The Curveball: Part 4

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

We have been discussing the curveball and how to hit it and how pitchers are trying to use it to get you out. Today we are going to discuss some different ways to practice hitting the curveball.

If you think about it, most hitters practice hitting fastballs about 99% of the time. Therefore it is no shock that most hitters are better at hitting fastballs than any other pitch. Imagine if in your daily routine or practice sessions you could change that to 75% fastballs and 25% off-speed pitches. You would make great improvement in your ability to hit off-speed pitches. What I have found is not only does it make hitters better at hitting breaking balls but it actually enhances their ability to hit the fastball and use the whole field. When you only work on hitting fastballs it is easy to develop the habits of lunging at the pitch, not keeping your weight centered, and not keeping your hands back; because you can get away with some of these flaws to hit a fastball. There is no way you could get away with these flaws when facing a pitcher who changes speeds (which most pitchers do).

So what can you do to work on hitting breaking balls? Here are a few ideas for you:

1. Change of speed side toss
Have a friend flip you normal good old fashion side toss; however, he will need to vary the height of the flips. A low flip will get to you quicker, much like a fastball. A high looping flip will be slower and take longer to come down into the hitting area, much like a curveball. Sometimes have him simply pump fake the pitch without telling you. If you can take the pitch centered and balanced you are in good position, if you have commited yourself forward, your in trouble. This drill will help you to feel yourself get to your launch position without commiting to a fastball or curveball and will give you the chance to hit either one.

2. Change of speed front toss:
Have your buddy set up behind an L-screen about 15 feet in front of you and flip you front toss, but rather than just pumping you straight pitch after straight pitch, have him loop the tosses up a little higher with a little spin on it. This will simulate a slower, looping pitch much like a breaking ball and it will get your eyes in tune with looking for spin.

3. Machine curveballs:
If you have access to a pitching machine, set it up to throw you curveballs. But don't set it up to throw the nasty sharp down breaker. Set it up to throw you hangers. A hanging curve is a mistake, HITTERS MUST KILL MISTAKES! The really good, tight, sharp breaking balls are great pitchers pitches. First train yourself to hit the mistakes, if you get good at that you can start working on the pitchers pitch.

4. Live BP:
If you have a friend or coach who can throw a decent breaking ball in batting practice, have him throw it to you. Have him throw you regular fastball batting practice, then breaking ball batting practice and then have him mix it up.

5. Pitch recognition:
Simply play catch with a buddy who pitches. Get about 60 feet apart and have him throw fastballs, breaking balls and change ups to you. It does not have to be full speed and you can do it standing up. Work to try to recognize the pitch in his release point. Shout out what pitch it is as fast as you recognize it. Sometimes you will be wrong...so what. The goal is to train your eyes and brain to recognize what pitch is coming to you as quickly as possible.

I hope these tips help you. Implement these drills into your practice sessions and see your batting average and hitting ability rise. Good luck!

Quote of the week:

Before everything else; getting ready is the secret of success.

-Henry Ford


Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

The Curveball: Part 3

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

When last I blogged we were discussing the curveball and the mechanics involved with how to hit this pitch. This week I want to discuss exactly what pitchers are trying to do with the breaking ball when they are attacking hitters. I believe that if you as a hitter understand how the pitcher is trying to go after you with the breaking ball, you will be better prepared to hit it OR lay off of it.

First lets deal with a RHP vs a RHH or LHP vs LHH:
Generally speaking, early in the count the pitcher is trying to throw the curve for a strike. In doing so they are usually going to start by throwing the curve at you, usually at your waist and let it break over the plate. The idea being, if they start it at you they can raise doubt in your mind and get you to bail out or at least freeze. This pitch is actually a good one to hit because it is intended to be thrown for a strike which means it is going to cross the plate around mid-thigh level. This is an elevated curve that you can get good wood on. (as long as you don't bail out)

Once the pitcher has two strikes on you he does not want to throw you a strike. He wants to throw a breaking ball that starts as a strike then breaks out of the zone. See the final pitch of the world series for a perfect example. By starting this breaking ball in the zone, the pitcher gets the hitter to start his bat, by breaking it out of the zone he gets the hitter to chase a bad pitch, which he is either going to miss or hit weakly. This breaking ball usually starts down the middle and breaks low and away out of the zone, often in the dirt. If as a hitter you know this, you can train yourself to take this pitch and force the pitcher to bring the ball up in the zone. Anytime you get the pitcher to bring the ball up in the zone it is going to work in your favor.

