Slow Pitcher...and the batter

[Coachmom]

You are right, actually a slow pitcher really can't dictate the situation (except in going slower and throwing change ups) no matter what so the conversation drifted a bit.

Boy are they are often successful at young age groups though!

So true...I have a pitcher on my 12U team that has a "fastball" and a change up...Her fastball looks to be about 35 mph and her change up is about 28.
She can throw strikes and has more K's than my harder throwing pitcher. Lots of pop ups too..Every now and then a hitter will get ahold of one and hit it to the outfield.
She also gets hurt with occasional drop 3rd strikes because so many of her pitches bounce before they reach the catcher...
It's very entertaining to watch the opposing coaches at third trying to get their hitters to adjust to the speed of this young pitcher.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Like many have posted on here, I love playing teams that move the batter up in the box. If I'm calling pitches you are doomed! This might work in the younger levels, but when a pitcher can pitch at different speeds and has multi pitches you have no chance as a batter, and If she has a good rise ball, good luck moving up in the box.

 

[obbay]

Disagree strongly. If a pitcher makes a batter move in the box, the pitcher wins every time. Why? Because they can change what they are doing and take advantage of the situation and/or make the hitter move again i.e., it allows the pitcher to dictate the situation

that's all well and good but I used to have a U14 batter that would start out in different parts of the box, baiting the pitcher. and adjust while the pitcher was pitching. you might say that she can't do it but she did and was never penalized whenever she did it.

then there's the time when we had an 85 lb 11 yo playing U14 against a seriously good team. pitcher was fantastic but didn't know what to do when the right-handed batter started showing slap (IF didn't either). she wound up on 1B.

the mental game can be played from both sides.

 

[Greenmonsters]

I don't know about that. If you move up and take the movement out of the pitch, you can beat the pitcher. It also depends on the pitcher's key pitches. For example, adjusting the depth on a drop based on the batter is very hard for a pitcher to do in a game situation and they may prefer the batter to just be back...

I don't think you have to be obvious about your batting adjustments. And often pitchers look right beyond you because they are not calling the game, a coach is (hardly any pitchers shake off the coach's calls). They just implement.

Yes, SB, just another reason why the catcher should be calling the pitches. The pitcher shouldn't feel like they are making any adjustment, they can simply focus on throwing what the catcher calls in response to the hitters' subtle adjustments and reactions that the coach can't see given their vantage point.

 

[Bouldersdad]

I love these posts almost as much fun as which fires first hands or hips. For all practical purposes moving up in the box can and is used with success if the hitter has the bat speed to overcome the heat that is going to happen when a good catcher sees the batter move up and place her back foot on the front corner. If the pitcher has no speed only movement, its a win for the batter. But if she can throw heat on top of her movement then the batter may be in for a surprise.

Sbf and I have had many many discussions on this and always come to the same conclusion. No one answer will satisfy the question.


Tim

 

[Bouldersdad]

This is funny sometimes. You have coaches that drill into the batters' heads to hit the ball in front of the plate. Then, in a game, they'll move them way back or way up front.

Moving up or back does have some advantages in some situations. Kind of a batter's tool for throwing the pitcher off like the pitcher does to the batter with their various pitches.

Its funny you say that. I teach hitting the ball as deep in the zone as possible and for most of my kids, not to move with the exception of very and i mean very advanced hitters who consider it as much of a challenge as anything else to hit no matter where they stand. I use the plate as a point of reference for my young ones, If we move up how do we know how deep to let an out side pitch come, or how far in front of the plate an inside pitch should be hit.

There is always one or two of my advanced kids that place their back foot on the front corner of the plate, and come hell or high water there's no moving them back. They stay there, power or movement pitcher, and are extremely succesfull despite not having that point of refrence to judge where to hit what pitch at what time.

I think there comes a time if a kid works enough of the drills like the barry bonds that there is an internal clock that goes off at just the right moment of time that lets them know when to swing, plate or no plate.


Tim

 

[Greenmonsters]

I love these posts almost as much fun as which fires first hands or hips. For all practical purposes moving up in the box can and is used with success if the hitter has the bat speed to overcome the heat that is going to happen when a good catcher sees the batter move up and place her back foot on the front corner. If the pitcher has no speed only movement, its a win for the batter. But if she can throw heat on top of her movement then the batter may be in for a surprise.

Sbf and I have had many many discussions on this and always come to the same conclusion. No one answer will satisfy the question.


Tim

Spoil sport

 

[Greenmonsters]

Its funny you say that. I teach hitting the ball as deep in the zone as possible and for most of my kids, not to move with the exception of very and i mean very advanced hitters who consider it as much of a challenge as anything else to hit no matter where they stand. I use the plate as a point of reference for my young ones, If we move up how do we know how deep to let an out side pitch come, or how far in front of the plate an inside pitch should be hit.

There is always one or two of my advanced kids that place their back foot on the front corner of the plate, and come hell or high water there's no moving them back. They stay there, power or movement pitcher, and are extremely succesfull despite not having that point of refrence to judge where to hit what pitch at what time.

I think there comes a time if a kid works enough of the drills like the barry bonds that there is an internal clock that goes off at just the right moment of time that lets them know when to swing, plate or no plate.


Tim

This is what makes elite hitters elite and separates them from many of our DDs who are from Lake Wobegone and merely well above average

 

[Bouldersdad]

you owe me a key board I laughed and spit beer all over mine

 

[softballphreak]

Its funny you say that. I teach hitting the ball as deep in the zone as possible and for most of my kids, not to move with the exception of very and i mean very advanced hitters who consider it as much of a challenge as anything else to hit no matter where they stand. I use the plate as a point of reference for my young ones, If we move up how do we know how deep to let an out side pitch come, or how far in front of the plate an inside pitch should be hit.

There is always one or two of my advanced kids that place their back foot on the front corner of the plate, and come hell or high water there's no moving them back. They stay there, power or movement pitcher, and are extremely succesfull despite not having that point of refrence to judge where to hit what pitch at what time.

I think there comes a time if a kid works enough of the drills like the barry bonds that there is an internal clock that goes off at just the right moment of time that lets them know when to swing, plate or no plate.


Tim

The point I was making was NOT to use the plate as a point of reference. The point of reference should be the player's front foot. It goes with the player, the plate doesn't.

For example, for a pitch down the middle the POC should be at or inside the front foot. Outside pitch should be about center of the body or later. Inside pitch out in front of the foot towards the pitcher.