Between the Ears Baseball

Within the law, there are different degrees of certain crimes. For instance, an assault that is premeditated and planned with specific intent of harming another seriously is “first degree”, while a more sporadic or less intentional assault would be “second degree” in the eyes of the justice system. This may seem like a strange introduction to a commentary on hitting, but these degrees can be translated into an effective approach at the plate. With zero or one strike, we need to be 1st Degree hitters! We are at the plate with a plan and looking to inflict significant damage on a baseball. With two strikes, we need to surrender a bit of our own plan, but still be in attack mode just more in a reactionary capacity, which makes us shift to the 2nd Degree.  When we go to the plate, we should be in 1st degree hitting mode! We are hunting for a pitch - in most cases a fastball. When that fastball enters the hitting zone, we are taking the high quality swing we have developed over thousand...

The Baltimore Ravens excellent season came to a disappointing end on Sunday, as they lost a home playoff game 17-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs. While there is no shame in losing to a perennial power with the likes of Mahomes and Kelce, the manner in which the Ravens lost should serve Between the Ears Baseball players as a reminder. You must control your emotions, or your emotions will control you and your results will suffer. The opponent the Ravens lost to was themselves. Baltimore looked like a team that had no control and were thus unable to execute on the big stage. One (of several) fifteen-yard penalties stood out as a telling example of this lack of control. Zay Flowers, a star in the making at wide receiver, caught a long pass on a blown coverage by Kansas City. Flowers proceeded to push his tackler after going down, spun the ball in his face, and taunted the opponent - all this on a busted coverage where Flowers did not do much but catch a pass that any high schooler would have....

 Forget (or something like that) your feelings. When you need to perform, how you feel does not particularly matter. If you are waiting for the moment when you feel like you are at 100% or close to it, you may be waiting for quite some time. Athletes, for any number of reasons, are generally not operating at 100%; sometimes not anywhere near it. It doesn't matter if you are not feeling great because you are sick or you made a bad personal decision about what you put in your body, or your girlfriend dumped you for your best friend - you are going to need to perform that day.  Being able to perform when you are not feeling well, or even feeling bad is important. To clarify, this does not apply to legitimate illness or injury. But, the common feeling of being sore after playing or working out should not stop you from getting back after it the next day. There is nothing wrong with recognizing that you are not feeling great - in fact, it can help you summon some greater inner stren...

 On social media recently, a hitting instructor was essentially saying that tee work, side toss, front toss, and "feel good" batting practice were a waste of time. His point was that these drills did not really prepare a hitter for game-like at bats. I agree to a certain extent; however, I disagree that the aforementioned basic drills do not have value. I believe it depends on what you are working on - your swing or hitting. There is definitely a difference! If you are working on the swing itself, as a hitter you need hundreds and thousands of reps over the course of many weeks and months to hone the swing that that you will take with you into at-bats. To suggest that you do not benefit from repetitive drill work is incorrect. Once your swing is developed, then comes the time for challenging, game-like work to prepare for live ABs.  Hitting is about hitting the ball hard to help your team win. Competing against the pitcher is the number one focal point of a hitter. If you are...

The thoughts George Kirby shared with the media following a loss in which he allowed a two-run home run in the seventh inning on his 102nd pitch have caused quite a commotion on social media. It has led me to think about when it is appropriate to "cut it loose" and compete. In the Major Leagues, it is obvious, especially amid a playoff chase (which Kirby's Mariners are in the middle of), is about the most easily recognizable time to cut it loose and compete without too much thought as to pitch counts. Kirby indicated he didn't want to be out there after 90 pitches through 6 innings. Most "old school" baseball people on social media call Kirby out for this mindset. I suspect it is more of just a lack of preparation on the mental side - or simply a young pitcher deflecting some bad feelings after giving up a 2-run bomb in a big spot. Either way, there is a lot to learn from his statement. In addition to Kirby's thoughts about not wanting to be in there, he...

As the summer winds down and the fall approaches, it is a great time to check in on the mental side of the game, along with the physical. Measurable data is important to be aware of in terms of monitoring your growth and development as a ball player. Things like velocity (arm/exit), running times (H to 1B, 60 yd), and typical numbers associated with your position(s) are fine and even important to know. Hopefully, as a player, you kept a journal of your spring/summer season and have notes to refer back to. Start today if you are not keeping a journal for your baseball development.  Start thinking through every at-bat. Grade yourself on the focus level you had in the dugout and specifically when you were in the hole/on deck. What are you doing to prepare mentally for your at-bats? You have to be honest to get something out of a mental self-reflection. Did you take an error in the field to an at-bat or a bad at-bat to the field? Getting outside the moment and worrying about past even...