Swing or no?

[KrisHur]

EDITED to make clearer - this was not a real game - it was just a skills/prospect *pretend* game with one of the asst. coaches acting as a blue. The coaches said at one point they were making the "strike zone" huge to move things along, after the first inning they had the girls approach with a strike and 2 balls. Basically the question is, in this situation should girls swing at obvious balls to try to make contact even if the pretend ump has a crazy big strike zone or should she demonstrate a "good eye" and lay off them.

Just curious the community's advice in this situation as DD is sure to see it again. At a college camp. They are playing a game. "Blue" widens the strike zone to epic proportions to move things along.

1st pitch to DD is a high outside ball (it could have painted the corner but was shoulder high), blue calls a strike. Knowing that this is now a strike DD sees the second pitch coming in is the same exact one and swings at it (misses of course). Pitcher realizing that blue is giving her this pitch and throws it again. DD swings again and of course misses. Pitcher continued to throw that pitch 60-70% of the time for the rest of the game they were playing and "struck out" everyone.

Afterward DD wondered if she should have shown restraint b/c they were not hittable and it would show she can see a ball coming. Or should she have made the attempt to try and get a bat on the ball and not just stand there staring at "strikes". I can see her argument for both sides but wondered what the experience in this room has to say. TIA

 

[Eric F]

Swing. Figure out the adjustment you need to make to put the ball in play.

 

[CoachJD]

This probably depends on the coach, but I'd like to see players not swing at very obvious balls even if the umpire calls them strikes because in the long run, that player is going to be more effective.

I suppose it's helpful to be able to adjust to an umpire's zone, but very rarely is the umpire's zone consistently egregiously bad. What usually happens is an umpire makes a single bad call, and now you have a hitter who's swinging at every single bad pitch thinking they'll be called strikes again when they won't.

Chasing creates bad habits. I don't like it. I think I'd appreciate a hitter who doesn't chase, even if it results in a couple strike outs on that particular day.

 

[YOCOACH]

This probably depends on the coach, but I'd like to see players not swing at very obvious balls even if the umpire calls them strikes because in the long run, that player is going to be more effective.

I suppose it's helpful to be able to adjust to an umpire's zone, but very rarely is the umpire's zone consistently egregiously bad. What usually happens is an umpire makes a single bad call, and now you have a hitter who's swinging at every single bad pitch thinking they'll be called strikes again when they won't.

Chasing creates bad habits. I don't like it. I think I'd appreciate a hitter who doesn't chase, even if it results in a couple strike outs on that particular day.

Don't play many college showcase tournaments that actually have college coaches show up do you? I would say maybe 40% of the showcases my teams have played in over the years have one day where the strike zone is size of a house to see the pitchers pitch and how the hitters react to adversity and the next day the zone is the size of a squirrel's a$$hole to watch hitters hit and see how the pitchers react to adversity.

ETA: Swing away!

 

[KrisHur]

Just FYI if I wasn't clear (and it makes a difference), this was not a real game. It was at a college's winter prospect camp in indoor field house with minimal outfield and one of the coach's assistants playing "blue".

 

[radness]

Just curious the community's advice in this situation as DD is sure to see it again. At a college camp. They are playing a game. "Blue" widens the strike zone to epic proportions to move things along.

1st pitch to DD is a high outside ball (it could have painted the corner but was shoulder high), blue calls a strike. Knowing that this is now a strike DD sees the second pitch coming in is the same exact one and swings at it (misses of course). Pitcher realizing that blue is giving her this pitch and throws it again. DD swings again and of course misses. Pitcher continued to throw that pitch 60-70% of the time for the rest of the game they were playing and "struck out" everyone.

Afterward DD wondered if she should have shown restraint b/c they were not hittable and it would show she can see a ball coming. Or should she have made the attempt to try and get a bat on the ball and not just stand there staring at "strikes". I can see her argument for both sides but wondered what the experience in this room has to say. TIA

The bottom line is if an Umpire calls it a strike it's a strike.
from this observation~

Obviously from this example there can be some pretty gigantic strike zone areas. It's a great reminder to work on/practice hitting pitches that are not strikes
Or rather....
are not even considered strikes in your own mind...
Learn to hit them anyway.


Have to work on more than just being able to hit what you think are strikes.

 

[radness]

Here's another perspective striking out because the batter didn't think it was a strike,
or the parents don't think it's a strike,
or the coaches don't think it's a strike...
is no excuse for striking out.
_______________________
Part of being a hitter is being able to make adjustments.
Sometimes those adjustments are very big adjustments.

Part of being a great pitcher and a great catcher and a great coach is recognizing what the Umpire strike zone is
and making adjustments to utilize that also.

Thats what the pitcher did!
Learn from this!

 

[Cannonball]

How long did this pitcher throw? Typically, at the camps like this my dd attended, a pitcher didn't throw for more than 2 innings.

 

[radness]

Afterward DD wondered if she should have shown restraint b/c they were not hittable

I'm going to suggest that if it was close enough for an Umpire to call a strike saying it was not hittable is an incorrect observation.

 

[KrisHur]

How long did this pitcher throw? Typically, at the camps like this my dd attended, a pitcher didn't throw for more than 2 innings.

Yes, that's about what she threw. 2 innings and one other girl threw for a 3rd and that was all they had time for - game over