Plate hitting position opinions?

[Towny9]

Ok that was a lot so not going to reply quote it all.

If the ball crosses the front of the plate and breaks off the plate it is technically a strike. What I am saying is that most umpires don’t call it that way in reality because it makes them look bad. I am well aware of the strike zone and where it is. Yes, balls 6 inches off the plate are called strikes. Those umpires are also bad. It happens. I don’t plan for where I stand in the box based off of the bad umpires. As someone stated earlier in this thread, balls across the plate and breakaway off are really exaggerated. We are talking in 1/2 inches of movement per foot here. If a pitcher were consistently hitting the outside corner and breaking the ball off the plate and getting the called strike then I would adjust my position in the box.

My comment is more general. It’s a good rule of thumb to stand farther back in the box to see the ball longer. More time to make a decision will result in a lot of good things. When the NCAA wanted more offense they moved the mound back 3 feet. According to some of the people on this thread they should’ve moved it up and that would’ve made people hit better.

And yes I compared baseball to softball because to hit in both timing is crucial. I’m not worried about the way the pitch breaks because it still has to cross the plate and the strike zone is the same.

 

[riseball]

...

If the ball crosses the front of the plate and breaks off the plate it is technically a strike...

Wish that would have been called in the SEC when my kid was in the circle. At least it was consistent and she knew what to expect.

 

[radness]

Ok that was a lot so not going to reply quote it all.

If the ball crosses the front of the plate and breaks off the plate it is technically a strike. What I am saying is that most umpires don’t call it that way in reality because it makes them look bad. I am well aware of the strike zone and where it is. Yes, balls 6 inches off the plate are called strikes. Those umpires are also bad. It happens.

I don’t plan for where I stand in the box based off of the bad umpires. As someone stated earlier in this thread, balls across the plate and breakaway off are really exaggerated. We are talking in 1/2 inches of movement per foot here. If a pitcher were consistently hitting the outside corner and breaking the ball off the plate and getting the called strike then I would adjust my position in the box.

My comment is more general. It’s a good rule of thumb to stand farther back in the box to see the ball longer. More time to make a decision will result in a lot of good things. When the NCAA wanted more offense they moved the mound back 3 feet. According to some of the people on this thread they should’ve moved it up and that would’ve made people hit better.

And yes I compared baseball to softball because to hit in both timing is crucial.

I’m not worried about the way the pitch breaks

You may not be concerned with which way the pitch is going to break. but absolutely there are batters paying attention to which way pitches are going to break!
What is she throwing you is a great piece of knowledge to pass on to each batter through the lineup.

because it still has to cross the plate.

That is not accurate. As previously described.

and the strike zone is the same.

No its often not

 

[Hawk_]

Depends on speed and movement on the pitcher.

 

[Towny9]

You may not be concerned with which way the pitch is going to break. but absolutely there are batters paying attention to which way pitches are going to break!
What is she throwing you is a great piece of knowledge to pass on to each batter through the lineup.


That is not accurate. As previously described.

No its often not

My comment about the way the pitch breaks was in response to baseball vs softball and the whole starts out of the zone and enters or starts in the zone and leaves the zone. Of course I care what movement a pitcher has and how it is important knowledge for hitters. It doesn’t change the rule book definition of the strike zone though.

I say a pitch has to cross the plate to be a strike and you say it doesn’t. I don’t know what to say to that.

 

[_MIA_]

I say a pitch has to cross the plate to be a strike and you say it doesn’t. I don’t know what to say to that.

A) Rad was a catcher, everything she could reach was a strike
B) I get the impression as a hitter she was a cross between Kirby Puckett and Vlad Sr..

 

[Eric F]

My DD's standard is about 1.5 (toward the front, but not up against the front line). She will adjust rearward a little if she's feeling really challenged with velocity, but that doesn't happen very often.

 

[Eric F]

I say a pitch has to cross the plate to be a strike and you say it doesn’t. I don’t know what to say to that.

Have you never seen a pitch that was off the plate get called a strike by the umpire?

 

[Towny9]

Have you never seen a pitch that was off the plate get called a strike by the umpire?

Of course I have. It’s a regular occurrence unfortunately. Just cause a ball is called a strike doesn’t make it a strike anymore than calling my dog a cat makes her a cat. I was talking about the textbook definition of strikes (not accounting for human error.)

This whole thing got derailed from my original point anyway - which is that moving up in the box because you can’t wait on off speed is a bandaid fix. The real issue is the hitter needs to learn to wait. I am all for moving in the box to adjust to a pitchers tendencies. For example - if you are looking to hit right side behind a runner backing off the plate some to create a ball away for yourself is a smart move.

 

[Eric F]

Of course I have. It’s a regular occurrence unfortunately. Just cause a ball is called a strike doesn’t make it a strike anymore than calling my dog a cat makes her a cat. I was talking about the textbook definition of strikes (not accounting for human error.)

This whole thing got derailed from my original point anyway - which is that moving up in the box because you can’t wait on off speed is a bandaid fix. The real issue is the hitter needs to learn to wait. I am all for moving in the box to adjust to a pitchers tendencies. For example - if you are looking to hit right side behind a runner backing off the plate some to create a ball away for yourself is a smart move.

If the ump calls it a strike, it's a strike. Every single time. I'm pretty sure this was Rad's point.

My kid likes to be further forward in the box to minimize pitch break, even if it's a small amount. We've all seen change-up and drops that catch the bottom of the strike zone, and end up in the dirt. Being in the back of the box makes it very difficult to hit those pitches. Similar issue at the top of the zone with riseballs.