Posted by: Jimmy () on Sat Feb 17 20:59:42 2007

> > Epstein believes that the challenge of getting the timing right is severe enough that
you should anticipate(be selective/zone hit) inside or out on a full swing with less than 2
strikes.It is also useful to think of each swing as a go until aborting if it then doesn't fit
your plan.Have an appropriately aggressive plan for each pitch.
> >
=======================================================
============
> > Agreed. I still teach the "zone hitting" concept, which basically states shrink the zone
on a hitters count, and open it a bit on a pitchers count. Since reading Epstein and
others, I've gotten a bit more sophisticated, though. Epstein says that you can't defend
both sides of the plate, i.e. guess your pitch and inside or outside.
> >
> > Obviously, the "zone" will change will the situation, including type of pitcher, how
much success he's having, how you're hitting, how many outs, stike/ball count, score of
the game, etc.. But I think it's vital for hitters to set their own zone, anticipated pitch, and
strategy for each pitch in the AB. Lots of guys have fundamentals that looks like Bonds or
Gwynn, but only a few seem to be able to focus their attention for the quarter second they
have to make their hitting decisions. The "plan" and "zone hitting" makes the difference,
in my opinion.
> >
> > But then, I haven't gotten a single hit or HR in MLB this year, so I defer to all those
who have. <g>
> >
> > Regards.. Scott B
>
> Either the big league hitters are superhuman or they hit with a plan, within a zone, and
drive the ball when they get the location they expected. I firmly believe in determining
before the pitch "where" you will swing and then only swing if the ball is there. Location is
way more important than whether its a fastball or a curve. The difference in batting
averages with and without 2 strikes is clearly an example of zone hitting. Why would you
hit better with less than 2 strikes if you didn't have a different approach? The number of
times big leaguers launch good swings indicates that they make the pitcher throw to their
zone before they launch. If they were trying to adjust to both speed and location on every
pitch they could not complete as many good swings. They'd have their 2 strike batting
average for their total average.

Could anticipating the pitch in the middle half of the plate be easier than guessing in or
out? The middle half includes part of both the inside and outside halves of the plate and
leaves a small erea for the pitcher to work with on either edge. If the pitcher is not perfect
and misses to the middle part of the plate, the hitter's got em. If the pitcher misses off
the plate it is a ball. This goes for any pitch that the pitcher is trying to throw to either
side of the plate. Any thoughts?

Jimmy