What exactly does a hitting coach do?

[fan_since79]

I've been wondering about this for some time. Some of our hitters don't seem to have the faintest idea what to do in the batter's box.

 

Hours and hours of coaching and video and they can't hit a baseball anymore?? Doesn't make sense.

 

 

[fan_since79]

The Angels are right up there with all MLB playoff contenders in every major offensive stat. 

 

I'm sure they can do better, but they're far from being bad.

 

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp?c_id=ana#elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Team+hitting&game_type='R'&season=2013&season_type=ANY&league_code='MLB'&sectionType=st&statType=hitting&page=1&ts=1376423666774&sortColumn=avg&sortOrder='desc'&extended=0

 

Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo appreciate your good thoughts.

[LBHalos17]

I've been wondering about this for some time. Some of our hitters don't seem to have the faintest idea what to do in the batter's box.

 

Hours and hours of coaching and video and they can't hit a baseball anymore?? Doesn't make sense.

Google it; I'm sure SI, ESPN, or MLB can explain it better than we would in here.

[austin724]

Pitching has for the most part been the problem this year. Fix that in the offseason and next year is a completely different story. One that will hopefully end the negativity.

[Sciosciapath]

Gives hitters a positive approach at the plate, refines their swing and make sure it stays consistent.  Gives hitters an idea of what some pitchers are doing lately to exploit holes in their swing to help them shore up their weaknesses.  Give encouragement.

[nate]

Watches video with players and helps with mechanics.  Also helps with hitting theory and pitch recognition.

[gotbeer]

Reads AW.com for the expert advice, then passes it along to the players.  

[Toby Ziegler]

In the case of Greg Walker, ruin hitters with track records.

[full circle]

Pitching has for the most part been the problem this year. Fix that in the offseason and next year is a completely different story. One that will hopefully end the negativity.

Hopefully it cures schizophrenia too...

[Ohtaniland]

Jim Eppard never hit a home run in his MLB career. He's an older version of Reggie Willits.

[mtangelsfan]

Again, this team is in the top 5 of the AL in most offensive categories.  This is strawman silliness.

[Troll Daddy]

Why am I more concern with our minor league hitting coaches?

[mrwicked]

the problem is our hitting coaches suck at getting the pitchers (and infielders) to play well.

[HaloFan85]

I'm sure the job description can vary depending on the coach and team, but I'm pretty sure all would be responsible for at least being able to spot and correct any breakdowns or flaws in a hitter's mechanics.

[tomsred]

Watches video with players and helps with mechanics.  Also helps with hitting theory and pitch recognition.

That explains it.  Watches movies with the position players, fixes their cars when broken.  Also reads books to players written by former players, and holds up que cards of baseballs spinning various ways.  LOL!

[Troll Daddy]

I always figured that once you made it to the Big Leagues you already knew how to hit. This is were the best players in the world gather to play baseball. This is why the teams get incredible TV contracts.

 

Players already know about working the count, plate discipline, pitch selection, ...etc. I think you guys get my point. Heck, these guys have had a bat in their hands before T ball. Most of them probably have their own personal hitting coaches.

 

I sure the hitting coach can give them some pointers or two but most of them talk to other players to get advise.

 

I guess that leaves the hitting coach to running the video room and throwing batting practice.

[Eric]

What does a hitting coach do?

He says "See the ball. Hit the ball. Run like hell. Check please!"

Seriously, though, some things a hitting coach does can be seen as endemic throughout the team, such as the Angels being called Hatcher's Hackers, where they take an extremely aggressive approach as a whole at the plate, which leads to frenzy hitting when the pitcher starts making errors, but can lead to pitchers throwing much fewer pitches per inning, getting them deeper into games when they are successful.

Other teams, like the Yankees traditionally for instance, prefer a more patient approach at the plate. This gets the hitters deeper into the count, forces the pitcher to throw more pitches per inning and usually ends up forcing other team to use their bullpen more when facing them. The downside to this approach, though, is it allows pitchers the opportunity to recover mentally after making a mistake.

But then again, when it comes right down to it, the hitters themselves are ultimately responsible for how they do or don't incorporate the lessons when they are at the plate. A hitting coach can say until he's blue in the face "Lay off the low inside pitches," but if the player insists on keeping swinging and striking out on them, there's little more the hitting coach can do.