How Do I Pitch When I Don’t Have My Best Stuff?

You get the ball, you are standing on the mound, and it is Just Not There! Your fastball has no giddy up and your breaking pitches aren’t sharp. It happens! So you ask yourself, How Do I Pitch When I Don’t Have My Best Stuff? No doubt, it is a struggle. However, the fighter in you does not relinquish. As the challenge is accepted, it is time to get to work.

How Do I Pitch When I Don’t Have My Best Stuff???
Fastball Down

1st things 1st. You still have to Compete. Your approach that you are better than the hitter never changes. You still command the at bat. Next, you find a way. When you don’t have the velocity to which you are accustomed, you have to focus more on locating your pitches. You will still get hitters out…trust your other abilities.

That goes by knowing to stay out of a hitter’s Nitro Zone. If the fastball is not there on this day, it makes the most sense to just live down and away. The hitter has to do the most work to hit that pitch. I never said nibble…You have to aggressively attack the location.  

Speaking of being aggressive, you still have to Pitch Inside. Not the Inner half. The black to 6 inches in off the plate. You have to keep him honest. When throwing a subservient fastball down and away most of the time, a pitch or two inside throughout the at bat will maximize the outer half’s effectiveness. The ability to move a hitter’s hands, hips, or feet, builds enough hesitation in their mind in regards to diving out over the plate. Even when it feels like you are throwing puss.  

 

How Do I Pitch When I Don’t Have My Best Stuff???
The Slider

On the days that your DOMINANT Weapon doesn’t seem as sharp, focus on the Simple 3. In conjunction with that, you may have to change your eye sights. Be more prone to working from down to up with the Slider. Bouncing the Slider in the dirt helps find the proper release point. As you see some improvements from that adjustment, you will begin to regain confidence in the DOMINANT pitch. Sometimes, all it takes is a slight mental uptick to get back on track. The fastballs that were thrown inside, whether for a strike or not, have enhanced the Slider’s effectiveness by expanding the plate. This creates a lot of bad swings on the Slider Down & Away. The ones we love to see!

WARNING: When in doubt, DO NOT OVER THROW THE SLIDER. Be patient with the process of finding the pitch. Nothing good comes from overthrowing.

When you can improvise on the mound on days when you don’t have it, you will stay out there a lot longer. Your teammates will appreciate the gutty effort and your opponents will respect you for it. Consequently, it will elevate your status to InDemand. People pay attention. Lastly, have fun with it! Embrace the challenge of getting hitters out on a subpar day. Don’t be a diva a complain about it! Be a Warrior!!!! Be a BADASS!!! GET THE WIN!!!

 

Keep Dominating!!!