The batter steps in the box, digs around in the dirt, sets his feet, lifts his bat and stares out at the mound. What pitch is he about to see? If you know something about batting stances, you might make a decent guess. Here’s a fan’s guide to batting stances and how a pitcher might attack each one. What I’m about to describe is not a certainty, and there are always exceptions, but here are some general patterns you’ll see repeated.
(Author’s note: A lot of the following material comes from Ron Polk’s “Baseball Playbook.” I’ve read dozens of baseball instructional manuals and, at 520 pages, Polk’s is the most complete collection of baseball instruction I’ve ever seen. If you want to know how to maintain your field, treat baseball injuries or pitch to a batter who crouches, the “Baseball Playbook” has an answer — which is probably why it’s sold over 100,000 copies.)
A couple of warnings before we proceed: The batting stance provides clues, but the “launch position” is more important. Launch position is the moment the batter puts his front foot down, takes his hands back and is ready to “launch” his swing. If the batter starts with an open stance (front foot farther away from home plate than the back foot), but strides toward the plate during his swing, you’d pitch him as a batter with a closed stance (front foot closer to home plate than the back foot.) So you also need to pay attention to the batter’s “launch” position. And there are other factors that can change pitch selection: What the pitcher has that night, game situations and past history are just a few of the variables that might come into play, but for now we’ll concentrate on the hitter’s stance.
Let’s start with: Depth of the stance in the box: Some hitters move to the front of the box in order to hit a breaking pitch before it breaks (a theory that never worked for me). So if the hitter is up in the box, a pitcher might want to throw him fastballs; they’ll get on him quicker. Unless the hitter is, let’s say, Mike Aviles. Aviles was at the front of the box because he wanted fastballs and was challenging the pitcher to throw one by him. So the pitcher not only needs to know where the hitter is standing, but why he’s standing there.
Same thing if the hitter is at the back of the box; a pitcher might go after him with breaking pitches. A curve or a slider will have more time to move before it reaches the hitter, but the hitter might be at the back of the box because he’s trying to buy more time to get around on the fastball. Once again, knowing why the hitter sets up where he does is crucial.
Distance away from the plate: Let’s say a hitter sets up way off the plate. That’s probably because he’s trying to avoid an inside pitch. If a pitcher tries to jam the hitter, that pitch is going to be a ball and the hitter will just take it. By being off the plate, the hitter has made the inside third of the plate the middle, the middle third is now the outside and the outside third is unreachable — so that’s where you might pitch him…unless he strides toward the plate. Now everything’s back to normal and you can come inside on the hitter. Lots of hitters now “dive” to the outside corner, and pitchers are coming inside to discourage that. Both hitter and pitcher want to control the outside corner, which leads to some pretty interesting at-bats…and increased sales of elbow pads.
If the hitter sets up on top of the plate, he probably feels he can get around on the inside pitch and is trying to make the outside corner the middle of the plate. Usually, this guy has no trouble with the fastball, so breaking pitches are a good bet. With this stance, the hitter is daring the pitcher to come inside because he wants a fastball — like Aviles did by moving up in the box. And some pitchers will still take that bet.
Open stance: If the hitter stays open after his stride, he’ll have a very hard time hitting a pitch on the outer half. This guy usually likes the ball inside. Some pitchers will go inside early in the count with a BP fastball or change-up, let the hitter pull it a mile foul and then go away once the pitcher has the hitter set up for a pitch on the outer half.
Closed stance: This hitter usually wants the ball away. Pitchers can appear to give him that outside pitch, then move it out too far away by throwing a slider or two-seamer and see if the hitter will chase. A hitter who is diving to the outside corner is usually vulnerable inside.
Crouched stance: Usually a low-ball hitter. The upper body is bent over, and that puts the swing path lower in the zone. These hitters will often struggle with pitches up in the zone. Usually not a power hitter (Rickey Henderson immediately comes to mind as an exception, but as I recall, the pitches he hammered were usually low). Pete Rose is a more typical example of a crouched-stance hitter; good contact, but not a lot of power.
