Establish your dominance.

One of my managers in pro ball used to tell us, every time two Bucks meet in the woods to mate with the same Doe most times they do not fight. Usually one yields to the other more Dominant body language Buck and carries on with his day. As a baseball player we have to act like we are the dominant person of the relationship. Confidence and confident non verbal actions are truly important to being great. Baseball is an individual matchup sport in a team setting but success and failure comes down to individual players being confident, acting dominant and trusting themselves. You have to believe everyone is there to watch you play and you are the best player on the field. If someone showed up in the 7th inning they shouldn't know how your day is going based on how you act. My favorite quote about consistency was about Jeter they said "the first thing I learned from Jeter is to be the same no matter if you're doing good or bad"  We show our dominance by how we react to failure (act like you did it on purpose), success (act like it was inevitable) and also how we react to the other teams/fans verbal eye wash. A lot of the pissing matches amateurs teams get into is ridiculous to me. Players get bent out of shape over issues that have nothing to do with the game. Each team gets 27 outs, 3 strikes is a K and 4 balls is a walk, every 3 outs you switch. A lot of the issues that players deal with during the game, they don't have control over and therefore should be ignored. You can't control the umpires bad call, you cant control the other team making a great play, the weather, the field, your coaches lineup decisions, your batting average. The hardest thing to do in baseball is play in the present and execute your job on this pitch. We can control this pitch and that's it. When you fail act like you did it on purpose and when you succeed act like it was inevitable. That is dominant body language. There are also small things you can do during the game to give the opponent the impression that you are bored/dominant and know what they are doing. Look in for the sign from the catcher when you are at first and steal on off speed, catch a popup with one hand, like "whatever" body language, when you walk look disappointed, etc. The 2 videos below are my favorite two acts of dominance during the game, Papi knows they are pitching around him and just walks to first. This isn't bush league, this is awesome. I wish more guys at the amateur level would do this when the pitcher is showing you he is scared to face you. Cliff Lee is pitching in the World Series and he catches that pop up like he is bored. Talk about being confident and in the moment on baseball's  biggest stage. Most players do not appreciate the significance of the message you send to your opponent during a game. Be Dominant, show that whenever you can to your opponent.

Most Hitters are just trying to improve the first swing that was taught to them

The definition of INSANITY is repeating the same action but expecting different results. Most amateur are average hitters because their swing is average at best. The swing is not something that can truly be explained and also felt. If you ask great hitters about their approach or swing their answers are most times very simple. For example, I asked Mookie Betts why he is big on hitting the ball to the middle of the field and his response was, "there are less defenders in the center of the field" One day as a young boy I finally got to meet Mo Vaughn, he was the bad ass cleanup hitter for the Red Sox and I loved how he hit. So awkward Mikey Ged walks up and says, "Mr. Vaughn, what is your approach when you hit" he response I will never forget, "Well Kid, swing as hard as you can, just in case you hit it."😍 My dad used to say to me all the time, "Just relax and be good with your head" but I didn't know that he was just simply saying, a tense muscle is a slow muscle and your eyes are the most important muscles to hitting, so relax and trust that your eyes will show your body the swing it needs on this incoming pitch. You work on your actions in the cage. Off the tee and flips you can and should experiment with NEW actions. You should experiment with a leg kick, double tap, starting open, starting closed, going no stride, doing any of the MLB players stances because your stance and your leg movement is completely irrelevant 😶All that matters is the position your body lands in and how you move your barrel before you launch it, but thats for a later post after my season is over, can't give away all the secrets 😘 A Punching Judy is a player that hits singles and luckily hits a double when he hits a ground ball down the line. You are not a Judy because you are small, Altuve isn't a Judy and he is smaller than you. The reason you are a Judy is because you swing like a Judy and your coach teaches you the Judy swing. Experiment with the MLB players actions in the cage, watch how they move their barrel and the position they land in. You can do it, just try. The eye wash excuse is,"those are MLB hitters, I can't do that or teach my players to do that." You're wrong MEAT, I hate you for thinking like a squid because it's not true. The MLB players are just there because they worked way harder than you, not because they are God-given more talented even though that's the excuse you use to fall asleep at night. They decided want they wanted to do and did the work to make it a reality.....PERIOD. Experiment with your swing in the cage and stop trying to be the best cage hitter of all time. The point of your cage work is to get your swing ready for the game when the pitcher is 60 feet away. The best cage hitter of all time's name is WHO GIVESASHIT.


