Practicing Down the Middle?

During a practice, an individual lesson or a camp, many times kids question why we do not do a majority of our hitting drills on pitches down the middle. That is the pitch that most can hit the best – hardest and farthest. So naturally, kids want to do what they do best. And that involves the middle of home plate. 

Let me start by giving you a brief overview of my hitting philosophy. 

Hitting isn’t nearly as complicated as most people try to make it out to be and you should spend more time hitting off of a batting tee than anything else. 

I am usually met with disappointment – again with 22-year old college players or 8-year old campers. Everyone wants to hit off the pitcher.  Tees are boring and most players tend to go through the motions, waiting for their time in the batting cage. 

But if you can’t execute a perfect swing while the ball is stationary on a tee, how can you hit a ball that is moving? 

The exercise scientist in me knows the power of the body and how important muscle memory when performing a skill repetitively. In order to achieve the muscles memory you need, you have to practice an action over and over again. This is why the tee plays such an important role. 

So you have read the above paragraphs, and I have already sold you on the importance of tee work. You plan on spending 30 minutes a day working on the tee because now know that that is the best way to become a better hitter. 

But now ask yourself, where do I position the ball? Some tees are adjustable and some aren’t. If you have one that is not, the tee is in the center of the plate. If you were to position yourself in relation to the attached home plate, you would only work on pitches down the middle. 

Whether you pitch or not, the answer to my next question is simple. How many pitchers plan on throwing a pitch down the middle of the plate? Not many. So if the goal of the pitcher is to throw pitches on the inside and outside corner, why would you spend an extended period of time working on pitches down the middle?

Start by practicing with pitches down the middle of the plate. It is good way to warm up and get into a rhythm. But after the first five minutes, start to move the tee around to other areas of the plate. 

How do I work on pitches in other areas of the strike zone? Positioning the tee isn’t as simple as moving the tee closer to you or farther away. There are different places that you should work on the respective pitches.

To work on an inside pitch, position the tee in front of the plate. Line the ball up on the inside corner about three inches in front of the plate.  For an outside pitch, adjust the tee so the ball is lined up over the back outside corner of the plate (The plate runs with the lines of the batter’s box, then angles towards the catcher. You want to be where the plate starts to angle).

Realize that pitches should be hit to the side of the field the ball is placed on the tee. Right handed hitters hit inside pitches to left field and outside pitches to right. Lefties hit inside pitches to right field and outside pitches to left. When you do work on pitches down the middle, they should be hit back up the middle, towards center field. 

I understand that working off the tee and practicing pitches on the corners can be boring and frustrating. But if you want to become the best player you can, you have to focus on your weaknesses and improve. 

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Hitting with the Infield In

In certain situations, usually later in the game, your opponent may pull their infield in when you are at bat. Infielders are pulled in when there are less than two outs and a runner is at third base. Any ball hit to an infielder will be thrown to the catcher if the runner at third base tries to advance and score. This is done to try to get the base runner out at home and prevent the run from scoring.

As a hitter, you have to think about this situation when you are making your plan. 

There are two schools of thought about this scenario. The first is that the batter must hit a fly ball to the outfield. A fly ball to the outfield will give the runner at third base a chance to tag up and score a run.

The second is to simply swing at a pitch you can hit hard, whether the ball ends up in the air or on the ground. The infield is playing in and this gives the hitter two advantages. 

The first advantage is that the infielder will not be able to field as many ground balls hit to the side. When an infielder is playing at normal depth, he can read a hit ball and move side to side in order to cover more ground. But when he is playing in, more than likely he will not be able to field a hard ground ball more than a step or two away from him.

The second advantage is a hard hit ground ball to an infielder playing in will increase the chances of the infielder making an error. The infielder has less reaction time, even on a ball hit directly to him, and is only concerned about keeping the ball in front and not about fielding it cleanly. 

As a coach, I think the number of outs dictates which philosophy you take into the batter’s box with you. If you are hitting with no outs and a runner at third base and the infield in, I think you should take the approach of hitting any pitch as hard as you can and taking your chances it will get through. The run will score and you can safely reach base. With one out, you should try and get a pitch you can drive to the outfield and score the run. If the ball falls in for a hit, that is a bonus, but scoring the run is more important.

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Hitting Approach with a Runner on Third Base

When you are in the batter’s box and there is a runner on third base, it is up to you to drive him in. If there are two outs, your task can be a little harder. The only way you can score him (he can still score on mistakes by the other team) is with a base hit. Getting your teammate home is a lot easier with less than two outs. 

