| Coaching
Youth Baseball - Setting Up Hitters |
In
the pitcher vs hitter scenario, the pitcher has the advantage. Hitters
usually only get a hit every third or fourth time at bat. You want
your pitchers to think that they have a competitive advantage over
the hitters. At the same time they need to respect their opponents,
and to have a specific plan on how to confront the hitters. Pitchers
do not want hitters to get comfortable in the batter's box when they
face them; they want to create doubt in the hitter's mind and keep
them off-balance. Following are some methods to keep hitters off balance.
Change
of speed
The most common pattern is to establish the fastball away to set-up
the change-up away. By getting the hitter to look for a fastball, even
an average change-up can fool the hitter. A variant of this would be
to establish the change-up away to set-up the fastball away.
Change
of locations
For pitchers who can throw hard, this can be a very effective sequence.
The most common patterns are to establish fastballs inside to set-up
the fastball away.
Change
of planes
The most common pattern is to establish the fastball low to setup the
fastball high. The opposite is equally effective.
Climb
the ladder
This sequence works well against undisciplined hitters. A common pattern
is to throw a fastball up for a strike. If the batter swings at it,
throw the next one a little higher, if he chases that, throw the next
one a little higher.
Change
of speeds to the opposite location
The most common pattern is to throw a fastball on one side of the plate
to set up the change-up on the opposite side of the plate.
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