Batting practice: waste of time?

[Blue387]

Batting Practice - Cherished Tradition or Colossal Waste of Time?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/sp...pagewanted=all

Batting practice lasts 50 minutes for each team, and it involves infielders taking ground balls and outfielders chasing down fly balls. But despite its almost sacred place in the game, there is one little secret about batting practice: many players think it is a colossal waste of time, a mind-numbing, flaw-producing, strategically empty exercise.

I think it serves a purpose. I would like to see fans on the field shagging fly balls like Zack Hample.

[OmartgSS]

I guess some of the players think sitting on their butts another 50 minutes before the game would be more productive.

[RaysFan_98]

Batting Practice - Cherished Tradition or Colossal Waste of Time?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/sp...pagewanted=all



I think it serves a purpose. I would like to see fans on the field shagging fly balls like Zack Hample.

I would love to be on the feild with players and shag fly balls would be a great experience.

[dominik]

From my experience I can say that I hate hitting in a game without BP.

It should be done the right way though. first of all the coach should try to throw really hard (of course he won't throw 90 but 70 from 45 feet will do the job too). also swings should have a purpose and not just hack away.

[Cap78]

From my experience I can say that I hate hitting in a game without BP.

It should be done the right way though. first of all the coach should try to throw really hard (of course he won't throw 90 but 70 from 45 feet will do the job too). also swings should have a purpose and not just hack away.

I agree...you hear about guys and their batting practice power...that is always code to me for "he strikes out a lot in games"

[1983whitesox]

Who cares what any players think. It's their F-ING job. Get out there and take BP.


Sent from my iPhone
Eaton Swap + 4.10's = Wreeeeeeeeeedom!!

[Blue387]

Who cares what any players think. It's their F-ING job. Get out there and take BP.

But you might hurt their feelings!

[1983whitesox]

But you might hurt their feelings!

LMAO!!

Your right. Give them another couple of mill$$$
That will smooth things over.


Sent from my iPhone
Eaton Swap + 4.10's = Wreeeeeeeeeedom!!

[BeatEmBucs]

I agree...you hear about guys and their batting practice power...that is always code to me for "he strikes out a lot in games"

Ahh...we call that the "Brad Eldred principle" here in Pittsburgh. I hear he's still in AAA hitting colossal homers, but still striking out a ton.

[dominik]

Ahh...we call that the "Brad Eldred principle" here in Pittsburgh. I hear he's still in AAA hitting colossal homers, but still striking out a ton.

I have heard that you have a new BP phenomenon in Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately I'm one too this year. I have hit only one bomb this year depite hitting bombs in BP every time. that sucks, my average is OK (although I'm streaky) and I have increased my batspeed by about 15 mph this winter (probably 10 are left now) but it didn't really translate since I have some timing problems and often early.

[omg]

Note that the article is about pre-game batting practice.

There is definitely merit to the thoughts in the article. A game can last 2-4 hours. Factor in that pre-game bp lasts an hour and 40 min (both teams) and pre-game infield (a lot of teams have done away with it) lasts 20 minutes and you are looking at a long day. Not to mention that the number of cuts in pre-game is often excessive. It's tiring.

How long can a player stay sharp? I say the pre-game activities should be shortened. Have to sell it psychologically to the players because many will feel
they are not "ready". But a lot of the big leaguers are right-it's too much, too long, and counter-productive.

[CircleChange11]

Note that the article is about pre-game batting practice.

There is definitely merit to the thoughts in the article. A game can last 2-4 hours. Factor in that pre-game bp lasts an hour and 40 min (both teams) and pre-game infield (a lot of teams have done away with it) lasts 20 minutes and you are looking at a long day. Not to mention that the number of cuts in pre-game is often excessive. It's tiring.

How long can a player stay sharp? I say the pre-game activities should be shortened. Have to sell it psychologically to the players because many will feel
they are not "ready". But a lot of the big leaguers are right-it's too much, too long, and counter-productive.

We also have to consider how much batting practice these guys take in a day. Do we really think they don;t hit in the cage all the time?

Baseball is not short on guys that like to hit. When it comes to things to work on, it seems to be the one thing everyone likes to do.

A couple of years ago I got the honor of driving a pro baseball player to a game. The game started at 7:05, he had to be at the stadium (KC) at 1:30 (rookie). These guys put in plenty of time, and plenty of work.