Straight-up stance: This hitter will usually handle a pitch up in the zone better than the crouched hitter but may have the tendency to hit the top half of balls that are down in the zone, resulting in a lot of grounders.
Definition-of-terms timeout: When ballplayers say “down” in the zone, they usually mean lower than mid-thigh. “Up” in the zone usually means above the belt, around the hands.
Bat straight up: This guy usually likes the pitch down, and when he gets it, hammers it. He’ll drop the bat head like a golf club, but that means his swing has a loop in it, and he can be pitched up in the zone.
Bat flat: Usually a contact hitter without a lot of power. This guy you want to pitch down, once again, hoping he hits the top half of the ball, producing a grounder.
OK, there are a lot more possible variations in stance and launch position. Like what if the hitter crouches and has a flat bat? (You probably ask another pitcher how they got him out). But you’re probably beginning to get the idea: figure out what the hitter wants and give him the opposite. Or make the hitter think he’s getting what he wants and give him too much of it (if he wants a pitch in, give him a pitch that moves too far in).
Remember, the pitcher matters, too: If a pitcher’s strength is movement, not location, forget hitting spots. A pitcher might recognize that a hitter wants a fastball, but if you’re Justin Verlander, you’re still going to give him one — but a great one. A slider might be the right pitch, but if your slider kind of stinks tonight, you might need a new plan. And, finally, you might give the hitter what he wants and just make sure you’ve got someone standing where he hits it.
As always, this stuff is complicated, and a lot of information besides batting stance goes into every game plan. But now when a hitter walks to the plate, you can take a look at his stance and at least try to think with the pitcher and catcher … and you might even guess right.
Spring Training I leave Sunday night for Surprise, Ariz., and I will start posting a daily column the following Tuesday. The plan is to walk around, talk to people, take notes and write about whatever seems interesting. And, yes, it is a sweet gig.
On the other hand, once this sweet gig starts, it won’t end until late October. Wish me luck.
Brian Courington
1 year, 2 months agojust got back from my first spring training. Was a interesting and entertaining trip. Thanks to this column everybody around me thought I was smart and knew what I was talking about.
The team looks good, pitching (saw some good and bad) and now catcher will be the biggest questions over the first half of the season. Looks like they are building quality depth at most positions, which is good change from years past. What do you expect them to do with Dyson? He played great while I was there and Meier was good too. I can’t imagine them having 5 outfielders on the team. What are they going to do with Mendoza? I know he wasn’t projected as 1 of the top 5 starters but he has been impressive so far. Have fun in AZ, probably wishful thinking, but I hope your gig lasts until November.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoBrian: Thanks, I’m glad the column helped out. Just drop a “that hitter’s got a great launch position” on the people around you and you’ll sound like a genius.
I don’t know what the Royals have planned for the roster, but I know Yost really liked having Dyson on the bench. Jarrod has game-changing speed and it’s nice to be able to steal a base at will in the last two inning of a close game.
Maier doesn’t have that kind of speed, but is a more versatile coming off the bench. He can play all three outfield positions, get down a bunt or give a good situational at-bat. Five outfielders does seem like a lot, but I’d heard Yost wanted to go with one more position player and one less pitcher than he did last year. Maier is also the third-string catcher, although it’s been a while since he’s been back there.
Mendoza has been good every time I saw him last year and in every outing of spring training. If they don’t keep him, they lose him (out of options). My guess is he makes the club in one role or another, but I’ve got no inside information. He just seems like a handy guy to have around even if he’s not a starter, but you need one in an emergency.
I assume the Royals will make some kind of move at catcher now that they know Perez will be out a while. Ned has a preference for a good-glove-no-hit catcher over a good-bat-bad-glove catcher (I agree). The good-glove-good-bat catchers are pretty rare.
And I agree with you, I wouldn’t mind working into November if the Royals are still playing.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months agoShows how much progress the team is making when the biggest questions are the bench and the 5th starter/long reliever, that’s a breath of fresh air:)
My guess is that Yuni is a lock, Dyson is close because of base running and being described as an “other worldly” defender. Everybody loves Mitch and he’s a quality pro, but I think a lot of it comes down to whether Ned Yost wants a utility corner infielder or if he thinks Yuni can handle 3rd, which puts Kouzmanoff in Omaha. Kouz in Omaha saves Mitch. I hope Mitch is spending some quality time with the “tools of ignorance”. Getting at least capable of catching for a couple of innings after PH’ing would up Mitch’s value quite a bit. Versatility is money in the bank.
