Posted by: BHL (Knight1285@aol.com) on Fri Apr 2 15:24:28 2004

>>> Dear Jack and John,
> > >
> > > See my "Pull Field Orientation," and SBK's "How to Hit an Outside Pitch." I discussed my philosophy in the former, and SBK made some useful points concerning my credo in the latter.
> > >
> > > What will be interesting / intriguing is your input as to how BHT and THT can be used to accomplish the task. I would appreciate your insight.
> > >
> > > Sincerely,
> > > BHL
> > > Knight1285@aol.com
> > >
> > > P.S. I discussed what I thought, and now we are going to discuss how to do it. <<<
> > >
> > > Hi BHL & All
> > >
> > > There has been, and will continue to be, countless chapters devoted to hitting the outside pitch. In order to keep my post as short as possible, I will list a few observations that we can expand upon with your comments, questions or disagreements.
> > >
> > > (Outside pitch -- right-handed pitcher and batter)
> > >
> > > (1) “Wait and let the ball get in deeper.” – The path of the incoming ball does not get closer to the strike zone the deeper it gets. In fact, the ball will get more of the leading edge of the plate than the back edge (especially with curve balls). Therefore, I see no benefit in allowing an outside pitch to get any deeper than one down the middle – unless I am hitting behind the runner, or etc.
> > >
> > > (2) “Take outside pitches to the opposite field.” – This implies that the meat of the bat obtains its maximum outside reach when hitting the other way. This is not the case. Hitting the ball to the opposite field just means the bat-head is behind the hands at contact – pulling means the bat-head is ahead of the hands at contact. However, for a given position of the hands, the meat of the bat reaches its maximum outside sweep when the bat is perpendicular to the flight of the incoming ball (hitting straightaway). --- Having the bat-head trailing the hands 10 to 15 degrees gains no farther outside reach than having the bat-head leading the hands 10 to 15 degrees.
> > >
> > > P.S. “Hit the inside of the ball” also means you are setting up your swing to have the bat-head trailing behind your hands at contact.
> > >
> > > (3) “Attempting to pull outside pitches results in weak ground balls and pop-ups.” -- Some of the longest homeruns ever recorded were on outside pitches hit straightaway or pulled to left center. Some of the games best hitters have moved a few inches farther from the plate and attack most balls as outside pitches. If hitting the outside pitches, the other-way is the only way to go, why is a good percentage of their hits straightaway or to the pulled side?
> > >
> > > To consistently hit the ball hard, inside or outside pitches, requires swing mechanics that can generate good bat speed over most of the strike zone and will produce a swing plane that keeps the meat of the bat in the plane of the incoming ball. Therefore, maybe our discussion should concentrate on the question, “What is it about a hitter’s mechanics that causes his swing to deteriorate if he attempts to maintain bat-head acceleration on outside pitches – and, what is it about his mechanics that would cause the bat-head not stay in the plane of the ball for another 15 to 20 degrees past the opposite field position?”
> > >
> > > (4) “Conclusion” - If your swing mechanics takes your hands (and knob of the bat) to the ball during initiation, you are better off just thinking “opposite field.” --- If on the other hand, you are able to develop transfer mechanics that first accelerates the bat-head in the plane back toward the catcher before you rotate and direct your energy toward the ball – the whole field can open up to you.
> > >
> > > Jack Mankin
> > >
> > > Hi Jack,
> >
> > Good answer. But since the direction of the pull field is usually 330, and the direction to dead center is 400, would not it a be to a hitter's best advantage in terms of home run numbers (i.e., assuming the batter is right handed) to use BHT to pull an inside, then--as Mac did on his 62nd home run in 1998--use THT to pull outside pitchers. Is there not a geometric advantage in pulling every pitch, since a ball hit 360 feet is a home run to left, but an easy thought to center?
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > BHL
> > Knight1285@aol.com
> >
> > P.S. Glad to have you back--how was your trip?
>
> BHL,
> While I do not wish to engage your opinions of pull hitting (at all costs) at this time, would you agree that geometrically speaking, the distance to left field is equal to that of right field? That said, would you argue the success of a particular hitter if he pushed outside pitches clear of the fence? For the sake of debate, let's say the same hitter is very capable of pulling inside pitches.
> Jeff M

Hi Jeff M,

You brought a valid point--in most ball parks--if we assaume the hitter is righthanded--both the left field and right field dimensions are 330.

However, some righthanded hitters can clear the left field fence by 30 feet, but fall 15 feet short when going to the opposite field. If those balls are pulled, they may wind up as home runs.

Here is why: if we think of the swing as an "accelerating arc" (credit to Mankin), hitting to right field only allows the batter to complete a fraction of the "arc," whereas hitting to left allows the "arc" to complete. The result is that the bat is moving when pulling the ball instead of pushing the ball. That is why the pulled ball will travel 360 feet, instead of 315 feet, a difference of 45. Consequently, balls pulled to the "natural field" have a better chance of clearing the fence than balls hit to the "opposite field."

Jack, perhaps you can clarify this argument if you find any flaws in it.

Sincerely,
BHL
Knight1285@aol.com

SBK offered an excellent tip--"learn how to hit the inside pitch" while crowding the plate. When one learns to do this, middle-away pitches will give the batter the feel of hitting pitches over the middle of the plate.

On the other hand, if you are an opposite field hitter, do what Mankin suggested: back off the plate, so all pitches seem like outside pitches.

If your power is straightaway, stand in a position where you are not too close from the plate, and not too far away either.

Hope I answered your question. Cheers!