How often should you be hitting a batter?

[CoogansBluff]

By comparison, pitchers facing Florida are credited with 73 hbp in 383.2 innings for an average of 1 hbp 5.2 innings.

Florida spends 5 hours a week training their hitters to get hit by pitches. They have their own assistant coach for HBP.

 

[corlay]

If DD HBP's one or two batters,
over the course of a weekend tournament,
then I'm usually satisfied that she is working both sides of the plate well...

 

[Rocketech1]

Rocket, you have a knack for asking loaded questions!!! I'm going to answer in the politically incorrect way of saying, it depends. IF all goes well, then nobody should be hit. But there are times it becomes part of the game. These can be the "unwritten rules" like stealing and bunting when up by a lot of runs late in the game. When that happens, someone usually wears one. Then the coach is told that his players are put into jeapordy because hes stealing when up by 10 runs in the 6th. The coach SHOULD have a team meeting when destroying a team to say no more bunting, no more stealing, go base to base on hits (not taking doubles), don't score on passed balls, etc. Another factor on his batters is where he/she stands in the box. Hugging the plate can lead to HBP, intentional or not. The pitcher needs to let everyone know the plate is THEIRS and if someone hugs the plate, they are putting fate into their own hands. I can remember at a USA National camp, a lefty was up and I have had a habit of hitting him because I wanted to jam him and he's tight on the plate. A riseball up and in got him in the hand/wrist area, he slammed his bat down and said "Every G** D$$m time!!!!" And I yelled back "Get off the plate then!!!!!!"

Obviously putting people on base isn't ideal. But sometimes its a necessary evil.

Bill

Bill - you went a whole other direction on my question!

Let me clarify - I don't think my DD is throwing inside enough as I would expect her to "unintentionally" hit a few batters on occasion who are crowding the plate, especially if she is trying to establish the inside part of the plate for a strike. I was curious to what others feel is an appropriate number of HBP to be an effective pitcher?

 

[Karchify]

Florida spends 5 hours a week training their hitters to get hit by pitches. They have their own assistant coach for HBP.

I'd love to see the practice plan/progression for this.

 

[smddad]

DD usually hits one per game. Sometimes more. Only one was intentional last year....that I know of.

 

[Greenmonsters]

IMO, the following two statements accurately summarize the battle between pitchers and hitters.
1. Hitting is about timing, and pitching is about disrupting the hitters' timing.
2. S/he who commands the inside part of the plate dominates the outside of the plate.

So, the answer to the OP's question is that you need to be hitting just enough batters to command the inside of the plate so that you can live on the outside of the plate.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I'd love to see the practice plan/progression for this.

I was joking, of course, but it's clear that they do spend some time on their technique. The HBP has become a strategy for some.

 

[JAD]

This new season, DD has pitched 19 innings, 82 batters faced, 229 pitches thrown but does not have a HBP. I don't think this is a good thing as it says to me that she is not throwing tight and inside enough.

Thoughts on an appropriate number of hit batters per game?

While I will agree that pitchers cannot be afraid of throwing inside, and batters with Evo Shields are more aggressively crowding the plate, I am not sure there is any prescribed number of HBP that should be expected. I would also like to point out that running a screwball in on a batters hands or elbow is a lot different than hitting them square in the back or "earholing" someone...

 

[djcarter1966]

My DD averages 1 every 6 2/3 which is high, but she owns the inside of the zone. If your DD is throwing inside she should have 1 or 2 by now.

^^^ So what do you do with a team like Florida where the girls just stand on or over the box line and put there big elbow pad right over home plate plunking them does no good because they just move their elbow pad and make sure it bounces right off it whether the ball is inside edge or in the river and most umps are just too afraid to call the strike. You are basically in a catch 22 you need to move them off the plate but they have zero incentive to move. So riseball how does our DD handle it, ideally you would pitch them under the hands but it seems they are more than happy to move the elbow pad have the ball bounce off and laugh all the way to 1B.

 

[JAD]

^^^ So what do you do with a team like Florida where the girls just stand on or over the box line and put there big elbow pad right over home plate plunking them does no good because they just move their elbow pad and make sure it bounces right off it whether the ball is inside edge or in the river and most umps are just too afraid to call the strike. You are basically in a catch 22 you need to move them off the plate but they have zero incentive to move. So riseball how does our DD handle it, ideally you would pitch them under the hands but it seems they are more than happy to move the elbow pad have the ball bounce off and laugh all the way to 1B.

I would get into the umpires ear and make sure he is watching for batters leaning into the strike zone. Then throw heat on the inside corner. If a batter is crowding the plate, it will be very difficult to hit square a pitch up and balls off the handle are usually routine grounders or easy pop ups. There is also something very satisfying in breaking a composite bat with an inside pitch...