Stop Striding to Where the Ball is Pitched!

Many coaches mistakenly tell their players to stride to where the ball is pitched.  This is not good advice.  In order to be consistent with your approach, you need to stride to the same spot every time.  If your timing is going to be correct, your stride food will be down by the time the ball is halfway to home plate.

This must happen in order to execute the proper swing.  If you follow poor advice and stride to where the ball is, you will be limiting yourself to that one area and you won’t be able to make adjustments.

Keep your stride short

The Stride should be no longer than 8 inches.  If your stride is too long:

• Your weight is going to go too far forward.
• Your hands will come forward prematurely
• Your head will have too much movement
• All of these will make it difficult for you to see the ball clearly, and your bat speed and power will be greatly diminished.

Learning How to Scout Effectively

The last time I went to a high school baseball game I saw 5-6 men in the stands behind home-plate. They were armed with radar guns, charts, and stop watches. You couldn’t miss them -scouts. These are the guys parents dream and players long to have show up for their games.

The scouts you see at high school games are more than likely either area scouts, part-time scouts, or associate scouts. Every Major League Organization employs 20-40 full time area scouts. Depending on the organization an area scout may have as many as 8 states to cover. The area scout sees a prospect approximately 10-15 times over a 4 year span. Their primary responsibility is to find and report on prospects. A scouting report on individual hitting prospects includes some of the following:

•    Running speed
•    Hitting for average
•    Power potential
•    Hands – Defense
•    Throwing arm
•    Proper hitting mechanics
•    Ability to make adjustments
•    Mental make-up
•    How much money the player should sign for
•    Ability to make consistent contact

These tools are graded not only for their present ability but also for their future potential. Most organizations grade on a major league scale. For example a present hitting ability for a high school player might be a 3. This could equate to a .230 Major League Hitter at present time. However this same scout may project this same hitter’s future potential as a 6, which could be a .300 Major League Hitter. The 3 is a below average major league hitter, a 6 is an above aver-age major league hitter. This scale goes up to 8 for the superstar. Very few are rated as such because this is so hard to project.

A five tool player is one that ranks above average in every area listed (1-5). Keep in mind that the Major Leagues are filled with players with less than 5 tools, you really only need 1 great tool to get to the major leagues, or 2-3 average tools to be a good Major League Player.

Despite the fact of that this country is loaded with scouts looking for talent, there seems to be some talent that is always missed. Look at the list below to see who was almost missed.

•    Mike Piazza 61st round
•    Bobby Bonilla undrafted
•    Darryl Kile 30th round
•    Frank White undrafted
•    Don Mattingly 19th round
•    Tom Candiotti undrafted
•    Nolan Ryan 10th round
•    Ryne Sandberg 17th round
•    Jose Canseco 15th round
•    Dave Parker 14th round

It’s important to take note that no matter how elaborate a scouting system is, someone may be missed for one reason or another. As Bob Didier stated in his interview with us, the one thing that no scout has ever been able to do is to cut someone open and look at the size of his heart and his determination. These are 2 of the main ingredients that it takes to succeed with just marginal talent. However there are only a few willing to pay the price.

Under the area scouts are the part time scouts as well as the associate scouts. Part time scouts are basically more eyes for the area scout. Part time scouts draw either a small salary or travel expenses. Although their pay is minimal, they can be a valuable tool for an area scout covering a large territory. The part time scout usually scouts the area where he lives. If he is impressed with a player, he will tip off the area scout with the player’s profile.

Associate scouts do not get any compensation for their work. They basically work to try to get their foot in the door of a Major League Organization, they are better known as “bird dogs.” Bird dogs submit reports to the part time scout who in turn reports to the area scout. Associates may be coaches from different schools but occasionally one might be an older, retired gentleman with years of baseball experience.

You never know who may be in the stands, so always play hard and give 100%. Scouts will be initially drawn to you by talent but it is how you play the game and how you present yourself that will catch their eye. Let me give you a for instance. It is late in the game, nobody out, runner on 2nd base. Perhaps the game is tied.

