I want to start this by saying, I am not so idiotic as to think I actually would be able to hit a major league pitcher.
But when presented with the “do you think you’d be able to even make contact on 1 out of 100 pitches by a pitcher”, I’d like to understand why.
Like if they did nothing but pitch breaking stuff, couldn’t I just overcorrect? Same deal with fastballs? I’m sure they would mix it up, but out of 100 straight pitches, if you were a major-league pitcher, what would you do to make sure that they never made contact?
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People are talking about reaction time and prediction based on pitcher grip & release, which is absolutely a factor, but the other factor is strength & skill. A lot goes into a swing, and for major league level pitching – to catch up with the pitch and put barrel on the ball – you need strong hands/wrists to get the bat through the zone in time plus strong movement in the hips. (And then of course, for a good hit, you need lower body strength & timing between your feet & hands.) Swinging a bat is similar to learning to swing in golf in that every part of your body needs to be synced up properly. Without at least some strength/skill you’ll just end up behind every pitch/swinging over it.
Plenty of minor league players who see 90+ mph fastballs in the minors still can barely hit major league pitching. The movement on the ball, location, etc. There’s also a whole psychological element to it.
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