The Mental Game: Getting A Good Pitch To Hit

In the first article of this series, I discussed the core mechanics of the rotational swing. The second presented simple drills to help hitters learn these mechanical skills. In this piece I introduce the mental aspect of hitting, getting a good pitch to hit. 

Hitting a baseball may be the most difficult of athletic skills. The hitter has less than 4/10 second to identify the type of pitch, judge its velocity, predict the ultimate contact location, then "squarely" hit a spherical ball with a tubular bat-head. Our brains' computational faculties work overtime on every pitch. To be effective, we must give our brains accurate and timely information. 

The concepts elaborated here may or may not pertain equally to every player. Some hitters have trouble hitting with two strikes, some with making contact, and some with pitch selection. Some hit for power, some for average, some for both. 

Gaining Time
Time is a hitter's most prized commodity. Ted Williams said, "Wait! and be quick!" Good mechanics make a hitter more efficient and generate better bat speed, allowing hitters to wait longer on the ball. Developing the mental side of hitting can also add time. With mechanical and mental preparedness, you will have more time to decide whether or not the oncoming pitch is deserving of a swing. Many good players could become much better by having a simple plan when they go to the plate.

Mechanics First 
A few years ago, I was brought in to help the hitters on a struggling professional team. By the third inning of one game, I noticed that every time the opposing pitcher fell behind in the count, he would try to catch up with a fastball on the inside corner. Our players kept letting him do this by taking these very hittable pitches.

I called the in-the-hole hitter over and explained this to him. He said, "Really? How do you know that?" Hard to believe from a 26-year-old who had been playing professionally for nine years. He thanked me and went up to hit. 

With a 1-0 count, the player jack-knifed away from a fastball on the inner half of the plate. With a 2-1 count, he took another inside strike. He popped up a breaking ball for the third out. Back in the dugout, he said, "You were right! He threw me inside cheese when I was ahead in the count." 

I said, "Why didn't you rip it? You knew the pitch and the location!" He said he couldn't get his body into position to hit it. That's why I save mental hitting for last. If you don't have the mechanics to reach all four corners of the strike zone, we're wasting our time. 

A Good Pitch? 
Going into each at-bat, a player must have a clear game-plan. Ted called this proper thinking. Your plan is based on your in-game observations. They can change quickly, from pitch-to-pitch and at-bat to at-bat. 
Players invariably define a good pitch to hit, as "a pitch I can drive." But it is more than that. A good pitch to hit is one you have anticipated, in an area that you can handle, relative to the count, score, inning, which base(s) occupied, and your comfort level against the pitcher. 

Situational Thinking
You're right-handed, due up second in the fifth inning. Your team is down by a run. On-deck, you think about how the pitcher has tried to get ahead of you (in your previous at bats) with inside fastballs, then put you away with off-speed pitches. So, you're going to look for fastballs early in the count.

The lead-off hitter singles. You get the bunt sign, so your thinking must change. To place the bunt on the ground, you must look for a low strike. The first pitch is a high strike, but you feel good taking it, because it would've been a tough pitch to bunt. 

The pitcher balks, moving the runner to second. The bunt is off. Your plan now is to hit the ball on the ground to the right side, to advance him to third and possibly pick up an RBI if it goes through. Up until two strikes, you're going to take any pitch that's not middle-half away. The count goes to 2-1 and you're still looking for that pitch away. 

The runner takes third on a wild pitch. Now, you're looking for a ball you can put in the air to score the runner. The 3-1 pitch is a fastball up; you hit a fly ball that scores the tying run. You executed your plan correctly. You got a good pitch to hit. But, notice how many times its definition changed during one at-bat. Good hitters realize that their role can change from pitch to pitch and make the right mental adjustments. 

Getting A Head Start
In this series, we've discussed the three core mechanical movements in correct rotational hitting. There is a fourth concept: starting on time. This is common sense. We should never have to hurry our swing because we didn't prepare correctly. 
All hitters have personal styles. To help break inertia, some cock their hips, some cock their lead knees, and some drop their hands. These rhythmic movements prepare the hitter for a head start against the oncoming pitch. The hitter should begin striding as the pitcher's throwing arm starts to come forward.

Anticipation
Anticipation—making a deduction based on known facts—is the name of the game. How has the pitcher been pitching me? In or out? Up or down? Fastballs or off-speed? Once you have a "book" based on observation, you are on your way to gaining the head start you need. Thinking along with the pitcher is a fascinating science, and can make hitting much simpler. Great hitters have been able to slow down the game not only through ability and mechanics, but by an uncanny ability to store and process information.
Late in the 1972 season, I was in Detroit with the Oakland A's, playing a crucial game against the Tigers, who we would meet a short time later in the playoffs. We were ahead, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh, with a runner on first base and two outs. Hall-of-Famer Catfish Hunter on the mound. Hall-of-Famer Al Kaline at bat. 

