Batting Splits By Counts ~ Top Ten Batting Average Leaders In American And National Leagues For 2009!

Batting splits by counts, a complete year end summary of how the top 10 hitters from the American and National Leagues fared in each of the 12 possible counts hitters can find themselves in.

These particular stats have valuable information for coaches and hitters, as they show a definate seperation betweeen success and strugling, clearly defined by the pitch count.

There are definate reasons for this seperation, which are discussed below.

Those reasons can help a hitter develop a philosophy, or plan, to take to the plate for every at bat. The same reasons are just as valuable to coaches as they determine their offensive philosophy and how they would like their team to approach an at bat.

These statistics are more than just numbers, they are a reason to possibly re-think how at bats are approached.

Take a look at the tables below, we'll disect them further down! I promise you, these statistics are not boring or fluff, they are a tool as much as a bat, glove and fungo are tools.

AL 2009 / Top 10 Averages

NL 2009 / Top 10 Averages

Hitting With 2 Strikes Is Meager At Best!

In 2009, 49% of all MLB at bats were in 2 strike situations. Just one percentage point below the half mark; how did the best baseball players fare in those 2 strike counts?

They hit a cumulative .187, in 81,539 at bats. In 2000, the average was .192, in 2007 it was .189 and in 2008 it was .190.

The percentage of 2 strike at bats has risen from 46% in 2000, to 49% in 2009.

The batting average in 2 strike counts has been slowly going down as well, to .187 in 2009.

Best Of The Best, % Of 2 Strike At Bats?

• National League ~ 4 over the MLB average of 49%, all low 50's. One at 49%.



• American League ~ 1, Joe Mauer was over the MLB average of 49%, at 50%. He was also the MLB leader in average at .365.



• How did he do it? He survived by hitting .263 in those four 2 strike counts, and hitting over .400 in all other counts except 3-1, where he hit .355. It was a year where pitchers just weren't able to figure him out.

How did they hit in first pitch counts?

• Eleven hit over .400 on first pitch counts.



• Eight hit over .300 on first pitch counts.



• One hit under .300 @ .290 on first pitch counts.

Count Hitting Tips ~ From the Dugout

• Pitchers at all levels are taught to get ahead of the hitter.



• Very few pitchers are consistently hard to hit on their first pitch, they become difficult when ahead in the count. This is because the pressure has been taken off their shoulders and placed squarely on the hitters, with each strike recorded.



• Once ahead in the count, pitchers do not have to throw a good strike, they are able to work more "on the black", or "up the ladder".



• When the pitcher can get the batter at two strikes, they have anywhere from 1-3 pitches to work with to get that final strike, or get the hitter to swing at a less than desirable pitch. The game has now shifted heavily to the mental side, with the pitcher having a distinct advantage.

The Same Set Of Statistics Works As Well For Pitchers As It Does For Hitters!

• It Clearly Shows Pitchers That If They Get Ahead, Their Likelihood Of Success Is Higher.



• Hitters Should Be Looking To Take Advantage Of Good Pitches Early In The At Bat, Thus Keeping The Pitcher On The Defensive!