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Planning Your Next At-BatSummer 2009 An
interview with Minor League hitting instructor Orv Franchuk In this piece professional hitting instructor Orv Franchuk discusses the value of hitting with a plan, and discusses the various physical and mental components of that plan. It's the same advice he shares with major league prospects. We plan vacations, weddings, and graduation parties. We plan what to wear to work, what we’ll eat for dinner, and what we’ll buy at the grocery store. We carry pocket planners and electronic devices that allow us to perfectly coordinate our busy lives and the lives of the children we so busily shuttle about. He who fails to plan, it is said, plans to fail. So why not plan your at-bats? Having a good batting plan can make you a better hitter according to Orv Franchuk, hitting instructor for the San Antonio Missions (Padres, AA affiliate). Additionally, he said, "the wrong plan is better than no plan. Ideally, we'd like to be on track and have the right plan, but I see players go to the plate a lot with no clue and no idea," he said. The best plan is a combination of keen observation, physical preparation, and self awareness. Integrating all you know about a pitcher from games current and past is important. Knowing his out pitch, his tendencies when he’s up in the count, and his pitch command are factors to be considered. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, including your favorite pitch and location, are also elements of a good batting plan. Finally, understanding the mission is vital. What, beside the general notion of contact, are you trying to accomplish during the at-bat? Those are factors batters can control, Franchuk said. Conversely, “worrying about the umpire's strike zone, how hard a guy is throwing, the wind, sun and rain or other stuff beyond your control is counterproductive. You're wasting your time and rehearsing for failure," Franchuk said. Failure to consider points like these can turn every at-bat into a surprise party, according to Franchuk, and quite often that party ends with the pitcher gleefully blowing your candles out. And it’s not just an amateur affliction, Franchuk said. Pros are sometimes guilty as well. They’ve gotten by on amazing hand-eye coordination and pure athleticism, but much more is needed at higher levels. "You have guys throwing 94 or 95 miles per hour, and with the stuff that they have now, you had better be ready."
Shaping Your Plan Hitters typically face one of three situations at the plate, Franchuk said, adding that the situation can change from the dugout to the on-deck circle to the plate. Sometimes you bat with nobody on and your mission is to get on base. Sometimes you find runners on first and second with none out, and your team needs you to advance them. Still other times you have runners in scoring position, and your job is to drive them home. "That is part of the preparation. It really starts there," Franchuk said. He has his young hitters detail their pre-game routine on paper, go over it with the coach, and then execute it during the game. As the players’ season and career progresses, the plan is often adjusted. Pre-BP Drills Before Franchuk's players take batting practice on the field they all do a pre game routine in the cage. "We'll do some tee work and hit 10 up the middle, pull 10 and then hit 10 the other way," he said. Then they'll take a similar approach with an overhand or underhand front toss drill (where the coach sits or stands behind an L- screen in front of the hitter and tosses the ball to different locations in the strike zone). Batting Practice Rather than trying to crush every pitch in batting practice, Franchuk’s hitters work a specific routine. For example, the first round of six swings are focused on hitting up the middle and to the opposite field. The second round might focus on situational hitting with a round of five swings focused on hit-and-run, moving a runner, or driving in a runner from third base. The next two rounds could be five swings each with a focus on hitting hard ground balls and line drives. “We want to stay out of the air as much as possible in batting practice,” said Franchuk. Knowing Your Opponent An intelligent hitter should know who he is facing and try to learn everything he can about how he pitches. Most big league hitting instructors track opposing pitchers to learn their tendencies, their pitches, when and how hard they throw them, and more, Franchuk said. "Nowadays you go into a club house and look at the manager's table and there's a stack of information on statistics, tendencies, the last five games, who's hot, who's not, what they're hitting. It's unbelievable. In the olden days that wasn't around," Franchuk said. Indeed, many decades ago the most savvy hitters retained an incredible data base of information in their head. "Ted Williams and Willie Mays and those guys had it in the computer in their head. It was all in there," noted Franchuk. Most MSBL players do not inhabit a world of clubhouses and managers' tables, let alone a stack of statistics accumulated by armies of scouts. However, MSBL teams and players sometimes face each other several times a year and sometimes for years on end. While a hitter can learn an opposing pitcher's tendencies, the pitcher also will pick up on batter’s demonstrated and recurring weaknesses. As a player, "I didn't want to be surprised with anything," Franchuk said. "I didn't want to go to the plate and get a pitch in a crucial situation that I didn't expect. Maybe a guy's strikeout pitch is a splitter that I didn't know he had. I want to try to have that information. If I prepare to the best of my ability it gives me confidence." Visualize "Remember when Mark McGwire would be standing in the dugout eyeballing his bat and closing his eyes" Franchuk said. "He was [often] visualizing. It's just something [good hitters] did and it helped them. "I used to lie in bed the night before I faced a certain pitcher," Franchuk said. "I knew what