Kaline—who retired with 399 career home runs—was a proven power hitter, and 50,000 people were cheering their hometown hero. The count quickly went to 2-0 and we held our collective breath as Cat threw a fastball right down Broadway for a called strike. Kaline took another fastball right down the pipe for strike two. I couldn't believe it. Cat then walked him on two close pitches. I asked Kaline, standing next to me on first base, "Al, how could you take those two fastballs?" He said he wasn't looking for them. 
I asked Catfish if he was surprised Kaline took those predictable fastballs. He said, matter-of-factly, that he couldn't remember ever throwing Kaline fastballs when Al was ahead in the count. He counted on Al looking for off-speed pitches. Kaline did his homework. So did Hunter. Great players have their heads in the game.

By observing, we increase our chances for success by determining the pitcher's tendencies—we look for certain pitches in certain situations. By anticipating correctly, we can make the 90 mph fastball appear much slower. We slow the game down.

Pay Attention
Any hitter who tells you he doesn't guess is not being truthful. Facing a pitcher having control problems with his breaking ball, there isn't a hitter alive who wouldn't be anticipating a 2-0 fastball. Situations like this are highly predictable. Anticipating correctly gives the hitter a running start on the pitcher.

A pitcher's greatest asset is surprise. Take away surprise, and you greatly increase your chances of hitting the ball hard. Williams used to call this "thinking along with the pitcher." To do this correctly, you've got to keep your head in the game. Many times Ted would ask a player during a game, "Hey, what was that last pitch?" You had better have the right answer! He was keeping everyone's head in the game, trying to make them better. 
I was on the Washington Senators in 1969 when Williams became manager. He didn't change one player's mechanics. We improved greatly in every hitting category from the year before by becoming smarter hitters and having a plan when we went to the plate.

One Side Only
The hitter can only cover one side of the plate on any given pitch. Until a hitter has two strikes, he should be looking to cover only one side. Look in or look away, depending on the pattern the pitcher's working with you. 

To hit a pitch from the middle-half in, position your body to hit the ball out in front of your lead knee. If you're looking for a ball middle-half away, let it get deep and hit it the other way. The important thing is, you get your body in position to hit pitches in these areas because you correctly anticipated pitches in those areas. 

Hitters jack-knife away from pitches middle-half in because they were in no position to hit the pitch; they were looking for something else (or had no plan). If the hitter was correctly anticipating a pitch in that area he would have gotten his body in position to hit it. Same thing goes for pitches middle-half away. If you're looking inside, you'd better take the pitch away because you're in no position to hit it!

Until we have two strikes, we can think along with the pitcher. With two strikes, the hitter must cover both sides of the plate. That's why we see so many weak swings with two strikes. Try to foul off the tough pitches until (hopefully) you'll get a better one to hit.

"Look for the pitch giving you the most trouble." —T. Williams
During a two-week stretch in 1969, I was consistently getting jammed. Williams asked me asked me where the bulk of the pitches thrown to me were. I told him "in" and "up and in." He asked me what that told me and I replied that they were trying to keep me from getting my arms extended. He said I was right—and they were a doing a "damn good job" of it. "Don't give ‘em a break. Look for the pitch giving you the most trouble," he bellowed. I looked for an inside fastball and hit a three-run upper deck home run my first time up that night. 

With less than two strikes, anticipate the pitch giving you the most trouble, the slider in Ted's case. His plan was to look for it on every pitch, until he had two strikes. If a certain pitch is giving you trouble, you know it. If a hitter looks tentative or swings wildly at curve balls, he'll get a steady dose of curves before the game is through. To combat this, look for the curve on every pitch, until you have two strikes. 

Hitter, Know Thyself
What type of hitter are you? Singles/contact, line-drive gap hitter, power hitter? Fastball or breaking ball hitter? High ball or low ball? Answering these questions honestly will help you determine your approach at the plate and your definition of a good pitch to hit. 

If you don't know what style hitter you are, you can't anticipate pitches correctly, because you can't match your strengths and weaknesses against those of the pitcher. If you don't know whether you're a better high or low ball hitter, you can't gain an advantage by anticipating and looking for pitches in that area. If you're a better breaking ball hitter than fast ball hitter, with less than two strikes, look for that pitch. We hit best when we know what's coming. If we don't anticipate, the pitcher regains the edge through surprise.

