Matt Tabor

Elite hitters walk in the box with 1 or 2 thoughts. Most hitters bring 8. Grip, stance, hands, Dad’s tip, coach’s tip, don’t pull off. All real stuff. It just doesn’t belong in the box. Here’s how I split it up with my hitters: In the cage: Pick 2 things. A target and a feel. On deck and in the box: Know the count and the outs. Time up the pitcher so you’re ready to fire. Then get a pitch you can drive. If one of the 6 sneaks back in: Step out, breathe, say your pitch to yourself again.

Hitters. Make sure the coach you're following and taking info from is a hitting coach, not an exit velocity coach. There are a couple out there. *I know one openly admits it privately but won’t come out and say it publicly* When you're an exit velocity coach, that's your only goal. And sometimes it really is needed to raise a hitter's potential. But when it's the only goal, you forget there's a give and take to everything. Reckless. Make sure it doesn't hinder your ability to hit both sides of the plate, both sides of the field, and multiple speeds. (Not just one pitch, one speed.) THAT IS THE MAIN GOAL. To get hits, score runs, and win games.