when the count is 3-0 have the hitter take. To me that is like giving the pitcher a strike. I’m not saying we should be swinging at every 3-0 count but my goodness don’t just take a strike every time that is hittable. It is not just DVH but most college coaches do this!
I have wondered the same thing many times.
They take the pitch, which is usually a fastball right down the middle. Then the next pitch is something off the plate that they swing at.
As I’ve observed, that is the general thing to do at all levels of baseball. If a pitcher is down 3-0, he has displayed he is having trouble finding the zone, so there is a chance he could miss on the 3-0. You see that happen some, especially when a pitcher is tired.
I know it drives Bubba Carpenter crazy.
It’s called playing the percentages: greater chance of walking than getting a hit.
I think there’s times to take on 3-0 and times not to take. If you’re leading off an inning where you need baserunners because you’re behind, then by all means you need to take. If with runner(s) on and you are not a disciplined hitter (i.e., you may swing at ball 4), then you need to take. But if you are a high average or power hitter who may likely only get one good pitch, then it’s hard to let one go right down the middle without putting a swing on it. I’m not sure if DVH controls all the hitters’ 3-0 takes or if some have a green light. Probably depends upon the situation.
I’ve wondered this, too. I understand the odds, but we’re facing pitchers who can throw strikes, especially when they don’t fear a swing coming. I’d like to put the decision in the hands of our hitters more than we seem to. There have been some awfully hittable FB’s come at our sluggers on 3-0 counts. It seems they then face full counts more often than not. Now if a pitcher has been missing badly, it’s another matter, but man, it sures seems we miss some great opportunities.
Major league teams do the same thing for the most part. That is percentage baseball.
MLB analysis of 2016:
https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2017/ … efry-marte
from reading many articles examining the OP question, there is now a trend towards letting a hitter swing. Nothing monumental as the general practice is to take. 33% of the next 3-0 pitches are actually balls. OBP = guranteed 33%.
Baseball Savant is often too intense for me, but as expected they will go to the wall to figure out an analytic question. All this reflects is past behavior and situational variables (the beauty of baseball ) can throw all that found out the window. Sluggers swing and non-sluggers take.
https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2015/ … e-sluggers
It is a game of moves and countermoves and what we observe and lump is probably more complex than realized. Tendencies are known to the nth degree from way back.