Next lets talk about the RHP vs. LHH or LHP vs. RHH:
In these match-ups the breaking ball is no longer going away from the hitter but actually coming towards the hitter. Because of this, the pitcher has to adjust how he attacks the hitter with the curve. In these match-ups, the pitcher usually will try to throw a backdoor curve for a strike early in the count. Meaning he will throw the breaking ball by starting it off the outside corner of the plate then break it over the outside corner for a called strike. The thought being he will get the hitter to give up or quit on the pitch because he thinks it is a ball, and then drop it in late for an easy called strike. As long as you dont give up on this pitch too soon, it is a good pitch to hit because it it elevated and easily shot into the opposite field.

With two strikes, the pitcher will try to break the curve at your back big toe. He will start the breaking ball middle-in at strike height, but get it to break low and in under your bat. Usually the hitter will either swing over the top of it, foul it off his foot or dribble it weakly on the ground. Again as a hitter you must train yourself to lay off of this pitch and make the pitcher bring the ball up in the zone. If you get the pitcher bringing the ball up in zone you will have a great chance of getting a good pitch to hit.

Tune in next time as we will cover the final part of this series when we discuss, "How to practice hitting the Curveball."

Quote of the week:
The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage of weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting.
-- Hank Aaron

Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

The Curveball: Part 2

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

I commented in my previous blog about the curveball and the "demon" that it can be for hitters both young and old. I see hitters making the same mistakes over and over again and they never make any adjustments. So I thought to myself, maybe they don't make an adjustment because they don't know what adjustment to make. Last week I listed the three major problems I see happening with hitters and curveballs. Today, we are going to deal with Point 1, hitters have no idea how to hit a curveball.

First, ask yourself how do I hit a fastball? Do you lunge at the fastball and hit it with your weight out on your front foot or do you stay centered? Do you pull everything or are you able to spray the ball all over the field based on where the ball is pitched? If you are a guy who pulls everything and has a tendency to jump out at the fastball you probably really struggle to hit curveballs (see Wily Mo Pena). So the first thing you must be able to do is load your hands and take your stride getting to a neutral position. This means that your hands are back, your stride foot is down and closed, and your body weight is centered.

This position allows the hitter to react and handle any pitch that is thrown at him. If you are not able to get to this position before swinging the bat you will have a tough time hitting anything off-speed.

Next, once you are able to get to this position consistently, you must be able to hold it for an extra split second. When hitting the fastball the sequence is load-stride-swing. When hitting the curveball it should be load-stride-pause-swing. The pause is necessary because the breaking ball is going to be slower than the fastball, usually by 8 to 12 mph. This pause allows you to hold your launch position a split second longer giving the ball time to reach the hitting zone, where you can drive it. Players who are not able to reach this position and hold it, are players who lunge at the ball and get out in front, usually rolling their wrists over the ball and grounding out or popping up weakly.

These two tips will help you not only hit the curveball better but will give you the chance to hit the change up AND the fastball better. One of these is purely a mechanical fix and the other requires that you be patient and allow the game to come to you.

There are many ways to work on this but here are two that you can try at home:

1. Hit off a batting tee. Work to reach the good load-stride position. Pause in that spot for a moment or two, then swing. This will help you feel the position that you should be getting into and it will help you feel the pause.

2. Do side toss. Have a coach, friend, or parent flip you balls and occasionally have them pump fake the toss without you knowing. When they pump fake you, your weight should stay centered. If you are not you have started to commit your swing and you have no chance to hit an off speed pitch. After getting good at this, have your tosser do the same thing but when they pump fake, hold your position and then have them toss it. This will get you to hold your launch position and wait for the ball to come to you.

Try those few drills out and see how they work for you. Stay patient as it takes some time. Tune in next week when we will cover: "What the pitching is trying to do to you with the curveball."


Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

The Curveball

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

On a daily basis I see hitters both young and old struggle with one particular pitch. Day in and day out I see guys swing and miss and wave at this demon of a pitch. I see the same mistakes over and over again and it drives me crazy. In college I majored in History. There is one quote attributed to history that I love and it crosses over all walks of life and especially into baseball. "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." In other words, if you don't pay attention you can make the same mistakes over and over again. Or even better, learn from your mistakes. This demon pitch that I am referring to is the curveball.

I see hitters struggle with this pitch endlessly. At the big league level Wily Mo Pena quickly comes to mind. This guy can hit the ball a mile and has tremendous bat speed, yet he is not a very productive hitter because he has one enormous weakness...he can't hit a curveball and pitchers know it. I go out and watch high school and youth games and I see much of the same.

