Baseball around the clock

This is usually the thought process of the high school kid who realizes he just spent the last however many years of his life working on his game and just when he became the best player on his high school team he gets to college and finds out his work has only begun.

I saw this happen to people I played with in college who walked in and expected things to be easy and for people to lay down for them, guess what, it didn’t happen.  Remember everyone else on that team was at one time in your shoes, they were the best on their team too.  As you move up you have to work harder just to play because everyone else is very talented and competitive.

I usually do not use stories of my playing days but this one happens to fit.  I was a Sophomore at GRCC and a kid walks in and introduces himself to me.  He says “hi, I’m so and so, I am the new starting third baseman”.  I laughed and he said “what is so funny”.  I introduced myself to him and said “hi, I’m Sam I hit .421 with 7 home runs last year, and I play third base”.  He had nothing to say, and it wasn’t that I was being cocky I just wanted to let him know if he wanted the position he could have it, but he had to beat me out and I wasn’t just going to give it to him.  So long story short, if you dream of playing at the next level you must put the work in and just when you think you put enough in, do more just to make sure.  Also, remember talking about how good you were in high school does you no good.  Every player on your team did those exact same things, all your new teammates care about is what are you going to do for this team.   A good motto to play by is, if the guy across from me beats me because he is better than me, I can live with that.  If he beats me because I didn’t work hard enough, I cannot live with that.  Go out there, play hard, have fun, and play for the love of the game.

I have heard the conversation about the two strike approach at every level I have played or coached.  I think it is a topic that is very much a gray area and not set in stone.

Example: Nobody on with two outs and my three hitter is up.  With two strikes, simply putting the ball in play does nothing for me.  In this situation I want my hitter to take the exact same approach he always does when it comes to his swing.  I do not want him to cut down or widen out and simply try to put the ball in play and wait for the pitcher to make a mistake.  I do want him to expand the zone a little and fight off close pitches, I am a firm believer in the more pitches a pitchers throws in an at bat the more frustrated he gets and he becomes more susceptible to making a mistake, and since we are not going to change our approach you are ready to jump on it.

Example 2: Guy on third less than two outs.  In this situation I will ask my hitters to cut down on the ferocity of their swing and focus more on putting a bat on the ball knowing a ball in play has a good chance to score a run.  What does this mean? It means I want my hitter to relax, slow down, and think about letting a fast ball get really deep.  I tell my hitters that getting jammed in this situation is OK because I do not want them swinging at curve balls or change ups in the dirt.  The more I think about it I almost want to tell my hitters to look off speed (in order to slow down and stay back) and just fight off a fast ball.

With my power hitters up I want to let them swing the bat the same as they always do unless it is the situation described in example 2.  Any other situation I am OK with them letting it fly.  Why? because chances are your power guys are not your speed guys so a little routine grounder or a slow roller they probably won’t beat out anyways.  Also, I think there is a negative trade off when it comes to strike outs and balls they could have hit in the gap if they didn’t cut down their swing.  What does this mean?  It means I think you lose more hits by making them cut down their swing then you gain base runners by asking them to just put the ball in play.  Remember, even a bad team will field above .900 so why cut down the swing so much, when you are now relying on an error to get you on base.  I will let my power hitters take their hacks because they just may hit a ball hard somewhere. That being said I do like my hitters to put the ball in play, but I hope they are good enough to do so without changing everything they do.

The best two strike approach is to not get to two strikes.  This means hitters should be aggressive early in counts especially on fast balls.  Do not let a fast ball get by you early in the count.  If the pitchers doesn’t throw you a fast ball then so be it, but do not help him out by swinging at pitches out of the zone early.  Know the zone, control the zone, and don’t miss your pitch when you get it.  By not swinging at pitches out of the zone early in an at bat you will find yourself in favorable counts.  The key now is to take advantage of these counts.

What is the true purpose of the hit and run and what should the hitter be trying to do?  These are questions I always ask every time I watch a hitter take BP and try and chop the ball into the ground or really try to go the opposite way with a pitch when it is inside.  I do not understand what is being taught and why when I see this.

Here are my thoughts: The hit and run is a calculated risk which puts my runner in motion and puts my hitter at ease by knowing he must swing (he does not have to think).  I want my hitter to keep his same approach, I do not want him thinking about hitting a ground ball or trying to hit the ball the opposite way.  Why do I feel this way?  First of all you do not know what the pitcher is throwing and even if you did it would be hard to put the ball on the ground every single time.  If I could do that, or teach my hitters to do that, why wouldn’t I just teach them to hit line drives every time at the plate.  It is impossible, that is why.  So I assume you have a hitter who makes contact a majority of the time at the plate or you wouldn’t put a hit and run on.  If your hitter is unreliable you would just straight steel, just like if you wanted the hitter to give themselves up you would simply sacrifice bunt.  That being said I want my hitter to take his normal swing with the hope that he drives the ball to the gap and scores the runner from first or hits a hard single which moves the runner 1st to 3rd.  Again this is a calculated risk I am taking and I am OK with other outcomes.  For example, if the hitter hits a routine pop fly and your runner is running the bases properly (meaning he looked in like he should) he will have no problem retreating back to the base.  If he hits a line drive at someone and it results in a double play, so be it that may happen and that is why it is a calculated risk.  Also, if he does hit a ground ball, which is possible the runner should be able to be the play to second and thus moving the runner at the very least, but that is not my intention.  I think the hit and run is a more aggressive play than some give it credit for.  I do not think a hit and run means the hitter changes anything about what he is trying to do at the plate.

