Recognizing Baseball Pitches

Often considered to be one of the hardest things to do in sports, hitting a fastball has become second nature to some hitters and they would rather face only fastballs. The reason: the other off speed pitches make it harder for a hitter to just sit on fastballs. Hitters today, especially advanced ones are able to recognize the pitch early and adjust their swing and reaction accordingly. Here are some tips for hitters looking to capitalize on their at-bats.

1. Understand the situation. Depending on the situation a pitcher may be forced to throw a certain pitch. Remember the World Series when Johnny Damon stole 2nd and 3rd in one play with Alex Rodriguez up to bat? This forced Brad Lidge to throw only fastballs because his breaking pitches tend to hit the dirt and he did not want the go ahead run to score. The following pitch Alex Rodriguez hit a go ahead double. Coincidence? Not one bit. Alex knew the situation and knew that Lidge had to throw a fastball and capitalized.

2. Know your strengths. If you are a good fastball hitter you probably want to jump on the first one you see. This means swinging early in the count when the pitcher is trying to get ahead in the count. When the count is even at the first pitch a pitcher is very likely to throw a first pitch fastball unless they know that you are indeed a good fastball hitter. What you want to do is jump on those pitches in counts where the pitcher needs to throw a strike and hit the fastball well.

3. Pick up the rotation of the ball. When the pitcher releases the ball the ball has a certain spin on it. If he is throwing a fastball you will pick up a backspin on the ball. If it is a curve ball the ball is coming in with a forward rotation and sometimes if you are keen enough you will pick up a small red dot in the middle of the ball which comes from the laces moving together quickly. If you can pick these up, you will be a much better hitter.