Hitting Against Better Pitchers

[Mocoso]

I doubt even your level A teams are truly pitching rise balls at 14u... high fast balls are more likely ... I would also not rely on the pitching machine speed setting to tel you it’s truly 60mph - I’ve seen machines be off 20 mph

Having said all that, the difference isn’t going to be just speed between A and C level but rather pitch location and ball movement as well

A level pitcher isn’t going to miss and give you the meatball down the middle as often as a C level pitcher will...

I do also agree with the hitting coach that it’s mental as well but it’s a combination of a lot of “new” things: the mental “I’m playing a level” as well as faster, better pitch location, and more movement

True A level competition won’t have a bunch of batters above .500 so .200 isn’t really a bad average given she’s just now seeing A level pitching g


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[MadBandit22]

My DD is on her 5th year of TB and is currently 14U. She has mostly played C level ball, but her coach is bringing the team to tougher "A" tourneys. Against C/B teams, she usually bats about .700. These better teams have better pitching. In the "A" tourneys, she's batting about .200. Up till now, I have been able to prepare my daughter for hitting. In the past a lot tee work, batting cages, & live pitching a team practice was sufficient. Her hitting coach tells me her mechanics are fine & that hitting against better pitchers is mental. Our team is a low B team. Our pitchers are not "A" level pitchers, so more live pitching from her teammates may not help. She has spent a lot of time in the last two weeks hitting 60mph in the cage. She actually told me 60 seemed slow, so I'm thinking her lack of hitting pitcher may be confidence and pitch selection.

I have a few questions. Should I be concerned or will she adjust? How can I prepare her to hit against better pitching? Would it make sense to find some older girls to pitch to her during the week?

Hitting against better pitches you need to approach at bats with a plan.
If it’s faster pitching back-up in the box and grab a lighter bat, if it’s good movement step-up in the box and hit the pitch before it moves.
If it’s both cut the plate in half either inside/outside or high & low.
Pick your area and be patient let the pitch come to you. Be willing to adjust your approach during the at bat.
If the pitcher is staying away and getting close calls on the corner and your looking inside switch. If pitcher is not getting close calls stand your ground and take the walk.
As far as preparation on a Dad’s part use a pitching machine if you have access to one or move closer and stand behind a good net and simulate faster pitching that way.
Good hitters need lots of reps to keep timing in sync. Not too many where they get bored and burned-out but just enough to keep them interested and in sync. Definitely quality over quantity.

 

[cnardone]

I am sure this has been said already, but you have to see good pitching regularly. you can't see C pitching for a month then jump in against and A pitcher and expect things to go well. It just doesn't work that way. There is a reason MLB hitters want to play everyday.

 

[llsoftballdad]

Hitting against better pitches you need to approach at bats with a plan.
If it’s faster pitching back-up in the box and grab a lighter bat, if it’s good movement step-up in the box and hit the pitch before it moves.
If it’s both cut the plate in half either inside/outside or high & low.
Pick your area and be patient let the pitch come to you. Be willing to adjust your approach during the at bat.
If the pitcher is staying away and getting close calls on the corner and your looking inside switch. If pitcher is not getting close calls stand your ground and take the walk.
As far as preparation on a Dad’s part use a pitching machine if you have access to one or move closer and stand behind a good net and simulate faster pitching that way.
Good hitters need lots of reps to keep timing in sync. Not too many where they get bored and burned-out but just enough to keep them interested and in sync. Definitely quality over quantity.

We do a lot of Barry Bonds drills or at least that's what I've always heard them called. DBAT has been our preferred facility. After every pitch, she moves closer to the machine. When she's gone as close as she can, she starting working back. Then repeat. She's done that for the last couple of years so that not every pitch is the same. She has to make decisions and react quickly. If I had to choose a fault, it is that she is too aggressive. If she thinks she can get a bat on it, shell swing. Her hitting coach is working with her on being aggressive within your zone. He explained that the strike zone is similar to the portrait mode on a iphone. What's inside the rectangle is clear and everything else is fuzzy. Same thing for a hitters zone. If it's in the zone, you see it... Otherwise it gets fuzzy. Not sure if that is a good analogy, but it make sense to my daughter.

 

[wheresmycar]

That may be an option in the fall. What can i do in the short term to better prepare her?

1. Tell her to stop watching the first pitch... Especially if you team is overmatched, the A level pitchers are going to be throwing first pitch strikes to get ahead.
2. Practice choking up, and fouling balls with 2 strikes... nothing aggravates a experienced pitcher more than seeing 7 or 8 two strike pitches fouled off...
3. Practice seeing the ball... just because she is pounding the faster balls in the cage off a machine, doesn't mean she is actually seeing the ball... more than likely she figures out the swing plane and timing. Change the pitch height... maybe get a piece of cardboard to block her view, so she cannot see your adjustments. Most batters who struggle are not seeing the ball to contact... it's not mental... it's vision.

 

[MadBandit22]

Patiently aggressive. Make the pitcher work and take a pitch or two 1st at bat.
Nothing I liked better as a pitcher than a free swinger. Next best thing was the kid looking for a walk that hardly ever swung no matter how good the pitch was.

 

[Westwind]

this is MLB, but i suspect these numbers hold some weight across the board:

View attachment 21619

a lot comes from experience seeing better pitchers......but being in position to hit the pitches you can do something with, especially early in the count, can go a long way

 

[tim_s]

Patiently aggressive. Make the pitcher work and take a pitch or two 1st at bat.
Nothing I liked better as a pitcher than a free swinger. Next best thing was the kid looking for a walk that hardly ever swung no matter how good the pitch was.

HUGE difference between 'free swinging' and not wasting hittable pitchers

i want my girls up there ready to hit a good, workable pitch as soon as they see it.......that may be the first, it may be working the count to earn one.......i want hitters up in the count, finding a pitch they can do damage with

when we've had a pitcher who was consistently getting a first pitch screw on the outside corner (like 95% of her first pitches lol), we adjusted out philosophy as a group and went up looking to jump on that pitch and push it into RF......because giving up that 1st pitch strike was killing us, and she was so consistent in throwing it....and once she was up, she was working us over hard

but under a normal situation, i want them to be READY to jump on that 1st IF it is a pitch they can work it......i do not want them 'seeing' pitches if it means getting down on the count, any more than i want them being overly aggressive and jumping on pitches that they can't do damage with early or up in the count

i DO want patient aggression, but at the same time, i do NOT want them taking a pitch that they can hit well.....against good pitchers you might only see one of those an at bat, and if they get that first pitch strike, you might not see another barring a mistake........patient aggression, wait for a pitch that you can do damage with, and do NOT let that pitch go by, even if it's the first one......all the other things come into play based on the pitcher and the situation, of course - are we cutting the plate in half, are we sitting on the outside or looking for her offspeed? are we up in the box taking away her spin, etc.......but for me the philosophy of patient aggression does not mean simply taking a pitch to see a pitch, but rather trying to stay up in the count while looking for the pitches we can hit the best......down in the count it often ends up trying to stay a live and hoping for a mistake, while not making a mistake and being forced into swinging at a pitch out of the zone