From my point of view it appears that three major problems are happening:

1. Hitters have no idea how to hit a curveball.

2. Hitters have no idea what the pitcher is trying to do with the curveball.

3. Hitters do not practice hitting curveballs enough.

Over the next few weeks I will be discussing a plan of attack for hitters on how to attack this evil demon.

Quote of the week:

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should accomplish with your ability" - John Wooden, legendary basketball coach


Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

A Few Life Lessons

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

I was recently glued to the College World Series coverage on ESPN. It was a great series with a fantastic champion, the underdog Fresno State Bulldogs taking the national title. That in and of itself is a great story and a great lesson. When you get a group of people together who work hard and believe in each other, greatness is possible.

Being an east coast guy, I was actually pulling for the Georgia team to win it all and particularly for one player. Dawgs centerfielder Matt Cerione. Cerione had a rare accomplishment, he struck out five times in one game. Can you imagine, 0-5 with 5 K's on national TV in the biggest game of the year at the World Series. The reason that I am writing about this is because in his next game he went out and had two super clutch hits including a double late in the game that plated two and put the Dawgs ahead.

The mental toughness this kid showed to bounce back from such a dreadful night at the plate was incredible. Many young players would shut down and quit if this had happened to them. But what Matt Cerione understands is that in baseball, these things happen, that you must learn to deal with both the good and the bad. And no matter how bad you are at the plate one day, the sun will rise and you will get a chance the next day. To be a good player in baseball you must be able to deal with failure. Face it you are going to fail a heck of a lot more than you are going to succeed. How you deal with that failure is going to go a long way towards whether or not you are going to be a success in the sport or a failure. My hats off to Matt Cerione...tremendous bounce back.

This April, Manny Burriss was called up to the big leagues to play short stop for the San Francisco Giants. Manny is a local product from Washington DC. I had the pleasure of doing some one-on-one lessons with him at the Baseball Factory when he was just a junior in high school. While he was an athletic kid, he was very skinny and not a huge powerhouse like you might expect a future big leaguer to be. What I do remember about him was that he was working on switch hitting and when the time was up on our sessions, he never wanted to stop. He always wanted more swings and I had to kick him out of the cages.

While I did not think at the time he would play in the majors, I do remember thinking that he had that one ingredient that you have to have to be great...desire. He wanted to be good and he willed himself to be good. To put it simply, he worked his butt off. Many young players say they want to make it to the big leagues, but few truly are willing to do what it takes to get there. Manny Burriss knew what he wanted and made the sacrifices and put in the time and effort to do it. He was recently quoted in Sports Illustrated as saying "practice, practice, practice, drive your parents crazy." That means get off the video games and get off the couch and go work at whatever it is you SAY you want to be great at.

Lastly, if you didn't catch it on ESPN, you can watch it on youtube.com. You will see a 8 minute long piece on a young man named John Challis, battling for his life with cancer. He loves sports and in particular baseball. While his cancer is terminal, his courage and attitude are incredible and should inspire people for a full life time. This young man is incredible. Parents do yourself a favor and make your son watch it.

Lastly I will leave you with a quote that I recently heard:

"If people accomplished everything they are capable of they would astound themselves"

-Thomas Edison

Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

Situational Hitting: Part 4

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

We have been discussing situational hitting and ways to make yourself a productive hitter by executing when in "situational hitting" situations. This week we are going to discuss the following situations:

1. Hit and Runs

2. Leading off an Inning

Hit and Runs:

Every coach seems to have a slightly different opinion on what they want their hitters to do on a hit and run. In general a perfect hit and run will have the batter hit a ground ball to the opposite field. When a runner is on first, the middle infielder who is on the hitter's opposite field side usually has coverage of second in the event of a steal. So if the hitter can hit a ground ball through the vacated hole caused by the middle infielder covering second, you have a perfect hit and run. The problem is that the pitcher doesn't always throw a good pitch that you can hit on the ground to the opposite field side, so what do you do?

I have a few rules of thumb that will help you with a hit and run. First, if your coach puts this sign on, you HAVE to swing at the pitch, even if it is a ball. The only pitch I would not want you to swing at is a ball in the dirt. A pitch in the dirt is very difficult for the catcher to try to throw a runner out on, so there is no point in swinging just to protect the runner. Next, focus on hitting the ball on the ground but don't worry so much about hitting it to the opposite field, focus more on hitting it where it is pitched. I have seen too many players get an inside fastball and try to hit a grounder the other way and they wind up getting jammed and popping up, sometimes resulting in a double play.

