Where is the strike zone?

[eddieq]

Is this war stories now? I had a 12U FP game with a pitcher that threw hard with zero control. It was playoffs and I found out later that they had not used umpires all season - just a dad/mom/volunteer to call balls and strikes. I'm sure those volunteers were calling anything remotely near the plate a strike. Once they had an umpire that called a regular strike zone, it became my fault that she wasn't throwing strikes.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Is this war stories now? I had a 12U FP game with a pitcher that threw hard with zero control. It was playoffs and I found out later that they had not used umpires all season - just a dad/mom/volunteer to call balls and strikes. I'm sure those volunteers were calling anything remotely near the plate a strike. Once they had an umpire that called a regular strike zone, it became my fault that she wasn't throwing strikes.

Were they calling it from the best position possible for calling balls and strikes? Or did they make them actually leave the deep third base bleachers?

 

[eddieq]

Were they calling it form the best position possible for calling balls and strikes? Or did they make them actually leave the deep third base bleachers?

Frankly, I have no idea. I had a scheduled game in the same league the following night that got rained out so that was the only one I ever did for them.

 

[Big Daddy Michigan]

In my experience, expanding the zone does NOT increase strikeouts. It increases batters hitting.

100%!!!

If you know the umpire is calling a lot of strikes then you know you need to be aggressive.

As a coach I wanted to an umpire to call a big strike zone. I taught my players to hit and wanted them to hit the first strike. I subscribe to the Ted Williams school of hitting. You might only get one great pitch to hit and you have to hit it.

Our motto was hit every strike, no one calls their grandma after a game to tell her they got a walk.

 

[lostcreek1]

It’s pretty simple. You should be calling balls and strikes to the best of your ability according to the rule book of the association you are working for. If you are not you should not be behind the plate.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Spoken like somebody who has never done it.

 

[lostcreek1]

Spoken like somebody who has never done it.

If that was meant for me you would be wrong on that assumption.

 

[_MIA_]

I taught my players to hit and wanted them to hit the first strike. I subscribe to the Ted Williams school of hitting. You might only get one great pitch to hit and you have to hit it.

While Ted did say get a good pitch to hit, not all strikes are good pitches to hit, especially if you are up in the count. Every hitter has hot and cold zones in the strike zone. There is no point in swinging at a pitch in your cold zone with no strikes when you have two mores strikes to do that. I will say that your motto is probably good for younger kids (for various reasons) but as a hitter gets older they should be more selective when they are up in the count.

Ted actually got criticized a lot when he played because the press thought he took too many walks with men on base.

 

[Gtrips07]

100%!!!

If you know the umpire is calling a lot of strikes then you know you need to be aggressive.

As a coach I wanted to an umpire to call a big strike zone. I taught my players to hit and wanted them to hit the first strike. I subscribe to the Ted Williams school of hitting. You might only get one great pitch to hit and you have to hit it.

Our motto was hit every strike, no one calls their grandma after a game to tell her they got a walk.

Back in the day at professional umpire school you were told that no one comes to the games to watch you call balls, but to see the ball put in play. They also wanted you and to be consistent and were told the leeway was not up or down but on the outside corner. Not Eric Greg wide, but have some room.

Unfortunately at the MLB level it became too many zones and a too strong of a union for a while there.


Fun fact, the current commissioner is the one who broke the MLB union and was pushing for robo umpires way back then even though he was told the technology wasn't there, but due to his dislike of the union.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

 

[Big Daddy Michigan]

While Ted did say get a good pitch to hit, not all strikes are good pitches to hit, especially if you are up in the count. Every hitter has hot and cold zones in the strike zone. There is no point in swinging at a pitch in your cold zone with no strikes when you have two mores strikes to do that. I will say that your motto is probably good for younger kids (for various reasons) but as a hitter gets older they should be more selective when they are up in the count.

Ted actually got criticized a lot when he played because the press thought he took too many walks with men on base.

Correct- Ted's quote is closer to the pitcher makes one mistake in every at bat don't take it, don't miss it, don't foul it off.

Coaches often tell the pitcher to get ahead in the count. If a pitcher misses fat it's often on the first pitch. That's all I'm saying. I hear a lot of coaches who teach kids to take until they get a strike and parent who tell their kids to never swing at the first pitch. Sometime you miss the pitcher's mistake if you're goal isn't to hit aggressively.