One of the most important questions we use to help hitters is "what is the most common way that you get out?" Mostly, hitters get out hitting roll over ground balls or weak flyballs. However, there are times when hitters will say that strikeouts comprise most of their outs. Today, I want to begin a short series of articles discussing the reasons why hitters strike out and how to fix them. Today we will begin by talking about approach.
Approach
The first question I ask a hitter who is striking out is: "What is your approach in the box?" It is amazing how often a hitter's approach can be the main contributing factor to an increased strikeout rate. While there can be an infinite number of things that a hitter thinks at the plate, the main reason that hitters struggle approach wise is often a lack of aggressiveness.
Lacking Aggressiveness
Whether a hitter is keeping the bat on their shoulder, or they are chasing pitches out of the zone (seems backwards but I will explain), lacking aggressiveness is often the main cause. Within lacking aggressiveness there are 3 main issues that contribute: Actively taking pitches, not having a plan or being overly passive in your thoughts.
Actively Taking
Many times hitters struggle with strikeouts they will take the first pitch or take until they have a strike. Often, hitters feel like they need to see a pitch to feel comfortable in the box or take a pitch to get a sense of how hard a pitcher throws. The problem is that this can lead to falling behind in counts. While a hitter should never be afraid to fall behind in a count, when hitters do fall behind, the success rate falls heavily into the pitcher's favor. Check out this video on taking the first pitch:
Looking for vs Expecting
Ask a hitter what their approach is on the first pitch of an at-bat and listen to what they say. You can tell within the first few words if they are being too passive or are truly stepping in with an aggressive mindset. Hitters who are truly being aggressive will have the mindset that they are expecting a pitch in a zone and expecting to swing. This tells me that they have their foot on the gas and are ready to swing. Hitters who are passive will express that they are "looking for" a pitch. this approach tells me that they have their foot on the brake, are trying to read the pitch and then decide to swing.
Having too many negative thoughts
One of my favorite quotes in baseball comes from Ty Cobb who said, "Every great hitter operates under the belief that the pitcher is more afraid of him than they are of the pitcher." Essentially, this means that good hitters get in the box and are looking to do damage, not play defense against the pitcher. However, hitters often get in the box with a ton of negative or defensive thoughts in their head. Coaches and parents often over-coach their players with "don't" statements such as "don't swing at a first pitch curveball" or "don't chase a high pitch" etc. Players will also get into the box simply looking not to make a mistake rather than trying to do damage. All of this negative thinking causes hitters to get nervous, lack aggressiveness and can either cause swinging at bad pitches or keeping the bat on the shoulder.
How to fix approach
Don't take pitches. Unless a coach gives you a take sign (which drives me crazy), a hitter should never be actively taking a pitch. After all, when you step in the box you are called a hitter!
Foot on the gas not the break. Expect a pitch and expect to do damage. Good hitters get in the box expecting the pitcher to throw the pitch they are looking for and expect to swing.
Keep thoughts positive and aggressive. This goes mostly for coaches and parents. It is hard for a player to hear negative and defensive things before stepping in the box and stay aggressive.
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