If they are saying that PRE-GAME BP is a waste of time, shouldn't we listen? Do we really need to perceive that it means they don;t want to work or they aren't interesting in practicing their hitting?

[tg643]

There's no way for anyone to know how much BP a player takes away from pregame. When there's a flaw in their swing they don't wait for pregame to work on it. We often didn't get BP for away games in high school and Legion. By college and college summer ball the first few swings were for the game. The rest were how many could I jack. I spent one BP trying to hit a coach I didn't care got who was leaning on the fence down the line. The best warmp up from BP was the loose attitude of shagging balls in the outfield.

[abolishthedh]

Wow, I can't believe how the American work ethic erodes away day by day.

This is all about baseball, for criminy's sake, and if ballplayers think BP is work they should get real jobs.

Tony Gwynn was known for taking BP in dedicated fashion 364 days a year. I think it was in an SI article where this point was made, and that he took Christmas Day off and then resumed on 12/26.

As a nonplaying fan, I can only speak of how well the driving range helps my golf game. Whenever I go, I hit the ball much more consistently should I be able to play soon after the range session. Driving ranges are very boring, and to have it work well as intended, you can't rush through the bucket of balls. You have to have a purpose for the session. It is not about entertainment.

[CircleChange11]

Wow, I can't believe how the American work ethic erodes away day by day.

This is all about baseball, for criminy's sake, and if ballplayers think BP is work they should get real jobs.

What you're describing is NOT what the players are describing.

YOU are talking about BP in general, and/or working at your craft. The players are talking ONLY about pre-game BP on the field.

Again, how many players do we know that don;t love to practice hitting?

Tony Gwynn was known for taking BP in dedicated fashion 364 days a year. I think it was in an SI article where this point was made, and that he took Christmas Day off and then resumed on 12/26.

As a nonplaying fan, I can only speak of how well the driving range helps my golf game. Whenever I go, I hit the ball much more consistently should I be able to play soon after the range session. Driving ranges are very boring, and to have it work well as intended, you can't rush through the bucket of balls. You have to have a purpose for the session. It is not about entertainment.

Again, YOU'RE talking about practice in general, the players are talking ONLY of the pre-game BP on the field (y'know that fans watch).

If the players were saying that they don;t want to be required to practice their hitting, then your comments would be spot on. They're not, so they're not.

MY guess is the players would much rather take BP in private with their instructor. I'm guessing that pre-game BP the players feel like they need to "put a show on for the fans" rather than working on their swing mechanics. In other words, it's more akin to HR Derby that actual batting practice. Even my 11yo son knows Ichiro's BP swing doesn't look like his game swing. So, how valuable can it be?

I once saw a batter hit 12 consecutive home runs in pre-game BP. The player was Mark Salas. That's how important pre-game BP is.

Again, players aren't saying they don;t want to practice. They're saying they don't value pre-game practice. It's gets tiring when non-playing fans use that to mean something it doesn't.

I live in a developed nation. That doesn't mean that I should work 12 hour days without complaint because I owe it to people in undeveloped nations that do not have the opportunity to work such a job. In other words, non-playing fans should either [1] get more talent or [2] STFU.

[mellowthunder]

What you're describing is NOT what the players are describing.

YOU are talking about BP in general, and/or working at your craft. The players are talking ONLY about pre-game BP on the field.

Again, how many players do we know that don;t love to practice hitting?



Again, YOU'RE talking about practice in general, the players are talking ONLY of the pre-game BP on the field (y'know that fans watch).

If the players were saying that they don;t want to be required to practice their hitting, then your comments would be spot on. They're not, so they're not.

MY guess is the players would much rather take BP in private with their instructor. I'm guessing that pre-game BP the players feel like they need to "put a show on for the fans" rather than working on their swing mechanics. In other words, it's more akin to HR Derby that actual batting practice. Even my 11yo son knows Ichiro's BP swing doesn't look like his game swing. So, how valuable can it be?

I once saw a batter hit 12 consecutive home runs in pre-game BP. The player was Mark Salas. That's how important pre-game BP is.

Again, players aren't saying they don;t want to practice. They're saying they don't value pre-game practice. It's gets tiring when non-playing fans use that to mean something it doesn't.

I live in a developed nation. That doesn't mean that I should work 12 hour days without complaint because I owe it to people in undeveloped nations that do not have the opportunity to work such a job. In other words, non-playing fans should either [1] get more talent or [2] STFU.

Very well said. I believe there isn't a one size solution for everybody. There's a point where you know what you have to work on and what would be a waste of time.