You, as a hitter have a decision to make. Should you swing for a base hit and make either the headlines or an out? Or do you try to get the runner over to 3rd with less than 2 outs? Most scouts would take notice if you drove the ball to right field to get the runner over as opposed to pulling the ball, even if you got a base hit and scored the winning run.

The first scenario shows a selfish player – the other shows a team player. I tell my hitters to make sure they get the runner over. If they hit a line drive to right field, they may not only get the runner over, they may possibly get the runner in. These are the things that show scouts that you know how to play the game.

This segment has covered the associate scout, part-time scout and the area scout. In future issues we will advance on the scouting hierarchy and cover the regional scout, national cross checkers, and the scouting director. Your goal is to have the scouting director show up at your game to watch you!

Can you have too much bat speed?

Question:

My son just went through the worst possible winter of his playing career. He had worked very hard this past off season to develop some serious “pop” in his bat. We measured his bat velocity while doing some heavy duty overload/underload training. His bat speed really increased and I could really see the pop.
The problem is that it is just in batting practice. In games he wasn’t making contact. When he did, it was a rocket. The first thing that I saw was that he was pulling off theball. The next thing was a loop in the swing. After that I saw the early rolling of the hands and then too much weight passing through center onto his front side. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer:

It sounds like your son has improved his bat speed and therefore his power. Now, he expects to hit the ball out of the ball park. That may be the problem – he feels he should be hitting the ball out of the park. He is probably over swinging and his effort level is too high.

He must get back to thinking “hard contact” and “line drives”. An excessive effort level leads to many break downs – head movement, front side pulling off, rolling top hand, etc. Get him back to basics so that his goal is consistent hard contact and line drives. Look for good balance, correct head position throughout the swing, and a short hand path to the ball.

Hitting with the Right Bat Angle

Let’s talk about the bat angle.  At what angle should you have the bat?  Should it be up at a 90 degree angle?  Should you tilt it back towards the catcher?  What is most comfortable for you?  The most efficient place to put the bat is at a 45 degree angle behind your back shoulder.  This is the best position to launch the bat from.

It is the most efficient way to get the bat through the zone.  Since this is hard to see you may either use the mirror drill or have a coach help you with this.  The reason why I don’t recommend a 90 degree bat angle is because in order to hi, you must first get the bat into a 45 degree bat angle.  If you start at 90 degrees, you will cause unnecessary movement to get the 45 degree angle that is necessary to swing from.

Driving the Ball to the Opposite Field

The reason why it is difficult to hit the ball for power on the outside part of the plate is because you have to make contact with this pitch deeper in the contact zone.  This doesn’t give you as much time to reach maximum velocity.  When you do see a hitter that does hit the outside pitch to the pull side for a homerun, it doesn’t mean he got around the ball, it just means he hit the ball out front and stayed on the ball longer.  Most players can’t do this because of their lack of strength.

For young hitters is very important to learn how to handle the pitch on the outside part of the plate.  If you are handling this pitch your mechanics are sound.  Many times a hitter can pull off driving the outside pitch to the opposite field he is staying on the ball with his front side and letting the ball travel, these are two things that are difficult for young hitters because most want to go out and get the ball as oppose to letting the ball come to them.

Switch Hitting Questions and Answers

Question:

When should a player start switch-hitting? What do you consider a good age to begin? How proficient should the hitter be from his strong side before he begins learning to switch-hit? Do you consider learning to switch-hit to be a big advantage for being recruited by college/pros? Just off the top of my head, it seems that many of the top hitters in the Majors are not switch hitters.