I've seen many college players teach themselves to swing like pros. One of my favorites is John Mullen, who has the biggest swing in Bryant baseball history. He hit a pitch from Jelen Beeks who was just put on the 40 man for the Boston Red Sox with a swing like Jeff Bagwell and murdered the pitch which hit off the fence in dead center for a stand up triple to beat the University of Arkansas in the NCAA regional. Mullen was a tough kid that worked hard but his swing was average until he decided he was going to make it pro and he did. He should of got a chance to play pro ball but most scouts are blind 😶 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWJ4e5KvwjQ&feature=youtu.be 1:50 mark for the Mullen swing, but watch all those sickos in that video, they all hit like pros 😎

Low Breaking Balls go really far :)

Get me overs or "hangers" are easier to be accurate with your barrel because they are closer to your eyes, but if you can master the proper bat path to a low breaking ball they go really far, if you are on time to the hitting zone with the barrel. I'm not into physics but I think this is because the low breaking ball has traveled more rotations down before contact at a steeper angle so when you square up this pitch with the proper upper cut it makes the ball go far. I don't know exactly why but just learn how to hit them so you can ruin the pitchers day :) The amateur curveball is brutal, but they get away with it. They throw the get me over that no one swings at and then they bounce their "hammer" lol, 2 strike curveball and most hitters swing at it but it would bounce before the catcher so if you take it the ump can't call it a strike because it would bounce before the catcher catches it. I'm pretty sure I've said it like 15 times in this blog but thats the biggest downfall of the amateur hitter. They don't make the pitcher do his job. His job is to throw the ball to the catcher, but most amateur hitters are not in the back of the box and are trying to protect home plate. Therefore, they let the pitcher throw the ball a shorter distance before they have to make their decision to take or swing earlier than they should. Every single possible reason for moving up in the box to adjust to a pitcher is hahahahaha to me. You are really just letting the pitcher throw it a shorter distance to the catchers glove and good catchers will move up with you as you move forward in the box. Amateur Coach Billy says, "I tell the hitters to move up because the pitcher throws too slow or to get the curveball before it breaks" lollolol. Just tell your hitters to start their load later. The biggest advantage hitters have is time, time for their eyes to tell the body the swing it needs to barrel up this particular incoming pitch and time to tell their eyes that this pitch is going to be a ball by the time it reaches the catcher. Most amateur hitters make these decisions when the pitch is 20-30 feet out of the pitchers hand so the breaking ball in the dirt still looks like a good pitch to hit at this point in its ball flight to home plate. The MLB hitters' eyes make this same decision when the ball is 45-55 feet out of release point because they trust their quick and explosive swing and stay relaxed during their load and trust their eyes to show them the swing/or take that's needed on this particular pitch. The pitcher's job is to throw pitches that initially look like strikes but become balls and pitches that look like balls and become strikes. This is WAY easier to do to a hitter than loads too early, gets his foot down too early and makes his decision to swing/take too early. Make the pitcher do his job which is to throw the ball to the catcher and make the distance to the catcher as far as possible.

This is a Homer Trout hit off a 95mph fastball in, at this point the amateur would have his foot almost down and he wouldn't be relaxed and letting his eyes work. Loading too early activates your slow twitch muscles, loading later, relaxed, allows your body to be quick and explosive which is great for hitting if you can stay relaxed until it's time to launch your barrel.  

Sorry I got a little side tracked, back to the point of this post. In the pictures below notice how Donaldson lets the pitcher do his job and as the curveball moves towards him he is timing up the pitch with his body as he tracks the pitch flight with his eyes. He has good timing but is not accurate with his barrel, he hits it towards the end but because he launches his barrel quick and explosively it's a no doubter homer, if he had squared the ball up it would of been a moon shot. However, to hit a homer you just have to hit it the distance to hit it over the outfield fence. A great quote Harold Baines use to always say when a reporter asked him after a game he hit a homer in, "Harold you really crushed that home run you hit tonight." Harold just responded, "Apparently", almost mocking the reporter in a sarcastic way because he got paid to hit homers, whether he hit it 500 feet or 330 just over the fence they both count the same. So No Doubters are kewl but you are just trying to hit it out. The distance it travels past the fence is irrelevant to the result.