[real green]

There is an entertainment value. I enjoy watching pregame BP. While it might not improve their game, I would like it to stay around. For me, it's a part of the game you can't get from home. A value add for going to the park.

[CircleChange11]

There is an entertainment value. I enjoy watching pregame BP. While it might not improve their game, I would like it to stay around. For me, it's a part of the game you can't get from home. A value add for going to the park.

I think maybe 2 people in the thread read the actual article being discussed.

[tg643]

Wow, I can't believe how the American work ethic erodes away day by day.

The article is about taking BP before the game, not about players taking BP. Those who want to work on their swing are at the park early taking BP sometime between noon and 2pm without the interruption of having to share the cage and the benefit of stopping at anytime to consult with the hitting coach without holding up team BP. Some players prefer to go down the tunnel and take swings off the tee to taking BP.

[CircleChange11]

Wow, I can't believe how the American work ethic erodes away day by day.

The article is about taking BP before the game, not about players taking BP. Those who want to work on their swing are at the park early taking BP sometime between noon and 2pm without the interruption of having to share the cage and the benefit of stopping at anytime to consult with the hitting coach without holding up team BP. Some players prefer to go down the tunnel and take swings off the tee to taking BP.

Who wants to be the one to tell him that more nationalities than just Americans play in MLB? I don't want to let facts ruin a good rant/insult.

One of the players in the article nailed it (IMO) by comparing pre-game BP to the "pre-game layup drill" in basketball in terms of effort and value. I also agree with Joey Bats that getting a good feel of the backdrop and line of vision is a valuable aspect of PGBP. But, other than that it's just HR swings on what Chavez calls "30mph pitches".

[dhellett]

In College, the home team would take Pre-Game BP first then the visiting team. During the visiting team's BP, our team could do 3 things, two of which I found negated all of that activity. You could go back to the locker room and chill/get your mind right. You could stay around the dugout and watch the other team take their BP. Or you could go to the cage and work on your swing some more. To be honest, I wasn't much of a fan of on-field pregame batting practice. It's hard to fight the temptation to try and hit the ball as far as you can and get out of what makes your swing effective (at least for me).

[pstein]

BP is not a waste of time if you use it properly. Trying to play home run derby during BP is a waste of time. But if you make an effort to hit the ball to the opposite field or try to work on something you don't do well, it's time well used.

[Roothog66]

It may be a "waste of time" concerning warming up for the game, but, let's be honest about what it really is (at the pro level). It's a show for the fans. It's a tradition. Heck, I'm sure that there are a number of people that simply wouldn't go to the park if there weren't BP before the game. For many fans, especially kids, that's the most enjoyable part of the experience. So, take your $1 mill + a season and get out there and hit some bombs for the fans!

[tg643]

BP is not a waste of time if you use it properly. Trying to play home run derby during BP is a waste of time. But if you make an effort to hit the ball to the opposite field or try to work on something you don't do well, it's time well used.

BP is just loosening up. Loosening up is not a waste of time. We all tried to jack the ball after our first few swings. While we did the "hit one to right, hit one to left," doing it in BP on a semi lob pitch doesn't mean the hitter can execute it in the game. The timing is completely different. If hitters need to work on their hitting they don't do it in pregame BP. But a player can loosen up without BP. I liked shagging balls in the outfield to get loose. Plus it was a great social event and pranks. It's funny to watch two guys break on a ball in BP when someone tied their shoelaces together.

[CircleChange11]

BP is just loosening up. Loosening up is not a waste of time. We all tried to jack the ball after our first few swings. While we did the "hit one to right, hit one to left," doing it in BP on a semi lob pitch doesn't mean the hitter can execute it in the game. The timing is completely different. If hitters need to work on their hitting they don't do it in pregame BP. But a player can loosen up without BP. I liked shagging balls in the outfield to get loose. Plus it was a great social event and pranks. It's funny to watch two guys break on a ball in BP when someone tied their shoelaces together.

As pitchers, we'd put rocks in a skoal can, tape that baby up ... get on all of the catcher's gear (including second pair of shin guards on the arms!) and go play "hockey goalie challenge" in a spot where the coach couldn't see us. The only time we almost got busted was when too many people wanted to join the game. It was fun.

When MLB players really want to work on theior swing, they don;t seem to ask for extra pre-game BP. They seem to want to go to the cage and "really work". Isn;t that revealing?