Plate discipline, pitch recognition, strike zone awareness are each different building blocks of a successful hitting approach.  Mechanics and strength training might get more attention, but baseball skills that center around controlling the strike zone are becoming more and more valuable.  How important is plate discipline?  I’ll reference Chicago Cubs president, Theo Epstein, here:

I believe 90 percent of the game revolves around controlling the strike zone

Theo says: Know thy zone

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If you don’t want to take Mr. Epstein’s word for it, here are a pair of interviews from minor league prospects who are getting recognized for their approaches at the plate:

• Mike O’Neill, St. Louis Cardinals, OF

418 AB’s – 78 BB/26 K in 2012

David Laurila just did an interview with O’Neill over at FanGraphs (full interview) :

DL: Does a hitter need to take a lot of strikes to have a high on-base percentage?

MO: Not necessarily. I’m not up there looking to walk. I’m looking for a specific pitch and if the pitcher doesn’t give it to me, I’m taking until I get it. I’m not going to swing if it’s out of the zone I’m looking for. That’s kind of what generates walks for me. I’m patient, and once I get my pitch, I’m swinging. I’m attacking the baseball. I’ve just been fortunate to get a lot of walks, especially this year.

 

• John Andreoli, Chicago Cubs, OF

And Jay Kolster recently gave a in-depth look at Andreoli’s hitting approach and off-season training (full interview):

412 AB’s – 75 BB/89 K in 2012

Hitters need to take their walks. When they don’t hitters end up miss hitting a lot of pitches and get themselves out. The key here is to know what pitch you want to hit, to put a good swing on it when you get it, and not be afraid to take a pitch.

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With all the training out there addressing baseball’s 5 traditional tools, it’s important that we don’t overlook one of hitting’s most fundamental skills – knowing the strike zone.  Learn to identify your strengths and weaknesses within the strike zone, pay attention to what the pitcher can and can’t do in the strike zone…now you’re on your way to having a plan at the plate!

“Hitting is timing”……”Get ready sooner”……”Get your foot down early”

You’ve heard these, right?

Timing is a critical component to good hitting, so this edition of Mailbag gives a pair of reference points to help gauge your timing.

Here is the question I received:

 

I have a quick baseball question if you don’t mind helping me. I just got back to school off of summer baseball and I am way in front of all the pitching, I was thinking if I should move up to a 34 inch bat to try and slow my hands down a bit. I have been trying to wait back and go the other way but that leads me to trying to inside out everything and getting jammed on pitches that I should be hitting into the gaps.

Slow the hands down?  No way!  Most guys wish that their hands are too fast or that they have too much bat speed.  Having the ability to unload the swing with power is a great asset to have.

Inside-outing the ball to go the other way?  Now that’s just another way of changing the way you unload or swing the bat (in a bad way).

If the issue is consistently being out in front on all types of pitching, that suggests a timing issue that is related to the PRE-swing move (or the load) rather than the actual swing (the unload).

Loaded and Ready on time at Release

Here was my response:

Read more…

Robbie Grossman is a minor league prospect of the Pittsburgh Pirates that made history this season by becoming the first minor leaguer to walk 100 times and score 100 runs in the same season since 2004.  How’d he do it?  By using a “professional approach”….something not so common for a young 21-year old.

Check out this video where Grossman himself describes his thoughts on his hitting approach:

Click for video

This past post on plate discipline gives some different insights on developing command of the strike zone, and Grossman says something similar:

When I’ve got a pitch to hit, I’ve been swinging. But if not, I’ve been taking it.

Sounds simple, right?  Well, yes, the concept can be very simple, but execution is the key.  Especially as you advance each level and the decision making process gets tougher and tougher – or, in other words, the pitchers get better.  Hitters who control the strike zone and have an actual plan at the plate really do stand out – they know how to take an at-bat.

While you’re working on perfecting your swing, don’t forget about the strike zone and pitch recognition.  In today’s game, plate discipline is becoming valued more and more.  Work on it by putting yourself into different counts while taking batting practice and distinguish between looking for pitches to drive early in the count versus putting the ball in play with 2-strikes. Find different ways like this to shift your focus from swing mechanics to the seeing the ball, it’s release point, and where you’re making contact in the strike zone.