quote:

Originally posted by CADad:
I go with the Buckner was injured theory.

Veiled negativity, ja.

Bear your on a roll!

would this work as a 2 strike approach

Be prepared to hit a ball out of the strike zone with 2 strikes.

I have seen guys put themselves in a very defensive position with 2 strikes. As a pitcher that made me happy.

This topic came up alot this past summer on my son's team. My son is an aggressive hitter with power. His 2 strike approach was more about swinging at pitches that were borderline to protect the plate more. He would never choke up or swing less aggressively.

Another player on the team is 6'3", 250# not as aggressive but obviously has power. With 2 strikes this boy would choke up and look to punch balls the opposite way. He would be encouraged to "choke and poke" by his father.

I could never see the reason to basically take the power out of his game. Also I think that when a pitcher sees a hitter's one way approach with 2 strikes the pitcher has an advantage.

These were only 16 yo kids so they could both get away, at times, with their way of doing things, but you don't see many major league power hitters trying to poke a ball the opposite way with 2 strikes.

I agree with whomever said above that the 2 strike approach is more of a situational/mental approach than a mechanical approach.

quote:

but you don't see many major league power hitters trying to poke a ball the opposite way with 2 strikes.

I don't think this is exactly what people are suggesting. The difference in the two strike approach isn't so much how you swing, but what you swing at. How you swing depends on where the pitch is.

With two strikes you should swing at pitches that might be strikes even if you cannot necessarily drive them. And that means that you might swing at an outside fastball and take it the other way, with a swing not intended to drive it out of the park.

That's not turning power hitters into "choke and poke" hitters, it is taking what the pitch will give you - and swinging at pitches that you might pass up on other counts.

PG, this is a fun topic and I have enjoyed reading all the responses. I am also a proponent of using a 2 strike approach. fillsfan, you made me think a little more about why I like the approach on a personal level.

Most K's happen on the outer half of the plate anyway, at least in highschool and college. Every hitter is going to have to develop his own approach. It may be moving up in the box,getting closer to the plate,or choking up a little to improve bat control.Then practicing whatever it takes to get the job done.With this I am just rehashing a lot of what has all ready been said.

What I would like to add to one of Coach May's statements when he wrote about looking away and reacting inside is we like to emphasize concentration and focus on the inner half of the ball. We like to use a number of drills to help develop a short stroke that can translate into better concentration and reaction to a pitch. Some of the drill work we use includes two ball soft toss,tracking, pepper, rapid swing, close pitch and counts.
I'm curious about finding out other methods that others may use to gear towards this situation.

We agree Rob.

We go with looking FB away. Not so much the actual pitch, but the start of the swing occuring as if you were to hit a FB away...more of a timing cue. If you are set up mentally to this pitch it allows you to adjust to offspeed, and it "forces" you to track the ball longer. The advocate to this is the FB in, which to that I have no response, except you better get it in there, or we had better fight it off. We feel it is better to take the different speeds and location of the middle/middle-away to our favor and give you FB in (assuming we can foul it off or you make a mistake).
Regardless of what approach is taught I believe it is important to teach something. In that you don't want a hitter on an island feeling defensless and trying to hit everything. I would never look curve and adjust to FB (if it is strictly a CB pitcher...then we go 2-strike approach like above for the entire AB)

Smoking Southpaw,

Welcome, thanks for participating in this discussion.

Regarding the start of the swing starting as though you would hit a fastball away. Wouldn't this create somewhat of a longer swing and make it nearly impossible to handle anything inside?

Someone earlier mentioned hitting the inside of the ball which is good advice IMO on most every pitch. But with 2 strikes I think it is especially good thinking.

Also, having a good 2 strike approach does not mean a hitter is giving up on power. A good 2 strike approach for a power guy would include hitting the ball left out over the plate, out of the park. If a 2 strike approach eliminates the possibility for power in a power hitter, I would change that 2 strike approach. To me, it is great to see a guy spoil several pitches and then hit a mistake out of the park. Exactly what Utley did to CC when he fouled off several great borderline pitches and then hit a long one on a hanging CB.

The number one bit of given information in the whole formula is the pitcher's fastball. If the hitter is overmatched by the fastball (and let's face it, a lot of times that is why he has two strikes on him) the more overmatched you are the more defensive becomes the hitters strategy.
If he can't throw it by me (Matsui vs. Pedro in game 6)... I am relaxed and I know that I can foul off or take until i get something to crush.

If I have to honor his fastball then yes I'm teaching cover the outside half and think middle back side...

Also; I'll bet this entire thread you guys all have Right hand hitters in mind don't you... Lefty's have a big advantage in this area... unless facing a lefty, but still it's usually not quite the same.

that's my poorly organized thoughts

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
Regarding the start of the swing starting as though you would hit a fastball away. Wouldn't this create somewhat of a longer swing and make it nearly impossible to handle anything inside?

This is true, were the hitter loading and unloading at the same point where the ball is in space as a pitch middle-in. The fastball away timing cue allows the hitter to begin this process later. Thus the swing is the same mechanically; just begun at a later time in relation to the ball's location in space.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
To me, it is great to see a guy spoil several pitches and then hit a mistake out of the park. Exactly what Utley did to CC when he fouled off several great borderline pitches and then hit a long one on a hanging CB.

The above is the desired result and what the approach is meant to accomplish:

Allow the hitter the chance to track the ball longer

Allow the hitter the opportunity to level the count mechanically...and

Allow the hitter the chance to put a mirrored swing on the pitch.

Thanx for the welcome and hope this made sense.

E

I know many very good baseball people who share your view on looking outside. I think that is based on solid thinking.

However, depending on the level of play, I would think looking inside and adjusting from there would be even better. Especially at the very highest levels where wood bats are being used. I would be interested in what others think about this.

Example... Rivera throwing to LH hitter. If the LH hitter is looking outside, I think he has no chance to hit the inside pitch.