No matter how much instruction you give to anyone in baseball or life, it rarely suffices and you always windup worrying about how much of it is sinking in and how much is being forgotten…
To combat both thee problems, this prepared comprehensive tip sheet for each position for early winter consideration…This gives them plenty of time to think baseball and study what they will need to be facing in spring…
1.) Since pitching is considered about 85 % of the game, take pride in being the key man on the team…
2.) All players should remember this statement--and do whatever it takes to let their pitchers rest between innings (as Much as Possible) respect others their (positions)
3.) Walk briskly to and from the mound but don't run..
4.) Go to the mound determined to pitch a shutout…
5.) Control is your most important weapon, (control) and remember that your legs and stamina have a lot to do with your control…
6.) Keep your pivot foot in contact with the rubber while taking the sign from the catcher…
7.) Hide the ball and your wrist with your glove…
8.) Since the secret of hitting is timing , your main task is to upset the batter's timing--keeping him guessing, keeping him off balance…
9.) Pick up your target before starting your windup, mentally focusing on it, not letting it go out of your mind's eye, then and only then begin your wind-up with body and legs going forward…
10.) Have a purpose for every pitch--if it doesn't work--you'll have the experience of knowing why not…
11.) Get ahead of each and every batter..
12.) Point your front foot directly towards target…
13.) Throw to the catcher's knees and shoulders, both high and low, inside and outside and down the middle--pin point these locations, in practice so game time--is just practice with a batter…
14.) Go for the outside corner against a batter who steps away from the plate-- a concentrated catcher can be your best friend…
15.) Pitch tight and hard to a batter who strides toward the plate…
16.) Pitch high and hard to a batter who drops his rear shoulder..
17.) Pitch high and hard to a long strider and mix in a change of pace…
18.) Don't throw a change up to a weak hitter, alate swinger or a non- strider…
19.) With men on base keep pitches low…
20.) Don't fool around with a weak hitter, make him hit hard strikes not in the zone
21.) When you need a strikeout and can afford to waste a pitch, throw a 90% fast pitch for a ball, then come back with your best fastball…
22.) In a tight spot, come in with your best "control" pitch…
23.) If one pitch is working and another is not --merely "show" the hitter by keeping it away--the one by keeping it away--the one not working and concentrate on the one that is working…
24.) With a runner on base mix up your "looks" at him to prevent him from reading your intentions and timing your delivery--have 1st baseman keep him close with words--like hey-- he's thinking about going or, he's a little to far (Make the runner anxious) get third basemen to give you a signal when he's to far off base…
25.) If you want to use a wind-up with a runner on third base…
26.) Make sure to back up throws on the lead runner…
27.) In Backing up, get about 40feet behind the base, If you get to close to the baseman, a bad throw can get by you just as easily as it can the baseman...
28.) On any ball hit to your left, head for first base to cover it if necessary...
29.) When taking a throw from the first basemen , touch the base with your right foot and stay inside the bag…
30.) With men on base, cover home plate on all passed balls or wide throws to the catcher…
31.) With a runner on third on third, cover home on a foul fly ball being chased by the catcher…
32.) When covering home, set up on the first base side of the plate in order to protect your back and pitching arm--though this is tough to do on a passed ball…
33.) With runners on first and second and a bunt is a possibility cover the third base line…
34.) If fielding a ball concentrate on watching it right into the glove…
35.) In moving for a grounder, field it as the foot on the glove hand side hits the ground…
36.) After fielding a ball close tom the first baseman, make sure to give hims clear view of the ball as you toss it underhand to him (pull your glove back out of the way)
37.) Make certain you low who will cover second in a force situation should the ball be hit to you…
38.) Don't pitch to the batter while the shortstop or second baseman is moving toward the bag…
39.) Step back off the mound with your back foot when ever a runner is bothering you or starts to steal…
40.) If you lapse into a wild streak, don't ease up and start aiming the ball, pitch in a normal fashion until control returns
41.) Keep all change of paces low…
42.) Wear a three quarter or long-sleeved sweatshirt or a cotton liner whenever you pitch…
43.) Loosen up and do some stretching before warming up to pitch…
44.) Make sure there's a home plate a simulated plate whenever you warm up or pitch..
