Strikeouts

[Sweet Lou]

My kid likes hitting 2-strike dingers.

Who doesn't? Well except for pitchers who give them up.

The game of baseball and by extension softball has changed a lot since I was a kid. Back then you'd see a lot of MLB players with a " 2 strike approach", including many who would choke up and cut down on their swing. Outside of a few these days, it seems to be a lot of "grip it and rip it" regardless of what the count is.

 

[efastball]

OPS

 

[RichK]

They always say that colleges (or varsity high school or high level travel teams as an important step before that) will always find a spot and position for a good hitter. Take this the right way please, but right now, you're daughter -- results-wise -- isn't what I'd call a good hitter, as Eric F said as level's go up a .400 contact hitter becomes a .200 contact hitter. That said, she looks strong and athletic and has a workable swing. It's time for her to become a power gap hitter at minimum (or a line drive hitter like her hitting coach calls it). Do it now. Take a few strikeouts if that's the price. Work on her intent and more importantly work on her mechanics, lack of power isn't just lack of intent, she needs to understand the engines within her body that create power. But that's a whole nother story

 

[MadBandit22]

Is it better to have a lot of really good hits and more strikeouts or less actual hits and less strikeouts.

DD is pretty good at not striking out. I've been collecting stats on her since 2016 and in 558 plate appearances she's only struck out 38 times (been walked 105). Not sure of % of called vs swinging. The only times we ever got on her was on called strikeouts because we've told her to at least try to foul it off if it's close and stop trying to be the ump. Her BA is around .411 (only 40 xbh though) and is usually at the top of RBIs because she's just good at putting the ball in play..

However I've noticed that the girls that get the best hits all tend to strikeout a lot. In her spring season of TB, she struck out 2 times and had the second highest BA. The girl with the highest BA also had one of the highest # of strikeouts. It's just confusing to me if it's a good or bad thing. She's always struggled a lot with hitting well and I always wonder if it's because she's too cautious when she's batting. It seems like the girls that can get the triples or HRs just swing a lot harder and want to swing a lot so that leads to strikeouts..

Thoughts?

The goal these days is hard contact. If your daughter is hitting line drives and hard ground balls I wouldn’t question anything.
Especially if she is a selective hitter and swings at good pitches. Walks are good also. I personally hate non productive outs like most strikeouts are especially when looking.
I like your approach on not taking a 3rd strike. I tell my daughters anything close with two strikes you better be swinging. There are many bad umps out there don’t leave your fate in their hands choose your own path.

 

[grcsftbll]

Mine usually has one of the highest batting averages on the team, and also on the high end for strike outs. She doesn't like to walk, and tends to be aggressive at the plate (most of the time anyway - she has her moments). They're in good company though.

 

[eagle6]

I think it is somewhat situational. Runner on 3rd with less than 2 outs, score the run. That wont happen with a strikeout. I know people will say not to ever "just put the ball in play". "We want a big inning". Against good teams, there are not a lot of big innings. We play way more 5-3 games than we do 12-10. These runs count. Don't get me wrong, I want to see them taking hacks as often as possible, but do think the game is losing a lot of its situational hitting.

 

[uncdrew]

We have girls on the team that have big hits but more strikeouts than total hits. The "all or nothing" sure makes games interesting.

 

[Eric F]

The top 2 hitters on my DD's team - AVG, SLG, and OPS - are also among the lowest in Ks (less than 10%). One has more HRs than Ks. The other has twice as many 2Bs as Ks.

My point is that the goal should be to be a good hitter - hit for average WITH power. You don't have to sacrifice one for the other. Develop a good swing that generates power, and learn to hit with that swing. Hit with intent to do damage, and have a calculated approach to your at bats. Be a predator.

 

[canyonjoe]

A lot depends on the type of hitter you have. If you are a power hitter I'd sacrifice a few K's for more extra base hits. If you are a singles hitter then with 2 strikes I want you to concentrate more on putting the ball in play. However prior to 2 strikes if you choose to swing at a pitch it needs to be with the intent to hit it hard. Your goal starting the at bat is not simply to not strike out. In general from what I've witnessed the best hitters don't strike out much in softball.

 

[bmakj]

this thread sounds like it could be about my DD. rarely strikes out, but has some weak ground balls and pop ups (topping or bottoming the ball), along with a lot of hard hit GB (some find gaps, some make IF bobble or misplay, some she is thrown out on, probably equal % of each)), and a good sprinkling of long fly balls and line drives.

getting her 0 and 1 strike swing to be swinging for the fences is going to be focus this fall/winter.