Slumps

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Slumps. You hate them, but sooner or later everyone has one (or two). Before I get into them, I want to discuss different hitting philosophies out there in regards to pitch selection. The big league approach, “See as many pitches as you can, make the pitcher work,” is a great one. Then there’s the swing at the first pitch. Then there’s the take the first pitch every at-bat approach. There are several to choose from. When a slump occurs, pitch selection becomes very important.

Here is my definition of a slump: When you are not consistently hitting the ball hard (regardless of hits or outs). If you are hitting the ball consistently hard and they are not falling in, that’s baseball and definitely no need to worry. There are several reasons a slump occurs. 1. You are swinging at bad pitches. 2. You’re not making solid contact when you hit it. 3. You don’t believe you are going to get a hit or hit the ball hard. 4. You are letting good pitches go by. That’s where pitch selection comes in.

One of the hardest things to do in sport is to hit a baseball. You have about ½ second to gauge velocity, rotation, location and then swing or take. In the big leagues it is about .4 seconds or less. The best advice I can ever give is to be aggressive in the strike zone. Easier said than done. Everybody tries to do that.

So let’s break this down. How do I stop swinging at bad pitches? 1. During batting practice, swing at strikes. Know the strike zone. If it’s one thing I mentioned over and over during practice sessions this winter, it’s that. 2. Make sure you are seeing the ball as early as possible. Find the pitchers release point and focus on that window. In Tony Gwynn’s hitting video he states he used to focus on the logo of the pitchers cap and then slowly shift his eyes to the release point. Either way, when pitchers begin to the throw off-speed pitches, it is imperative that you pick up the ball as soon as possible.

The other three points are subjective. If you are not making solid contact, you may have a technical problem in your swing. If you don’t believe you are going hit the ball hard or get a hit, you won’t. If you are letting good pitches go by always remember to assume the pitch is going to be a strike so you are ready to swing on every pitch.

So let’s review. 1. See the ball as early as possible. 2. Swing at strikes. 3. Make sure your swing is fundamentally sound. 4. Believe you are going to hit the ball hard. 5. Always assume the pitch will be a strike.

I am going to fine tune these even more. 1. See the ball 2. Swing at strikes. 3. Wait as long as you can and drive the ball the opposite way/up the middle (be fundamentally sound). 4. Believe. 5. Assume a strike. 6. Relax/breathe lose the tension and pressure.

Let’s finish on pitch selection. Be aggressive within the strike zone. If I have a hitter that’s slumping I’ll tell him to hack at the first good pitch he sees. If it’s the pitcher’s objective to get ahead in the count and his most consistent pitch is his fastball, then that’s what he wants to throw to get ahead. Look first pitch fastball. All the above rules apply as well.