Pitchers…Like I have said before, you need to realize how hard it is to hit a baseball. Besides that, there are a few other things that are in your favor. Here’s what I can think of…
1) The strike zone goes all the way to the bottom of the knees. If you can become great at commanding that part of the zone, you will make it a lot easier on yourself and get a lot more ground balls.
2) You have 7 guys behind you, and 1 behind the plate, waiting to help you. Throw the ball over the plate, don’t be afraid of contact, and let them take care of the rest.
3) Hitters can be very emotional. If a pitch comes anywhere near them, they more often than not, think it was on purpose. They have a hard time realizing that you just badly missed your spot. They often will get frustrated and become more aggressive and swing at pitches that they normally wouldn’t. Use this to your advantage.
4) They also have a hard time letting it go when they don’t agree with the umpires. Whether it’s a strike call or a check swing call, many amateur, minor league and some major league hitters will step back in the box still thinking about how they think they just get screwed. Use this to your advantage as they will be in that aggressive mode again.
5) Play doesn’t start until you throw the ball. Use this to your advantage and work quickly. Get back on the rubber as soon as possible and throw the next pitch. If you can work with 8 seconds or less in-between pitches, the hitter may feel uncomfortable and rushed in the box resulting in less quality swings.
6) You have a catcher behind the plate who, if he is taught right, can see things that the hitter does in the box which can help him decide on which pitches to call. Trust him back there!
There are more, but think about those for now. There are also many things that give the hitter an advantage but we don’t want to focus on that. Give all of your attention to what you do, and think, when you are on the mound. Become confident in your ability and believe in yourself. Proper preparation builds self esteem and confidence.
Founder of Baseball Dudes. Blessed with three beautiful children and an amazing wife. Baseball is my life, after my family, and I love sharing what I have learned from it. Thanks for taking the time to view what we offer here at Baseball Dudes.