Uppercut the Breaking Ball like Wiffle Ball

The biggest advantage I don't see Amateur hitters exposing is the get my over breaking ball that is thrown consistently throughout the amateur game. The reason pitchers are comfortable with this pitch is that hitters take it because it initially looks too high to be a "good pitch to hit" so they give up on it. A lot of the time it crosses at your neck but amateur umpires call balls/strikes based off the height and location of the pitch when the catcher catches it. That amateur brutal get me over curve ball most of the time crosses home plate above your chest but then gravity makes it drop down to where the catcher catches it in the "strike zone" Amateur umpires do not call balls and strikes based on the pro white home plate. They give at least 6 inches off the plate both sides. The only way the amateur blind umpires can't expand the strike zone is down. If the amateur gravity ball, I mean fastball bounces before the catcher, he can't call it a strike even though the pitch crossed home plate at your knees. Lay off the balls down, thats the pitchers comfort zone but its not a strike, almost all of the amateur thumpers don't throw hard enough to throw a fastball that crosses home plate at your knees that the catcher can present to the umpire as a strikes, gravity brings their gravity ball down out of the strike zone before the catcher catches it. Make the pitcher do his job, his job is not to throw the ball to home plate, his job is to throw the ball to the catcher. When you come out to hit, stand at the back of the box even if the pitcher throws 75mph because then the catcher has to move back which makes the pitcher have to throw it farther. Also, when you are in the box look to see how far back the catcher is because that determines the strike zone. When you take a pitch follow it all the way into the catchers glove so you can figure out what are balls/strikes and where those pitches crossed home plate compared to where the catcher catches it. These Pictures below are of a no doubter Donaldson hit this summer, almost all Amateur hitters would take this pitch because it was initially "too high" but the MVP makes the pitcher do his job which is to throw the ball to the catcher. Another self talk I like is, "Don't go try to make it happen, let the game come to you." Because the breaking ball has way more downward ball flight than a heater you have to use gravity and allow the ball to come down into the hitting zone and then uppercut the shit out of the barrel turn and try to be accurate with your barrel. If you do this right the pitcher needs a new ball from the umpire. :)

Whats Important Now? WIN

1. Confidence is #1.  
2. Continue to work on playing/practicing in the present. You can evaluate after the day is done. 
3. Constantly ask yourself between pitches W I N. What's important now? 
4. When you fail act like you did it on purpose/ when you succeed act like it was inevitable.
5. Leave your distractions in the locker room/ clear it and come to work
6. Motivation is a daily decision, develop a routine, Have intent to get better at all aspects of your game. 
7. If you don't like it play better
8. Perspective: Why do you play, create goals and a clear vision for what you are trying to accomplish. 
9. Most players waste a lot of time and energy worrying about things out of there control.
10. The most consistent players will be the best. How are you going to play when you are not feeling well, or nothing is going right. Force yourself to act differently then you feel. --Body language and presence should always be the same. 
11. Can't let the results dictate how you feel. 
12. Look like a pro, should be calculated what you are going to look like. Act like the player you want to become until you become the player you act like. 
13. Whatever emotions you are feeling during a game, recognize them and figure out if they are artificial or real. WIN, Whats important now?
14. Don't care what you tell me: prove it.
15. Acknowledge the Excuses you create for yourself. Live with the consequences and regret if you decide to go along for the ride. 
16. A tense muscle is a slow muscle. relax, so your eyes can process the information the ball is giving them.
17. When you struggle 90% of the time its pitch selection, tension level, NOT THE SWING
18. Your self talk is important. Keep it simple. What makes you confident and relaxed?
19. Warrior is confidence and demon is fear they battle it out everyday

Consistency=Greatness

• Get Organized/ Take Care of the little things/ they are Easy. The more organized you are the less time you will waste.

• Get a planner or calendar or you can just use your phone.

• Read, it makes you a more efficient human.

• You are trying to chase perfection in baseball and anything else you invest time in. You can enjoy doing a bunch of things but to be great you have pick one thing to invest time in. 10,000 hours of practice to become great. A lot of people are okay with being average.

• Associate with people that are chasing perfection. Ignore the haters/use them as fuel.

• Don’t ever let anyone tell you you cant do something. If you want something go get it, PERIOD.

• Life is not that hard, people just use that as a crutch. We are capable of way more than we give ourselves credit for.

• People who say they don’t have enough time are just making excuses. 

• Excuses are everywhere and people blame others for their down falls. It makes it hurt less. 

• Everyone has weaknesses the great ones just to decide to invest time to work on them.

• Speak up if you are right. But only make statements when you have proof and can answer why.