Answer:

My son and I started to work on switch hitting when he was about 10 years old, but he didn’t start switch hitting in games until he was 13. I wanted him to get a real feel for balance through his swing and develop more strength before I put him in a game situation. When he started switch hitting in games, he hit only left handed for the entire year (he’s a natural right handed hitter). This was the year he was going to go to the big field and I thought he might struggle somewhat switch hitting, but most kids struggle when moving up to the regulation size field anyway so I didn’t worry about it. He ended up having some success and has improved to the point to where he is a better hitter from the left side.

If you want your son to switch hit, you should have a reason for having him do so. Does he have some speed? If he has some speed, or potential to have speed, then there are some advantages to hitting from the left side. If he is going to be a power hitter with little speed, than I would say let him stay on one side. Most switch hitters are natural right handed hitters, there is a different advantage for left handed hitters. Most pitchers are right handed, hitting from the left side hitters will not have to deal with the offspeed pitch breaking away from them. Another big advantage to switch hitting is that players won’t be platooned if they are proficient from both sides of the plate.

If my son would have been a natural left handed hitter, I don’t believe I would have taught him to switch hit. But don’t hold me to that because I have a 2 year old and he hits off the tee lefty, I think because he watches his brother hit from the left side so much.

How to Be a Well Rounded Hitter

You want to train yourself to become a complete hitter. Part of being a complete hitter is being able to hit the ball to all parts of the field. This is important because when you are capable of using the whole field, the pitcher is not able to pitch you in one particular way. In other words he will have to work harder to keep you off the bases. Additionally, the defense can not shade you to one particular area in the field.

DARRYL STRAWBERRY
In the 1996 World Series, you might have noticed how the Atlanta Braves defense was playing Darryl Strawberry. The defense shifted to the right side of the field, except for the third baseman, Chipper Jones, who moved to the shortstop position. This left the whole left side of the infield open. The reason for this was because:

• Darryl was basically a pull hitter.
• They were trying to get him out by pitching him on the inside part of the plate.

This is what can happen to a pull hitter – they can be easily defensed. Darryl was basically a pull hitter, but he had a lot more success when he used the whole field.

HITTING THE BALL TO THE OPPOSITE FIELD

To hit the ball to the opposite field:

• Get a pitch on the outside part of the plate
• Hit the ball deeper in the contact zone
• Keep the barrel of the bat above your hands
• Stay inside the ball

Most young hitters have the ability to pull the ball. However, to be a complete hitter and on your way to being a master hitter, you must develop the ability to hit the ball to the opposite field. One of the reasons that young hitters have a difficult time hitting the ball to the opposite field is that coaches are always telling them to pull the ball and to hit the ball way out in front. In order to handle the ball on the outside part of the plate, you must wait for the ball to get deeper into the zone. Contact for the outside pitch should be made even with the front foot or slightly deeper. You will find that this will help you to hit the curve ball as well.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Your stance may show the pitcher where your strengths and weaknesses are. For example

a right handed hitter that stands off the plate in a closed stance and strides towards the plate is going to handle the ball on the outside part of the plate better than the inside pitch. His weakness would be the inside part of the plate. This is opposed to a right handed hitter who has an open stance, and stays open on his stride – his strength will be the inside pitch. His weakness will be the ball on the outside part of the plate. This holds for left handed hitters as well. This is why I recommend that no matter how you stand at the plate, when your stride foot comes down, you should be at a parallel stance. Some hitters have to use the open or closed stance because of flaws in their approach. If you are one of these hitters, make sure that you are disciplined enough to swing at the pitches you can handle (your strengths) and do not swing at the ball in your weak area until you get two strikes.

AREAS OF THE ZONE

Let’s examine areas of the zone that you may be pitched. If you are being pitched inside, and you are looking inside, you will want to hit this particular pitch to the pull side of the field. f you are being pitched middle away, look to go to the opposite field.

A key point here, and many Major League hitters do this, is to look for the pitch down the middle.  By doing this, it is easier for you to adjust off the ball down the middle, than it is looking on the extreme outside or the extreme inside. There will be times when you will look inside or outside. For example, if a pitcher consistently throws you on the outside part of the plate, it is to your advantage to look on the outside part of the plate and hit the ball to the opposite field. If this is the case, you need to let the pitch on the extreme inside go.

