hitting the ball to opposite field

[Go Cardinals]

Why do people care so much about hitting the ball to opposite field? i know it helps your average and stuff, but if you lead the league in batting average and you only have 2 opposite field hits, what is the piont?

[TG Coach]

Why do people care so much about hitting the ball to opposite field? i know it helps your average and stuff, but if you lead the league in batting average and you only have 2 opposite field hits, what is the point?

It's important to hit the ball where it's pitched for maximum hitting efficiency. However, righties need to it to the opposite field to hit behind the runner when needed. When I see a kid pulling everything he's either lighting quick with the bat (relative to the pitching) or he's topping a lot of grounders trying to pull the outside pitch.

[Go Cardinals]

ok, but what if you just foul the outside pitch alot, until the pitcher makes a mistake on you and throws it into your wheel house, is that ok? unless there is 2 strikes and it is away, then i go opposite field is that ok? and just to give you some backround, i hit 3, 4, or 5, depending where the coach wants his son (he is lowsy by the way). my job is to get the rbi's. is my approach ok for my job, or should i go to the opposite field more? What do you think as a coach?

[TG Coach]

ok, but what if you just foul the outside pitch alot, until the pitcher makes a mistake on you and throws it into your wheel house, is that ok? unless there is 2 strikes and it is away, then i go opposite field is that ok? and just to give you some backround, i hit 3, 4, or 5, depending where the coach wants his son (he is lowsy by the way). my job is to get the rbi's. is my approach ok for my job, or should i go to the opposite field more? What do you think as a coach?

You should look for your pitch to drive. With two strikes you hit it where's it's pitched. But if a pitcher hangs some meat waist high on the outside, drive it the other way on any pitch.

What you don't want to do as an rbi guy is take strikes until you walk when an rbi is needed. A pitcher may try to work you outside. You need to find the best pitch on the outside and drive it the other way.

[Go Cardinals]

ok great thanks, any other advice on being the rbi guy?

[kylebee]

Why do people care so much about hitting the ball to opposite field? i know it helps your average and stuff, but if you lead the league in batting average and you only have 2 opposite field hits, what is the piont?

As you move up in difficulty, pitchers will get better and better with their control and command of pitches. If they notice you can't put the outside pitch into play and resort to "fouling it off" until the pitcher throws you one down the middle or inside, then those pitchers are going to adjust and start throwing their secondary pitches for backdoor strikeouts.

[Encinitas]

Mentally speaking I teach to "think" RCF (for a rightie) so that they keep their hands inside the ball, and possibly let the ball get a little deeper. Of course they'll still pull balls, and they still wrap the occasional weak grounder, down to 3B, but when you see that line shot to the gap it's a good feeling.

[Go Cardinals]

so your saying i should work hard on driving all of the pitches where they are (basically hitting to all fields). you think that that would make me have less holes, so instead of finding places to adjust to me, the only way they can adjust to me would be to walk me? that would be best right?

[kylebee]

so your saying i should work hard on driving all of the pitches where they are (basically hitting to all fields). you think that that would make me have less holes, so instead of finding places to adjust to me, the only way they can adjust to me would be to walk me? that would be best right?

Exactly. It's not just the specific result of hitting the outside fastball to right-center for a single that matters - the fact that the pitcher knows you have this ability will make him pitch around you.

When you become that feared as a hitter, then your plate discipline will allow you to capitalize on mistakes the pitcher makes and simultaneously allow you to draw walks on pitches you lay off of.

[Go Cardinals]

Exactly. It's not just the specific result of hitting the outside fastball to right-center for a single that matters - the fact that the pitcher knows you have this ability will make him pitch around you.

When you become that feared as a hitter, then your plate discipline will allow you to capitalize on mistakes the pitcher makes and simultaneously allow you to draw walks on pitches you lay off of.

isn't that what bonds does so well?

[kylebee]

isn't that what bonds does so well?

Probably the best in the game still. Every hitter has his holes, but when the holes are so small and even the slightest mistake turns a pitch from being perfect to dead red, it's nearly impossible to get the best hitters out.

That's what primetime Jason Giambi was known for - his hole is an inside fastball right below the hands. Miss by 2 inches, however, and you just served up a home run ball.

The best hitters also have the capability to see the pitch that they can't hit, adjust their stance, and rip a line drive / long fly ball foul into the stands, scaring the hell out of the pitcher!

[Go Cardinals]

Probably the best in the game still. Every hitter has his holes, but when the holes are so small and even the slightest mistake turns a pitch from being perfect to dead red, it's nearly impossible to get the best hitters out.

That's what primetime Jason Giambi was known for - his hole is an inside fastball right below the hands. Miss by 2 inches, however, and you just served up a home run ball.

The best hitters also have the capability to see the pitch that they can't hit, adjust their stance, and rip a line drive / long fly ball foul into the stands, scaring the hell out of the pitcher!

so pretty much try to make every pitch your favorite pitch, so you have no holes in hitting right...

[kylebee]

so pretty much try to make every pitch your favorite pitch, so you have no holes in hitting right...

Well, not quite. I've been tearing the cover off the ball this year, and my favorite pitch is an outer-third fastball belt-high. That being said, I have no problem crushing an inside-third changeup or a curveball left over the middle. You just have to know what you can do with each pitch you're gonna get and make the pitcher beat you on the spots you are weak at.

But I'll tell you this much - if I'm on the hill and I see you absolutely demolish an inside fastball, despite it being 15 feet foul, I'm a LOT less likely to throw you an inside pitch now since you've proven to me that you can power through it. However, you could be totally screwing with my head - maybe you can't actually put that inside fastball into play, but you mastered being able to adjust and smash it foul. Maybe your favorite pitch is a changeup on the outside corner, which is conveniently exactly what I'm going to throw right now...

[Go Cardinals]

ahh, makes perfect sense, thank you.

[baseball2234]

and just to add another thing, if you see guys like a-rod hitting balls 380 ft the other way its not because he has long arms and a long bat just let the ball get deeper on you and take a normal swing

[Go Cardinals]

and just to add another thing, if you see guys like a-rod hitting balls 380 ft the other way its not because he has long arms and a long bat just let the ball get deeper on you and take a normal swing

thank you, and thank you all for your advice, i truly apreciate it.