• Money does not equal happiness. If you have enough money to eat, wear clothes and have a roof over your head. What else do you need?

• Find a way to get it done..It’s never the arrow its the Indian, who gives a fuck what equipment you have. Altuve used a random glove in the world series.

• Rocky Balboa/Ivan Gragor, when you find a way it gives you the edge when the lights turn on.

• Victory happens when 10,000 hours of training meet one moment of opportunity. 

• Because of modern technology it is easy for your opponents to get distracted. Who gives a fuck if they are better than you right now. Be more consistent than them with your work and you will catch that mother fucker. 

• When you look back at your career you will see opportunities you had to stretch towards your potential that you let go because things were easy and you could always do it later.

• Average people sleep walk through life. You don’t want that. Easy days are a waste. Have perspective, be grateful you are healthy and attack the day, Carpe Diem. It’s a way of life, its a mentality and average people don’t like you cause of it. 

• My dream is going to become a reality at some point. Act like the player you want to become until you become the player you act like. Decide what you are going to do and put the work in to make it a reality. 

• Why aren’t you there yet? Stop hitting the fucking snooze button. I’m not great because I’m lazy, I’m not doing what I am suppose to be doing to be great.

• Shut up, you talk too much, Prove it, talk less grind more. 

A Tense Muscle is a slow muscle

A big thing I used say to my hitters throughout the year is, "relax and release" However I now think that the over emphasis off "Release Point" is one of the causes of higher tension level or anxiousness at release point. You just need to relax and trust your eyes. It is over exaggerated but I believe most hitters thought process is similar to: "The pitcher started moving, find the ball, find the ball, here comes the ball finally, I'M GOING TO CRUSH THE BALL! Chili Davis has a great line, "Big thoughts lead to big swings" You are not trying to hit a double/ hit it far, you are trying to take a good swing and be accurate with the barrel. The pictures below are the sequence of Seagar's big game tying home run in the World Series off Justin Verlander. If you watch his facial demeanor until contact it stays relaxed. "A tense muscle is a slow muscle" and the most important muscles to hitting are your eyes. Most amateur hitters tense up their body at release point and widen or bulge their eyes.  This slows down your reaction and makes tracking the ball harder. The calm, confident internal self talk is pivotal to staying relaxed and trusting your eyes to show the body the swing it needs on that pitch.

These are the two most important frames that you need to be relaxed and calm to allow the eyes to focus and do their job. 

Barrel Accuracy is #1

   The number one focus in the development of your swing needs to be improving your barrel accuracy. Your timing, your pitch selection, your swing mechanics will be off but you can still be consistent if you are accurate with your barrel. There are vague words that get thrown around in the hitting world. For example, "BACKSPIN" what actually is backspin and why does it matter? I am trying to hit the ball in the middle of the barrel. "APPROACH" your approach is unique to that count, off that pitcher, in that inning, with that score, with that weather conditions. Most amateur hitters have no approach. They are just trying to "get a good pitch to hit" and do anything to not strike out. "2 STRIKE APPROACH", AKA Don't strike out.  The list goes on..."Stay Inside the Ball" "Get on Plane" "Bat Path" "Short to it, long through it" "Your swing is getting long" "Keep your Head Still" "Stay Compact" " Back Elbow up" "Back Elbow down" "Swing Down" etc
   There are too many variables in each rep in hitting to simplify the swing down to a phrase. Pitch location, velocity, timing, barrel accuracy, etc. When evaluating your swing think about it like Steph Curry shooting baskets compared to say me shooting baskets. I stink at basketball, but I can make baskets. All I am trying to do is get the ball to somehow go through the basket. The greatest shooter on the planet is taking shots at the same height basket with the same size ball but Curry is trying to not hit the rim, not even make the net move, and he is trying to make 20 in a row. "Aim small miss small" Take this philosophy into the cage. Anyone can hit a baseball with a bat, great hitters are trying to hit the middle of the ball with the middle of the bat as many times as possible.
   I put 3 pictures at contact on homers in Game 2 of the World Series. They are obviously accurate with their barrel but they also have intent to stay away from the end of the bat. If you look at the MLB players bats they use in the cage there are no marks at the end of the bat. Put white tape on the barrel of the bat you use in the cage so you can see where the balls hit your bat. Most amateur hitters are uncomfortable letting the ball travel. If you want to be a consistent hitter you have to develop the ability to be late and still quick and accurate. I challenge you to work on this in the cage especially in front flips, see how far you can let the ball travel before you launch your barrel. Tony Gwynn in his first round of bp would try to hit line drives of the third base bag, he had one of the most accurate barrels of all time and he didn't get there by accident. Aim Small, Miss Small.

