Posted by: Terry () on Thu Nov 4 18:12:54 2010

> > > Jack- question on big leaguers hitting off-speed, particularly those hitters with a leg
> kick, does foot plant occur at the same time for an off-speed pitch? Or does it always land
> just before the swing starts? Basically, unless the hitter is fooled by the pitch, he reads the
> curveball and delays foot-plant until he begins the swing? It's not a noticeable delay
> though just very natural during the read which is why I believe it goes unnoticed.
> > >
> > > The reason Im asking is it seems everyone always preaches get your foot down so you
> can read the pitch, but I look at guys like Jose Bautista and he hits homers on 80mph
> breakers and 95mph heat with what appears to be the same swing (with foot-plant still
> occurring just before the swing). There doesn't appear to be a delay from foot-plant and
> swing. It looks like he reads the pitch prior to getting to launch position.
> > >
> > > Anyone feel free to help clarify
> >
> >
> > Like someone mentioned, the timing difference between 80 mph change up and 95 mph
> fastball is fairly minute in terms of absolute time.
> >
> > The hitter should maintain a continuity in his or her swing, and start the swing when the
> front foot is planted.
> > Where things go wrong, is getting an offspeed pitch when you were looking fastball or
> vice versa. Its virtually impossible to speed up or slow down your swing once the heel is
> planted.
> >
> > Manny Ram is a good example of swing continuity. If he looks offspeed, his stride seems
> to "float", but once the front foot is planted, his swing is automatic. When he looks fastball,
> everything is still very fluid, but the stride may seems slightly faster when compared to
> that of an offspeed swing.
> >
> > The bottom line is that the swing begins at heel plant. The timing of the pitch starts way
> before you even get into the batters box.
> >
> > Why do coaches preach getting the foot down early? Its easier to hit. Its hard to hit off of
> one leg, and many players do not have the skills at younger ages to account for the
> variation in pitch speeds they might see. Unfortunately, hitting from such a stationary
> position robs you of the fluidity needed to generate explosive power. Denard Span of the
> MN Twins is a glaring example of a hitter who sets up way too early. He gets up on his
> front toe, and is a statue until he swings. There is no preswing movement to help him
> generate much torque to put the ball in play. Good contact hitter because he has minimal
> motion and is pretty steady to see the pitch. Poor power numbers tho from such a quick
> twitch athlete.
>
>
> Great response, it makes sense. Heres the link to the Bautista video I tried to post earlier
> http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12404949
> One more question, how much guessing vs reading the pitch do you think big leaguers are
> doing especially on homeruns? Like when Manny Ram floats his stride is he looking
> offspeed or is he reading the pitch and just reacting?

The biggest thing to keep in mind, most hitters are not looking to hit a homerun. Most homeruns are hit on "mistake" pitches, ie a high fastball over the plate, a hanging curve, a slider left over the plate, etc. While bravado may prevent players from saying they guess, the truth is, that it is a a guess.
As I mentioned before, knowing what pitch you might get begins before you step in the box. So that guess, may be a fairly educated guess.
No doubt the better hitters read the pitch, but a fair amount of guessing happens as well. How many times do you see a hitter leave "the cheese" go by? Chances are the hitter was looking for something else, and had the patience to let it go and wait for what they want.