So...focus mostly on getting the ball on the ground and hitting it where it is pitched. If you can take it "oppo," do, but do it without altering your swing too much. Lastly, most young players that I see get the hit and run sign from their coach, will chop down at the pitch. You need to have enough bat control to be able to hit a good, solid ground ball without having to significantly change your swing. Talk to your coach and ask him what he wants from a hit and run and make sure that you are clear on what expectations he has.

Leading off an Inning:

The leadoff hitter on a team is usually the best at getting on base and usually has some speed. The problem is that he very often only leads off the first inning. As hitters we are all going to be leadoff men. We are all going to have the responsibility of getting a rally started. So what types of things should you do to be effective?

First, raise your intensity. When your team is down a run in the 9th inning it always amazes me how much the offensive team raises its itensity. All of a sudden players are doing whatever they possibly can to get on base. They move up in the box, up on the plate, try to get hit by pitches, they will dive head first into first base trying to beat out a ground ball. All kinds of extra effort in just to try to get on base. Why don't players and teams do this in say the 3rd inning? Because the game is not on the line...or is it?

As hitters, if you are leading off an inning, get your butt on base! Do whatever it takes. I would suggest moving up on the plate a little bit. Often pitchers don't like the look of a batter on top of the plate and it will intimidate them enough to pitch away from you and out of the zone. This can get you into a hitters count giving you a better chance to get a better, more predictable pitch to hit. As we have discussed in previous blogs, this gives you a much better chance to get a hit and get on base. Lastly, check the defense. Often the corner infielders may be asleep the first few pitches of a new half inning. They may be playing a little too deep which may give you a chance to drop a bunt for a hit.

All of the situations that we have covered are immensily important to the success of your team and to your production as a hitter. Always make sure you are clear in your mind at what your job is and what you have to do to be successful in that situation. If your mind is clear you will function much better without a hesitation in the box. Good luck and EXECUTE, your coach will love you for it.


Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

Situational Hitting: Part 3

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

The last few weeks we have been discussing situational hitting and being able to execute when faced with those situations as a hitter. Last week we talked about suicide and safety squeeze bunts. This week we are going to focus on the next two on the list:

Man on 2nd with Nobody Out
&
Man on 3rd with Less than Two Outs

When a coach says that his team does all the little things well, these two items are big ones on that list. I go crazy watching professional games because so often the big leaguers do not execute in these situations. Worse yet it does not even appear that they are really trying to execute correctly. As young players you can make yourself a valuable member of the team and a productive hitter if you can execute in these spots.

Man on 2nd with Nobody Out

This is when you are not asked to bunt by your coach but you must still advance the runner to 3rd. A simple ground ball to second will do the job perfectly; however, I prefer to have my hitters look to drive the ball to the right side. The key for hitters in this situation is to get a pitch on the outside portion of the plate if you are a right-handed hitter and on the inside portion of the plate if you are a left-handed hitter. Simply swinging at a pitch in the correct portion of the zone makes your job much easier. In the end you need to hit the ball behind the runner and ideally on the ground so that the runner can advance to 3rd. It does not matter if you make an out, you will have done your job.

Man on 3rd with Less than Two Outs

This is probably the most important situation that you can be in. This is when there is an RBI on the line. You have got to score that runner. Teams work so hard to get runners to 3rd with less than two outs so that it makes it easier to score the run. What is critical in this situation is that you are aware of where the defense is playing. If the infield is back, all you need to do is hit a routine ground ball out and you will score the run. If the infield is in, you will need to drive a fly ball to the outfield or hard through the middle.

When in this situation many young hitters will alter their swing too much to try and hit a fly ball and will pop up in the infield. You must keep your head down and stay on the ball so that you can make solid contact. Focus simply on hitting slightly below center on the ball so that you can get the necessary lift. When in these spots, keep it simple and don't try to do too much. Don't try to hit a homerun when a simple ground out will do the job.

Remember these tips and be in control of what you are trying to do in these situations and you will become a clutch run producer for your team. Next week we will talk about hit-and-runs, a man on second with two outs and leading off an inning.


Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

Situational Hitting: Part 2

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

Last week I began talking about the importance of "executing" when faced with different hitting "situations." I noted seven different hitting "situations" that tend to stick out more than any others. This week, I am going to discuss the first two on the list. In case you forgot, here are the first two:

1. Sacrifice bunts

2. Suicide squeeze and safety squeeze

Most young players think that being a productive hitter means getting a lot of hits. The reality is that it is great to get a lot of hits but it does not guarantee that you will be productive. You can also be a productive hitter without hitting for a high average IF you "execute" well in hitting situations.

