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11 replies

Taking pitches

R Ramjet4210+ posts
My 13yo son has been having a great year at the plate. He has done a wonderful job at laying off the junk and waiting on a good pitch to hit. As a result he is leading the team in hitting with a .450 batting average with 4 HR's. My question is, his coach just started to give him the take sign (first pitch) when there is a runner on base. His reasoning is that he want's the runner to steal and apparently taking a pitch is supposed to help. The problem is that alot of times the very first pitch is a fast ball right down the middle. Since my son has been taught to sit on the fastball, he would normally drive that pitch into the gap for extra bases. Now my son is having to take that picth and often finds himself down in the count having to swing at a curve ball or change. My feelings are that the coach with his strategy is taking the bat out of his hands. Is it common to give a batter a take sign if you wan't to steal a base, especially with your best hitter at the plate? Am I correct in thinking that the coach is taking the bat out of my son's hands or is this a common baseball practice/strategy.
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gratefulgrateful1,000+ posts
Well, you can look at this more than one way.

The coach is trying to get the runner in scoring position for his best hitter; that makes sense to me. If the kid is hitting .450 chances are he will be able to make good contact later in the count. You didn't say anything about the baserunner, but perhaps it is a sure thing when he steals; don't really want to pass up on an opportunity like that.

On the other hand, some coaches will give the hitter a green light even when a steal sign is on. There is a risk there, too. The batter could line into a double play, the batter could hit a foul ball when his teammate had second base stolen.

There are arguments each way. The coach makes the decisions, the players execute what the coach wants, and the parents support the entire team.

It isn't necessarily over coaching, just one philosophy. If a kid is hitting .450 then he should be able to hit with a 1-0 or an 0-1 count after the steal.
R Ramjet4210+ posts
Thanks for the responses. Yes, the kid(s) that bat in front of my son are pretty much a sure thing on the steal. I didn't realize the coaching strategy about getting a runner in scoring position with your best hitter at the plate. I was fixated on my son having to take sometimes the ONLY pitch he can drive and settling for taking his hacks at curveballs. Oh well, .450 was good while it lasted....lol.
jaxnbulldogjaxnbulldog100+ posts
If i've got a kid hitting .450, he's not taking anything he doesn't want to take. If I want to send a runner, that batter can consider it the go ahead to swing if he likes it. i'll take my chances on a double play when i have a hitter with a .450 average who can drive him in from first with a running start.

My kid bats second and doesn't strike out much (twice this year). He's not a power hitter, but he makes contact and he gets the green light when we send the runner.
gratefulgrateful1,000+ posts
Ramjet, I doubt that most 13 year old pitchers are always only giving him a first pitch fastball then a barrage of breaking balls. If that is the case then it should be even easier for your boy to hit the breaking balls, since he knows they are coming and can determine early whether or not to swing. I find it hard to believe that 13 year olds are throwing that many breaking balls in game situations anyway. They will forever be curveball pitchers and never develop the velocity needed to advance too much further.
T Texan1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by grateful:
I find it hard to believe that 13 year olds are throwing that many breaking balls in game situations anyway. They will forever be curveball pitchers and never develop the velocity needed to advance too much further.


Haven't watched much 13YO ball lately, eh?

There are some 13/14YO pitchers who throw 50% curves. A few higher.

I don't think anyone (certainly not I) would argue with your observation as to the adverse effects of such. But it is going on out there.
R Ramjet4210+ posts
Grateful, Texan is right. Believe it or not,good, bad or indifferent there are quite a few 14yo pitchers around here who throw alot of curve balls and have pretty good velocity at the same time. I was merely seeking advice from those who know more than I about the possible strategy involved with having your best hitter (who has proven to be very disciplined at the plate)take a pitch for the purpose of stealing a runner. My son is a team player and will do whatever the coach tells him to. However, we both get frustrated when he has to take a "dead red" fastball when he know's he can drive it and possibly score the runner. My son and I are both learning the game and your initial explanation helped me to understand one strategy. Thanks a bunch.
gratefulgrateful1,000+ posts
You're welcome Ramjet.....I'm really just saying that its too bad for those pitchers that some coaches are allowing them to throw that many breaking balls......as Texan has agreed......they may get a lot of hitters out for the next few years, but their velocity won't develop as it should as they get older.....your boy is right to look for the fastball early in the count; he's way ahead of the game already!!!
AgentDadAgentDad100+ posts
There are a lot of kids in that age group that already have good velocity (80+) and throw a lot of CB's. But what I would do in that situation is to call for the hit and run. With a good contact hitter at the plate and a great runner on base it's a perfect solution. Just explain to the batter to lay off a bad pitch and let the runner go.

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