Stand at the back of the box

This summer I went to a Braves game while I was down in Atlanta. Our seats were in the upper deck behind home plate. My seat had an excellent view of the LHH in the box. I believe that you always stand in the back of the box when you are hitting. I will not get into all the reasons why Coaches tell hitters to stand up in the box but the number one reason hitters move up is because the pitcher throws too slow. If the pitcher throws slow, don't move up in the box, just adjust your timing and start later. You want the pitcher to have to throw the ball as far as possible. When you stand in the back of the box, the pitcher's job is harder because the catcher has to move far enough back to avoid your bat. The pitcher has to throw the ball the distance to the catchers glove and your eyes use the length of flight of the ball to determine the swing the body needs on that pitch.

Pitching Grips are overrated

Pitch grips are just a small part of the process to execute consistently. How you put pressure with your fingers on the baseball and how you let the ball go are more important than finding the perfect grip.  Below are two of millions of pictures you can find on Google when you type in "pitch grips" Below is a two seam and circle change grip. The misconception though is pitch grip has to do with the movement of the pitch, it really doesn't. For example, if you have good hand/finger pressure/movements on your 2 seam fastball, you can throw that pitch with any grip, you just have to find the grip that is comfortable and makes your 2 seam move the best with the best control. How you figure that out is you play catch and change your grip. The majority of amateur pitchers play catch with a 4 seam grip and are working on arm strength or their mechanics. Pitching is simply, being accurate with the baseball to the catcher, manipulating the ball to move different ways, and BEING ABLE TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE GAME when you don't feel right, or you curveball isn't moving, or you can't locate your FBall etc. At the end of your throwing stand 60 feet away from your partner  and work on your stuff, experiment with different grips and pressure points on the ball. The biggest "grip" different I see between Pro/Amateur is the finger position at release point. Amateurs push the ball out of their hand, Pro's get their fingers on top and pull or extend the ball down at release. As a pitcher if you miss down thats okay the hitter might swing, if you miss up that's bad. Work on holding onto the ball longer and keep you fingers on top of the ball at release. If you hold on to the ball too long, soo what, it's a miss but down is okay. You want to throw pitches that initially look like balls and become strikes and pitches that look like strikes and become balls. That's pitching. Daily pitchers need to experiment with how they hold the ball and the movement their actions create. Velocity is important but not as important as locating and learning how to manipulate the ball the way you want on that pitch.  

Starting Early forces your body to be slow, starting late=quick

The big new hitting discussion the last couple years has been about starting slow and early. Bautista and Donaldson have mastered the slow and early left lift that consistently build momentum through the movements of the load. However, there are only a certain type of body that can do this type of load. You have to have great balance/coordination. If those guys start too early they just slow their load, if they start too late they just speed up their load easily. Its not easy though, it is really impressive that guys like Donaldson, Bautista, can alter the timing sequence to adjust to the pitchers tempo. Everyone wanted to emulate Donaldson's swing last year, He was the MVP, and his swing is very sexy. I love watching that dude hit. But....you can't do his swing unless you are a gymnast, with fast twitch muscles and an accurate barrel, so stop trying.
Most of us need a more repeatable swing that is still explosive and accurate. I HATE WHEN HITTING PLUMBERS/COACHES YELL AT THEIR GUYS, "GET YOUR FOOT DOWN TOMMY!" If I played for that plumber I would step out of the box and say, "No Shit Bud" I've watched a lot of baseball and I've never seen a hitter swing with his front foot in the air. Your body won't allow you to swing with your front foot in the air. Your eyes know the swing that the body needs to hit that particular incoming pitch. You just need to relax your body when the pitcher is about to let go of the ball because a tense muscle is a slow muscle and your eyes are the most important muscles to hitting. Just think be quick and accurate with the barrel of your bat.
These plumber hitting coaches are making too many hitters into Robots, and explain hitting a baseball like its a concept similar to how the atom simultaneous combusts at the impact of a nuclear reaction between granite and sulfur, blah blah blah. This is Hitting: if the pitcher throws 3 strikes over that house shaped object, and the strike zone is determined by where the catcher catches the ball, you're out, If you get 4 balls you go to first, if the ball hits you, go to first. If you hit the ball and one of the 9 guys doesn't catch it, run to first, you have to beat the ball to first or you are out. If you hit the ball over the outfield fence thats called a homer and it ruins the pitchers day :) If you hit the ball on the middle of the bat its goes harder and farther off your bat. You get judged on how many times you get on base and also how many times there are guys on base when you hit and you let them go touch home because of how you hit the ball.
You can load/land/hold your hands/ start/ swing however you want if you are good at being accurate with the barrel. All us hitting coaches are trying to do is show you how to fine tune your mechanics to make your barrel more accurate. But if you hit it on the barrel consistently your swing is good, don't let anyone change it. I really like Justin Bour's swing. He is a dumpy, slow twitched human but his swing is violent/quick and accurate. He trusts his swing, tries to time up the pitcher, but he actually has good timing instead of most amateurs who just simply start moving too early, which makes their barrel late. Start later than you think, trust your eyes, and be quick/accurate with your barrel. Below are pics from Bour's no doubter last night.


