At just about every level of baseball, you’ll face pitchers that throw gas. Probably not Aroldis Chapman gas, but compared to the other pitchers you see on a regular basis, certain guys throw harder.
The question becomes, what adjustment do you make as a hitter?
Too many players don’t make any conscious adjustment and either try to swing harder or just hope they get lucky. What usually happens is hitters tense up and try to swing harder. When that happens bat speed actually slows down.
That’s not good enough for serious hitters trying to get to the Next Level.
So what do elite hitters do when facing pitchers that throw gas? They make one simple adjustment.
Great hitters get their front foot down early!
You can’t hit with your front foot off the ground. When a pitcher is throwing hard, it’s even more important to get your front foot down early. Early means a little BEFORE he releases the ball.
Better to be a lot early, than a little late.
Let’s here how the Pirates’ Josh Harrison (Who knows Chapman’s 100 mph+ fastball from experience) describes his mindset when facing hard throwing pitchers.
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