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:
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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.
Here are a couple of links that explain how Jose Bautista changed seemingly overnight from a baseball journeyman (5 teams in one year!) to today’s best hitter.
In this video, Bautista talks about how he changed his hitting mechanics, and his explanation is fairly simple. He started his swing earlier so he wasn’t late so often.
For a more complete picture, check out this article about Jose Baustista’s transformation. One of the things I found most interesting was the insight into Baustista’s mindset:
In his free time, Bautista reads books on exceptionality. “I’m trying to understand why mediocre people become good at what they do,” he says, “and why good people become the best.” So he mixes other players’ post-career musings on success with real mental protein.
I made a previous post where Don Mattingly explains hitting mechanics and drills for youth league players. Here’s another episode of Coaches Corner where Donnie Baseball talks about an often overlooked aspect of baseball offense – situational hitting:
Most times in youth, high school and even college baseball, hitters are just trying to get hits and put up numbers – it’s important to get noticed, right? But something different happens as you climb the ladder of professional baseball. It’s still important to get noticed, but it’s important to get noticed for being able to contribute to a winning baseball team. Execution in situational hitting is part of winning baseball. Although not always glamorous to the average fan, it does show off a hitter’s ability to handle the bat and display a complete skill set in the batter’s box.
Over at the swing away instructional blog, a parent writes in with the question: Is it possible to have too much bat speed?
My short answer is no. Is it possible to run too fast or throw too hard? I don’t think so – it’s not possible to have too much physical ability, or “tools” in the baseball world. But bat speed, foot speed and throwing velocity are measures of just that – physical ability. More raw bat speed doesn’t correlate perfectly with a higher batting average or increased slugging percentage, but it sure gives you more ability to do those things. It’s like adding horsepower to a race car – the car can go faster, but you still need to be a good driver! It’s important to take those raw tools and convert them into on-field performance.
Stack TV has a series of hitting, workout & training video clips featuring Evan Longoria from the Tampa Bay Rays. These cover aspects of his baseball specific workouts in the weight room that target power development through the lower body and core muscles, as well as training the upper body for stability. Just as important to the training, especially considering the daily repetition and long duration of the baseball season, is his mindset of taking quality reps in each area in order to maximize the training effect of his effort.
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