Where do coaches come up with this stuff?

[Ken Krause]

I am often amazed by the things I hear from my students regarding what their team coaches tell them. Sometimes the statements are just jaw-droppingly stupid.

Last night was such a case. I was working on the changeup with one of my students. She threw a real nice one, about thigh-high and well-disguised. I complimented her on it, and she told me one of her team coaches told her that "a good changeup should hit the plate." Huh? I was stunned.

Why in the world would you want to make your changeup hit the plate? If you are throwing it well, one of the good things that can happen is it causes the hitter to freeze. If that occurs and the pitch comes in for a strike, well, you get a strike. If it hits the plate, it's a ball. Why in the world would you not want to get a free strike?

I can only think of a couple of reasons a coach might make that statement. One is he may never have seen a real changeup and thus doesn't realize what it's supposed to look like and what it can do. Even if a changeup gets hit, if it does its job and fools the hitter it's usually for a weak ground ball or pop fly. Of course, if you're just slowing your arm down and giving it away you might want it to hit the plate so it doesn't hit the grass behind the fence.

Another reason would be if the pitchers are throwing it too high. Asking them to try to hit the plate might be a cue to help them bring it down. It's mechanically unsound and unlikely to work, but at least it's well-intentioned.

The third reason, of course, is that the coach is simply speaking of things which he knows not. As Mark Twain once said, "Better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you're a fool than open it and prove it." Apparently this coach didn't watch Taryne Mowatt lead Arizona to a WCWS championship by throwing changeups for a strike. A change that hits the plate is what you would call a mistake.

For this pitcher, I gave her my standard instruction for dealing with this sort of thing: say "OK," or "I'm trying," then continue to throw it for a low strike. In other words, save this coach from himself. Maybe someday he'll learn.

More...

 

[Mark H]

Yeah. Throw it with command. If you want it in the zone, throw it in the zone. Depending on the count and the hitter, maybe you don't want to throw it in the zone. Goal should be to spot that low corner call if she wants to...or bounce it if the hitter is a dangerous sucker for the off speed and it's a pitcher's count. Listen to the coach's comments during hitting practice if you want a full limit of stupid stuff to talk about.

 

[calgofo]

I agree with Mark here. Being able to throw it with command is central to the CU. This was my DD's most effective pitch. Imagine my chagrin when she got to college and her coach didn;t like it. For some cosmically inexplicable reason her CU was not what he thought a CU should look like. My Dd was upset by this and ask me what she should do. I told her throw it like she knows how and eventually he'll come around. Well, eventually he said that although he didn't like it, it was EFFECTIVE. Regardless of where you throw it or what it looks like, if it is putting down batters, there must be a reason.

 

[Mark H]

Only way to truly know how good a change up is let the hitters tell you. What I "like" as a coach isn't important. The hitters will let you know right quick if you have a good change up.

 

[Ken Krause]

Agree with both of you. There are certainly times to throw it out of the zone, and it can be effective at times when it hits the dirt unintentionally. But to unequivocally say it should hit the plate as the default for that pitch is nuts.

Mark, I know what you mean about hitting. One of the places I teach has cages with Iron Mike-type machines. As I walk back to where I work with pitchers I overhear all kinds of stuff that makes my skin crawl. It's all I can do not to say something. But I restrain myself. I figure if they wanted my advice they would have sought it out. And by the way -- most of the ones that fit that description are boys hitting baseballs.