The Catcher or the Pitcher?

[sluggers]

A good drop hits the dirt?? Huh??

And a good riseball hits the backstop 4 or 5 times a game. Don't you know anything?

 

[Hillhouse]

And a good riseball hits the backstop 4 or 5 times a game. Don't you know anything?

I guess I don't. All my life I tried to keep my dropball off the ground, riseball off the backstop. LOL

 

[Jdaddy]

Totally off topic but this is what a skills video should look like. No staged BS with stop watches but live game footage. After 60 seconds in a college coach has seen all they need to, the rest is just fun to watch. Well done!

This is all my DD ever sent to coaches. Several of them commented how refreshing it was to get live video over a typical skills video. My advice would be to start recording all of your DD’s games by high school and start playing around with iMovie, or another editing app. It’s really easy to do.

 

[EC22]

And a good riseball hits the backstop 4 or 5 times a game. Don't you know anything?

I guess you dont if you are comparing a drop in the dirt behind the plate to a rise of the backstop.really? You never throw drops that fall out of the zone?
I guess all the curveballs I've struck batters out with should have all stayed up?

 

[sluggers]

I guess you dont if you are comparing a drop in the dirt behind the plate to a rise of the backstop.really? You never throw drops that fall out of the zone?
I guess all the curveballs I've struck batters out with should have all stayed up?

In your earlier post, you said, "A good drop hits the dirt a lot too. 4 to 5 on the dirt a game is not enough with a good drop."

At the lower levels, a ball in the dirt is a dropped third, and then you have the chance of the catcher throwing the ball into RF.

At D1 level, a drop ball that "hits the dirt" is not a good pitch. A pitcher who throws more than 5 pitches that hit the dirt is a poor pitcher. Of course, mistakes happen. But, ideally, the drop should not hit the dirt.

A low drop (a pitcher with a good drop can throw the pitch at different levels) should be over the plate just below the knees. If the ball is lower, batters will not be fooled. A pitch below the knees over the plate would be caught by the catcher about 4 inches off the ground.

This is Sharon Palma throwing a drop. Sharon pitched for Wright State, played a year of pro-ball, and has since worked in softball Michigan State, Iowa, and FIU. She doesn't throw any that hit the dirt.

 

[Hillhouse]

In your earlier post, you said, "A good drop hits the dirt a lot too. 4 to 5 on the dirt a game is not enough with a good drop."

At the lower levels, a ball in the dirt is a dropped third, and then you have the chance of the catcher throwing the ball into RF.

At D1 level, a drop ball that "hits the dirt" is not a good pitch. A pitcher who throws more than 5 pitches that hit the dirt is a poor pitcher. Of course, mistakes happen. But, ideally, the drop should not hit the dirt.

A low drop (a pitcher with a good drop can throw the pitch at different levels) should be over the plate just below the knees. If the ball is lower, batters will not be fooled. A pitch below the knees over the plate would be caught by the catcher about 4 inches off the ground.

This is Sharon Palma throwing a drop. Sharon pitched for Wright State, played a year of pro-ball, and has since worked in softball Michigan State, Iowa, and FIU. She doesn't throw any that hit the dirt.

She's pitching with the wrong hand.

 

[Hillhouse]

EC, I think our definitions of a good drop are the difference here. IMO, can a drop be good if it hits the gound? Yes. But there's a context. My first drop should be at the knees. It's a strike (called or swinging). My next pitch should be below the knees (again, called or swinging). My next one should be at the ankles. And keep going down until they stop swing or the umpire calls it a ball. Hell, I'll roll it in from the circle if the ump will call it!!!

Bill

 

[Eric F]

Totally off topic but this is what a skills video should look like. No staged BS with stop watches but live game footage. After 60 seconds in a college coach has seen all they need to, the rest is just fun to watch. Well done!

Thanks, RB. I've always been a believer that showing how a player performs in the heat of battle, at game speed, is better than sterile reps on an empty field. This is why I video every game, and typically record every swing from a second angle with my phone. Thankfully, Maddie has been pretty good about providing quality content.

 

[EC22]

I guess you dont if you are comparing a drop in the dirt behind the plate to a rise of the backstop.really? You never throw drops that fall out of the zone?
I guess all the curveballs I've struck batters out with should have all stayed up?

EC, I think our definitions of a good drop are the difference here. IMO, can a drop be good if it hits the gound? Yes. But there's a context. My first drop should be at the knees. It's a strike (called or swinging). My next pitch should be below the knees (again, called or swinging). My next one should be at the ankles. And keep going down until they stop swing or the umpire calls it a ball. Hell, I'll roll it in from the circle if the ump will call it!!!

Bill

Now these are appropriate replies thank you. Comparing a drop with intent to chase low is an assinine and insulting comparison to a rise off the screen. I never meant intentional dirt pitches but you'll have a few if you are trying to draw a swing or chop grounder.

 

[Hillhouse]

EC, overall I do not agree with your initial assessment. Good hitters are disciplined to not swing at balls hitting the dirt. Yes, you can get away with it and sometimes get someone who's over anxious to swing. But that's the exception, not the rule. Hitting the dirt with it 4-5 times as you suggested will often lead to teams knowing this and being vigilant to it during the at bat.

Bill