Beat the Hitter

This week I'd like to step in the mind of a batter for you. For example, What do hitters think in certain counts? Does the hitter look for certain tip offs? In this weeks video we will dive into the minds of collegiate batters and know exactly what they are thinking once they are in the box. First things first lets start with some basic tips.

#1- Body Language

The most important feature to have as a pitcher is a strong presence once you're on the mound. Basically your trying to intimidate the hitter. What you don't want to do is look scared or intimidated by the batter. Hitters will feed off that energy and gain extra confidence before stepping into the box.

Do's - Strong posture, good rhythm, not expressing emotion ( High's and Low's)

Don'ts- Weak posture, Expressing emotion (during low points), Differentiate your rhythm.

#2- First Pitch

If you ask any batter, at the collegiate level, what the most important pitch of an at-bat is 99% of the time they will tell you it's the first pitch. Believe it or not, every at-bat is won or lost solely from the first pitch of the at-bat. What pitch should you throw then? Should it be a ball or a strike? The first pitch should always be a strike. It sets up a ton of possibilities for the pitcher and even better makes the batter begin to guess. This doesn't mean you should throw a first pitch fastball down the middle because that's exactly what the batter is looking for. Instead, if you want to use the fastball to get ahead, hit the inside part or the outside part of the plate for a strike. Off-speed pitches are easier to get away with being down the middle but still try and stay away from that as well.

#3- Tipping Pitches

Tipping pitches is looked for more at the college level but it's recommended that you start becoming aware if you are tipping your pitches. To know if you are tipping your pitches grab three of your buddies and have them observe you from each side (One Behind, to the right, and left). Go through your pitching motion and see if they can guess your pitch correctly. Become familiar with what you are doing so that it becomes muscle memory when you are in the game.