Take One
The players in the Major League All Star Home Run Derby never swing at the first pitch. They take three or four to size up the pitcher. How hard is he throwing? What's the background like? How well do I pick up his release point? Is his ball moving or is it straight? Once they have processed this information, their next goal is to get a good pitch to hit, in this particular scenario, a pitch approximately one ball in (from the middle), thigh high. They have a plan when they go up there. So should you. 

Hitters fare much better against a new pitcher taking the first pitch. Williams told me only one of twenty first-pitch swings off a new pitcher results in a hard-hit ball. The more pitches you see, the better you can gauge velocity and break and make good adjustments. That's why lead-off hitters who make the pitcher pitch are so valuable. The whole team benefits by seeing the pitcher's repertoire before they have to face him. 
Good hitters concede the first pitch if they expect to face a starter or long reliever more than once during the game. Read that first pitch with a microscope! Timing, release point, velocity, spin, movement: store this information for future reference. 

Facing pitchers you do not expect to see twice in a game, you can't afford to give away a strike. Work your plan. Major League pinch-hitters learn to leave the on-deck circle swinging. Don't be taking pitches, if the short reliever, setup man, or closer is throwing strikes. 

Don't Be Late 
Don't be late when the count is in your favor. Many a big league manager has ripped his hair out watching his players swing late in favorable hitting counts: 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 2-1, 3-1. If we anticipate a fastball in a predictable situation, we should be all over it. Work your plan. Have some fun.

Remember, the hardest pitches to hit are the hardest pitches to throw. Ted used to smile when he would say this, because this is one of the reasons smart hitters are successful. All pitchers would love to throw breaking balls or off speed pitches when they're behind in the count, because they know these pitches, for most hitters, are harder to hit than fastballs. The top professional pitchers do this. They're called "against-the-count" pitchers. They've mastered their craft, and have the bank accounts to prove it. But most pitchers, especially in amateur ball, can't consistently do this. 

Pitchers Are Predictable 
Pitchers are predictable—not always, but most of the time. Baseball is a game of percentages. Hitters should always look for that 51 percent edge. Hitters bat .350 with the count in their favor and .150 when they're behind in the count. Pitchers know this and it makes them predictable. If a player does his homework, and keeps his head in the game, he will begin to see the pitcher's tendencies.

The 1-1 count is crucial. The pitcher desperately wants the count to go to 1-2, not 2-1. So in 1-1 counts, he will throw the pitch he is most comfortable throwing for a strike. If you've done your homework, you can bank on this: when the game is on the line for him, you're going to see the pitch he has used in the 1-1 counts throughout the game. This is the pitch he has the most confidence in that day. We can expect certain pitches in certain situations. We just have to do our homework and work our plan.

Facing The Ace
When you face a pitcher who is throwing tough pitches and is unpredictable, you've got to make some concessions and adjustments. Forget about the perfect pitch. Open up your strike zone and put the ball in play. Don't take strikes early in the count.

Facing pitchers who are not making tough pitches, you can take more liberties and look for your pitch. If you know that he doesn't have the stuff to put you away, you can be selective and shrink your strike zone. You must take advantage of this.

When you're ahead in the count, your strike zone shrinks. You can be more selective. You can sit on a pitch. When you're behind in the count, your strike zone expands; you've got to cover more of the plate. You see pitchers working this to advantage all the time. When they get ahead, and know the batter has to expand his strike zone, they're always trying to make the batter chase a bad pitch.
 
Don't give in to the pitcher until you have two strikes. Good hitters know when to give into the pitcher—and when the pitcher must give in to the hitter. Hitting is the offensive part of baseball. You must recognize your advantage and look for pitches you want to hit, until you have two strikes. With two strikes, give in and take what you can get. Taking the surprise element away can really simplify putting a good swing on the ball.

Mediocre To Productive
By incorporating some of these ideas, a hitter can transform many mediocre at bats into productive ones. He's got to make the most of his precious six minutes in the batter's box, if he aspires to excellence. 

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About Our Contributor
Mike Epstein played in the American League for nine seasons. He set the Washington Senators all-time home run mark for left-handed hitters (30) in 1971 and led the World Champion Oakland A's in home runs in 1972. In 1971, Mike tied a major league record by hitting four home runs in four consecutive at-bats. He was an NCAA All-American at the University of California, a member of the Gold Medal U.S. Olympic team in 1964 and won the Topps and Sporting News Minor League Player-of-the-Year Awards in 1966. 

Mike is a nationally-acclaimed hitting authority and consultant, and a professional hitting analyst and instructor. He has the only written endorsement Ted Williams has ever issued, "This man can flat-out teach," Williams said. Epstein is available for group instruction and seminars anywhere in the US and individual instruction in Colorado. Contact him  online at http://www.mikeepsteinhitting.com.