There are some
huge mistakes made when teaching young pitchers about how to truly control the
opposition on the bases. In almost 8
years of professional baseball, I only had about a dozen or so stolen bases
against me. That is only about 1.25
stolen bases against me a year. Was I
quicker to home than other pitchers?
No. Did I throw 110mph? Definitely not. Did the catchers I have throw 150 mph to
second base? Of course
not. I just followed some basic fundamentals that I was taught early in
my baseball career and perfected them which helped me and my catcher to be
successful in this area.
Many coaches focus on quick fix
scenarios that young players then turn into habit. One of the most profound comments I have ever
heard on a baseball field was from a former summer league coach I played for
who was also a Major League scout. His name was Walter Youse. Walter has now
since passed away and was 80 or 81 when he coached me but has coached hundreds
of professional and Major League players including Hall of Famers Reggie
Jackson and Al Kaline. Walter once said,
“Do not handle the ball unless you have to.”
He was referring to a pitchers’ propensity to throw the ball over to
first base time and time again with pickoff attempts that a lot of time ended
up as throwing errors with the runner or runners advancing one or two bases.
Let me be very clear about something,
our number one priority with a runner on base is the hitter. Period. Does that mean we neglect the runner? Of course not. How do we go about making sure that speedster
on first or second doesn’t get one step closer to home? It is actually very simple and gives the
pitcher a few different advantages if done correctly.
Young pitchers need to learn to vary
the length of time they hold the ball.
What I mean is that perhaps the first time they come set in the stretch
position with a runner on first, they hold the ball
for about 3-4 seconds and step off. The
second time they come set, maybe they deliver a pitch to home after a short,
half second hold. The third time they
deliver another pitch to home after a 1-2 second hold. Notice that there were no throws to
first.
All the pitcher has done is throw off the timing of the runner and by the way, also the
rhythm of the hitter. Good base runners
are taught to get a good lead
Over 60% of errors in the Major Leagues are throwing errors. With that being said, imagine how high the
percentage is in little league through high school. Most runners in little league are not stealing off of the pitcher because he is slow to the
plate. They are stealing off of the
catcher who has not developed the arm strength or footwork necessary to throw
with velocity and accuracy down to second.
Base runners are literally just outrunning the ball, no matter how
quick the pitcher is to home plate. Most
coaches teach young pitchers the wrong way to deal with this problem by
teaching multiple pickoffs and risking errant throws and teaching the ever
popular but potentially harmful slide step.
This presents
the greatest problem about holding runners.
As I have stated, the number one priority even with the fastest of
runners on base is the hitter. That
being said, the slide step goes totally against this rule of thumb.
All a slide step does is force a pitcher to lose power and rhythm by
throwing off his timing of when his throwing hand leaves his glove and where
his arm is at release point. Nine times
out of ten, a pitcher who is more focused on the runner and starts the slide
step, ends up not having to worry about base runners because the hitter got a
high, fat fastball and smoked it down the line or in the gap and the runner on
first scored. Or in another fun situation,
the pitcher then loses command of his pitches because his timing is thrown off
and now he cannot find a consistent release point and he starts to walk
hitters.
Two simple focus points for pitchers of all ages would be to remember
that when holding a runner on first base it is important to vary the length of
time you hold the ball on the mound to throw off the runners’ timing. When pitching with a runner on second base it
is important to remember to vary the number of times you look at the runner at
second base before delivering a pitch.
These simple reminders are a huge key to success when trying to control
the running game.
Generally speaking it will take
a runner about 3.8 seconds to steal second base. It will take a catcher about 2.2 seconds to
throw a ball down to second base on an attempted steal. If you subtract 2.2 from
3.8 that gives you 1.6 seconds.
That means that from the time a pitcher moves his front foot to start
his delivery to home, until the time the catcher receives the ball it has to be
less than 1.6 seconds to give the catcher a chance to throw out the
runner. As pitchers, it is probably
actually better to be around 1.3-1.4 seconds to home just in case the catcher’s
throw is wild, it gives them a larger margin for
error. These numbers also may change
depending on how quick of a release the catcher has and how quick the runner is
but I just wanted to give you a starting point to go by. If a pitcher is in the
1.3-1.4 range then they will be giving their catcher a good chance to throw out
the runner and still have enough power behind the ball to make a good
pitch. Seems simple
enough. However, this is an
aspect of pitching that is often neglected but it stands to reason that this
may be one of the most important parts to successful pitching.
The question becomes, “How do I teach this to kids?”
Let’s start with posture. (See picture above) One of the biggest obstacles I have as an
instructor is teaching kids athletic movement and posture. A lot of coaches
want to skip some of the most important factors in the development of pitchers
and position players as well. How can
you expect a young pitcher to be successful on the mound if they do not even
understand the difference between good athletic posture and poor athletic posture. You cannot put the cart before the horse so to
speak.
Please keep in mind that the
timing of a pitchers hand separation and his front leg going towards home
should be the same as it is from the full wind-up. Many pitchers “over think” when in the
stretch and it speeds the game up mentally, but if they learn to keep their
delivery simple and work on keeping the runners close by varying the “holds” on
the mound, they will be very successful in controlling the running game and
getting outs.
Another key component is teaching a good alternative to the slide
step. The move I like when holding
runners but delivering a pitch is called the “knee to knee” move. Starting in good athletic posture which
includes feet at least shoulder width apart, all you do is lift your front knee
and make sure that it goes diagonally up and even with your back knee and then as
soon as you start your front leg forward, separate your hands and throw the
pitch. This accomplishes four things.
1)
It allows you to be quick but not too quick to home plate.
2)
It forces you to show your hip thus bringing your legs and trunk into
the pitch which will give you more power on the pitch.
3)
It allows your hands enough time to separate and get into the proper
timing position to throw the ball with accuracy and power to home.
4)
It helps the pitcher learn a good habit that he will take with him the
rest of his career!