An MLB 2-Strike Approach
Apr 22, 2025
Physical Adjustments
- Choke Up
- Make the bat shorter & more controllable (2” to 3”)
- Widen Your Stance
- Get to your full stride
- No leg lift
Shift weight into your back leg - “pre-loaded”
- Move Up in the Box
- Cut off the distance that the curveball has to drop in.
- This will allow you to foul off good CBs & take bad ones.
- Get Lower to the Ground - Hunch
- Shrink the strikezone to make your job easier.
- Getting your eyes on plane with the ball will make tracking it & fighting pitches easier.
- Get Closer to the Plate
- Most HS & College pitchers struggle to throw the ball inside.
- Force the pitcher to beat you in a way he doesn’t feel comfortable by covering the outside half - a little forward lean might also help here as well.
- If he beats you inside, so be it, but we will not be beat by outside fastballs.
- Getting closer to the plate will often force more mistakes from the pitcher : HBP + misses down the middle + Balls.
Mental Adjustments
- Your job is to put the ball in play
- CONTACT, CONTACT, CONTACT
- Short & quick to the ball - think oppo gap
- Be ready to hit an outside fastball & battle off curveballs
- If he beats me with anything else, good for him.
- If I can see 3+ pitches once I get 2 strikes, I will get on base.
- “This guy has nothing to beat me with”
- Put 100% of your focus into picking up the ball as soon as possible. This will give you more time to react and fight.
- “It’s you versus me… let’s go”
- Mano a Mano - Step into the arena ready to fight. If you are totally absorbed & locked in on the battle - you will get the job done.