he threw and I could visualize the pitch and the location [and the result.] Then I'd go out and do it. I'd tell my teammates about it and they'd look at me like I was crazy." However, Franchuk did get results. For example, he is one of a handful of former Pepperdine University baseball players who shares the team record of eight for most RBI in a game. Know Yourself "Remembering and reminding yourself about your favorite pitch and location are important during preparation," Franchuk said. Rather than worrying about getting a hit, Franchuk teaches young hitters to focus on having a quality turn at bat. The most important elements of a good at bat are "getting a good pitch to hit, and being able to succeed in the situation you have to deal with." Evaluate Yourself - but Don't Beat Yourself Silly Franchuk routinely debriefs hitters immediately after they've batted - and especially after a poor at bat. "You need to ask yourself three things: What were you trying to do? What went wrong? What do I need to do to fix it? It shouldn't take more than 45 seconds or a minute to do that, he said. "Then turn the page, move on, and go out and play defense or think about your next at bat." Assume a Strong Hitting Position Early and Easy Whether you're a little leaguer, a player in the MSBL, or a star in the big leagues, the process of assuming a strong hitting position (often referred to as “the load,” or “loading up,) should occur "early and easy," Franchuk said. The strong hitting position in baseball is similar to what an good shot putter does just prior to releasing the heavy ball of iron. The body rotates the torso backwards and temporarily shifts the majority of weight to the back leg. Sometimes hitters do this in dramatic fashion through a high leg kick with their stride leg. Ideally, no matter how you get there, the hands are back and the front foot is down before the swing begins. "When players struggle [at the plate] it's because they're not [getting into the hitting position] early enough to hit the ball." If the batter is late in assuming a strong hitting position, he tends to rush, which in turn leads to quick, sometimes lurching movement. "I would start the load right at [the pitcher’s] release. There is separation. The hands go back, and the stride foot starts to reach out so that when the ball is about halfway [towards home plate] my hands are back, my foot is down, and I'm ready to hit." Some players start earlier. Hitters who engage a lot of pre-swing movement have to start earlier. Franchuk teaches his hitters to arrive in the strong hitting position early enough to be ready to swing at every pitch. The mindset is "swing, swing, swing until spin and location dictate that we're not going to swing." If you are not in a strong hitting position at the moment you are evaluating the pitch, then "you're late," Franchuk said. The technique has many believers, he added. "My guys are saying 'wow, I'm seeing the ball so much better." That advice is central to the hitting philosophy adopted by the Padres. That philosophy is focused on being what Franchuk called "patiently aggressive. We want to swing at strikes, and if we don't get strikes we're going to take our walks. Teams that get on base a lot score a lot, and teams that score a lot win a lot." Talk to Pitchers Talking to a good pitcher or pitching coach is the nearest thing to having the enemy playbook. "I tell my hitters all the time to go talk to the pitching coach or go talk to a pitcher. We have some great discussions," Franchuk said, adding that it's not uncommon for young hitters to come away saying "no way…I didn't know that." Attitude "Generally speaking, you're in charge of that white, 17 inch-wide plate on the ground in front of you, and if he throws it over there you have to let him know," Franchuk said. "Hunt for your pitch, and when you get it you've got to hit it hard ." Final Thought for Amateurs Knowing your pitch, then being patient enough to wait for it are key points for most hitters. "It's tough when you play once a week or twice a week," Franchuk said. "Trust your swing. Maybe do a little tee work. Confidence and preparation, and I don't care what level you're at, is the key. Any time you have that little thing in your mind where you say 'ah man he struck me out last time,' or 'I'm terrible,' or 'I'm not going to hit this guy. He throws too hard,' well you're done. You might as well not even go up there." |
 About Our ExpertOrv Franchuk was born in Wandering River, Alberta. His play as a member of the Edmonton Oilers of the Western Canada League earned him a full ride to Pepperdine University. After graduation, Franchuk returned to Edmonton, Alberta where he taught school for 20 years. He coached the Canadian National Team for three World Baseball Championships, and worked as a professional baseball scout part time. During his summers he was a hitting coach for the Angels short season A clubs. He coached for the Edmonton Trappers who were affiliated with the Chicago White Sox, then the California Angels, and ultimately the Oakland A's of the Pacific Coast League. The A's hired Franchuk as a hitting instructor in 1995. In 2003 he became the hitting coordinator for the Boston Red Sox where he helped them win a World Series ring. In 2007 he became the hitting coordinator for the Houston Astros, and then took over this year as the hitting coach for the San Antonio Missions. Franchuk regularly instructs amateur adult baseball players at the Pro Ball Baseball Clinic held each January in Peoria, Arizona. He was inducted into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame on June 13, 2007. Ted Williams on Having a Hitting Plan In case you are wondering if some of the great hitters of the game agreed with Orv Franchuk, you might consider how closely his ideas align with those of Ted Williams. Half a century ago, Ted Williams presented his ideas on hitting in his classic book, The Science of Hitting. Among his pearls of advice are the following:
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