There are three things to avoid that hurt your chances when your team has less than two outs – not counting striking out, which you should always stay away from. They include hitting a ground ball to the third baseman, hitting a ground ball back to the pitcher or popping out to any infielder.  All three of these will keep the runner at third. 

These situations can become similar to a sacrifice bunt. You are sacrificing yourself to score the run. You should be willing to hit a ground ball to the second baseman or a fly ball to the left fielder. This will help your team score and that is what matters in baseball.

Now, it is easier for me to write this than for it to actually happen every time you are up in this situation, but that is why it is important for you to have a plan when you step in the batter’s box. 

If you are a left handed hitter, you should be looking for a pitch down the middle or inside. A left hander should be able to hit this pitch up the middle or to the right side of the field and allow the runner to score. 

If you are a right handed hitter, you should be looking for a pitch down the middle or away. As a righty, you are also looking to hit the pitch up the middle or to the right side of the field and these are the pitches to swing at. 

A third type of pitch, no matter if you are left or right handed, is a pitch you can hit to the outfield.  With less than two outs, a pitch hit to the outfield will give the runner at third an opportunity to try to score after the out is recorded. 

The most important stat in baseball is runs scored and you have to try and add to your total whenever possible. As a hitter, driving runs home, even when you get out, makes you a better player and a better teammate.

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Hitting Approach with a Runner on Second Base

In baseball, a base runner at second base is considered to be a runner in scoring position because he has a good chance to score on a base hit to the outfield. But getting a base hit is not the only way to have a productive at-bat with a runner on second base. 

With no outs, if it is your turn to hit, you should be looking to get a base hit and score your teammate. But hitting a ground ball to the right side of the infield (the first baseman or second baseman) also makes for a good at-bat.

 A ground ball to the right side will allow the runner at second base to move to third base, and give your teammate hitting next an opportunity to try to score the runner. With the runner now on third and one out, the next batter can score the run with a base hit, a ground ball or a sacrifice fly. 

Why with no outs? 

Why not with less than two outs?

Say you are batting with one out and a teammate is on second base. You hit a ground ball to the second baseman. The runner moves up to third and you are thrown out at first base for the second out. Now there are two outs with a runner at third base. Now the next batter has to get a base hit to score the runner. A sacrifice fly or another ground ball will not work. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are more ways to score from third base than second base other than a base hit – passed ball, wild pitch and balk, to name a few. So even with one out, a ground ball to the right side of the infield or a fly ball that the base runner advances on should not be seen as a disappointing at bat. 

The point I am trying to make is this – with one out, do not approach your at bat as if you are only trying to advance the runner to third. Again, it is a good consolation prize and a somewhat productive out. But with one out, you should be trying to get a base hit that will allow the runner to score. 

If there is one out and a runner at second base and you hit a ground ball to the third baseman, you will probably be thrown out at first base and the runner will stay at second base. But remember, runners at second base are considered to be in scoring position. Regardless of the runner being at second base or third base with two outs, your team will still need a base hit for him to score.

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Fighting With Two Strikes

If you have watched enough baseball, you have probably seen a batter with two strikes foul off several pitches. He makes the pitcher throw pitch after pitch until he gets a pitch he can handle, resulting in a base hit.

He fought with two strikes.

In another tip, I discuss overcoming the fear of batting with two strikes. In this scenario, the batter has a lot of confidence.

Just because you have two strikes does not mean that on the next pitch you judge to be a strike, there are only two options – swing and put the ball in play or swing and miss. The latter is an out and the former will more than likely lead to an out if you are not swinging with a purpose.

There is a third, and often overlooked, option – foul the pitch off and live to see another pitch. There is no rule about only getting a certain number of foul balls in baseball, and there is nothing that says you cannot purposely foul off a pitch.

Fouling off pitches has two benefits. The first is you make the pitcher throw more pitches. The more pitches he throws, the more likely he is to make a mistake and give you a pitch you can hit hard. The second is that the pitcher will throw you all of his pitches in his repertoire and the next time you face him, there will not be any surprises.

This is not an easy concept, but like every other part of baseball, it is something that can be practiced. Once you understand the thinking behind it, the next time you are in the batter’s box, you can increase your chances of success by fouling off two strike pitches until you are thrown a pitch you can handle.

Visit our complete online resource for instructional baseball videos and eBooks at www.ToTheTopPerformance.com.