How many of you played organized baseball?

[stevenash]

At the very least High School ball.

[sourtwist]

Garden city hs. No college ball

[Dollars2Donuts]

I played ball for 13 years, until I was twenty. Senior A was my last stop.

The St. Boniface Legionaries....good times.

I coached for seven years afterwards, Provincial Midget (16-18) was the highest level i coached. Had a few pretty damn talented kids drafted.....

[stevenash]

I played ball for 13 years, until I was twenty. Senior A was my last stop.

The St. Boniface Legionaries....good times.

I coached for seven years afterwards, Provincial Midget (16-18) was the highest level i coached. Had a few pretty damn talented kids drafted.....

Were you a pull hitter? If so, and the opposing defense put 3 men on one side of the infield, could you shoot it the opposite field, or in other words, did you or do you have that ability to hit to all fields.

(see where I am going here, I'm trying to steer this conversation to talk about the shift.)

[sourtwist]

McCann is starting to make an adjustment...

Yes I could def hit to all fields especially if there is a huge hole in the infield

[sourtwist]

The shift shluld be exploitable by any major league hitter

[KiDBaZkiT]

I used to burn joints in the dugout at lunch in hs. What a dumb fukk cant believe i never got caught.

[sourtwist]

Cool

[stevenash]

The shift shluld be exploitable by any major league hitter

Exactly, but there's talk they might abolish it.
So easy, just shift your weight, and wait on it.
Wade Boggs "weight, and wait"

[Dollars2Donuts]

Were you a pull hitter? If so, and the opposing defense put 3 men on one side of the infield, could you shoot it the opposite field, or in other words, did you or do you have that ability to hit to all fields.

(see where I am going here, I'm trying to steer this conversation to talk about the shift.)

I always hit the ball up the middle when I was stroking it well......damn near killed a ton of pitchers. I read a lot about Ty Cobb when I was playing....in fact I read everything I could find on the guy and I subscribed to his type of ball.....

'Hit it where they ain't'

Yes, I could hit a ball and beat the shift.....the reason that players do not do that now is that their swings are so specialized. Hitting coaches grind them every day about 'this is how you hit' and this is what you look for'.

It is funny that you asked because hitting is what I loved and I was a much better hitting coach than I was a hitter. Hitting is an art. Tony Gwynn was an aritst in my mind. He wasn't the only one.....there were tons of them.....nowadays you have select few that treat each and every at bat as an individual part of time....they are overcoached and don't do enough thinking on their own.

When I was a kid I would spend an hour a week on sliding. Yep....sliding into bases, getting back to the base on a pickoff attempt, leading off, etc. I tried my best to learn the pitchers in our league for every nuance. I was never a fast guy but I could run the bases as effectively as a guy with my speed was able, and that was pretty damn good. In fact when I was 15 in our Provincial semi-final I got picked off of third base with one out and we were down a run. I will never forget it....it taught me that you could never forget to pay attention no matter what the situation.

Anyway.....on to your question. These players do not want to 'beat the shift' because it will do two things:

1. Change the approach that some hitting coach has drilled into their minds

2. As soon as they start to beat it the defense will shift back, leaving them with an altered swing and no ability to deal with it

Pitiful.


D2D

[stevenash]

^
Outstanding post.

Problem with the hitting today is they don't teach go to all fields like they used to in the low minors.
Walks are down, strikeouts are up.
Was watching a round table discussion with Costas, Reynolds, et al, shifts are up 24 percent.
Well yeah, and until these 'pro' hitters show they can put the ball where one fielder is, shifts will go up 40 percent.
So agents are bitching to the union, my star hitter is hitting .230. To that I say, tough shit, want to bat .340 try a bunt where they ain't
Do that a few times, see how fast normal infield returns.

Another thing, it's not the lack of steroids why hitting is down, power pitching is up.
Everybody seems to have a Chapman type, Some teams have two starters that can hit 95 on the slow gun, and flame throwers in the 'pen.
Was reading where a HS senior hit 102 on the gun, it's written 25 HS kids can throw 95mph consistent.
Power pitching is not going to go away, it's going to increase.

