How a Pitcher Can Gain the Advantage By Reading a Hitter's Batting Stance
Did you know that you can gain a significant advantage over the hitter just by looking at his batting stance?
The pitcher-hitter relationship is the ultimate in confrontational show-downs. The pitcher says “This is what I’ve got; let’s see if you can hit it.” The hitter, likewise, says “Show me what you got.”
Who’s going to have the advantage?
Well, that depends on who’s been doing their homework.
An intelligent baseball pitcher studies his opponents and knows their strengths and weaknesses, and you must too.
The question is “How can I know my opponents like that?” There are many ways to find out how to get an advantage on the opposing hitters. Below are some of my favorite pitching tips on how reading a hitter’s batting stance and swing can help determine their abilities, strengths and weaknesses even before you throw the first pitch. You just have to learn to pay attention and what to pay attention to.
Remember these principles:
1. Every hitter has weaknesses. Those weaknesses can be exploited. It’s your job to find them.
2. Every hitter gives you information on what they can and cannot do at the plate. It’s your job to collect that information.
3. Every pitcher has weaknesses. That means you too. Know yourself and what you can and can’t do on the mound.
These baseball pitching tips will give you a guideline of what to look for in a batting stance, when to look for it and how to look for it. Try them in your next outing and see the difference it can make in your performance.
Pitching Strategies for Reading Weaknesses in a Hitter's Batting Stance
1. Front or Back?
Look and see where the hitter's batting stance is in the box. The chances are that he stands in the back of the box generally to have more time to see the fastball. If he’s in the back of the box, a good curveball will be tough for him to hit.
If he sets up in the front of the batters box, consider using your fastball. The closer he is to you, the less time he has to react to your fastball.
Also remember hitters that struggle with breaking pitches tend to scoot closer to the pitcher to hit the pitch before it has time to fully break. So you can also use the breaking pitch effectively to this hitter as well.
2. In or Out?
Does the hitter setup his batting stance a considerable distance away from the plate? Stay away from hitters who setup away from the plate and who don’t dive in to the outside pitch. These hitters want to get their hands extended and they typically can’t get around on inside fastballs, which is why they setup off the plate.
Does the hitter crowd the plate? This hitter can be one of two things: a weak hitter who wants to get hit and get on base; or he can be a good fastball hitter who wants you to challenge him. Either way, you must develop the skill of pitching inside. Also, breaking balls and located fastballs are in order for the good hitter who crowds the plate.
3. Open Stance Hitter Who Stays Open
This hitter wants the ball inside. He has a better chance of getting to this pitch if his hips are already pre-set to be open. Pitch this batter away until he proves he can hit the ball to the opposite field. His swing path is not setup to take the ball the other way which will cause him to miss hit and roll-over pitches for weak ground balls and easy outs.
4. Closed Stance Hitter Who Stays Closed
This type of hitter generally likes to go the other way and overall wants to make contact. A closed stance is a great opportunity to establish the inside part of the plate. Closing the stance creates a significant hole in the swing and makes it very difficult to hit the inside pitch. A moving two-seam fastball would be an excellent for this hitter until he proves he can handle it.
5. Hitter with a Low Stance that Stays Low
This type of hitter is typically not a power guy and is most interested in a short swing that produces contact. This hitter still has two options: He can try to pull the ball, like most hitters do. Or he can try to go the other way predominantly.
Most hitters now are training themselves to go the opposite way and therefore will gear their swings only to go that way. Bust those hitters in. If a hitter stays low in his stance and still tries to pull the ball, keep your pitches away from him and up in the zone.
6. Hitters Who Have a Normal Stance
The hitters who have normal stance without much excessive movement typically are your better hitters. They don’t give away clues as to what pitches they struggle with. Although these hitters may be harder to read in the box by their stance there are other ways to get an idea of their abilities.
Ask these questions: Where does he hit in the lineup? What are his stats? Where did other pitchers on my team pitch him in the past? What body type does he have? If he’s short and stocky, he can probably handle the low pitch. If he’s left handed and strong, I might not start him off with pitches low and inside.
When all else fails, start the hitter off with either a fastball away or a fastball in and see how he handles it. Then gather as much info from that swing as you can.
7. Hitters with a Long, Slow Swing
Most hitters will struggle keeping their hands inside the baseball when hitting. That means that the hitter’s hands go away from his body during his swing. This provides a great opportunity to throw fastballs inside and establish your presence there.
Even if a hitter has quick hands, if the path of his bat ends up going around the ball, he cannot handle the inside fastball well. If contact is made, it will likely result in a foul ball.
Now you have some great pitching strategies to use as a starting point for reading a hitter by his stance and swing. Remember, these are great tips to start. Use them and make adjustments when you have to. And you will have to.
Collect as much information as you can about your opponents before hand as you possibly can. You want every advantage you can have against every hitter you face. Understand how to determine a hitter’s weakness and you’ve already won half the battle. Good luck.
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