Ted Williams, the greatest hitter of all time, said the exact same thing in The Science of Hitting (p. 29) and yet, hardly anybody does it. I very rarely run across a kid who is willing to "sit on a curve" or "set a pitcher up." And now, looking back on my own pro career, I really wish I had done this more.
A hit is a hit whether you were sitting on a curve or waiting for a fastball. And yet, hitting coaches everywhere teach their kids the old tenant "sit on the fastball, adjust to the curve."
Looking for a certain pitch in a certain zone is "guessing", or if you would like a better term that makes more sense with today's hitters, "anticipating". Simply put: If the pitch is there and you're looking for it, you crush it. If it's not, you take the pitch and wait for another. This is what we all do in 2-0, 3-1 counts. We look for our pitch. Well, if that's true, then why don't we sit on a curve in a curveball count?
Because we, as hitters, are afraid to look bad...Once upon a time, I had an old coach who used to say "you can't play this game scared." Amen, brother. Remember, you get THREE strikes in this game, not ONE. Walk up there, look for your pitch, and take a chance on being great! As hitters, we can always "sit on the fastball, and adjust to the curve" later in the count if and when we get two strikes.
No comments:
Post a Comment