Ready, Set, Go: Three Visual Triggers To Survive Big At-Bats

Image credit: Cardinals lefty Genesis Cabrera was a Tricky League find back in 2013. (Jeff Curry/Getty Images)

Hitting coaches and stat analysts agree on some things. If you swing at more strikes than balls you improve your chance of contributing to team offense.  Playoff games magnify the need for hitters to control the strike zone, with big arms being used more often than in regular season play. The best hitters in big situations use three simple visual cues to maximize their chance of attacking strikes and staying off late-moving balls outside the zone. On the other hand, unproductive at-bats start and end with any or all of the three visual triggers not being used. 

October baseball brings out the best and worst in hitters. Rest assured, swing data and kinetics take a back seat to visual success and scoring runs in the playoffs. 

Arizona head coach Jay Johnson said it best during one of our chats last year.

“If you fix your eyes, you fix your swing,” Johnson said.