when i am having a great day on the mound, i can be fooling batters and out guessing them. when i am off, i get lazy and am unsure what pitch i can throw to mess up the hitter.

i know after throwing a fastball inside, i should usually come back with a fastball outside. lately, ive been throwing a curve outside after throwing a fastball inside.

any suggestions on what to do with hitters after 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, 0-2 counts?

i need to work on this stuff over summer ball to try to guarentee a pitching spot on varsity next year

I would focus more on what types of swings you are getting and what types of hitter you are facing than what the counts are. If you come with a fastball inside, it's good to go with a curveball outside. If you get a kid leaning out over the plate, or are constantly late, you should continue to bust them in with a good fastball.

You have to remember without being able to locate fairly well, none of this really matters.

Like I said, nobody can really tell you what to throw in those counts without knowing the pitch before, the type of hitter up, the swing or reaction the batter had before, etc.

INshocker- hittingisaguess.com. Thank me later if you don't already know about the site. Great stuff on hitting and pitching.

NCBALL: Is there any information on that site that is free? I'm trying to get a feel of what it is about.

Yes, there is. I PM'ed you some info.

Got it...PM'ed you back.

Baseballfan:

I thought catchers normally call pitches....which are usually called by the coach.

By all means go to hittingisaguess.com and purchase book 3 on filthy pitching. Best book there is on pitch sequencing.

quote:

hittingisaguess.com

well in most of my leagues the catcher is calling the pitches and not the coach. sometimes im just on my own because the catcher is not calling them. and when the catcher calls them, its usually curve ball on 0-2, 1-2 and the batters bloops the outside pitch into right field for a hit.

quote:

Originally posted by baseballfan106:

quote:

hittingisaguess.com

well in most of my leagues the catcher is calling the pitches and not the coach. sometimes im just on my own because the catcher is not calling them. and when the catcher calls them, its usually curve ball on 0-2, 1-2 and the batters bloops the outside pitch into right field for a hit.

I remember when my son was in 12U and he struck out a kid on 3 pitches. The coach yelled at him: "Why the H, double hockey sticks are you throwin' a strike on 0-2?" Ever since it's been a breaking ball in the dirt or a fastball above the hands.

Do you guys know if the "Web Book" versions of these books can be printed once downloaded, or is it 'net-read-only' after download/unlock?

I don't know since I own the hard copy. I get his email newsletter and opened it up and it has a "print this book" option. When you hit it is says "this function was disabled by the author" You can save the filed locally and open them. I guess the best way is to email Perry. Normally he gets back to you the same day.

While many including myself don't believe in wasting pitches, many still teach that. Any pitch thrown with conviction to the catchers selected area on any count can have positive results. While there are many schools of thought on what to throw on different counts, it always depends on the pitchers ability, the catchers knowledge of his pitcher and the team and coaches philosophy.

I call the pitches for my son (12 year old) on his city league team. Usually catchers do not understand how to call pitches until high school. On his city team with me calling his pitches he has compiled the lowest era in his league. We have played like 12 or 13 games now. The secret to his pitching has been the sequence of pitches and strategy we go by. We have several rules that we go by when he pitches. He basically has two speeds on his fastball- 1.fast and 2.fast with an exclamation point. On good hitters we will start them off with a #2 fastball up and in while still in the strike zone. Most good hitters just cannot get the bat around quick enough to hit an up and in strike for the first pitch. On the second pitch we will either throw the same pitch again or throw a change up that appears to be in the same spot at release as the fastball but then drops below the knees. The secret to the changeup is that it must start out on the same exact plane as the fastball so that it appears it is a fastball. For strike three it is usually just another fastball for a strike. Most good hitters with an 0-2 or 1-2 -r 2-2 count will be looking for junk. It is paramount to be able to see into their eyes to see if they have that "searching" look in their eyes. If they look confident, it will always be another changup or a curveball. If they look confused it will be a hard fastball.

If they foul off a fastball straight back, they will immediately get the changeup. If they foul it off and are late, we move inside with the fastball. If they are early on the fastball and foul it off- the curveball for next pitch down and at the outside corner. Also- a fastball that you can move around the zone drastically will confuse hitters into thinking you have like 10 different pitches that have movement!

I have the philosophy that every pitch should be thrown to either be a strike or one that will induce a strike. Batters who know you come after them with strikes and are effective at it will be more bothered at the plate than a pitcher who will throw junk off the plate. The secret to good pitching is to keep the batter from getting comfortable in the batters box. Timing, pitch sequence and unorthodox sequences will do more to whack out a batters mind than anything else. A lot of times with a 3-0 count, we ill throw three straight offspeed pitches instead of a fastball which the kid is looking for.

Old Greg maddux is the master at pitch sequence and placement- watch him.