Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens – and when it happens, it lasts. –John Wooden
“When pitching is your strength, you want a good defense,” SF Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “That shows up every day. … Hitting sometimes, it comes and goes. But as long as you can stay in more games, the better chance you have of winning them, and that’s how we play.”
Hitting with two strikes requires a different approach than hitting with less than two strikes. With two strikes you must hit the pitcher’s pitch (if it is a strike) and you cannot “sit on a pitch”. This type of hitting is know as “reactive” hitting. You must see the ball and react to it. Two strike hitting is much tougher than hitting with less than two strikes. Major League hitters on average hit less than .200 with two strikes and above .320 on average with less than two strikes. If you want to hit .300, you need to learn to hit with two strikes. If you can get your two strike average up - you will improve your overall batting average
Two strike hitting tips:
1. Keep your swing short. Some hitters shorten their stride or eliminate it altogether with two strikes. The short stride or no stride approach starts with a wider stance to begin with (you are essentially starting in a “pre-stride” position. The longer you can look at the pitch (to identify it) - the better with two strikes.
2. Use an “inside out swing” with two strikes, going to the opposite field will give you longer time to identify the pitch. This is a great time to let the ball get deep and hit the inside half of the baseball.
3. Concede the long ball and just get the barrel on the ball - as Ted Williams used to say. Don’t try to do too much, just hit a line drive (first choice) or ground ball (second choice) somewhere ( to the opposite field if need be).
4. Crowd the plate a little bit. Make sure you have good plate coverage. Don’t let the pitcher sneak a strike by you out there.
5. Widen your strike zone slightly. Don’t chase real bad pitchers, but don’t get “rung up” on a close pitcher either. The “two strike” strike zone should be slightly expanded in the hitter’s mind to avoid being called out.
*You often hear Erstad say he wants his players to respect the game. What exactly does he mean?
"It's running on and off the field," he said.
"It's little things like actually picking up trash off the field. It's playing catch the right way, respecting your opponent, just the way you go about your business.
"It's not about any individual person. It's about this game. You're here to honor this game and play it the way it's meant to be played. I want them sliding, I want them diving and taking pride in what they do.
The "3 I's," as I like to say. Intelligence: the ability to make sound decisions on your feet and to play smart. Immediacy: the sense of urgency in accomplishing a task; the belief that now is the time to act. Intensity: the emotion and passion that an individual brings to his or her task. Do you have the burning desire to be the best that you can be all at times? Not every player or employee has all three to the maximum, but those who do stand out from the pact. The teams that have individuals with the 3 I's are more likely see success.From "How Good Do You Want To Be" by Nick Saban
A lot of players want to make "big plays"; but you win more games because of "basic winning plays" repeated over & over again. Simple wins more! Focus on making the routine play every time. That will lead you to success.
Wasn’t that beautiful? Many players would probably look at that clip and not think “beautiful.” Boring might be a better fit for kids today. It may be boring to some but that would be a result of them not really “seeing” what is in the clip. Upon closer inspection, here are some key features of the clip that many would miss.
He is by himself. Practicing by yourself is a must if you want to be great. A field, a garage, a gym, a basement, a batting cage, and/or a back yard are the places where good players become great. Waiting for your coach to call a practice will get you nowhere. There are a million things a player can and should be doing on their own if they want to continue playing baseball in the future. As Jean de la Bruyere (17th century French writer) said, “All of our unhappiness comes from our inability to be alone.”
Rhythm. Watch the clip again and count the seconds that pass between the swings. Start counting (or just look at the clock) as soon as the bat hits the ball on the first swing and start counting again from the beginning when the ball is hit again. (Like this … 18, 19, 20, HIT, 1, 2, 3 … HIT ). Notice anything? When I counted, it was EXACTLY 16 seconds between both swings!! How did that happen and why would it matter? Many players hitting off a tee do not take their time. They rush. They swing, swing, swing without any type of rhythm. Joe Mauer takes his time and recognizes that the quality of the swing is much more important than the quantity of swings. Developing a systematic rhythm to your swings gives your body the proper muscle memory that allows it to go on autopilot in times of high stress or pressure. He would not even know it but his natural rhythm between swings off a tee is about 16 seconds. What’s yours need to be?
Game like. This goes along with the rhythm piece. After setting the ball on the tee, Mauer goes through his exact, game-like procedure prior to the swing – he looks down to set his feet properly, he gives a normal practice swing, his eyes are forward on where the pitcher would be, he loads up, he strides, and he swings. He is practicing exactly what he wants to do in the game. The rhythm, technique, and timing are all the same.
