The Curveball: Part 3

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

When last I blogged we were discussing the curveball and the mechanics involved with how to hit this pitch. This week I want to discuss exactly what pitchers are trying to do with the breaking ball when they are attacking hitters. I believe that if you as a hitter understand how the pitcher is trying to go after you with the breaking ball, you will be better prepared to hit it OR lay off of it.

First lets deal with a RHP vs a RHH or LHP vs LHH:
Generally speaking, early in the count the pitcher is trying to throw the curve for a strike. In doing so they are usually going to start by throwing the curve at you, usually at your waist and let it break over the plate. The idea being, if they start it at you they can raise doubt in your mind and get you to bail out or at least freeze. This pitch is actually a good one to hit because it is intended to be thrown for a strike which means it is going to cross the plate around mid-thigh level. This is an elevated curve that you can get good wood on. (as long as you don't bail out)

Once the pitcher has two strikes on you he does not want to throw you a strike. He wants to throw a breaking ball that starts as a strike then breaks out of the zone. See the final pitch of the world series for a perfect example. By starting this breaking ball in the zone, the pitcher gets the hitter to start his bat, by breaking it out of the zone he gets the hitter to chase a bad pitch, which he is either going to miss or hit weakly. This breaking ball usually starts down the middle and breaks low and away out of the zone, often in the dirt. If as a hitter you know this, you can train yourself to take this pitch and force the pitcher to bring the ball up in the zone. Anytime you get the pitcher to bring the ball up in the zone it is going to work in your favor.

Next lets talk about the RHP vs. LHH or LHP vs. RHH:
In these match-ups the breaking ball is no longer going away from the hitter but actually coming towards the hitter. Because of this, the pitcher has to adjust how he attacks the hitter with the curve. In these match-ups, the pitcher usually will try to throw a backdoor curve for a strike early in the count. Meaning he will throw the breaking ball by starting it off the outside corner of the plate then break it over the outside corner for a called strike. The thought being he will get the hitter to give up or quit on the pitch because he thinks it is a ball, and then drop it in late for an easy called strike. As long as you dont give up on this pitch too soon, it is a good pitch to hit because it it elevated and easily shot into the opposite field.

With two strikes, the pitcher will try to break the curve at your back big toe. He will start the breaking ball middle-in at strike height, but get it to break low and in under your bat. Usually the hitter will either swing over the top of it, foul it off his foot or dribble it weakly on the ground. Again as a hitter you must train yourself to lay off of this pitch and make the pitcher bring the ball up in the zone. If you get the pitcher bringing the ball up in zone you will have a great chance of getting a good pitch to hit.

Tune in next time as we will cover the final part of this series when we discuss, "How to practice hitting the Curveball."

Quote of the week:
The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage of weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting.
-- Hank Aaron

Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

Get the Trophies and Banners Ready – Part 3

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?

So what’s in a prediction? Do predictions really matter? Do we just make predictions so that when they are right, we can brag to our friends? “I knew it, I told you so! Remember back in March when I said that the Nationals were going to finish last in the NL East? Yup, I predicted that.”

Way to go out on a limb.

And that’s another thing…do predictions have less value (or bragging rights) if you go with the majority? Are correct predictions impressive only when they are outlandish? Maybe you should only be able to brag about a correct prediction if you were made fun of when you made it?

“Get a load of this guy…he picked the New York Giants to win Super Bowl. What a joke. Did I miss the news that they traded Eli Manning for Peyton Manning?” I wish I could say I was the predictor, and not the ridiculer.

What about all of the predictions that were wrong? If we are going to reward outlandish predictions, shouldn’t we also hold people accountable for predictions that go terribly wrong? A few years ago Peter Gammons predicted that Bobby Crosby would win the AL MVP. Crosby hit .229 with 82 hits and 76 strikeouts. Gammons is a Hall of Famer, and well deserved, but shouldn’t he be held accountable for such a horrible prediction? He clearly followed the outlandish prediction rule so that he could be honored at the end of the season if it came true. And when it didn’t, nothing happened.

I feel like these incorrect outlandish predictions go the way of incorrect Super Bowl Champion t-shirts. They fade into the distance as if they never happened; yet someone out there is proudly sporting a 2008 New England Patriots Super Bowl Champions T-shirt.

So the moral of this story is that outlandish predictions are the way to go. Making outlandish predictions is a clear win-win situation. You get them right, and you have bragging rights for a year. You get the wrong and no one remembers.

PREDICTIONS*

AL EAST – 1) Boston Red Sox, 2) Tampa Bay Rays, 3) New York Yankees, 4) Toronto Blue Jays, 5) Baltimore Orioles

AL CENTRAL – 1) Cleveland Indians, 2) Detroit Tigers, 3) Minnesota Twins, 4) Chicago White Sox, 5) Kansas City Royals

AL WEST – 1) Los Angeles Angels, 2) Oakland Athletics, 3) Seattle Mariners, 4) Texas Rangers

NL EAST – 1) Atlanta Braves, 2) New York Mets, 3) Philadelphia Phillies, 4) Florida Marlins, 5)Washington Nationals

NL CENTRAL – 1) St. Louis Cardinals, 2) Houston Astros, 3) Chicago Cubs, 4) Cincinnati Reds, 5) Milwaukee Brewers, 6) Pittsburgh Pirates

NL WEST – 1) Los Angeles Dodgers, 2) Arizona Diamondbacks, 3) Colorado Rockies, 4) San Diego Padres, 5) San Francisco Giants

AL WILDCARD – Tampa Bay Rays

NL WILDCARD – Arizona Diamondbacks

ALDS – Boston over Los Angeles, Tampa Bay over Cleveland

NLDS – Los Angeles over Atlanta, Arizona over St. Louis

ALCS – Tampa Bay over Boston

NLCS – Arizona over Los Angeles

World Series – Tampa Bay over Arizona

“Like anyone would pick the Rays to win the World Series anyway.”

*I’m claiming the Outlandish Prediction Rule for these picks. Don’t hold me accountable if these are wrong. If they are right, you should expect to hear about it!