Teaching pitch selection

[Annesdad]

Hey. My DD is a freshman pitcher on her HS team and she is getting the majority of the circle time already. Coach doesn't call pitches, the catchers do. Calls are really only pitch - fb, curve, change and location is just inside or outside. This hasn't been working very well as my daughter will only throw what's called and won't shake off anything. She is very accurate and her speed is right at 60 with a very nice change up that, when it's on, comes in at about 10 - 12 mph slower. She has never been on a team where the coach hasn't called pitches and those calls have always been very specific i.e. with 0-2 count coach will sometime call it outside in the other batters box, or a high pitch or something other than another strike every time. Also, the problem of her going for the 1st pitch strike and the batters realizing this and going after it has hurt us too.

My question to the group here is how can I help my daughter a) understand the situation at hand like the examples above b) that she is in control of what she pitches and c) how to communicate this to her catchers.

In yesterday's game - until the last 2 innings she had thrown 80 pitches and 70 of them were strikes (something like that). In total she threw 110 pitches and 81 were strikes. For the season she's pitched 57 innings, 803 pitches 73.3% strikes. Era is 2.21 against a very tough schedule in our state. She's walked 7 batters and struck out 37. So often though, she gets to 0-2 or 1-2 and gives up a hit because, from what I can tell, the call is right back in the zone. I keep talking to her about changing eye level in those situations, or throw a change up in the dirt, or curve outside to get them to chase - but because she won't, or doesn't feel like she can, shake off a call, the ball gets put in play. Even if she did shake off the call, I don't think they know how to communicate to each other what would be the next pitch to move to.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. If anyone has any advice that they think would help, I'm all ears!

Thanks!

 

[_MIA_]

To be honest I learned a lot about "pitch selection" just from watching a bunch of MLB games on TV growing up..not sure if you can take anything from that (maybe sit down and watch some college games with her and talk about how the pitchers seem to be working the batters??) To this day that is still one of my favorite things to do when watching a baseball game e.g. trying to guess what the next pitch will be in an AB.

 

[Orange Socks]

Your DD needs to have an on going conversation with the catcher that calling the pitches. They both need to be on the same page. Since she is a freshman I am assuming she has been pitching for a long time. With that said, she must have an opinion of what to throw in certain situations. She needs to lead the catcher, especially if the C is inexperienced. They need to reconvening between innings to talk about what is working, what is not working, what she should have called on that last batter, what and where she prefers to pitch in certain counts, etc. Any good coach would be doing the same thing if they were calling pitches.

She might be feeling: I am just a freshman and don't have the confidence and I will just follow along. HS team's success goes with the pitchers that come in. And for most schools, they are hoping a freshman can lead them for the next 4 years if they are thin on pitching.

 

[Hawk_]

Between inning convos work the best. "Hey if we get 0-2 again I want to throw curve ball outside and if she doesn't chase we will throw the same pitch two balls closer" So they are actively talking during the game.

 

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

Agree with everything so far, I’d just add that the count shouldn’t be the only determinant of what to throw next.

Example:

0-2 on two inside fastballs that she looked at. – throw something else

0-2 on two inside fastballs she couldn’t catch up with and looked bad swinging – potentially throw it again.

There's all kinds of things that go into selection - highly endorse watching as much high level softball as you can to see how the battery is working, what different approaches there are to different batters and different situations.

 

[uncdrew]

You spend the first few years teaching them to throw strikes. Then you teach them to throw balls.

My DD is 11 and we talk often about throwing balls on purpose. Why. When. 0-2 the pitch simply can't be over the plate. On the river, high, low, whatever. But not over the plate. I'd rather it be a foot outside than over the white part of the plate.

Now we haven't quite gotten to the "she steps towards third so she can't reach the outside pitches" yet, but we will soon. And yes, she knows that First Pitch Strikes are really important, but sometimes a first pitch ball is too. Now she's 11 so we get 30% first pitch balls just because she's young. But I like her knowing that if every first pitch is a strike, that's not quite as good as you might think it is.

If you're not having these conversations, it's time to start.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Cant believe the coach isn't involved. Have catcher use the same signs her TB team uses and read this:

Amanda Freed: How to Set-up A Batter

I think the strategy of setting up a batter is becoming a lost art. There is a difference between mixing pitches and setting up a batter. When you set a batter up, you are actually setting the batter up to chase the pitch you want them to. If you set a batter up correctly, you can get them out on any pitch, even if it's their "favorite pitch."

If you are neither a pitcher or catcher, this may not seem like it applies to you, but I am going to tell you how I would analyze you before and during your at-bat.

Pitchers and catchers, what do you look for?

On Deck: What does her swing tell you?

1) Is it long and loopy? Slow hands?
-Think jam her inside and up. Chances are she cannot get her barrel around on time.
Be careful with change up and away pitches. It is easier for someone with slow hands to get her barrel on an outside pitch.

2) Does she swing on a high plane or a low plane (meaning, does her barrel stay level by her shoulders or drop down below her waist)?
-If it's on a high plane, keep the ball low, preferable low and in. Chances are she will have a difficult time dropping her barrel to hit the low inside hard.
You're goal is to get her to hit it off of her shin. Mean I know, but that's the game.

3) When she's getting ready to get into the box, does she look anxious and a little tense? Is she really fidgety?:
- If she is really high-strung getting into the box, she is probably pretty impatient. I would definitely try and throw her off balance with change ups. Either start her off with a change up or something tight in, make her pull it foul. Don't paint the black on this pitch, aim for her hands. She just may have enough adrenaline in her to take it over the fence if you hang it. A GOOD inside pitch thrown in the right situation is extremely difficult to hit hard and fair.