Luis Mendoza is interesting, had a few discussions on whether a player can actually make a significant change at some point in his career and reinvent himself onto a major-league roster. Being a big Bruce Chen fan, I think reinvention is possible and I hope that Mendoza has “got” it. A low ‘90s sinking fastball with lateral movement can get work. It’s possible Mendoza beats Paulino out, who has been having some small problems, or the team may decide Paulino’s mysterious hammy justifies a DL stretch that allows Mendoza as the 5th starter til he pitches himself out of it, or Mendoza may end up as the long relief/spot starter. Thinking about a trip to Fenway, I think I might give Master Chen a game off and put the RH ground ball pitcher out there. If Mendoza continues to perform, I don’t see him released. Competition, something new for this team.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoJim: I used to tell my amateur teams that if you look around and you’re worried about your playing time, that’s good news. It means we have a lot of talent.
If you look around and think you’re the best player on the team, that’s bad news; you might have a good year, but the team will stink.
The Royals have talent and some interesting choices to make.
I’ve heard Kouzmanoff is a Mike Moustakas insurance policy and, if that’s true, would probably start in Omaha, assuming Yuni is OK at third (and easier transition than short to second). Maier CAN catch, but I don’t know if anyone considers it a strong point and Mitch did take some grounders at 3B last year, just in case.
At the end of last season Dayton Moore said Paulino throws in the upper 90s and has a nasty slider and that combination puts him on a short list. If I had to guess (and I don’t, but I will anyway) either he or Mendoza starts and the other one is in the pen.
And the other day during a radio interview, the Star’s beat writer, Bob Dutton, reportedly said Getz is looking good and giving Giavotella a run for his money. Dutton expects that competition to go down to the final day of camp.
And, yeah, I do think players can change. George Brett immediately comes to mind. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what approach is going to work at this level. According to ex-pitching coach Bob McClure, the fourth year is when a lot of players “get it.”
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months agoSecond base is something to keep an eye on, Giavotella’s defense looking a little iffier than Ned Yost might be comfortable with, especially if his hitting doesn’t light up. Noticed that Getzie had a sac fly today, something that has been discussed. That might be a good part of an update, take a look at Getz’ new stance, load, and launch. He’s big enough to generate some power.
“At the end of last season Dayton Moore said Paulino throws in the upper 90s and has a nasty slider and that combination puts him on a short list.”
All a matter of what you do with it. Paulino’s FB hasn’t been a plus pitch for him, which suggests that he overthrows it to get the speed and it flattens and straightens out. Justin Verlander averages around 94-95 with motion and that seems to work well enough.
Best of luck in Surprise. Old friend of mine, Tom Smith is down there and will be looking for you.
Derek Taylor
1 year, 2 months agoSo does the Paulino vs. Mendoza discussion mean we’ve moved Duffy to ‘lock’ status for the rotation? Since Duffy still has options I would think the harder choice would be between him and Mendoza than between Paulino and Mendoza, but then again I haven’t actually seen them pitch yet this spring, only looked at the box scores…
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoJim: It’s been said that if Giavotella hits, the job is his, but then you have to define “hits”—how much is enough?
The professionals don’t just fixate on offense, they wisely see the player as a package: the player needs to put runs on the board or keep them off. The guys up the middle (catcher, short, second and center) need to be good defenders, because they handle the ball so much.
Seeing what Getz is now doing at the plate is one of my priorities. Last season Chris told me he thought he sometimes got “too relaxed” which would result in routine grounders or fly balls. He knows driving the ball on occasion would help his case.
And good point about Paulino: 97 straight isn’t as good as 93 moving. I think Dayton Moore was saying that Paulino has some rare tools and that’s a nice starting place.