[Dollars2Donuts]

^
Outstanding post.

Problem with the hitting today is they don't teach go to all fields like they used to in the low minors.
Walks are down, strikeouts are up.
Was watching a round table discussion with Costas, Reynolds, et al, shifts are up 24 percent.
Well yeah, and until these 'pro' hitters show they can put the ball where one fielder is, shifts will go up 40 percent.
So agents are bitching to the union, my star hitter is hitting .230. To that I say, tough shit, want to bat .340 try a bunt where they ain't
Do that a few times, see how fast normal infield returns.

Another thing, it's not the lack of steroids why hitting is down, power pitching is up.
Everybody seems to have a Chapman type, Some teams have two starters that can hit 95 on the slow gun, and flame throwers in the 'pen.
Was reading where a HS senior hit 102 on the gun, it's written 25 HS kids can throw 95mph consistent.
Power pitching is not going to go away, it's going to increase.

Lower the mound 6 inches and ban hitting coaches. Let kids learn to deal with it on their own. Get in a cage, mix it up, lay down bunts in practice, hit, hit, hit, hit, swing, swing, swing, swing......

I used to put a target in the infield and then pitch batting practice. The first half of practice we would pitch away to the guys and ask them to pull the ball, then pitch them tight and ask them to hit to the opposite field, we would work them inside and out, move them into and away from the plate, change it up constantly. These guys need to work their brains, not just their bats. The second half of practice we would pitch them straight up with not asking them anything other than sting the ball as hard as they could.

It is like golf. I grew up in a windy city and learned to work the ball either way when I was young. It was easy because I got on it early and learned to do it myself. Guys are amazed that I can still hit a duck hook, a hook, a draw, straight, a fade, a slice or a power slice at any time with any club. That makes me better.....I know how to control my body and my club. When I am doing something wrong I can identify it immediately.

Hitters nowadays, when they lose their swing, need help or video to get it back.....they just don't understand what they are doing. And in today's day and age of technology this should be easier than ever!!

[RubberKettle]

Little league but switched to lacrosse before middle school.

[stevenash]

As I type this, Matt Carpenter takes this up and comers Nelson wipe out slider right through the middle.
Liner past the pitcher, over the 2B bag.
That my friends, is a very nice piece of hitting.

[TheCentaur]

Played college

Remember they aren't just shifting, the pitcher is pitching you to go there. Very difficult to go opposite field on an inside strike, not to mention on a MLB pitcher or a Tonytall who throws mid 90s

[Swinging Johnson]

I played in the minors. I was a shortstop with the Royals. I never made it to the majors but I was the only 12 year old on the city championship squad. My teammates were 10 and 11. The kids in the majors had wicked cool uniforms. I never got the opportunity to wear one. Apparently my city discriminated based solely on skill. Where the hell is the ACLU when you need them?

[Dollars2Donuts]

Played college

Remember they aren't just shifting, the pitcher is pitching you to go there. Very difficult to go opposite field on an inside strike, not to mention on a MLB pitcher or a Tonytall who throws mid 90s

Lol, surprised he hasn't been recruited from his SBR exploits.

[Magnolia Slim]

The shift shluld be exploitable by any major league hitter

[easyliving]

used to play catcher in gym class, had the full helmet and everything.

[Bostongambler]

I enjoy wiffle ball

[Swinging Johnson]

I enjoy wiffle ball

Ill bet you dont even wear a helmet you bad ass Boston boy.

[peacebyinches]

My last stop was high school ball, was a decent player in a really competitive county (played against a few players on MLB rosters now), and could have maayybee played college ball if I was willing to go to some D-II/III crap and not be on scholarship, but screw that... I loved playing baseball but not that much. Man, if only I had done steroids in high school (and somehow grew 5 inches simultaneously)... could have gotten recruited somewhere... damn...

