Ever Wonder What a Hitter Thinks about Your Fastball?

Nate Barnett:

“From a hitter’s stand point, the four-seam fastball was the pitch I was

looking for the most. Because I was an aggressive hitter I would look for

this pitch early in the count in the location I wanted. If the location was

right, I wouldn’t wait to hit the pitcher’s off speed stuff later in the count as

he wanted.

Dan Gazaway:

This is very interesting because what do pitchers try and do?  We try to get ahead of the count so we start off most hitters with a fastball.  That’s okay if the pitch is located on one of the corners.  Some hitters like to watch the first pitch go by unless it is right down the middle of the plate and then the green light is always on.  I enjoyed throwing a first pitch curveball every 4-6 batters to let them know I would throw them something different.  There is always danger there to get behind in the count if you could not get that first pitch called for a strike.

Nate Barnett:

The only trouble a four-seam fastball gave me was when a pitcher was

smart enough to learn to throw it in counts that he knew I was expecting

something off speed. Especially during the 0-1,1-2 counts. It was during

these counts that I was the most vulnerable to a four-seam fastball because

I wasn’t necessarily expecting it. But the pitcher still had to be careful

because while I wasn’t necessarily expecting the fastball, that didn’t mean

for one minute that I would miss the pitch if he made a mistake with it.

Good hitters love to hit this pitch when they expect it. But, if you learn

hitters’ habits during the game, you can predict what they are looking for

and throw the opposite. You’ll win a lot of games if you can get inside the

head of your opposing hitters.”

Dan Gazaway: 

Again, I’ve said this one hundred times before; but your job as a pitcher is to keep the hitter guessing and off balance.  To ensure you do this you need to know the batters weak areas.  Here is a quick guide to help you throw to a hitters weakness.  Warning!  You still have to be careful with what I am about to share because this does not apply to all hitters, just the majority. 

If a batter is crowding the plate: They are looking for an inside pitch to hit and they are weak on the outside corner. 

If a batter is away from the plate:  They are looking for an outside pitch and their weakness is on the inside part of the plate.

If a batter is standing straight up:  These hitters typically like the ball low and can’t stand the high heat.  However, these hitters and the hitters that crouch are the ones to be careful with.  Many hitters don’t end where they begin after they take a stride.  For example, if they are crouched down their energy may not stay that way before the ball is pitched.

If a batter is crouched down:  These batters typically are looking for the high heat and will make you pay if you throw it there.

Look for those signals that batters are giving you and throw to their weak areas.  You will be a much more effective pitcher if you do.

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