When she steps into the box, look for…

1) Foot positioning.
- Open stance: (front foot towards third if it's a righty, first for a lefty)
Chances are she is either having trouble keeping her front side in on the pitch, or she is protecting herself against the inside. Check to see if her body becomes closed at the time of the pitch. If she gets closed, JAM HER IN. If she gets the barrel on the ball she will most likely jam herself, or pull it foul.

Closed stance: (front foot towards the plate) I would live inside on her. She is most likely looking for the outside pitch and protecting herself from getting beat on it. Go down and in, up and in, and make her fist herself out to the shortstop. Just watch to make sure that she doesn't step in the bucket when she strides. But again, in this case, a good inside pitch will still be difficult for her to hit hard and fair.

2) Hand positioning:
- Low hands: Probably swings fairly level, but again, check on deck or warm-up swings.
Be careful with the flat plane pitches (screw and curve) unless they have some up and down movement. Will probably have better success on the rise ball as well.
- High hands: I'm guessing she's pretty loopy so I'm going to jam her tight to start off and find out what the plane of her swing looks like because it could really go either way. She may have a straight rise ball swing, or a long, looping drop ball swing.

3) Box positioning:
- Front of the box: If she's in the front, I think that means she anxious. She is trying to bring more pitches into her strike zone. I'd go with jamming her and working in the change up.
- Back of the box: She is either not seeing the ball well, or she is very patient and wants you to bring the ball into the strike zone. Work ahead of the batter (first pitch strike) and go with your best moving pitches.

There are so many other tips that you learn from watching and studying batters.
As I go through the pitches that I would likely throw in certain situations, it is important to remember that this doesn't mean that you abandon every other pitch and just stick to one or two. It just means that we've identified a "weakness" and we've got to expose it.

There are many situations where you learn to throw to the batter and not the plate. What I mean by this is if the batter is standing a fairly good distance off the plate, of course you automatically assume that she will have a difficult time reaching the outside pitch and is probably looking inside. What I am going to do is start her off outside and get a strike (hopefully?) Let's say she swings but looks pretty bad. The next pitch I am going to go right back at it, just a little further out and see if she'll bite. She leans in, but takes the ball off the outside corner. Now I've got her leaning to the outside. I know she doesn't like that pitch but I've got her thinking that I'm living on the out. She moves just a little closer to the plate, not much, and now I am throwing to her hands. Not to hit her obviously, but I'm throwing just below her hands through her belly button. I know she's off the plate and looking to protect the inside but I'm throwing to her, not the strike zone. She will do one of three things. She'll turn on it hard and pull it foul, she'll jam herself into an out, or I'll force her back off the plate a little more. Remember a good inside pitch is difficult to hit hard and fair. Good inside does not necessarily mean a good strike. Now, I go back out to finish her off. Sounds like fun, huh?

On the other hand. There are situations where you don't even need to waste time or pitches. You start a girl off low and in and she fouls it between her legs. Clearly she had a difficult time with that pitch so now you go with the same pitch, just a little further in and a little lower. This is not a waste pitch. You want her to see it as the same pitch. She takes a not so pretty cut over the top, again. Now she's frustrated and thinking, "gotta protect," so you go right back at it, a little lower and a little farther in, maybe almost in the dirt. If she doesn't go for it, you've definitely got her thinking, and have set her up for the out, or change up.

We joke out here that there is a 90/10 rule when it comes to listening. 10% of everything you hear is actually heard and processed. The other 90% just goes in one ear and out the other. So if you remember anything from this article, I want this to be your 10%. Every pitch you throw must serve a purpose. For example, if I know absolutely nothing about a batter as she steps into the box, I've got to use that first pitch to gather as much information about her as possible. I like to start with a good inside pitch or a change up. Remember how we define that good inside pitch, and I like to keep the change up low and away. That is how I am able to gather the most information. If you throw a pitch right down the middle, or even on the inside part of the black and the batter does nothing but watches it, what have you learned?
Throw every pitch with a purpose.

Set the batter up to hit, or miss, what you want. Guess what, sometimes it slips or you make a bad decision. Big deal. Learn from it but keep plugging along. Remember, these are all just suggestions. I know not everyone has "all the tools" but you can make the best possible situation out of what you have! Take control of your own game and you'll be more confident.

Amanda

ontheblack Posts: 2355Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:27 pm

 

[Rolling Hard]

Biggest mistake IMO in pitch calling is thinking you need to throw a different pitch every pitch. If your facing bottom or the line up and she swings and misses 1st pitch, say CB away or rise ball up. Throw it again.

 

[Traps71]

Throwing too many strikes is definitely a thing. I've always heard that the target should be about 70%, both for strike percentage and first pitch strike percentage. If you are doing that, you are going to give your team a very good chance to win the game.

In a scrimmage this weekend, my DD came in to throw a few innings against a good team. Came in bombing the strike zone. I think she literally threw 100% strikes. Batters were watching, getting behind, and then putting pitches in play out of desperation, which lead to some weak contact. Was out of the inning on less than 13 pitches. Well, the opposing coach was not stupid. He told his batters to stop taking and to ambush her on the first pitch because they knew she was going to throw strikes. Led to more balls put in play and harder contact. The catchers are inexperienced (14U) and the head coach is just not a great pitch caller but insists on doing it (hey, it's his team). But a lot of predictable change ups on 0-2 counts, etc. Not sure he has communicated with the battery the importance of throwing pitches 1 and 2 balls off the zone. Hard to watch sometimes as the pitcher's dad.

 

[Rolling Hard]

" head coach is just not a great pitch caller but insists on doing it "
Pitch calling at 14u is very important. It can and does win and lose games. Another mistake coaches make is thinking they have to use all 8 of Jenny's pitches. Stick to the 3 or 4 that are working.