If you feel the pitcher is trying to work you outside, then look outside. Do the same with inside.

Many youth league pitchers do not have great control yet, so it is best to look middle. However, at the high school level or above, the pitchers are starting to gain better control.

A point to remember is that you can look outside and still have a chance to hit the inside pitch, but if you look inside, you will have virtually no chance to hit the outside pitch. This may sound complicated and as if it were for advanced hitters only, however, all young hitters should start to learn how to use the whole field and to look for pitches in different areas. The chart picture illustrates the areas of the strike zone. Take note of where the high averages are. Find the area that you hit best.

How to Get Into the Position of Power

Q:

When my 16 year old tried setting her hands in the Position of Power, she feels like it’s harder the pull down with the bottom hand, getting that short path to the ball. She feels “trapped” a bit and has too much top hand, her swinging loops under the ball. How can we get the hands set and still get that pull down angle with the bottom hand?

A:

The Position of Power is a position that every hitter should be in when the stride foot lands. The hands do not need to move very much, as long as the hands are just behind the back foot when the stride foot lands. The hands should not feel “trapped”. This should be a fluid movement that is not segmented.  It sounds like your daughter is not properly staying inside the ball.

The easiest way to correct this problem is to not think of cocking the wrists, just think about taking the hands back. This will allow for a free and easy swing, when she thinks about the wrists, she would probably have a tendency to be stiff.

Learning How to Practice

Question:

I am coaching 11-12 year olds. Majority of them are struggling to hit the outside pitch. If they do make contact, it’s usually a weak grounder pulled to the shortstop. Any suggestions for teaching them how to hit to right field? I know they have to let the ball get deeper into the strike zone but am unsure how to teach the right field swing correctly. Thanks.

Answer:

The number one thing is practice. They have to do the drills and put in the practice time. Tee work, soft toss are very important. Make sure they are staying inside the ball, letting the ball get deep as you mentioned. Keeping the front side closed as long as possible and keep an eye on the back foot, the back knee & foot should not fully rotate. The back knee and foot should point to where the ball is hit. This will help the hips to stay closed. You do not want the hips fully rotated when hitting the outside pitch. Also, make sure the bat takes the proper angle to the ball, the barrel of the bat should not drop below the hands until contact is made. The proper bat angle will enable the hitter to stay in top of the ball. Lastly, head position is very important, have your hitters keep their head down past contact, this will help them to stay over and on the ball.

3 Keys to Hitting

Once you do have your hitting fundamentally correct, to set yourself above your competition, not merely resting on your laurels and thinking that your current success will be enough, you need to concentrate on these three keys to success:

Work ethic
What is your work ethic like? Are you the first to come and the last to leave? If you are not doing more than your coach asks, it’s not enough.

Ability to make adjustments
Don’t wait 2 weeks to make an adjustment. Adjustments should be made game to game – at bat to at bat-pitch to pitch. I used Jordan’s at bats as an example. Learn to make the adjustments necessary to get you past your present difficulties. Believe me, the difficulties will come. The sooner you make the adjustment the shorter the duration and severity of the difficulty.

Not being afraid to fail
Sorry but I have to jump to another sport to illustrate this point. Tiger Woods will possibly go down in history as the greatest golfer ever. What did he do after he had so much success including winning the Masters at his young age, something no one had ever done before? He changed his swing. His critics thought he was crazy. Having had so much success, why would he change? We frequently hear the saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” I disagree. Just because it’s not broken, doesn’t mean you can’t make it better. Tiger obviously agrees. He wasn’t afraid to change – to make himself better. He wasn’t afraid to fail. The results speak for themselves. You will only improve when change takes place. You’ve heard me say this before, you either will get better or worse, you won’t stay the same.

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