WALKS Are The Enemy! || Baseball Dudes LLC

Pitchers:

Walks are our enemy!! Sure there may be times later in a game where we might pitch around the batter to set up a DP or force situation but in general they aren’t good. At the end of the day if I’m throwing multiple “ball 4’s” I’m putting myself and my team in unnecessary and unwanted situations. One of our main goals as a pitcher should be to limit them as much as possible. Try focusing on these to help:

• Focus better on mechanics and location during catch play. Throw all your pitch types during catch. If you’re all over the place in catch there’s a great chance you’re all over the place on the mound.

• BREATHE!! Stay relaxed out there. Don’t let the game speed up on you. The situation is what it is. Remain forward focused and be present in the moment. “What’s the goal with this pitch right here, right now?”

• Throw regular weekly bullpens to focus on feel, repeating your delivery and repeating your pitches.

• Avoid “3 ball” counts by being better in 2 ball counts. Have an attitude of ending the at bat right now. Force action. Eliminate walks by eliminating 3 ball counts.

• Every day is different out there. On the days you’re not as sharp as you would like to be, use the bigger part of the plate. Be careful of trying to pitch to the corners when you don’t have that ability that inning or game.

• If your FB command is off, use your other pitches. That’s one reason why we have multiple pitches. Throwing a couple/few in a row can act as a distraction from the negative feelings around our FB in that moment and also act as a reset for our FB release.

• Stop giving the hitters too much credit. Hitting is hard!! Yes, sometimes they will win but on average they won’t more often. Challenge them!

Pitchers, we need to stay away from those walks. Keep learning and figuring out the little things to help you walk less, throw less pitches and stay in the game longer.

Chris Gissell (171 Posts)

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.

Perspective

I’ve been instructing for I don’t know how many years. At first it was just something I did during the off seasons but had no idea what it was leading to.

Fast forward to 2012, the Angels gave me an opportunity to lead their young draft picks, teach them the game and how to be a professional, my eyes were opened. Since then my appreciation and understanding of coaching has grown deep. The amount of time coaches put in, the level of patience required, the attention to detail necessary, the consistent body language needed to lead by example, the understanding of what’s really important and what’s not, the importance of being able to relate to all different personalities, athleticism and abilities, the fact that being a good coach means consistently growing ourselves and coming to the realization that the one thing that matters most in all of this is finding ways to use the game to help them prepare for all those years when they are not playing the game.

I need to say Thank You to all my past coaches and to all the current coaches who take pride in giving the kids in front of them what they need on top of baseball skills. It’s often a thankless role but remember that no matter where they go in the game, they are going somewhere in life. That’s our mission.

– Chris Gissell

“My purpose, MY WHY, is to provide for my family, while also doing everything I can to develop quality people through the many life lessons that Baseball provides daily.”

17 Years Professional Experience (14 as a player, 3 as a coach). MLB debut 8/22/2004 with the Colorado Rockies. Retired from professional coaching on 10/31/14 to focus on family and developing youth baseball players full time.

WALKS Are The Enemy!

Perspective

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