Thanks for the good wishes, I’ll look forward to meeting your friend Tom.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoDerek: Good point about Duffy and it shows the dangers of playing GM. I know they think highly of Danny and believe he can be a top-of-the-rotation type starter, but I really don’t know how they plan to get him there.
This is why I usually try to avoid deciding who should be on the roster, or what the lineup should be or who should be traded: there’s too much information that I don’t have. I don’t know what the front office is thinking or all the factors that come into play.
Describing how someone plays is much easier: I can see that, it’s right in front of me. I can also get a sense of their makeup by talking to them and their teammates.
So, no, I don’t know that Duffy’s a lock, I just know they want him to step up and become what they hope he can be. Keeping both Paulino and Mendoza (if one of them goes to the pen) gives the Royals long-relief and a spot starter, but so does Everett Teaford (plus they get another lefty).
So if I’ve muddied the waters sufficently, I’ll wind up by saying, your guess is as good as mine.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoBy the way: I recently used the phrase “ying-yang” which just proves what a moron I can be when I put my mind to it. The correct phrase is “yin-yang.”
Although I still like “ying-yang” better. I’m a symmetrical kind of guy.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months ago“So does the Paulino vs. Mendoza discussion mean we’ve moved Duffy to ‘lock’ status for the rotation?”
I have in my mind. His stuff, attitude, and the small mechanical adjustments are not only making him a lock but moving my projection on him up to a #2 starter worth of production and wouldn’t be surprised if he beats that. Bob McClure taught him a cutter last year from what I hear and it works, so imagine Bruce Chen throwing 15mph faster and that is what a batter may be facing with Danny Duffy.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoJim: You may be right, I think the Royals need a couple pitchers to step up in 2012. Duffy’s one of them.
They may feel he has no more to learn in Triple A and needs to be here to take the next step.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months agoDuffy’s first season wasn’t bad and he not only showed flashes of brilliance but he also showed a maturing, quizzical mind. Two interviews stuck in my mind, in one, after an interleague game, he was exasperated, saying “I went 3-2 on the PITCHERS! Just throw strikes.” The second one was after watching Justin Verlander and noticing that Verlander doesn’t throw max speed every pitch, even though he can throw 98 he spends a lot of time throwing 91 or 93 with motion, then uses the 98 to overpower the hitters. That shows the ability to learn on the fly, a handy trait. Duffy is my hunch-pick to break out this year and surprise a lot of people.
Hochevar is my second pick for a step-up year. Not sure if he has the fire to be an ace, but I think this year he makes the top 45 or so of starters, a real solid #2 pitcher. He’s capable of eating innings, has a great slider and decent control, and his velocity was ticking up at the end of last year, so I think he’ll be a solid, if not great, pitcher for the team.
I admit that I take Bruce Chen for granted, kind of the Billy Butler of crafty left handed pitchers; consistent, predictable, sometimes boring, but at the end of the year he’s put up solid enough numbers in wins and ERA, even though it’s sometimes hard to figure out how he does it. If he stays healthy, I think he comes in as a low #2 pitcher and might just hit 15 wins with a better offense, defense, and bullpen than last year.
On Jon Sanchez, I haven’t a clue. On one hand he has electric stuff, on the other he reminds of Tim Collins last year with inability to throw strikes. Sanchez should be supremely motivated this year by the realization that a great year is worth tens of millions of dollars in free agent money next winter, so I have hope but not a lot of faith just yet. He has an ace arm but may have a Kyle Davies head, unable to harness his talent.
For the 5th starter, Mendoza may be the RH Bruce Chen, he may be an aberration, but he, like Felipe Paulino, is out of options. The way spring training is going, Luis Mendoza would be my 5th starter. If Paulino gets it together this will be the toughest personnel decision. Paulino may get the 5th, as he’s never shown signs of being able to relieve, with Mendoza as long/spot, but Paulino isn’t putting up enough of a fight yet to make this a really hard decision.
