Are the Odds in Your Favor?

Hey There Friend!

You most likely know that a pitcher’s main responsibility is to GET ahead and STAY ahead of hitters.

We want the hitter to have to hit with more strikes than balls as much as possible! If a pitcher can work ahead in the count, hitters can’t be as selective. They must swing at pitches they might normally not choose to hit if they had the luxury of watching strikes like they would if a pitcher is behind in the count.

An easy way for pitchers, catchers and coaches to communicate about pitch location is by dividing the strike zone horizontally and vertically into three colors.

Here are the “rule book” definitions of the Colors of the Zone. They can and will change according to each individual umpire’s zone.  It is the job of the pitcher & catcher to figure out each individual umpire’s “colors” during the early innings of each game! 

Red Zone Pitches 

Horizontal Zone: middle 6” of the plate 

Vertical Zone: Top of the legs to the top of the stomach

• ALWAYS called strikes if the hitter takes
• Highly likely to be hit with solid contact if the batter swings

 Yellow Zone Pitches: 

Horizontal Zone: 4” on each side of the Red Zone

Vertical Zone: Top of the legs to the knees and the top of the stomach to the chest

• MOSTLY called strikes if the hitter takes
• Less likely than Red pitches to be hit with solid contact if the batter swings

 Green Zone Pitches: 

Horizontal Zone: Edges of the Yellow Zone out and in as far as the umpire may call a strike

Vertical Zone: Edges of the Yellow Zone, up and down as far as the umpire may call a strike!

• MAY OR MAY NOT be called a strike if the hitter takes
• Best location to avoid solid contact if the hitter swings

Want to make your own plates and poles to train with at home? Check out this handout link that tells you how to turn a couple swimming noodles, toilet plungers and duct tape into a GREAT visual training tool for pitchers and catchers!

After understanding these colors and the odds of getting called strikes if the hitter chooses NOT to swing and the chances of the hitter making solid contact if she decides to swing the bat, here are a few things to when choosing where to locate pitches:

1. Find a pitch that can be located well in the red/yellow zone to open counts.

The odds are that those will be called strikes which will immediately allow you to begin to put pressure on the hitter. Hitters get to be selective early in the count. Don’t throw that perfect “green" pitch on the first pitch and get upset when the hitter takes and the umpires calls it a ball. Work to perfect your locations both horizontally and vertically so that you can throw great red/yellow pitches early in the count. Think about changing speeds on the 1^st or 2^nd pitch if you can throw your off-speed pitch for a strike. Most hitters will not be on time or choose to hit an off-speed pitch with less than 2 strikes.

Remember that it’s the pitcher and catcher’s responsibility to figure out each individual umpire’s “colors” early in the game! If the zone is large in one area and small in another, they must make adjustments instead of forcing a zone that isn’t there, particularly early in the count.

For example: One umpire may have a very large strike zone on the outside corner for right-handed hitter, maybe she gives you 2” OFF the plate as a strike most of the time. This would make a typical “green” pitch, yellow for that umpire. That same umpire may have a very small strike zone on the inside corner, maybe she won’t give you a consistent strike when you locate the pitch on the inside third of the plate. This would make a typical “yellow” pitch, green for that umpire. 

2. Use green pitches to get hitters OUT!

Getting to a 2-strike count as quickly as possible should be the goal for every battery!

When I ask pitchers and catchers WHY we want to get to a 2-strike count quickly I hear answers like, “we get to mess around with the hitter” or “I can throw my junk pitches” or “I can try my rise ball that I’m working on but not super confident in yet”… totally the WRONG mindset for an 0-2 or 1-2 count!

The reason we want to get to those favorable 2-strike counts is because hitters WILL BE AGGRESSIVE!

This means pitchers want to throw their BEST stuff and ATTACK this hitter on the next pitch! Pitchers should want to throw green pitches that she believes she can get a hitter to swing and miss at OR make weak contact. What we DON’T want is to throw an obvious ball that doesn’t put pressure on the hitter to make a decision about swinging or taking.

3. Make sure that you know the strengths of your pitcher if you are responsible for calling pitches. Communication is the KEY to great pitch calling!

Do you know:

• What pitch(es)/location(s) she is most confident throwing?
• Which pitches she can throw for strikes (sometimes they are different than what she is most confident throwing…yes crazy I know)?
• What she would consider her “go-to” pitch/location (what she want to use when she needs a strike)?
• What her best “out” pitch/location is (the pitch she gets swing and misses or weak contacts with consistently)?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions…figure them out!

It’s amazing what can be accomplished when everyone is on the same page and understands the reasons behind calling certain pitches/locations!

Working ahead in the count by using the “Colors of the Zone” AND understanding how to play the odds using your pitcher’s strengths is one of the MOST important concepts for every pitcher, catcher and coach at every level of the game!

All my BEST,

Myndie