Gray Area Strikes

[kylejt]

I'm just saying that if you're calling strikes at two ball widths on the inside part of the dish, you may get more grief than you should. I've had really good instructors tell me to do so, but IMO, that's not a hittable pitch, and it's definitely not a strike.

But Bob and Kevin make good points. If your area wants that called, and you get less grief that way, roll with it.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by kylejt

I'm just saying that if you're calling strikes at two ball widths on the inside part of the dish, you may get more grief than you should. I've had really good instructors tell me to do so, but IMO, that's not a hittable pitch, and it's definitely not a strike.

But Bob and Kevin make good points. If your area wants that called, and you get less grief that way, roll with it.

I wouldn't go that far inside, though. I'm with you on that. It's unhittable at any level and cheats every hitter. You go a little away and it's still hittable.

[gordon30307]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

I wouldn't go that far inside, though. I'm with you on that. It's unhittable at any level and cheats every hitter. You go a little away and it's still hittable.

Here's the problem with the inside pitch it has become fashionable at

all levels for batters to crowd the plate. I got to believe it started at the "show" because "pitchers aren't allowed" to pitch inside. The first time it happens (it seems to be the case) both benches are warned. Nothing I enjoy more than getting a called third on a batter whose arms are over the plate. The only thing that can top that is calling a strike when a batter gets hit by a pitch because he's all over the plate.

Quit being sympathetic to the hitter. How many times do they let the mediocre belt high fastball go by and then get pissed off at you when you ring them up on a called third.

[kylejt]

Originally Posted by SAump

Would you go two balls inside or outside, if you were pitching?

Yes, I would.

I'd go there, but I wouldn't expect it to be a strike. I'd WANT it be a strike, though.

Good thing I don't pitch AND umpire at the same time. I'd probably yell at, and then eject myself several times a game.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by SAump

Play the angle from the plate to the mitt.
These big MVP guys deserve a bigger strike zone.
Built in up/down belt to knees, but stagnant 17 inches left/right.
Who remembers a shorter MLB hitter with more HR than Kirby Puckett?
Bet Mr Puckett's wingspan was much larger than his height for a person his size.
Hitters drop back-end lower into a cut and explode upward belt high {Bagwell}, a built in advantage.
Add Albert Pujols in a crouch and see how much his strike zone changes during a swing.
Bet a dollar it doesn't change very much when he's looking at the pitch go by.
Take the average of 1000 knees to belt shots of him swinging at a pitch in the strike zone.
The strike zone on a 5-5 ft adult wingspan really can't differ as much vertical or horizontally.
Explosive MLB hitters swing at these pitches. Shouldn't they be called a strike when they don't swing?

Two balls off the plate??

You are dreaming. Horse---- MLB hitters swing at those pitches. Or Vladi, who can't possibly be used in any conversation about conventional hitting. Vladi is the only true bad ball hitter in baseball that has gone that far out of the zone successfully since the '70s. It's not the general rule like you're saying. ... Kirby's wingspan was not different than a normal short guy. He was very strong. Another short guy with a lot of bombs: Jimmy Wynn--also very strong and the rare guy with a season of 140-plus walks and 140-plus strikeouts ... And just because a bad hitter like Ryan Howard would swing at a pitch two balls off the plate is not a good reason to call it a strike on a brilliant hitter like Mark Teixiera.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by SAump

You said it yourself in all the "everyone agrees with KF threads" that one ball off either corner is a strike. If you can't tell the difference between a For-You-Coach and a strike, I suppose there is no gray area strike left to discuss. Three balls in any direction would be too much.

Now I ask you to accept another ball off either side and it is suddenly impossible and unfair to the MLB hitter? I thought this thread was about the "gray area" found near the strike zone. I didn't realize it only pertained to the top and bottom quarters. As previously discussed in the KF threads prior to this, I'll continue stealing those pitches on the sides of my game.

Good luck,

What does most of this post mean? What are you referring to?

How did you make that leap from one ball off the corner, outside only, if it's caught right? With all due respect, you have gone way off course and you are not accurate in your recalling of what was said previously. You claimed that MLB hitters swing at pitches two balls off the plate and that it should be called at that level. I addressed it. They don't swing at that pitch routinely and it should not be called a strike.

I can't go two balls off the plate on either side under any circumstances. It's unfair.

And other than Jimmy Wynn, Rickey Henderson was another short guy that had more homers than Puckett, but he played twice as long. And I hate to admit it, but the very small Joe Morgan also had more and played twice as long.

[Kevin Finnerty]

You're still losing me on the second part. You agree, but you disagree.

You want freedom to make the strike zone 28 inches wide, but you think we should all abide by the strike zone parameters in the rule book?

And, they're not threads, they're posts. A thread is a topic, and a message is a post.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by SAump

(3) + 3 + 17 + 3 + (3)
That would be a maximum 23 inches across. We stated the strike zone was 20 inches on each side or 23 inches from side to side. Add 3 inches of "gray area" to each side and the strike zone is still 23 inches wide. The 34 inch bat plus 24 inch arms, provides about 58 inches of total coverage. Subtract 6 inches of sweet spot, 12 inches of comfort roomfor the hands, and 23 inches of strike zone. That leaves about 17 inches {8.5 inches on both sides} of the plate for "decision" room.

I'm sorry, you said 29 inches, not 28. And you said that two balls off the plate on either side is a strike and should be a strike in the majors. Now you're saying that part of your zone is a gray area that's sometimes not a strike.

And the rest of that bat and arm length coverage stuff is as convoluted as it gets.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by SAump

I have a clue why you would say that. The pitcher can only toss one pitch and I doubt he'll make use of both sides of the plate. A quick search of this document does not reveal a "29" statement attributed to me.
Thread 29, post 291, Dec 29, Kevin 29: Yes
SAump 29: NO!
Fold arms so sweet spot reaches 6 inches on inside edge of plate at the knees.
Extend arms/bat so that sweet spot reaches 6 inches past outside edge of plate at the knees.
Comfortable after a few swings? Thats the advice where he should stand, but it is not mandatory.

You said the plate is 17 inches and that you call two balls on each side. That's 29 if you call the width of a ball three inches. That's what you said.

And please pass on the where-a-hitter-should-stand stuff. In fact, pass on all the hitting stuff.