Coaching against the Change Up

shockcoach said:

A good change should be low and outside corner. If they're throwing it where it should be, the hitter should take the pitch. If you have a 2-strike count, you foul it off. If they hang it over the plate, you make them pay. The idea is to wait for the pitch you want and drive it, not to become their victim by trying to hit the junk stuff. Besides, the change up should be a set up pitch. It makes the next pitch seem 3-4 miles an hour faster.

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This is conventional thinking which suffices until pitchers can throw a good change up consistently. However, once that stage is reached, a good change up can be thrown in any situation and any count, not just 2 strikes and not just low and away! If you hang any pitch over the middle of the plate, it likely will get hammered. I haven't seen very many hitters who can wait long enough to keep an inside change up in fair territory. If a batter isn't going to swing at a change up until 2 strikes, it's not long before a smart catcher or coach will make sure that's all the batter will see until they get to 2 strikes! Also, because hitting is all about timing and pitching is about disrupting timing, any pitch can be used to set up the next pitch, which could be faster or slower and/or higher/lower etc.

There's been some good suggestions here that will help a hitter learn to recognize and ultimately hit a change up, which is a must for the hitter who wants to be successful at the next level.