Hitting to the opposite field is one of the most important qualities a young hitter can have, but few hitters know how to effectively handle outside pitches. Most hitters never learn to hit the other way, and, as a result, their careers are short lived. When I pitched in high school, my approach as a pitcher was to hammer the outside corner. At the high school level, surprisingly only fifteen percent of hitters can handle that pitch; Pitchers that read this article may want to take note of that. But, it’s true. Hitters cannot handle the outside corner of the plate, and end up rolling over pitches and hitting week ground balls to the infield.
SwingSmarter.com summarizes how to effectively handle an outside pitch:
- Let the ball get deep into the strike zone; You have more time to hit an outside pitch than an inside pitch. Think about it.
- When you hit an outside pitch, focus on swinging through the baseball. As they say, imagine that you make contact at the baseball and your swing continues three baseballs through the original contact point.
- SwingSmarter.com also gives a piece of advice about hitting the outside pitch I have not heard before, but like a lot. Think about taking your back knee through the center of the three centers of off centered baseballs that you are trying to follow through on. It may feel like you are taking a half-swing, but you are really taking the energy generated by your hips and channeling it in a direction you are not used to. This will enable you to hit for greater contact and power.
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