I don’t mind playing GM, I think Dayton Moore is the most interesting part of the team and has the most interesting job.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months agoIf you don’t mind, David Lesky of Pine Tar Press is in Surprise and posted this nice piece on Luis Mendoza and some other impressions of spring training:
http://www.pinetarpress.com/mendoza-takes-lead/
“What I saw yesterday was a pitcher who appeared to be on a mission. Just about everything was down, hard and with bite. He went 4.2 innings yesterday and struck out 7 while walking nobody. In the fifth, he ended up giving up a sharp line drive for a double followed by a bloop single that ballooned his spring ERA to 0.84. More than the line itself, Mendoza just looked like a legitimate big league pitcher.”
David’s a solid young blogger, does his homework, and writes nicely. If he’s still there Monday, don’t be surprised if he introduces himself.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoAnd all this time I thought I had the most interesting job.
I understand why people like to play GM (and,Jim, you do it better than most), it is fun to move the pieces around on the chess board. But there’s a lot of posing in the media—people exuding experise who don’t bother to come to the games—and I don’t want to add to that.
It’s one thing to do it as a fan, it’s another to do it as someone who supposedly offers “inside” information on the Royals.
If I’m speculating, I want it clear that I’m speculating. If I have no special knowledge, I want that clear also. On the other hand, when I’ve witnessed something myself or got it straight from the mouth of a reliable source, I want people to understand where that information is coming from as well.
So let’s get back to speculating:
I pretty much agree with what you’ve written. Duffy is a smart kid and wants to learn. Going against Verlander taught him a lesson. I think/hope Hochevar has figured it out, we’ll see. I hear the same thing about Sanchez—good stuff, not enough strikes (and, yes, contract years are big motivators). Chen is Chen, but you’re right—he’ll have a better defense and offense this season. And every time I’ve seen Mendoza he looked good.
I’d think they’d find a way to use Paulino, but I really haven’t a clue.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoJim: No, I don’t mind information from another site at all. I’ve tried to stake out my territory (information from a player’s and coach’s point of view), but that leaves a lot uncovered.
The information you bring to this site makes it a richer experience for everybody.
And I’d be happy to meet David Lesky.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months ago“If I’m speculating, I want it clear that I’m speculating.”
And you do that clearly enough, as I recall. Given your niche and the fact that you deal with these players, establish friendships with some, and need to be seen as neutral and unbiased in order to maintain access, speculation on specific players and moves would be counterproductive and would undermine what you offer.
Larry Tindle
1 year, 2 months agoHave fun Lee. That’s like telling a kid in a candy store to have fun. Look forward to you posts.
Lee Judge
1 year, 2 months agoLarry: Thanks, and you’re right—having fun won’t be a problem. Fortunately, I’m one of those guys who finds even a practice interesting (there’s always something new to learn), so being entertained is the least of my worries.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months agoSince we were talking about Danny Duffy, here’s an interesting site that looks at his PitchFX patterns. The charts are fairly self-explanatory, the vertical being vertical movement of the various pitches, the horizontal horizontal:
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/dispatch_article/danny-duffy-pitchf-x/
In the comments below the piece is a brief mention of Mr. Duffy’s new cutter and earlier there are some comparison’s to Jon Lester. Interesting look at one of the new tools available.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months agoAnd more charts from Brooks Baseball on Mr. Duffy’s pitches, sponsored by Clint Scoles at Pine Tar Press:
http://brooksbaseball.net/playercards/playercard.php?player=518633
The tools are catching up to the eyeballs, a good thing for us up in the cheap seats where ballplayers look like ants scurrying about:)
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months agoAnd here is Brooks charts on Luis Mendoza, whom we have also discussed.
http://brooksbaseball.net/playercards/playercard.php?player=434669
I may just sponsor this page:)
Jim Fetterolf
1 year, 2 months agoSponsored Luis Mendoza. I’m famous or something:) Check out the link.
Brian Robinson
1 year, 1 month agoLee, Do you know the latest on Soria’s potential injury? I read a blurb about it this morning on the TV scroll.
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month agoWatch for Star beat writer Bob Dutton’s piece tomorrow morning. (It will probably be posted by tonight.) He’s got the latest information and is writing it now.
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month agoOK, looks like Soria’s facing Tommy John surgery.