"Approach" as a hitter

[Sully]

Ask me about the intricacies of the cover 3 defense vs various formations, and I could go on for hours. Ask me about the pros and cons of "wrong-arming" on a pulling guard, and I could put on a seminar. But when it comes to intricacies of baseball, I don't know much. I've been a baseball fan my entire life, follow just about every Royals game, but I never played, other than with a tennis ball and a wiffle ball bat. For years I heard of players having a "shirt swing," and I think it wasn't till this year that I finally figured out what that means (maybe). I could tell the difference between a fastball and a Barry Zito-type curveball. But I couldn't identify a slider if it hit me in the shoulder after I swung at it.
All that said, the past few weeks there has been tons if talk about Royals hitters having or not having an "approach" at the plate. I was just hoping someone could clear that up. Is it a matter of only going up there looking for a particular pitch? Only swinging in a specific zone? I really don't know. Anyone wanna help a brutha out?

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by Sully

Ask me about the intricacies of the cover 3 defense vs various formations, and I could go on for hours. Ask me about the pros and cons of "wrong-arming" on a pulling guard, and I could put on a seminar. But when it comes to intricacies of baseball, I don't know much. I've been a baseball fan my entire life, follow just about every Royals game, but I never played, other than with a tennis ball and a wiffle ball bat. For years I heard of players having a "shirt swing," and I think it wasn't till this year that I finally figured out what that means (maybe). I could tell the difference between a fastball and a Barry Zito-type curveball. But I couldn't identify a slider if it hit me in the shoulder after I swung at it.
All that said, the past few weeks there has been tons if talk about Royals hitters having or not having an "approach" at the plate. I was just hoping someone could clear that up. Is it a matter of only going up there looking for a particular pitch? Only swinging in a specific zone? I really don't know. Anyone wanna help a brutha out?

Largely a BS abstract concept to give broadcasters and sportswriters something to talk about when a player isn't hitting well. When they can't find some obvious flaw, they can blame it on something mental, like the hitter's "approach" at the place.

[tooge]

Not abstract at all. Every player has his own approach at the plate. Basically, it means a couple of things, most of which are about selecting a certain pitch, swinging at a certain count, and how you might swing. For example, a power hitter might look fastball on the first pitch, or at least on the first pitch with no strikes, that isn't a 3-0 pitch, and swing for the fence on that pitch. That hitters approach might be then to look for an outside pitch to drive opposite field on the second "strike". Then, the hitter may choke up just a bit and be in a more defensive mode for the third "strike". Another player may take a totally different approach to hitting.

[tooge]

I teach our boys this approach: if you don't have any strikes, make your strike zone only where you "like" the pitch to be, and then if there is a pitch there, swing for the fences. After strike one, the zone of pitches you will swing at must get bigger but still be a pitch you can drive. After two strikes, the zone gets to where it covers not only the entire plate, but even pitches just outside of the actual strike zone.

[duncan_idaho]

Approach is often thrown out as a nebulous term that doesn't really mean anything, but there are some concrete concepts you can tie to it.

1) General philosophy regarding hitting. IE, look for pitches to drive to take advantage of power, drive to hit line drives, try to hit ball on the ground to take advantage of speed, etc.

2) Strike zone approach (Not swing with less than two strikes unless ball is in a certain zone, etc)

3) Conscious attempts to drive the ball the other way or up the middle.

4) "Plan" when coming to the plate (ie, look for first-pitch strike, make pitcher work, etc)

[Sully]

That helps, guys.

So when people are claiming that Royals batters haven't had an "approach" (at least till Sveum took over), they were saying that our batters were just walking up there swinging at anything that was a strike, or in some cases, not?

[tooge]

no, im sue they have an approach. Ball players start developing their approach as youth players. It's just that the new guy might have an approach that is different that he wants them to follow in certain situations.

[Dayze]

I keep reading the OP title as "Approach as Hitler"

I'm thinking "no way chicks will talk to you"

[tomahawk kid]

I don't know about "approach" but I feel like most of our hitters have no discipline at the plate - particularly when down by a run.

Most of the games against Seattle were a great example. We got down by a run, and everyone went to the plate just straight up hacking. Just trying to tie the game with one swing.

I don't feel like we're very big on getting a runner on and moving him over when down by a run - or even just making a pitcher work to get an out.

It just seems like we have an organization philosophy that doesn't promote taking alot of pitches.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by Sully

That helps, guys.

So when people are claiming that Royals batters haven't had an "approach" (at least till Sveum took over), they were saying that our batters were just walking up there swinging at anything that was a strike, or in some cases, not?

The hitters have always had an approach.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Sully

That helps, guys.

So when people are claiming that Royals batters haven't had an "approach" (at least till Sveum took over), they were saying that our batters were just walking up there swinging at anything that was a strike, or in some cases, not?

I think it is more of that Grifol's coaching was all about feeling good with your swing and having a solid lower half, then going up there and using that good swing. See ball, hit ball. This led to swings on a lot of balls out of the zone.

Sveum brought an initial focus on swinging at more pitches up in the zone that could be driven. Sllugging percentage has gone through the roof since....

[Perineum Ripper]

I was taught at ball camps when I was younger that the correct approach to batting was to know the count know where to take a pitch depending on pitch location and pitch type where the fielders are at looking for gaps and the right pitch to take to a gap and knowing when to expand your zone and knowing how many outs the score and where runners on base are at

[cosmo20002]

Like I said, abstract. It means different things to each player. Basically its a hitter's mindset and easy to blame absent some other obvious physical flaw.

[chefsos]

Bees have an approach.

Wasps, on the other hand, just go up there and sting away.

[Demonpenz]

Approach to me is knowing what your skills are and doing that. If I am a kind with not much power I am going to try to hit the ball solid and take a good swing, if I am getting paid to put the ball over the wall I am going to look for something to elevate and drive. The Royals have always sucked at approach because they have a mix mash of players who don't do anything awesome. Trying to get a guy like billy butler to pull the ball over the wall, something he has never been able to do very well is a shit approach from what I have seen out of him for 10 years.