We need to get coaches out of the habit of telling the fielders where the batter hit the ball last at-bat!
Drives me nuts to hear a coach say “ Suzie, she hit to you last time” I HATE that because it does NOT MATTER WHERE she hit the ball last at-bat unless you know where the PITCH was that she hit last time. AND you are pitching to the same spot that next PITCH.
1) *** Unless you know where the pitch location was when she hit to a place in the field, it doesn't matter where she hit the last at-bat! In terms of preparing your fielders, it doesn't matter where she hit the last PITCH unless you are throwing teh next pitch to the same spot!
If I'm calling pithes and a batter hammers a low-inside pitch to left side of the field, I'm probably NOT calling that same pitch next at-bat that it MATTERS I tell my SS "She hit it your way last time!". I might be calling low-away to try and get a weak grounder to 2B side, so telling my SS she hit to her last time doesn't make any sense and ONLY serves to INDICATE to the other fielders they can relax because they aren't expecting a ball hit to them!
2) By a coach yelling out to the fielders to position them when they are calling pitches, that just tells the batter which side of the plate the ball should be pitched to.
*** POINT is fielders SHOULD be getting signs or some indication of pitch location so they learn on their OWN and BASED PITCH-by-PITCH where they need to cheat to or at least be ready for a hard or weak hit ball to them. (Low-inside (3B side of plate) if hit to right side, probably a weaker hit ball, vice left side of field expecting a harder hit ball, but EVERYONE is ready, just ready to field a hard hit or ready to charge a weaker hit or blooper to right side.
Drives me nuts to hear a coach say “ Suzie, she hit to you last time” I HATE that because it does NOT MATTER WHERE she hit the ball last at-bat unless you know where the PITCH was that she hit last time. AND you are pitching to the same spot that next PITCH.
1) *** Unless you know where the pitch location was when she hit to a place in the field, it doesn't matter where she hit the last at-bat! In terms of preparing your fielders, it doesn't matter where she hit the last PITCH unless you are throwing teh next pitch to the same spot!
If I'm calling pithes and a batter hammers a low-inside pitch to left side of the field, I'm probably NOT calling that same pitch next at-bat that it MATTERS I tell my SS "She hit it your way last time!". I might be calling low-away to try and get a weak grounder to 2B side, so telling my SS she hit to her last time doesn't make any sense and ONLY serves to INDICATE to the other fielders they can relax because they aren't expecting a ball hit to them!
2) By a coach yelling out to the fielders to position them when they are calling pitches, that just tells the batter which side of the plate the ball should be pitched to.
*** POINT is fielders SHOULD be getting signs or some indication of pitch location so they learn on their OWN and BASED PITCH-by-PITCH where they need to cheat to or at least be ready for a hard or weak hit ball to them. (Low-inside (3B side of plate) if hit to right side, probably a weaker hit ball, vice left side of field expecting a harder hit ball, but EVERYONE is ready, just ready to field a hard hit or ready to charge a weaker hit or blooper to right side.