update-tb coach tells team dont swing at 1st strike...

[Hinky]

With my own daughter I worked with her on this for years. She was a pretty good and very aggressive first strike hitter- a vast majority of her HRs and big hits came on first pitches, but way too often she wound-up grounding out a less than perfect first pitch.. It was always a challenge to focus her aggressiveness without muffling it.

Her college coach had the same approach with her as well and even benched her for a game for swinging at "stupid pitches" The idea was to look for "your" pitch and not any strike

? Did she swing at strikes and get benched ? Interesting that a majority of her home runs & big hits Came from Swinging at first pitch and yet got benched at some point?
did she stop swinging at the first pitch? wonder what the stats percentage would have changed if she wasn't so aggressive on 1st pitch, home runs and big hits.
Kinda goes with Chins feedback
better hitting average early in the count


have a good eye for the balls
have a great bat for the strikes

[Hinky]

if it is possible to get a scouting report.... if i know a certain pitcher likes to hit a certain spot with their first pitch i will instruct the batter to look there and swing away. on the other side if i know a batter has a tendency to swing at the first pitch i will call something that looks good but probably out of the zone, try to get them to fish....

[quote="J. Bouton"]if it is possible to get a scouting report....

Team strikes out a lot.
HeyB. General consensus here is green light is on swing at strikes and swing at your favorite strike. -
- didnt read anybody agreed with ALWAYS let 1st strike go by.
You?

[jonriv]

With my own daughter I worked with her on this for years. She was a pretty good and very aggressive first strike hitter- a vast majority of her HRs and big hits came on first pitches, but way too often she wound-up grounding out a less than perfect first pitch.. It was always a challenge to focus her aggressiveness without muffling it.

Her college coach had the same approach with her as well and even benched her for a game for swinging at "stupid pitches" The idea was to look for "your" pitch and not any strike

? Did she swing at strikes and get benched ? Interesting that a majority of her home runs & big hits Came from Swinging at first pitch and yet got benched at some point? so can your daughter hit every strike location well or are you saying she has a weak spot?
did she stop swinging at the first pitch? wonder what the stats percentage would have changed if she wasn't so aggressive on 1st pitch, home runs and big hits.
Kinda goes with Chins feedback
better hitting average early in the count


have a good eye for the balls
have a great bat for the strikes

As many already know my DD is retired/graduated-so I am am not giving away any secrets here!


The benching coming during a Spring Break game her Senior Year(as a Captain) after she did not listen to coaching over several at bats. The benching was for a few innings the following day. The coaches even took time to talk to me at the team picnic that week(although they did not need to) to explain their logic- I let them know "been there!"

Yes she did swing at a strike, but it was a "pitchers strike" and my daughter was being to aggressive and not being smart. As can she he hit a pitch in any spot, yes, but some more often than others and also depending on point in the count. They wanted her to be aggressive, just not careless. Her only weak spot was off speed pitches-generally it was hard to blow one by her.

My daughter was kind of a bi-polar batter. In the same at bat she could look real ugly and then stroke the next one. One at bat she could smack the first pitch of a big hit and the next at-bat she could squeak out a hit after a 13 pitch at bat. Through-out her career in College, HS, and TB- she had very few walks and very few strikeouts

example of one of her last first pitch hits(Eastern CT 2015 33 degrees out late April)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA9CC3aHBGA

[Hinky]

One at bat she could smack the first pitch of a big hit and the next at-bat she could squeak out a hit after a 13 pitch at bat. Through-out her career in College, HS, and TB- she had very few walks and very few strikeouts
JonRiv[/quote]

Nice! few walks, few strikeouts.
Staying on the attack sounds like a very tough hitter for any pitcher to take down!
imagine with her hitting power they would rather have her drive 1 to the fence then walk!

[jonriv]

It was nice when she was “on” and could focus her aggressiveness. When she was not on she could break down into her “lindsey lunge” and mess up her mechanics. Probably the archilles heal of all aggressive hitters. When she focused her aggression and stayed in control she was a wrecking machine

In contrast, one of her teammates her first to years was the best hitter in school history, religiously took the first pitch and hit most of her best hits with two strikes. Different strokes!

[Hinky]

Good point! hitting strategies
not an exact science...heres a walking champion....
Player on roster had more walks than any batter on team had base hits. top ten on base average in conference! with two strikes she would go on a foul ball frenzy work the snot out of the pitcher and then walk. Have to definitely get more aggressive with 2 strikes, protect the plate!
Coaching wise never benched a player for swinging at a strike. but did make lineup decision based on those that wouldn't swing when they should have.

[Chin Music]

Both my girls throw right and hit left and have mediocre to slow wheels. I instilled in them early that hitting would get them noticed. With a lot hard work and repetition they’ve developed a confidence and attitude when they get into the box. My oldest told me when she was in College that she knew she was going to hit the ball hard every at bat. It was just a matter if someone could catch it. Confidence triggers that aggressiveness.
Btw my oldest was second in the nation (D1) in hits couple years ago (93). My youngest had the highest ave. and hit total at her old school in the last 15 years.

[Travelballer48]

It’s all about quality at bats.......

[jonriv]

It’s all about quality at bats.......

Define “quality at bats”. I have heard the term use to describe a plethora of at bats

[shortslappy]

Related question regarding lead-off hitters taking strikes:

My dd is fast and an aggressively successful base runner, so she moved her way to lead-off. She's bounced in and out of that role, but has been getting mixed messages about her at-bats. With her first at-bat of a game and nobody on base, she likes to swing at any pitch that will get her on base (usually within the first 3 pitches). She got pulled aside and was "strongly advised" to not jump on the first strike unless it's "her pitch" (belt-high, just a bit outside). I was later told by another lead-off hitter that part of her job was to see as many pitches, even if it means fouling off balls on a 3-2 count.

So what do you think adds more value to a lead-off hitter, get on base or allow your team more pitches to see (which sometimes mean taking the first strike)?