Adding a small ball element to hitting

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softgabby

Gear Empress
Mar 10, 2016
1,073
83
Just behind home plate
It's been a minute since I've had to ask something about hitting. But -- here's at it.

Coach and I had our year end meeting this morning. She and our hitting coach both told me something I already know...this was a down year for me as a hitter. I hit .310 with 5 home runs, 45 RBI, and a .450 OBS. And while my strikeouts were up (35), my walks were up (40), too.

Coaches solution is to add some small ball to my repertoire. Namely slapping and bunting because I'm a lefty and I can get out of the box quicker. She also said that I could possibly move up in the line up and possibly see the no. 1 or no. 2 hole.

Problem is...and I've mentioned this on DFP as well as to her that I'm not a fast runner. I'm fast for the position...but not faster than most of my teammates.

What can I do as a power hitter to add a small ball element to my game? Honestly, I don't see this as an experiment that will work. I see it as something that would make me more dangerous if I could add it. But I see the experiment as failing miserably -- and I hate a Debbie Downer.

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Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
Confused about a couple of things. First, your numbers, although apparently down from the previous year, are plenty respectable. Second, if you're not actually faster than "most" of your team mates, I'm even more confused about why laying down a bunt or trying to slap would move you to the 1-2 hole. As I suspect you're aware, slapping is a whole other skill that isn't easily learned, and could easily drop your average and increase your strike out rate. This would seem to be a "smile and wave" situation; assuming it's necessary, work on improving your bunting, but focus on whatever swing or approach flaws you have to raise your average. What was your OPS?
 

softgabby

Gear Empress
Mar 10, 2016
1,073
83
Just behind home plate
Confused about a couple of things. First, your numbers, although apparently down from the previous year, are plenty respectable. Second, if you're not actually faster than "most" of your team mates, I'm even more confused about why laying down a bunt or trying to slap would move you to the 1-2 hole. As I suspect you're aware, slapping is a whole other skill that isn't easily learned, and could easily drop your average and increase your strike out rate. This would seem to be a "smile and wave" situation; assuming it's necessary, work on improving your bunting, but focus on whatever swing or approach flaws you have to raise your average. What was your OPS?
My average last year I think was somewhere in the .350 - .360 range. I know my home runs were down from 8 the year before. I'm not really sure about OBS and RBI. I made it on base roughly 45% of the time this year.

Afa speed...I'm talking about running speed. I've got good reflexes and am good at blocking. I'm fast for a catcher. Which is confusing to me about becoming a slapper. It's a totally different skill set to someone with gap-to-gap power like I have. Or someone who can pull a ball down the line for doubles. I'd think coach would want me hitting more grounders or more bloopers and drop one where the fielders aren't. If I'm making sense.

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radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Maybe the coach thinks the defense just plays back on you all the time. And they want to see if it makes a difference if they move you to the top of the lineup and be more versatile. 🤷‍♀️ total guess


Use your quickness to get out of the box as fast as you can.
= Quick explosive reactions cut down tenths of a second.
Practice bunt Sprint.
And drag bunt sprint.

Slapping is really punching the ball into the gaps or driving it into the ground for high bounces and that would be a super fast runner beating out a throw.
Wouldn't make sense to want you to do that.

Maybe ask if they want you to run and swing full versus half a swing slap🤔 because you're hitting statistics look like an asset...keep hitting!

(Slapping grounders often get to the defense too fast)...
So I would focus on the small ball bunts and keep the swing crushing it!

🙂 always skills to work on!
 
Last edited:
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
I'm even more confused about why laying down a bunt or trying to slap would move you to the 1-2 hole.
"Old school" (read: out-of-touch, ignorant to the realities of the sport) coach who thinks the #2 hitter should be a person who just sacrifices themselves instead of being one of the two best hitters on the team?

Gabby, this is a tough spot you're in because your coach is asking for something unreasonable, and it's based on a "drop" in numbers that may not have much at all to do with your performance. Three fewer homers? So what? A 40-point drop in batting average could be meaningful. Or it could be a regression to the mean. Does your school post stats online? Most do. How many at bats did you get this year and last? How many hits? 40 points could be, like, 5 hits over the course of a season.

You should at least put some effort into what the coach is asking, but here's something you can try. Maybe approach your coach and say you have no problem bunting/slapping, but you're worried you won't be fast enough to be effective doing those things. Ask for some advice on getting faster. Maybe then your coach will either help you get faster or realize it's not a great idea and drop it.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
It's been a minute since I've had to ask something about hitting. But -- here's at it.

Coach and I had our year end meeting this morning. She and our hitting coach both told me something I already know...this was a down year for me as a hitter. I hit .310 with 5 home runs, 45 RBI, and a .450 OBS. And while my strikeouts were up (35), my walks were up (40), too.
These stats don't make sense. And why are you only have your exit meeting in the middle of June? School's been out for a month.

How many AB's did you have? How many total hits? Dbls? 75 AB's resulted in a K or BB. Batting only .310 with 45 Rbi's? 40 BB's would be leading the country in D3, Those K's are super high too.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
My average last year I think was somewhere in the .350 - .360 range. I know my home runs were down from 8 the year before. I'm not really sure about OBS and RBI. I made it on base roughly 45% of the time this year.

Afa speed...I'm talking about running speed. I've got good reflexes and am good at blocking. I'm fast for a catcher. Which is confusing to me about becoming a slapper. It's a totally different skill set to someone with gap-to-gap power like I have. Or someone who can pull a ball down the line for doubles. I'd think coach would want me hitting more grounders or more bloopers and drop one where the fielders aren't. If I'm making sense.

It is a totally different skill set. Were you hitting lots of fly ball outs last year? More line drives would be the better goal instead of grounders or (God forbid) "bloopers". I don't even know how a strong "gap-to-gap" hitter hits a "blooper" other than by accident. The adjustment you're looking for might be to your launch angle.
 
Mar 8, 2016
313
63
I agree those are unique stats. Looked at dd's team stats for comparison. By stats they were probably the best hitting team in d3. Your batting average would have been below all the starters. On base % would have been middle of the pack. Your RBIs would have ranked 2nd on the team. Home runs would have been 6th on the team. 40 walks would have lead the team by a lot. DD hit behind the d3 player of the year who only walked 30 times. 35 strikeouts would have doubled the highest number of strikeouts. DD struck out in 10% of her plate appearances. Her coach was not happy with that rate and is constantly on her about it. I suspect the strikeout rate is what your coach wants to see improve.
If your coach is like dd's you need to listen to what they want you to do and do it. DD's coach completely changed her stance and coaches her pitch to pitch. It was tough on dd freshman year. Luckily she had enough success this year to be able to smile and nod.

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