This is the part where most amateur hitters are at the top of their load/leg lift, because when the pitcher lifts his leg I lift my leg to get my timing with the pitchers blah, blah, blah. You're not trying to time up your body with the pitcher, you are trying to time up your body with the ball, cause thats what you are trying to hit.

As the ball gets to release point on a big league pitcher that throws a nasty 89mph sinker, thats when you want to be at the top of your load, whatever that is, for Bour it's a leg kick. If you are playing D3 college baseball and almost all the "good pitchers" throws 82-84 straight fastball, with a devastating get me over 72mph curve ball they throw right down the middle, and a nasty slider or change they throw 58 feet and you swing at because you start too early so when your eyes have to make the decision to swing when the ball is still 40 feet from you it looks like a good pitch to hit to your eyes and your coach is yelling, "get your foot down bud!" so your brain isn't focusing on the ball its focusing on getting your foot down even though your brain and eyes will get your foot down when its time if you are relaxed during your load.


Body still hasn't started to turn to give your eyes the correct length of time to tell the brain the swing that is needed to be accurate with the barrel on that pitch and your upper body is in the "attacking posture" which just means your chest is leaning towards home plate to set up a quick turn of the barrel started with the back shoulder.

Back Shoulder initiates the turn of the barrel to hit the ball so that your barrel moves quick and explosive because your back shoulder can turn the barrel faster than pushing your hands to start the barrel.

Then you just focus on being quick and accurate with your barrel, and its better to be a little "jamned" then hitting be ball off the end of the bat, when you hit it off the end it just means you started the turn too early, which you see A LOT at the amateur level because the plumber coach says over and over, "get your foot down" which means, "don't be late!"

you don't care how you "finish" because you already hit the ball and your "finish" is irrelevant, its just your body naturally decelerating the barrel after contact.

And then if you are accurate with your barrel the ball lands in the upper deck and you ruin the pitchers day :)


Here is the full video of the swing so you can see the actual sequence of the timing of the swing.
http://m.mlb.com/video/v1384610483/atlmia-bour-crushes-a-solo-home-run-to-right-field

How to be accurate consistently

Executing pitches is about how and where you release the ball and the pressure you put on  certain fingers on the ball at release. It's that simple. Pros just release the ball closer to the hitter than amateurs do. The pitching blogs will talk about a longer stride, with a pronated release and extension of the arm that can be taught with a package of $100 weight ball set. . The reason that generating momentum and energy in the delivery of the arm to release is soo important is to give your arm the momentum to release the ball out front without bouncing the ball. Thats why Tim Lincecum in his prime had such nasty stuff at his height. His unique delivery and huge stride had the purpose of allowing him to release the ball to home plate closer than any other pitcher in the world with his height. "Hitting is timing, the pitcher's job is to upset the hitters timing" The hitters job is to hit the ball on the barrel consistently, the pitchers job is to throw the ball to the catcher's glove with the ball being in flight for the shortest distance possible. The pitcher doesn't throw the ball 60 feet, 6 inches. That's the distance from the rubber to the back of home plate. The pitcher can control the distance they throw the ball. The pitcher has to throw the ball from where he lets go of the ball to where the catcher's glove is, that's when the umpire calls the pitch a ball or strike. Watch how and where the big leaguers release the ball. The MLB pitchers just consistently release the ball closer to the catcher and make balls look like strikes and strikes look like balls to the hitters eyes as the ball travels to the catchers glove.