Posted by: Jimmy () on Sat Jan 5 21:24:39 2008

George,

in my opinion the "good hitters counts" are any count with less than 2 strikes...including 0-1.

The hitters plan should be the same 0-1 as it is 2-0.

And the hitter is waisting his time trying to figure out what the pitcher is "trying" to do to him because what he is trying to do doesn't matter...What matters is what actually happens once the ball leaves the pitchers hand.

In other words even if the hitter guesses right on what the pitcher is "trying" to do, if the pitcher misses his spot it does him no good.

He is better off looking for a pitch to do damage with in the big part of the plate before he gets to 2 strikes.

Even your "good pitchers" leave the ball out over the plate at least once in most at bats. The key is to be ready for that one and don't miss it. That one pitch may be the first or the sixth pitch of the at-bat. You never know.

So two approaches are all you need... "Less than 2 strike approach" and "Two strike approach"

Every hitter must have a specific two strike approach, and there are many different kinds out there. Its up to the hitter to figure out what works best for him.

Remember...0-1 approach is the same as the 2-0 approach...(less than two strikes)

Keep it simple.

Jimmy