Working Ahead: Are You Setting Your Pitcher Up to Succeed?

Hey There Friend!

If you’ve been around the game of softball or baseball, and worked with (or parented) a pitcher, you’ve no doubt heard that pitchers should strive to WORK AHEAD in the count.

If you aren’t familiar with what “getting ahead” means, it’s simply that pitchers want to work to throw 2 STRIKES on the hitter as quickly as they can so that they have more strikes than balls on the hitter as often as possible!

My questions to you are:

• Do you understand exactly WHY working ahead in the count can help your pitcher create more consistent outs for her team?
• Have you been able to SHOW her how often she works ahead during games?
• Do you know HOW you can help her throw more strikes early in the count?

In today’s article I will answer these questions for you so you and your pitcher understand why getting ahead in counts regularly can help her (and her team) be more successful, what to track to show her how often she's getting ahead AND key things to consider that can help her find the zone early in the count.

Let’s start with WHY throwing strikes early in the count is important:

• Can help to keep pitch counts lower
  • Throwing strikes early in the count can reduce the number of total pitches your pitcher must throw in a game reducing fatigue
  • Throwing fewer pitches to each hitter during an at-bat can allow a pitcher to be more successful against that hitter late in the game (3rd time through the line-up)
• Forces the hitter to be more aggressive
  • When a hitter has 2 strikes on her she must swing at ANY pitch that may be a strike
  • When hitters have to be aggressive, pitchers have an advantage
• Fosters an ATTACK mindset for your pitcher
  • Teaching pitchers to get in the zone early will keep pitchers in the "driver's seat" throughout the game, coaxing hitters to swing at the pitches they want to throw.
• Allows pitchers to throw “OUT” pitches (batting average chart)
  • Once a hitter must hit with 2 strikes, her chances for success are decreased dramatically because pitchers get to throw their BEST STUFF on the edges of the zone!
  • Check out the batting averages based on counts for NCAA DI hitters once they have 2 strikes in the chart below. The advantages of getting 2 strikes on the hitter as quickly as possible are quite clear! ; )

Next, how can you SHOW her how often she works ahead in the count and give her a way to see if she is improving?

Check out these 4 easy-to-measure things:

• Overall strike percentage (How often she throws strikes vs balls)
  
  • Goal: 60% or better
• First pitch strike percentage (How often she throws a strike on the first pitch of each at-bat)
  
  • Goal: 60% or better
• A3P percentage (Throws 2 strikes within the first 3 pitches of the at-bat OR hitter puts the ball in play within the first 3 pitches of the at-bat regardless of the outcome of the at-bat)
  
  • Goal: 66% or better
• Quality Innings (13 pitches or less in an inning OR 3 up 3 down inning regardless of the number of pitches thrown)
  
  • 4/7 innings or better

These 4 things are a great way to measure the process your pitcher should be focused on when she is competing. If she (and her team) are able to consistently meet these goals the results will undoubtedly follow!

1. GET ahead! (1st Pitch Strike Percentage and A3P)
2. STAY ahead! (Overall Strike Percentage)
3. Keep a low pitch count/get out of innings quickly! (Quality Innings
   and A3P)

If you'd like more process-based measurements like these to use with your team, check out Justin Dehmer, and his "1-Pitch Warrior" system!

Finally, here’s a few things to consider that can help your pitcher GET AHEAD more effectively in the future!

• Know WHAT you pitcher can throw for a CALLED strike
  • What pitch(es) and location(s) can she throw confidently IN the zone?
• Don’t try to be too “fine” early in the count
  • Make sure that your pitcher can throw to areas ON the plate consistently
  • Practicing pitches that just barely catch the corner is great and those are pitches we want to be able to throw against hitters, however, we can't EXPECT that umpires will call those pitches strikes without the hitter swinging at them!
  • Practice throwing pitches that are FOR SURE strikes first and then work to expand the zone!
  • Find larger areas of the zone to use to get ahead if your pitcher is struggling to find the zone early in the at-bat
  • Think "inside half" or "bottom half" or "outside half" or "top half" instead of getting too specific with locations like "low-inside" or "low-outside" or "high-inside" or "high-outside" on the first pitch.
  • Remember that MOST hitters don't swing at the first pitch, even though they KNOW pitchers are trying to get ahead!
• Mix speeds if your pitcher can throw a change-up (or off-speed pitcher) in the zone
  • Changing speeds early in the count can be a super effective way to get ahead if your pitcher can throw her change-up for a strike
  • Most hitters do not want to swing at change-ups unless they HAVE to protect the zone, so why not get ahead in the count using one?
  • Pitchers that are able to use change-ups both early and late in the count have the ability to create lots more outs for their teams than pitchers that only change speeds when they have 2 strikes on a hitter

Helping your pitcher learn the value of throwing strikes early in the count AND showing her the progress she is making with her ability to get ahead is one of the most important things to do as you begin your competition season.

You will likely be surprised at how much your team's success can be directly tied to how often your pitcher works ahead in the count! It's something that is absolutely worth working on with your pitchers!

All My BEST,

Myndie