1. Sacrifice Bunts

Most young players do not know how to bunt. This is one of the most under taught skills in baseball today. Young players also hate to bunt because we wait all that time for our turn to hit and now we don't get to swing, we have to bunt, yuck. But a good ballplayer will gladly give himself up or "sacrifice" for the team. My first tip to being a good bunter: Commit to it. A lot of players will give a half-hearted attempt at it and miss or foul off the first attempt in hopes that the coach will take the bunt sign off. This is the worst thing you can do. Usually this will make the coach angry because he can clearly see you are not making a good effort, so as a matter of principle he will make you try to bunt even with two strikes. So COMMIT to the bunt and it will help you have greater success.

A few other tips to help you. When Sac bunting you must get UP, UP and UP. Move UP in the box, move UP on the plate and move UP on the bat. If you do this correctly this will guarantee that when you square to bunt, your bat will be in fair territory (this is critical to bunting the ball fair). Once you have done this, you should pre-set the angle of your bat. What I mean is, if you are going to bunt to 3rd you should square up and get your bat angle set so that if the ball hit your bat it would ricochet towards 3rd. You must also make sure to always keep the tip of the bat slightly above your hands. If the tip of the bat drops you have a greater chance to pop the bunt up. Lastly you must know what direction to bunt. With a man on first you should bunt to first. If you can make the first baseman field the bunt it becomes a very difficult throw for him to try and throw out the runner going to second. He likely will opt to throw to first and you will have done your job. With a runner on second you want to bunt to third and make the third baseman field the ball for the same reasons mentioned above. While these are not all of the tips for bunting, these are a few that are not always taught and can give you an edge up.

2. Suicide squeeze and safety squeeze

Suicide squeeze means that when the pitcher winds up to throw to the plate the runner from third is breaking like he is stealing home. As the hitter you have to bunt the ball in fair territory. At worst you must make some sort of contact with the ball otherwise the base runner will be a dead duck. In this "situation" it is most important to just get the bunt in fair play and not be so worried about what direction you bunt the ball. If you can keep it away from the pitcher a little bit that is a huge help.

Should your coach call this play and you achieve the element of surprise it is usually fairly successful. If the defensive team is on its toes and looking for a possible squeeze it becomes a little more difficult. The best defense against a squeeze is to throw a pitch-out or a pitch that the hitter cannot bunt but that the catcher can catch. So as the bunter you must be prepared to get the bat on the ball. Do whatever it takes to make some form of contact. Throw the bat at the ball, take one hand off the bat to extend your reach if you must, but make contact. Again if you don't the runner is going to be out. If you are given the squeeze, be prepared for the worst, and if you get a decent pitch it will be a lot easier for you.

The safety squeeze simply means that the base runner at third is not running on the pitch, but waiting to read where you have bunted the ball. This "situation" is much more like a sacrifice only instead of advancing the runner to second or third, you are sacrificing him home. Therefore in this spot you must "execute" a quality bunt directed away from the defensive pressure. Usually the third baseman is a little more aggressive charging and more athletic, so in general you will want to get the bunt down towards first. This spot does not require that you go after the pitch, you have the option of waiting for a good pitch to bunt, so make sure you "bunt strikes."

Next week we will take a look at the next few "situations."

Man on second with no one out and man on third with less than two outs.

Trivia Question answers:

1. Hank Aaron is third all-time in career hits behind Rose and Cobb
2. Ernie Banks has 4 of the top ten single season home run totals by a shortstop, A-rod has the other 6


Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

Situational Hitting: Part 1

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

I have touched on this topic some in previous Blog's but I feel it needs to be clearly addressed again. One of the most important things that hitters can do is execute properly when they have "Situational Hitting" opportunities. Obviously every at-bat technically is a "situation" but in the baseball world some are considered to be of more importance or of greater value. Here is a list of a number of key spots that hitters need to execute well:

1. Sacrifice bunts

2. Suicide squeeze and safety squeeze

3. Man on 2nd nobody out, move the runner over to 3rd (swinging away)

4. Man on 3rd with less than 2 outs

5. Hit and Runs

6. At bats with a runner in scoring position and 2 outs

7. Leading off an inning

Over the next few weeks I will dive into each situation and discuss the importance of being able to execute and give tips to help players improve their ability to execute in these situations.

Trivia questions: (you must answer without looking it up on google)

1. Pete Rose is the All-Time career hits leader, with Ty Cobb in second place. Can you name the player who is 3rd All-Time in career hits?

2. Alex Rodriguez has 6 of the top 10 best home run seasons by a short stop, can you name the shortstop who has the other 4 best single season home run totals?