I know I have been behind on the page and I apologize, but coaching college baseball is a busy gig.  It is great but really busy, I am having a blast and learning a ton about all aspect of coaching, not just the on field stuff.  Again, I know I am behind but I am going to post a lot of content Monday.  I am going to do a few videos, so stop by and check them out.  We had camp today from 10:00-4:30 and we have youth camp tomorrow from 1:00-4:30.  talk to everyone soon, I hope you are having a great weekend.

Each player has individual stats, we all know that, but some of the at bats players have start one way and finish another.

For example if there is a runner on second base with nobody out, the hitter starts with one thing in mind, getting the runner in.  I am OK with this approach as long as the hitter understands to stay within himself and not get overly aggressive swinging at pitches out of the zone.  The second part of the at bat comes with two strikes on the hitter.  At this point in time the at bat no longer belongs to you, it belongs to the team and your job has changed from simply driving the run in to making sure at the very least you get him over.

What does that mean?

It means you must put the ball in play, at this point in time a ground ball to second base is a quality at bat and your coach will be very happy, especially when the next batter hits a routine fly ball to center and the team scores a run because you were unselfish and realized your job was no longer to drive the ball in the gap, it was to simply get the guy on second over to third.

Do not misunderstand me here, I never want you to take lazy swings but you must expand your zone with two strikes and do whatever you can to help the team.  On that same note if the pitcher makes a mistake be prepared to take advantage of it.

In this situation we will say the hitter is a lefty.  With a guy on second and nobody out the other team isn’t just going to let you do your job.  What does that mean? it means a good pitcher is going to make you work.  He is going to keep the ball away from you and try to keep it down.  He is not going to just let you pull a fast ball belt high.  So be prepared when it comes to your approach.  Also, with two strikes just simply put the ball in play.  This may seem like a very simple thing but a lot of hitters lose sight of what they are trying to do, and also what the other team is trying to keep you from doing.  Stay within yourself, have an approach, and with two strikes, put the ball in play.

Go out, have fun, play hard.

I say it all the time but I beg and plead with parents and parent coaches to make the game fun, let kids of a young age play all positions, and do not just get a kid his one at bat per game because it is the rules.  I ask kids to play for the love of the game, but they can only do that if the coach and parents allow that love to grow.  So I am going to assume the coaches and parents are doing this and I am going to turn my attention to the player now.

I ask you to simply “follow the love”.  If you do this you will be playing the game because it is fun, and when the game is fun you will put more into it.  The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.  You must remember it takes hard work to play at a high level but if you are following the love you will never feel like you are working.  You will be getting better and having fun at the same time.

Coaches and Parents please allow the love to grow and players do it because you simply enjoy the smell of the grass, the sound of the glove, and having your friends around.  One day it may turn into more than that but you must have that foundation before anything further can come of it.

Go out, work hard, enjoy the game.

College baseball camps used to be for fun and a chance to get out on a college field and practice your skills and hopefully learn a few things.  Times have change and I mean a lot.  Now College camps are used not only to teach skills but they also allow college coaches the chance to see multiple players live and at one time.  What makes these such great tools for coaches is the ability to see numerous players at one time.  College camps used to be full of drills and light instruction from players, they are still full of drills but now college coaches are more involved in the camps.  Things you can expect to get out of a college camp:

60 time

Arm Strength

Live Bullpen

Home to 1st time

Catchers pop time

All of these are for your benefit but they also help the coaches as well.  Those are hard numbers that we as coaches love to have, but by seeing a player at a camp we get to see how the player acts, we get to see his baseball movements, and we get to see how he interacts with other players.

Players you should attend camps when you can, especially if you have a realistic shot at playing for the school because you get to evaluate the situation as well.  You will be around the coaches and players for hours and using drills and techniques the team at the school uses all day.  Why is this so important? For one you might learn something but you also get to see if the program is a good fit for you.  You work along side the actual players, so you get to see if you like the palyers, you also get to meet the coach so you will get to see if you like the head coach as well as the assistants.  Finally you get to see what they teach and how they teach it, so you will be able to determine if the school is a good fit for what you are looking for athletically.

Don’t forget the most important aspect of the college, does the school have the program in which you want to pursue a degree.  Have fun and keep working hard.