bat high and wrapped it back around the neck then he klnew that he could not hit a ball in on the hands. If the hitter held the bat low or out away from the body then he knew that he could not hit low and away with any autority, in particular a breaking pitch. Perry thought it was easier to get a hitter to start his swing early this way.
Then Perry went on to describe watching the hitters feet. A good hitter might have a half dozen different stances and they would change between pitches. Was the hitter anxious and crowding looking for something out over the plate or did the hitter sride straight looking for something to pull. This was how Perry could tell what a hitter was guessing at. If a hitter changed his stance in the middle of a pitch Perry figured it was as good a time as any to drill him with a fast ball.
Just a little food for thought on approaches to pitching.
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