Please post your answers (dont cheat), and tune in next week for the second blog on situational hitting and the answers to this week's trivia questions.

Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

Think Before You Change Your Swing

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

From doing private lessons at Baseball Factory I have learned an immense amount about the swing, how players bodies move and react and about the adjustments that coaches try and get hitters to make. One thing that drives me crazy is that young players will do whatever a coach tells them to without thinking about it or questioning it. On one hand you expect a kid to listen to his coaches and be respectful towards them, on the other hand you want players to learn and understand their own swing so that they can make the correct adjustments on their own and not always rely on what a coach says. As there is in any sport, there are knowledgeable coaches who give good advice and there are bad coaches who give incorrect information to players. As hitters you need to understand your swing and what makes it good and what makes things go wrong. As coaches we need to explain this to players clearly when trying to get them to make a change.

I often have players come to me and they are doing something in their swing that is odd or out of place. For example, I had a player the other day who was starting with his hands really low, almost down to his waist. I asked him why he did that; his answer was, "because my coach told me too." I then asked him why, what does that do for you, his answer "I don't know?" If I had a dime for every time I've heard this I would be a very rich man. I don't necessarily have a problem with the coach having the kid move his hands down, what I have a problem with is that the coach did not explain to the kid why he wanted him to do this and the kid didn't question it, he just did it. As players we have to understand our swing, as coaches we have to help players to understand hitting and to understand there own swing. Otherwise how can we get angry at a kid for not making the right adjustments?

Players please think before you allow a coach to change your swing. Ask questions of the coach such as:

• What problem will this solve in my swing?
• Why do you want me to make this change?
• What will this adjustment do for me?
• Will this adjustment have any negative effects on my swing?

Once you have gotten these answers, try the adjustment in your practice sessions and see if it makes sense to you and if it helps you. Once you have done this then you can make a sensible choice on whether or not you are going to change your swing.

I had a player in for a lesson the other day who was hitting over .500 through 17 high school games. He had a bad week last week and was 0-9. His coaches wanted him to completely change his stance, hand position, and stride because he wasn't hitting well. When the player came to me for his next lesson he asked me what I thought. I refused to answer and made him tell me what he thought first. I was really proud of him. He said his swing felt fine, that he had chased some bad pitches and had just missed a few others and that he didn't think he should change anything because he had been killing the ball. I forced him to think about his situation and use common sense. When I asked him what his coaches said these changes would do for him he said "They never told me, they just said I needed to change because I was struggling."

The moral of the story here is THINK before you start making changes. I'm not saying that you shouldn't make adjustments, but think about them, understand them and test them before you start changing for the sake of changing. If you can learn to understand your swing and how and why it does and doesn't work you will meet your best coach...


...yourself.

Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

Work the Count - Take a Strike: Part 2

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

Last week I wrote about the two quotes mentioned in the title: "Work the Count" and "Take a Strike." I commented that I did not like these comments because they were misleading and incomplete. The fact is that the more balls and the less strikes that you have, the better off you are. AND the first pitch of an at-bat is in fact a VERY good pitch to hit. I based a lot of these facts off the statistics of Major League hitters last season and of other seasons that I have researched. I used the following chart which I showed last week and I will show again this week:

Batting average by count for all MLB players in 2007:

0-0 = .344

1-0 = .341

2-0 = .351

3-0 = .394

0-1 = .324

1-1 = .327

2-1 = .338

3-1 = .368

0-2 = .166

1-2 = .178

2-2 = .195

3-2 = .233

As you can see, when hitters have two strikes on them they are not very successful. When they swing in non two strike counts, they have much greater success. At the end of last weeks blog I left you with a question. What count do you think gives up the most homeruns? My guess would have been 2-0 or 3-1, traditionally great hitters counts. The answer: 0-0.

WOW! This answer blew me away, but it does make sense. For one thing, every hitter is guaranteed to have a 0-0 count every at-bat. But the other reason is that big league hitters have figured out something that pitching coaches all over the world don't want hitters to know.

ALL PITCHERS ARE TAUGHT TO GET AHEAD OF THE HITTER!

Sorry to yell but this is so obvious. No pitching coach teaches his pitcher to fall behind (look at the chart above for the obvious reason). So if as a hitter you know the pitcher is trying his best to throw a strike with the first pitch, why on earth would you want to take it? Chances are high that you will get a strike, and if you swing at strikes you have a much better chance to hit.

