How do batters in baseball determine when and where the ball will cross the plate?
I just heard Reggie Jackson say in an interview that batters can tell a slider is being thrown because they can see a red dot formed by the stitches on the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. He also said that you have to be able to do this to last in the majors. I will take his word for this, though it seems quite a feat to me to be able to see a small red dot on a small object 60 feet away.
I always thought that batters adjusted to the pitch as the ball approached. I realize they only have about 2.5 seconds to do this. So my question is, to what extent can a batter adjust the instant that the ball is released and to what extent do they adjust while the ball is in flight?
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Whether about seeing the dot specifically or not, yes, major-league hitters have to be able to see the rotation of the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, so they can predict the break of the pitch. They also account for things like arm angle, arm speed, and so on. Of course, for many players, this is probably an instinctive ability… they may not be consciously processing “Oh, the ball is rotating like so, therefore it must be a sinker.” It may be more instinctive than that for many players.
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Interesting article here about clues batters use to read pitches. Some excerpts:
“Hitters can see the ball from way back there. A hitter will tell you, if they can see the ball they can just stand there and take their pick.”
”...with technology the way it is today, it isn’t hard for a manager, coach or hitter to break down a video and reveal how a pitcher tips a pitch. Wave of a glove for a fastball, more white of the ball sneaking out of the glove for a breaking pitch.”
”‘Where a guy holds his glove from one pitch to another is certainly a key,’ Yankees manager Joe Torre said.”
“One pitcher wags his tongue every time he throws a fastball,” said veteran Diamondbacks second baseman Roberto Alomar, mimicking the motion recently in the Arizona clubhouse. “He doesn’t do it when he throws his breaking ball. It happens every time.”
“I don’t want to say how he did it, but you could read what Stew was doing by looking at his glove,” said Alomar, who is 36 years old now and in the waning days of a 17-year career. “If you know it’s a curveball, you stay back and wait. If it’s a change-up, you stay back, too. If it’s a fastball, you can go get it.”
@Harp , Thanks for the article. It reminds me of what I believe poker players refer to as a tell. Also interesting to see the effect of technology on the game.
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