The Baseball Observer March-April 2017 vol 9

The Baseball Observer - March/April 2017

“Psychologically, what the guy in front of you has done, more often than not, affects how aggressive you are or how much you take pitches. Why? Because batters also learn from their teammates. If one hitter makes an out while swinging at the first pitch, the next batter is much less likely to even consider swinging at the first pitch – even if a good pitch to hit.” (From Grantland –Debunking MLB First Pitch Strike Myth, June 2, 2014).

With runners on base...

“The fact that with runners on base a much higher percentage of batters are called out on the 1-2, 2-2 and 3-2 pitches than with bases empty may indicate a psychological bias on the part of umpires to give the pitcher the benefit of close ones with men on base.” (From research.sabr.org - Research Journal Archives - Study of ‘The Count’ Yields Fascinating Data)

Batters must have an attack plan to beat the pitcher and you must be flexibility to change your attack when the opponent or an umpire negates your initial approach. Say the ump has a “large” strike zone - you have to adjust to this. Too many batters during the course of a game do not adjust and strike out on an outside pitch that the ump had been calling a strike all night. They come back and say “That was outside.” It might have been but tonight the ump calls it a strike. You have to adjust.

A Twist To Consider - "Pitching Backwards"

You must keep in mind that as the level of competition increases (especially college on up) pitchers will sometimes "pitch backwards". It's called pitching backwards because it is the opposite of what is expected in the given situation. But if you pay attention to the pitcher’s tendencies during the game there will be times you'll want to “look” for a backwards approach.

Pick the brain of the pitchers on your team. Ask them their thoughts when they are on the mount and what they do. Ask your pitching coach his philosophies on pitching to batters. You have to “think” like a pitcher if you’re going to hit. Also learn pitch recognition!

*Below are recent stats on first pitch strikes comparing High School and MLB. We can

assume the college numbers are between the High School and MLB numbers.

How High School Numbers Compare To First Pitch Numbers In the MLB

The Baseball Observer March-April 2017 vol 9 | Page 12