Pitching Inside

Today was the first day of minor league games in Spring Training.  We played intersquad games where the AAA team matched up against our AA team and the High A team matched up with our Low A team.  There were some great arms on the mounds today and it is nice to see some of the guys I had last year start up the new season.

Every morning before we head out to the fields for the day the coaches have a meeting to go over whatever is needed to prepare for the day or get the focus for the day that is about to begin.  One of the portions of the morning meetings is saved for special topics.  Today the topic we had a coach bring up was pitching inside.

Pitching Inside is such a taboo conversation because it is talked about a lot but performed very little or very badly on the field of play around baseball as a whole.  It used to be where guys got knocked on their ass on a daily basis and nothing was thought of it.  The pitcher tried to establish that he owned the inside half of the plate and the batter was not to disrespect that.  "Old School" guys like Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, and I am sure there were many more, made sure of it that hitters never got too comfortable in the box.  But if you really want to be a successful pitcher and pitch for a long time, you need to learn how to throw inside.

Whenever discussing any sort of topic there are usually two sides, the problem, or issue, and the solution.  So, we know that the problem is that a lot of pitchers have a tough time pitching inside.  Now, instead of going too far into it and figuring out when should I pitch in side and to who and in what situation, let's go right to the solution and let the rest of that stuff take care of itself as you gain more experience along the path.

The first step to pitching inside is understanding that it is something you are going to accomplish.  You are understanding why it is necessary and that it is a great part to the game of baseball.  This is a game and part of being a competitor is owning both sides of the plate.  Remember, as the pitcher you are the one who is supposed to be intimidating the hitters, not the other way around.  You are the one throwing the baseball, they are the ones standing there hoping to see the ball well enough to hit it.  You can't be worried about hitting guys when pitching inside.  Understand that it is part of the game and that you are not intentionally trying to harm anyone.  But if you learn how to throw inside at an early age, this will never be an issue for you. 

The second step to pitching inside is understanding the lane you can throw the baseball down.  You must be able to see the path the ball should take to end up at the spot and through the spot you want it to go.  Ignoring the plate at this point would be a smart idea.  Understand that as a pitcher you want to throw the baseball to a glove, not to the plate.  The plate is just there as a reference for the umpire but your job is to hit the glove.  So if you can see the lane that your ball should go down to hit the glove and be on the inside part of the plate, you have come a long way in this process.

The third step to pitching inside is understanding the angle that the fastball needs to take as you throw it to the plate.  A lot of pitchers stand on the mound and look to the inside part of the plate and don't see the angle the ball should take to throw properly to the inside part of the plate.  Do your mechanics need to be pretty solid to make this happen?  Well, of course, but we wouldn't want it any other way, right?  So, what does the angle look like?  If I am a right handed hitter, facing a right handed pitcher, I should see the ball working from the middle/inside part of the plate and continuing further inside as the ball travels towards me.  The look of a 4 seam fastball should be constantly bearing down on a hitter.  You do not want the baseball starting on the inside part of the plate and then working back towards the middle.  If you work with the wrong angle it will make it a lot tougher to stay in on hitters and to not make mistakes over the middle of the plate when you are trying to go inside.  Also, if the ball works back over the middle and the hitter hits the ball out in front of the plate, it will be a lot easier for them to keep the ball fair down the line.

The fourth step to pitching inside is going out and doing it.  Take your Dad, your friend, or whoever you can get to the field and practice throwing inside.  You could even purchase some padding for your buddies to wear.  Anything you need to do to not worry about hitting someone while you are working on pitching inside is what you should do.  If you have your friends there and they know you are throwing inside and they are ready for it then there should be no issue.  They could even just stand there with a glove on so just in case you miss they can protect themselves.  You are going to hit batters on your path to the big leagues.  That is a definite.  But the more you work at it now, the more comfortable it will become, the more you will recognize the arm path and arm stroke to use to that inside pitch.  Practice with the understanding that you are working for the feel of the inside lane.  You want to be aware of how it feels in your body to own that lane, angle and placement.

Owning the inside part of the plate and having the confidence to throw it there is a big part in becoming a successful pitcher.  Stay positive, understand the process, and then go after it!  Enjoy and we will chat soon!!