Let this be a lesson to all you fathers out there: force your kids to juice in high school!! They'll thank you later (although their balls won't...)

[PaperTrail07]

smart kids roid in middle school now....some highschools as well

[Cuse0323]

I played in the same league as Patrick Corbin as a kid.

That's all I got, I was a great 3rd basemen but could never hit so had to give it up before HS.

Still can't hit worth a damn. Have great reflexes with my hands but put a stick/bat in the mix and it's a no go.

[Ralphie Halves]

Played in high school. Was a slap hitter, and if you asked me to pull, I could, but I would always top it, and hit it on the ground. Nobody ever shifted for me, though it wouldn't have been a bad idea.

That's why I've always liked Pujols and the way he hits. He hits the ball where it's pitched, and really hard. You can't plan for him.

[Big Bear]

I always hit the ball up the middle when I was stroking it well......damn near killed a ton of pitchers. I read a lot about Ty Cobb when I was playing....in fact I read everything I could find on the guy and I subscribed to his type of ball.....

'Hit it where they ain't'

Yes, I could hit a ball and beat the shift.....the reason that players do not do that now is that their swings are so specialized. Hitting coaches grind them every day about 'this is how you hit' and this is what you look for'.

It is funny that you asked because hitting is what I loved and I was a much better hitting coach than I was a hitter. Hitting is an art. Tony Gwynn was an aritst in my mind. He wasn't the only one.....there were tons of them.....nowadays you have select few that treat each and every at bat as an individual part of time....they are overcoached and don't do enough thinking on their own.

When I was a kid I would spend an hour a week on sliding. Yep....sliding into bases, getting back to the base on a pickoff attempt, leading off, etc. I tried my best to learn the pitchers in our league for every nuance. I was never a fast guy but I could run the bases as effectively as a guy with my speed was able, and that was pretty damn good. In fact when I was 15 in our Provincial semi-final I got picked off of third base with one out and we were down a run. I will never forget it....it taught me that you could never forget to pay attention no matter what the situation.

Anyway.....on to your question. These players do not want to 'beat the shift' because it will do two things:

1. Change the approach that some hitting coach has drilled into their minds

2. As soon as they start to beat it the defense will shift back, leaving them with an altered swing and no ability to deal with it

Pitiful.


D2D

up the middle is what they teach the kids these days

[STAX]

I played high school, pitched 2 years college, and 7 years class A after that... i was pretty damn good, threw 84-87 consistantly with awesome changeup. my curveball gradually got worse from the time I was 17 until I retired. never could figure it out. prolly could still hit low 80's on the gun now.

[TheLock]

up the middle is what they teach the kids these days

True true

[gauchojake]

Completely irrelevant bump as usual. SBR ran off CougarBait for bumping old threads and Bear just dumbs down the forum one post and random thread bump at a time. CougarBait was a good caper which makes sense. I'll be sure to contribute nothing more than entertainment value here.

[TheLock]

A good caper, indeed!

[Vegas39]

Completely irrelevant bump as usual. SBR ran off CougarBait for bumping old threads and Bear just dumbs down the forum one post and random thread bump at a time. CougarBait was a good caper which makes sense. I'll be sure to contribute nothing more than entertainment value here.

Jake gets it

[RavensFan2k3]

up the middle is what they teach the kids these days

Stop bumping old threads damnit

[Snowball]

i played from 7 years old to 15... in high school the coach didn't like me
and favored his buddies sons.. guy put me to bat 4 times and i got a hit
every time. a perfect batting average but he wouldn't play me so i quit.

[mitch51]

Was a pitcher from age 9 to 17. Got scouted by the Mets along with another pitcher. The Mets found out I had arm trouble and signed the other guy, $25,000 bonus for him. The other guy immediately got hooked on coke and that was that. But man, there was nothing funner than pitching as far as I went.

[packerd_00]

Went as far as Little League but the HS I went to didn't have a Baseball team.