45.) Do some throwing from the stretch position every time you warm up…
46.) Don't throw too many hard ones while warming up--fifteen fast balls should suffice, unless you're wild and require some extra pitches to get timing down or into your grove…
47.) While warming up, throw in the same direction as you will be pitching in the game…
48.) The first few days of practice are a good time to play catch bare handed--this will prevent you from throwing to hard and will toughen your hands…
49.) Don't pitch or do any throwing when you have a sore arm…
50.) Remember you're the boss out there on the mound…
51.) If you don't feel right talk to the pitching coach…
52.) Remember, keeping the ball down consistently generally means the difference between winning and losing… Remember also--there are four infielders plus yourself, and more ground balls are hit off the low ball… the home run is hit more often off the high ball…
Extras--
53.) When picking off a man on second--(timing) get the second baseman or short stop--1001--1002-1003 spin and turn and throw--coordination between you two will work out with practice
54.)
Batters--are getting to where they are guessing to much--they stand there and swing at whatever comes across the plate--not waiting on there pitch that will come--and be right where they want it…swinging at the first pitch because they think it's going to be a fast ball right down the middle cause they think the pitcher isn't smart like they are--a good example Freddy Freeman (Braves)--is he in for a shock which he is already feeling --but one other thing he's done--he got the whole team doing it--wrong--learn the pitchers--watch them--through their whole sequence--they only have so many pitches--don't guess start learning what the pitcher throws in certain situations and be waiting on it--the guessing technique--like Justin uptown and his brother and even better Dan Uggla--what a joke--He lived on his strength and trying to out guess the pitcher--who was in control of him the whole time unless he got caught up in trying to strike him out--mistakes on the pitchers part is what kept Uggla in the game of baseball--nice guy--I wonder--The Upton brothers--Justin tremendous power but weak in the sense that he going for the fences all the time--instead of just getting wood on the ball--with his power he only has to watch
Evan Gattis to see what power can do in baseball---even Gattis has his problems though--mainly "over reacting"to every pitch--another guesser--not paying attention--to what the pitcher--has in store for him-
a pitcher can only have so much--he's guessing he can strike you out or get you to hit a ground ball--or fly out--to do each one of those he's only got a certain amount of pitches--he's seen the scouting reports and knows your suspected weaknesses--he knows more about you than you know about yourself he thinks--so this is where you come in waiting on your pitch--the pitcher is not going to throw you the same pitch every time unless that's your weakness--all teams play to long term percentages--that's money in the bank--that's games won in the book---that's success for the whole operation--top to bottom--the only way to find out about pitchers is to spend as much time facing them---learning all the while--what they have to offer…that called baseball sense--there are nine players on a team each has his own baseball personality or characteristics which compose his baseball sense--each has his own goodies as far as batting is concerned--from top to bottom--investigating their weaknesses and compiling these weakness one can discover--facts leading to why pitchers have success against your team--one can also discover what a pitcher uses against your team in times when he wants to get your players out-adjusting to this formula--you as player can be waiting…as a Coach on the bench you can advise your players of the situations when he should expect what's coming…I don't see that in any organization as of this date--when players are on the sidelines--they are not involved-- in there own little bullshit and looking around in the stands to see who they can see--or catch the eye of the pretty young ladies…or men…as much as they are being paid when are the owners going to start demanding that they participate in the in between innings--instead of letting them spit and throw their cups and debris all over the dugout for someone else to pick up--gross--but I'm beginning to think that the quality of athlete is as stupid as all the other athletes--you know like "Duh"--what happenings Coach--I hope not but it just looks to me like the only requisite is throw hard and be big and strong so you can hit the ball a mile--no brains--just having a good time---and see how much money you can make on your next trade--all is O.K.--that's the way America is becoming anyway--so have at it--baseball used to be a good all around sport--now it's so full of blow hards and money--that everybody involved--is only out for themselves--All of which makes a sorry state of affairs even sorrier…each player in all the leagues is playing it fast and lose--one step at a time--so now every player is has to improvise as they go along--what they've come up with is a salable product--for T.V.--but their soul has been sold and the original game of baseball has lost a lot of it's integrity--there is no way to resurrect the original scheme…some things just shouldn't be bothered with…
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