Let's be real here. You have a ball flying at 85-90 miles per hour, your trying to meet it with the bat. How many hitters can actually entertain the thought of trying to pull it, or hit a fly ball to the outfield? Most are probably just thinking about trying to put the stick on it, period?

It's also about where the ball is over the plate and your footwork.

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How many hitters can actually entertain the thought of trying to pull it, or hit a fly ball to the outfield? Most are probably just thinking about trying to put the stick on it, period?

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I would think every one of them...

In some cases, as mentioned by Anchor situations dictate... in others it could be a matter of intentions.

You will see what the pitcher gives... many people mocked A-Rod when he was at SS because he tipped the pitches based on how he positioned himself. If you have a pitcher who is going inside to a RHB... A-Rod might play closer to third... if the pitch was away... he'd play closer to 2B. Depth was often an indication of fastball (deeper) or offspeed (closer).

Many players do that and adjust their defense, but he was evidently very obvious.

As mentioned... a hitter can adjust his feet. I never played beyond HS... but I used to stand with my feet such that, as a RHB, my left shoulder blade pointed to short and I'd look over my shoulder at the pitcher. I did that for several reasons. Mainly, I loved to hit the ball down the right foul line. I don't think it was uncommon to face guys at 75-85 mph. Someone bigger and stronger making a living at it... I would fully expect them to be able to do it.

Hitting a grounder\flyball\popup... slight adjustments will improve your likelihood of each.

IMO, most players... like Hamilton and Fielder... appear to be content beating the pitcher on their own terms. Others like Kinsler appear to be content on popping up, in the event their upward cut doesn't hit solid.

It is all about trigonometry...

Derek Jeter, esp at this age, has made a living at just making contact and positioning the ball where he wants based on the pitch location. I went to game 3 of the Astros-Yankees series and Jeter fouled off numerous pitches in one at bat which led to a walk. Just flicking the bat out there to make enough contact to keep the at bat alive. I have no doubt that had the situation called for it he would have hit behind the runners to move them over and it would have been something he wouldn't have had to give much thought to.

Most good HS programs do some type of situational hitting every day...it should be routine to professional hitters.

It's all about pitch location. Man on third, infield in, look for a pitch up the zone that you can drive. Man on third, infield back, look for a pitch down in the zone because it will be easier to get on top of. Going to right field is all about swinging at a pitch middle-away, letting the ball get deep and making contact with your hands in front of the barrel. If you try to pull an outside pitch you're most likely going to hit a ground ball to short. Pulling a ball with authority is all about selecting a pitch middle-in, staying short with your swing and meeting the ball with barrel in front of your hands.

I worked in minor league baseball. Major leaguers are 100x better than you think.

Ranger and Astro fans will remember Billy Hatcher. He was a pretty good ballplayer, nothing special. I watched him demonstrate situational hitting on several occasions. He was probably 40 years old at the time.

First drill was hit and run. He didn't know if shortstop or second base would cover. The fielders would break when baserunner ran for second, just like in real game. He could hit the ball to newly created hole about 9 times out of 10. Granted, it was BP fastballs, but it sure impressed the rookie league players.

Second drill was contact. Guys could throw him any pitch in any location. Curve in dirt, fastball around ears, etc. These were horrible pitches. If he could reach it, he put it in play. And probably half were line drives off the pitching cage. This was kind of a goof off drill. But it helped with bat control.

Third drill was most impressive. As the pitcher released the ball, another coach would shout out a position. If he yelled "short", Hatcher could hit it to shortstop. "Right" meant that he would hit a sac fly to right field. Hatcher could put it where he wanted with about .0003 seconds notice. He had that much control and skill.

And then he'd turn around and repeat it left-handed.

Major leaguers are 100 times better than you think.

[This message has been edited by birdman (edited 5/6/2014 1:22p).]

quote:

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Let's be real here. You have a ball flying at 85-90 miles per hour, your trying to meet it with the bat. How many hitters can actually entertain the thought of trying to pull it, or hit a fly ball to the outfield? Most are probably just thinking about trying to put the stick on it, period?

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Outside of pitchers hitting, I'd say 100%. Location of the pitch obviously matters for pulling/going the other way, but as others mentioned, we practiced this in hs. The fly ball is "easy" to think about, making contact is a another story. By the time you're in the majors it can definitely be done.

[This message has been edited by The lost (edited 5/6/2014 11:14p).]

Even in little league, our practices end in a batting contest requiring the batters to place the ball left, right, center, outfield and over the fence for an automatic win. I don't see the coaches calling for it in games. I do see the kids getting more comfortable hitting outside pitches to the opposite field, etc.