How to better recognize pitches?

[2kguy]

What's the best way to learn how to spot balls on their way to the plate? I have a hard time laying off pitches. I wind up swing at pitches sometimes fairly off the plate.

Same question for spotting off-speed pitches. I tend to treat each pitch like its a fastball. I hit very well indeed when they are. But when its off speed I am often fooled badly. Is it possible to actually "read" the pitch better on the way to the plate and then time it that way? Or do you pretty much have to decide before the pitch what you think they will throw and swing based on that and not how things "look" visually with the ball on the way to the plate?

[RandyBass]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

Using Guess Pitch with a feedback option helps. It's very hard to just see the ball and hit the ball. So it's good to have an approach. You can use Guess Pitch strategically so that you have some indication of what's coming even if you guess wrong.

Look at it this way, Guess Pitch takes away one of the pitcher's pitches. If you don't get feedback then you know it's one of his other pitches. Often times a pitch guessed wrong will be just outside the zone, and one that you may have chased without using Guess Pitch. If you guess wrong and the pitch catches the edge of the zone, just give the pitcher credit for making a pitch.

Eventually you start to pick up on patterns, and you can use a pitcher's confidence levels for each pitch, along with primary/secondary pitches as well to help your strategy.

A pitcher's primary pitch is always mapped to the X button, and his secondary pitches are mapped counter clockwise.

So take all that information into account, and proceed accordingly. I think you'll find yourself chasing less, and trying to anticipate more, and then also getting that occasional pitcher's mistake out over the plate.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

If someone had a sure fire way to recognize the change up and to a lesser extent, the low and away slider, they'd be my bestie for all of eternity.

[aparks87]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

What's the best way to learn how to spot balls on their way to the plate? I have a hard time laying off pitches. I wind up swing at pitches sometimes fairly off the plate.

Same question for spotting off-speed pitches. I tend to treat each pitch like its a fastball. I hit very well indeed when they are. But when its off speed I am often fooled badly. Is it possible to actually "read" the pitch better on the way to the plate and then time it that way? Or do you pretty much have to decide before the pitch what you think they will throw and swing based on that and not how things "look" visually with the ball on the way to the plate?

Idk if there's really a "better way". My advice, and you may not like this, is just to practice, and become more acclimated with the pitch counts. Try to recognize when you're in a hitter-friendly pitch count (2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1). You're likely going to get a fastball in those counts. If you're in a count with 2 strikes, expect the pitcher the throw you something off-speed and out of the zone...unless the count is full. Also, check with pitches the pitcher has high confidence in. He will tend to throw those more often too. Recognizing hitter-friendly counts and being able to predict what the pitcher is going to try to throw you is key. Yes...i realize at first it may seem difficult, but again, practicing this mentality and approach when hitting will pay off over time.

Also....you can always lower the pitch speed. This can also help you recognize the type and location of pitches.


Hope this helps!

[RandyBass]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

Another thing: I've lowered all 3 of the CPU pitching accuracy sliders down to 0, and what that seems to have done is keep the CPU from being so accurate around the edge of the zone with borderline pitches. You'll see more pitches well out of the zone, and thus easier to layoff. You also get more fat pitches down the middle, and so will probably have to compensate with your hitting sliders, but I find it to be worth it.

[Turbojugend]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

Try to recognize when you're in a hitter-friendly pitch count (2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1). You're likely going to get a fastball in those counts. If you're in a count with 2 strikes, expect the pitcher the throw you something off-speed and out of the zone...unless the count is full. Also, check with pitches the pitcher has high confidence in. He will tend to throw those more often too. Recognizing hitter-friendly counts and being able to predict what the pitcher is going to try to throw you is key. Yes...i realize at first it may seem difficult, but again, practicing this mentality and approach when hitting will pay off over time.

This is awesome advice, this mentality has improved my hitting game a lot this year. I have the same problem with pitch recognition, but knowing how to work a pitch count really helps to offset this.

Crazy as this sounds, sometimes you want to get out of the mindset of looking for a pitch to hit. One example of this would be never swinging at the first pitch, instead forcing the pitcher to throw strikes. The only problem here is that the CPU seems to throw an unusually high number of strikes on the default setting, but decreasing pitch accuracy (as Randy mentioned) should help.

[bcruise]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

I simply just find it easier to not swing at pitches off the plate if I look for and try to swing at one thing - pitches right down the middle. Unless it's two strikes I really try to take ANYTHING that looks like it isn't going there, because I can identify that pitch faster than anything else. This is how I get into deep counts, and even then it's still not perfect - I get pitches that look like they're meatballs and then drop out of sight while I swing over top of them.

As for the two strike approach...try messing around with either the Discipline Batting Practice game or Challenge of the week. Both are centered around a two-strike approach where you have to expand your swing a bit and cover anything that looks like it will be a strike.

[BSUFAN]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

One other thing I use a timing swing with the strike zone preview and I don't use the guess pitch and the strike zone is gone when the ball is pitched. I use the preview as a visual reminder in my mind that if it's not in that area I won't swing, of course that doesn't always happen but it helps focus on the pitch and type of pitch in most cases.To me it helps make you focus on different types of pitches. I am always looking at every pitchers pitching selection at every swing and at bat and try to determine what he might throw of course depending on the pitch count.

[JayD]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

I swear the 12-6 curveball is the death of me.

[Mitchrapp]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

I swear the 12-6 curveball is the death of me.

For me it's the sinker..in the dirt.

[dalger21]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

If someone had a sure fire way to recognize the change up and to a lesser extent, the low and away slider, they'd be my bestie for all of eternity.

The best way I recognize change ups is to watch the flight of the ball out of the pitchers hand. It sort of floats before it gets to the plate. I lay off 99% of the low change ups that are often thrown by the CPU.

[Mephiskapheles]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

I thought I was the only one, I'm glad someone created this thread.

I have such a hard time judging balls that I have pitch speed on 0. That makes me swing early on everything, even fastballs half the time. And I STILL swing at a lot of balls. I tried pitch speed on 2, and that just makes me not able to judge balls at all, and I still swing too early. It's like I can't see the pitch coming out of the pitcher, and I only pick it up visually halfway to the plate, then swing automatically.

The only sort of solution was to put hitting on veteran and raise timing to 6 or 7. It helps a little but the same old problem. I'll probably try timing on 8 tonight. The problem with that is when it is a fastball, and I do time it "normal", it's a much better chance of getting a hit than it should be.

[Mephiskapheles]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

Using Guess Pitch with a feedback option helps. It's very hard to just see the ball and hit the ball. So it's good to have an approach. You can use Guess Pitch strategically so that you have some indication of what's coming even if you guess wrong.

Don't you get penalized when you guess wrong? The option to turn guess pitch on or off says that there's different penalties depending on different things, I don't remember what things exactly.

[Grim]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

My tip is, I only use the classic guess pitch once I have 2 strikes on me. The location I struggle with the most is anything below the strike zone. Curves, sinkers, changes, and the like. I use the guess pitch low in the zone. Not guess pitch for pitch type, but just low in the zone. That helps me limit my strikeouts on those low pitches, whatever type they are. I get a fair share of walks too. Just my 2 cents if you struggle with low pitches out of the zone.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: How to better recognize pitches?

The best way I recognize change ups is to watch the flight of the ball out of the pitchers hand. It sort of floats before it gets to the plate. I lay off 99% of the low change ups that are often thrown by the CPU.

Thanks.

Belt level and away change ups do look like curveballs to me so I agree with you there.

But down in the zone dead center? I can't pick up the break at all...