I once went to a baseball clinic and heard a very well respected Division I baseball coach speak on pitching. For 30 minutes he went on and on regarding the importance of getting ahead of the hitter and throwing strike one. After a 15 minute break he then spoke on hitting and preached the importance of working the count deep and taking pitches. To me this made no sense. Clearly this guy must have been a pitcher at heart. Why on earth would you tell hitters to take strikes if you are telling pitchers to throw strikes early? Am I missing something?

The truth of the matter is that teams who see a lot of balls and lay off bad pitches are very successful. The Yankees and Red Sox are great at this. Rarely do you see their hitters swing at bad pitches. As a result they do work the count, by taking balls, not strikes. Their hitters get themselves into advantage counts ( 1-0, 2-0, 3-1, 2-1) a lot. That is working the count the right way.

For fun I thought that I would rattle off a few more facts for you that you might find interesting.

Again these are based on the 2007 MLB season and were found at Baseball Reference:

• The best count for hitting home runs was 0-0 giving up 853 dingers.


• The next closest count was 1-0 giving up 615. (clearly swinging early helps)


• Worst count was 0-2 with only 173 round trippers.


• 0-0 count gave up the most doubles, triples, homers and RBI's.


• The next most productive count in all those categories was 1-1.


• When a pitcher got ahead of a hitter 0-1 they struck out 21,644 batters! (now you know why pitchers want to throw strike one and why I am so against taking a strike)


• In contrast when the pitcher fell behind 1-0 they were only able to K 10,545 batters.

Clearly you can see that swinging the bat in one of the first three pitches that you see can make you very productive as a hitter(if those pitches are strikes). The deeper the count goes the more the hitter tends to tense up and try to put the ball in play. The earlier in the count you swing the looser you are and the more you try to drive the ball. So use this insider information, understand what the pitcher is trying to do and step in the box ready to swing early in the count and watch your confidence, batting average and production rise.

Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory, Schilling handles all on-field elements, including one-on-one training.

Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

Work the Count - Take a Strike

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

"Work the Count."

"Take a Strike."

These two famous phrases that we always hear from hitting coaches have been around for a long time. While I partly agree with some of what "they" are saying, ultimately I believe that these are flawed, incomplete and misleading comments for hitting coaches to make.

For years I have been told as a hitter, "The more pitches you see, the better your chance to hit." I have also been told to, "work the count deep." So this would lead me to believe that batting averages on deeper counts SHOULD be better. These well accepted hitting philosophies must be right because I have been hearing them for as long as I can remember. In fact, they have become an unwritten rule in baseball. I personally have never bought into these ideas, mostly because I liked to swing at the first pitch. So I did some research and came up with some very interesting findings. The following numbers were obtained from http://www.baseball-reference.com/ and are based on the 2007 Major League Season.

Batting average by count for all MLB players in 2007:

0-0 = .344
1-0 = .341
2-0 = .351
3-0 = .394
0-1 = .324
1-1 = .327
2-1 = .338
3-1 = .368
0-2 = .166
1-2 = .178
2-2 = .195
3-2 = .233

Based on these numbers you can see that simply "working the count deep" and "taking a strike" is not necessarily effective. If it were, then the 3-2 count should be the best count to hit in and clearly it is not. The fact is, the less strikes you have and the more balls that you have the better off you are. Just another reason why it is so important to swing at strikes only. Also it appears that the first pitch of an at-bat is a GREAT pitch to hit! So why on earth would we want to take a strike? (unless of course the pitcher can't throw strikes)

Take some time to review these statistical facts and tune in next week for a deeper discussion on this topic. Oh, and one last thing, what count do you think gives up the most homeruns?

Having a Quality At-Bat

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

In my last blog, I talked about "The Quickest Way to Become a Better Hitter", which was to make sure that you swing at strikes. This week I thought it would be good to discuss exactly what a hitter SHOULD be trying to do each time he steps in the batter's box. While teaching hitting lessons at the Baseball Factory I often like to ask players what their goal is when they step into the batter's box. The most common answer that I get is: "To get a hit." While I can understand this thought process, I am not convinced it is the best approach.

In my opinion a hitter's goal should be to have a "quality at-bat." What is a "quality at-bat?" I would define it in the following ways:

1. You swung at a good pitch to hit.
   
2. You hit the ball hard.
3. Or, you did your job that particular at-bat.

Note that the hitter has control over all three of these points. You can't control whether or not you get a hit. You can't control whether the defense makes a diving catch and robs you. You can't control the umpire when he calls you out at first when you are clearly safe. But you can control your pitch selection, centering the ball on the barrel and whether or not you do your job.

