Pre-Pitch Tells

Notes:

•  When on deck or on the bench, watch the pitcher warm up
  • Does he do anything differently when he throws a fastball versus a curveball? 
  • During warm-ups, pitchers don’t normally think about hiding pitches and can give away their “tell” more noticeably 
• Stay engaged in the game
  • Just because you aren’t playing at that moment doesn’t mean you can’t help the hitters figure out what pitch is coming
  • There’s always a job you can do 
• There are  many different tells that a pitcher might have
  • Does he “Dig” for pitches?
    • Does the pitcher move his glove around, or “dig” for his off-speed pitches?
  • Does he always throw the same pitch in certain counts? 
    • 1-0 count is always a fastball 
  • Does the angle of his wrist change on off-speed? 
    • Some guys will turn their wrist to get a better grip of the ball
    • Watch the wrist and forearm and see if the angle changes from fastball to off-speed
  • Do his eyes give away anything?
    • Does he look into his glove to get the right grip on his changeup? 
    • The eyes can give away a lot of information 
• Ultimately we are looking for anything different or strange
  • You will know it when you see it, but if something looks off in the pitcher’s delivery, look for it again and see if he is giving away his pitches