In this post I’ll outline my mental approach to pitching. I’m not going to get into pitching strategy (selection, location, situational stuff) too much, but rather, talk about the general mindset I take when I step onto the rubber.

The most important strategy for me is to get cocky. I’m normally a pretty laid back guy, but when it comes to baseball, and especially pitching, I become arrogant, and an a-hole, kind of like these guys:

Seriously though, I get it, not all pitchers have the same style. A finesse pitcher like Maddux is not going to be trying to blow his fastball by hitters the same way a power pitcher like Zumaya would. But they both have confidence in their stuff, and approach each batter with the mindset that they will get him out.

But all I need to do is execute my pitches. True, you need to execute your pitches, but this is much more difficult when you aren’t convinced that by executing this pitch you are going to be successful. Doubts about the batter, the other team’s jeering dugout and the umpire need to be eliminated. You can’t control what the batter does with the pitch, or what the umpire’s call is, or what the other team is yelling at you.  You have to believe that you are going to succeed if you control everything that is within your control. If you don’t trust your stuff, you are going to have a hell of a time getting batters out. You will hesitate to throw that 3-2 offspeed, or be afraid to come high and inside with a fastball – or whatever else the game situation dictates.

For example, even if I’m facing the top hitter in the league, I genuinely convince myself that he doesn’t stand a chance of touching me. I have to trust in my abilities, my pitches and my preparation in order to succeed.

This guy is a poser. He’s competing on the same field as me pretending to want this at bat, this game, this season as much as I do. Screw that, what the hell was he doing last offseason to prepare for this moment? I bet you he didn’t spend his Thanksgiving or Christmas days training at the school playground with a weight vest and a medicine ball because the weight room was closed. And here he is in the batter’s box pretending to want it as much as I do? He might as well sit back down right now.

nothing wrong with a little death stare...just the pinstripes

I take each batter personally. I want to them to dread walking to the plate to face me. And when a hitter does inevitably get a hit off of me, I tell myself that it’s not because he’s better than me, or that my abilities fell short, but rather, that I had a momentary lapse in concentration and I’ll get him the next time.

Remember, you don’t have to throw perfect games to tell yourself that you’re going to throw a perfect game. Indeed, I am disappointed in myself if I walk just one batter or let up one hit. Of course these things are going to happen, but by setting the bar high, having confidence in my preparation and abilities, and treating each batter as a mini battle to be won, I have seen huge success – and you will too.