Re: I swing at everything..
After years of struggling and desperatly trying to hit in the Show, I am finally turning the corner this year. Here is what I have learned:
1. The strike zone is too big to try and determine with accuracy if a pitch is a ball of a strike. As such, decide where in the strike zone you want a pitch to be in order to swing and FOCUS on that spot. It is MUCH easier to determine if a pitch is going to be in "your spot" versus if a pitch is/isn't going to be in the strike zone.
2. Be extremely stingy with "your spot" whenver the count is 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-0 and 3-1. You expand just a bit when the count is 0-1, 1-1.
3. I use contact swing on 1-2, and 2-2 counts. I will even use it on 3-2 counts depending on the hitter (contact hitter) and situation.
4. When you are focusing on your single spot in the zone, visualize what a pitch coming from the pitcher's hand into your spot in the zone will look like. Having this image in your head, in advance, will assist in determining if the pitch is coming to you or not.
5. Don't be afraid when you get to two strikes. This is typical baseball. Use contact to get the count back to 3-2. From there anything can happen.
6. I recently switched from timing to zone. I never hit well with zone either but by focusing on the above techniques and then transferring back over to zone, I have become a real masher (currently lead in average, obp, runs scores, at ALL STAR difficulty). I use the PCI indicator to assist in focusing on my spot. Once I get to two strikes I move the PCI down in the zone becuase the vast majority of pitches with two strikes are thrown down.
7. By switching to zone and paying attention to PCI placement I have gotten MUCH better at situational hitting. For example, a man on 3rd with less than two outs I am looking to hit a fly ball. When the count in my favor I am almost always looking for something down the middle but I will move the PCI down a bit...not because I want to hit a pitch that is thrown down in the zone but because I want to get under a pitch that is in the middle or higher. Reverse this plan when you want/need a ground ball.
All of the above is a combination of tips that have come for a variety of threads in this forum. I was convinced that my ability to learn to hit in the show was impossible. Using the above I am now playing a different game
. Historically my teams have had a .220-.230 team batting average and always last in walks, last in .obp, and most in strikeouts. Right now I am hitting .367 as a team and have a .410 obp. Oh, and I play as the Giants, not exactly the 27 Yankees.
If I can do it, ANYONE can do it!
After years of struggling and desperatly trying to hit in the Show, I am finally turning the corner this year. Here is what I have learned:
1. The strike zone is too big to try and determine with accuracy if a pitch is a ball of a strike. As such, decide where in the strike zone you want a pitch to be in order to swing and FOCUS on that spot. It is MUCH easier to determine if a pitch is going to be in "your spot" versus if a pitch is/isn't going to be in the strike zone.
2. Be extremely stingy with "your spot" whenver the count is 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-0 and 3-1. You expand just a bit when the count is 0-1, 1-1.
3. I use contact swing on 1-2, and 2-2 counts. I will even use it on 3-2 counts depending on the hitter (contact hitter) and situation.
4. When you are focusing on your single spot in the zone, visualize what a pitch coming from the pitcher's hand into your spot in the zone will look like. Having this image in your head, in advance, will assist in determining if the pitch is coming to you or not.
5. Don't be afraid when you get to two strikes. This is typical baseball. Use contact to get the count back to 3-2. From there anything can happen.
6. I recently switched from timing to zone. I never hit well with zone either but by focusing on the above techniques and then transferring back over to zone, I have become a real masher (currently lead in average, obp, runs scores, at ALL STAR difficulty). I use the PCI indicator to assist in focusing on my spot. Once I get to two strikes I move the PCI down in the zone becuase the vast majority of pitches with two strikes are thrown down.
7. By switching to zone and paying attention to PCI placement I have gotten MUCH better at situational hitting. For example, a man on 3rd with less than two outs I am looking to hit a fly ball. When the count in my favor I am almost always looking for something down the middle but I will move the PCI down a bit...not because I want to hit a pitch that is thrown down in the zone but because I want to get under a pitch that is in the middle or higher. Reverse this plan when you want/need a ground ball.
All of the above is a combination of tips that have come for a variety of threads in this forum. I was convinced that my ability to learn to hit in the show was impossible. Using the above I am now playing a different game
. Historically my teams have had a .220-.230 team batting average and always last in walks, last in .obp, and most in strikeouts. Right now I am hitting .367 as a team and have a .410 obp. Oh, and I play as the Giants, not exactly the 27 Yankees.If I can do it, ANYONE can do it!
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