Adbono
do you instruct your pitchers to pitch and think different to hitters with wood or metal bats?
Bob
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Absolutely. It’s a challenge to get some kids comfortable with pitching inside. A lot of HS coaches just want their pitchers to keep everything away. Putting a wood bat in the batter’s hands can help a pitcher that isn’t experienced with throwing inside have the confidence to do it. Which makes them more effective against any hitter no matter the kind of bat being used.
Hitting is different with wood versus metal. Jam a hitter with wood you’re getting an out. You might break his bat. Jam a hitter with metal and he might fist the ball over the infield.
@adbono posted:Absolutely. It’s a challenge to get some kids comfortable with pitching inside. A lot of HS coaches just want their pitchers to keep everything away. Putting a wood bat in the batter’s hands can help a pitcher that isn’t experienced with throwing inside have the confidence to do it. Which makes them more effective against any hitter no matter the kind of bat being used.
Last week at Lakepoint my son's pitching coach walked up to him after the first inning and said, "Why are you working away...everything inside. EVERYTHING. If you hit a kid, you hit him but with wood they will do nothing if you're inside. Stop with the away, away, away crap."
This college season my son gave up 5 XBH i(1 HR) in a little over 24IP. Yesterday in his first start of the summer gave up 3 XBH in 2IP vs wood bats. We use wood bats in HS so it's not that he's not used to it, but definitely seemed like he was pitching differently to the wood bats....or just stunk yesterday...small sample size I guess.