Hope Is Not An Effective Hitting Strategy

“If I’m prepared, I’m confident.  I can control that, so I do everything possible to be prepared.  That’s as much as I can do.”

– Wade Boggs (5-time AL Batting Champ, 3010 Career Hits, .328 Career Batting Average, 12-time All-Star, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005)

A fan watching his or her favorite major-league ballplayer at the plate in a clutch-hitting situation hopes he gets a hit.

A parent sitting in the stands at a youth baseball game watching his or her son at the plate in a clutch-hitting situation hopes he gets a hit.

A player watching his teammate at the plate in a clutch-hitting situation hopes he gets a hit.

A coach watching one of his players at the plate in a clutch-hitting situation hopes the player is not simply hoping.

Hope is a good thing.  The author Stephen King says that it is “maybe the best of things”.  There’s certainly nothing wrong with hope.  Hope can get you through the day.  Hope can make you feel better.  Hope is something to share with others.  But hope is not an effective hitting strategy.

By definition, hope is simply the feeling that an event or happening will turn out for the best.  It is the feeling that what is wanted can be achieved.  It is perfectly natural and acceptable for a batter to hope that he gets a hit when it’s his turn to bat.  A batter can hope he gets a hit.  A batter can hope the pitcher throws a certain pitch.  The batter can hope for many things.  But there’s more to hitting than simply hoping.

Before a hitter steps into the batter’s box, a hitter must prepare for that moment long before the moment takes place.  The hitter must prepare his body by practicing.  He must prepare his mind by practicing.  He must prepare his resolve by practicing.  Confidence is the foundation of performance.  And the foundation of confidence is preparation.  Prepare your body.  Prepare your mind.  Prepare your resolve.

Do you think a major-league ballplayer can hit .300 by simply hoping? Of course not.  The major-league ballplayer must prepare.  And in doing so he builds the confidence to perform.  “Don’t go out there thinking you’re ready to play,” said Hall of Fame college basketball coach Bobby Knight.  “Go out there knowing you’re ready.”

In addition to preparation, when the major-league ballplayer steps into the batter’s box, he must have an effective hitting strategy.

Strategy is the method, or the plan, or the series of maneuvers used to obtain a goal – in the case of a batter the goal is usually to get a hit.  Have you ever heard someone say “have a plan at the plate?”  The plan is the strategy.  It’s what a hitter takes with him into the batter’s box to help achieve his goal of getting a hit.

The plan could be quite simple like “stay relaxed” or “swing hard” or “stay focused on the ball” or “keep the hands back”.  Or maybe there are a couple elements like “crowd the plate and look for an outside pitch to take the other way” or “work the count and make the pitcher throw me the pitch I want”.  Strategies can vary.  Strategies can change.  Some strategies are better than others.  Batters should have one.  And hope should not be it.

Sometimes hope becomes the strategy when one or more of the following occurs:

• The batter has not prepared for the situation

• The batter does not understand the situation

• The batter lacks confidence in himself in the situation, or

• The batter feels a lack of control in the situation

A good ballplayer prepares his body and mind for hitting situations and tries to understand what’s happening on the field before he steps into the batter’s box.  He feels confident because he has prepared.  And even though there is much he cannot control in the game of baseball, he knows he’s done everything he can to control what’s within his control.

The guy in the batter’s box is called a hitter, not a hoper, for a reason.

Preparation and a plan makes for an effective hitter.