So when a hitter says to me that his goal is to "get a hit," he is not setting a goal that he has total control over AND he is also setting a goal that a great hitter will reach only 35% (.350 hitter) of the time. Trying to have a "quality at-bat" each time at the plate IS realistic and can be obtained 70 to 80% of the time. If you achieve your goal more often you are going to be a more confident hitter which makes you dangerous.

I have seen too many young hitters celebrate a bloop single on a bad pitch, and then get angry when they line out to left field. Isn't that backwards? Shouldn't you be happy to hit the ball hard and angry to hit a lazy pop up? Coaches and scouts want players who hit the ball hard, often.

In reviewing the three points I mentioned that can define a "quality at-bat" I want to make sure that you understand them clearly. We talked about Point 1 in-depth last week. You must swing at strikes. Swinging at pitches in the zone gives you a much greater chance to get a hit.

Point 2 is also pretty clear: hit the ball hard. Ultimately that is the goal of hitting...to hit the ball hard. I have gone 0-4 many times and felt like I hit the ball great. Too many young players tell me they were 0-3 and not hitting well when in reality they hit the ball hard, just right at people. If you can hit the ball hard in 3 of 4 at-bats that is a great day.

Lastly, Point 3, do your job in that particular at-bat. This is the one that hitters often have trouble grasping. This is situational hitting. If you are up with a man on second and no outs, your job is to move the runner over. If you hit a dribbler to second, you did your job and had a great at-bat. If you are up with a man on 3rd and 1 out with the infield back, just hit a routine ground out to short. You will drive in the run and have done your job. That is a great at-bat. Too many hitters try to crank the ball to the outfield and wind up hitting a pop up. Now you are out, didnt score the run and took a bad swing. When faced with situational hitting opportunities don't be greedy, just get your job done and you will have "quality at-bats" and be a productive hitter.

Clint Hurdle, Manager of the Colorado Rockies, once gave me this simple formula:

Quality at-bat + Quality at-bat + Quality at-bat = A productive hitter

Simple but it makes sense. So when you are out playing in your games or coaching your players, preach to them to have a "quality at-bat" every time up and watch your players confidence, production, and average rise.

Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

The Quickest Way To Become A Better Hitter

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

Since America has become such a quick fix society I thought I would make my first blog a quick tutorial on how to be a better hitter…quicker. Now this is going to sound really basic and simple and corny but there is a lot of truth in it. While teaching lessons in our batting cages my instructors and I have annoyed our players to death with 1 simple credo: SWING AT STRIKES!!!

The quickest way to be a better hitter is to swing at good pitches to hit. Just about any hitter who takes the game seriously can hit a ball that is thigh high and over the plate. After all, this is the location that we practice hitting the most. Whether it is tee work, side toss, front toss, or a pitching machine, we all want our coaches to give us good feeds IN the strike zone. So most of the time we practice hitting GOOD pitches. Yet when hitters go into game situations they very often swing at bad pitches. It is really hard to hit a bad pitch solidly.

I always laugh when a player swings at a bad pitch and pops out and then comes to me and says “coach, something’s wrong with my swing, did you see what I did wrong?” Yeah I saw what you did wrong…you just swung at a pitch that was at your neck. There ain’t nothing wrong with your swing, you just swung at a bad pitch!

Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult things to do in sports. As hitters we make it even harder by chasing bad pitches. Most bad hitters get themselves out. Most good hitters make the pitcher throw strikes. When you can get a pitcher to throw the ball over the plate you greatly enhance your chances of hitting the ball hard.

Chasing bad pitches are what I call “confidence busters”. Take a player that goes 0-3 while chasing bad pitches in two out of his three at bats. He is convinced he is not hitting well and that therefore something must be wrong with his swing. He starts questioning his swing, his ability, and his confidence is shot. Better yet, he has a bad round of batting practice before the game against a coach who struggles to throw consistent strikes in BP. The coach is frustrated because he has to throw to 12 hitters that day and he can’t find the strike zone so he instructs the hitters to “just swing at everything”. Now you have a team of hitters who go into a game with no confidence because they hit poorly in BP, and the last thing they did before the game was “swing at everything”. Now they go into the game and chase bad pitches, and perform poorly, and they develop bad habits…and poor confidence. It is a vicious cycle.

So the moral of the story is: ALWAYS swing at strikes. Make the pitcher throw the ball over the plate. Do not help him by chasing bad pitches. When training in the cages, swing at strikes. Develop good habits, don’t reinforce the bad. Swing at strikes and watch your confidence and your batting average rise.

Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory, Schilling handles all on-field elements, including one-on-one training.

Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.