Everyone knows that the 4th hitter in the lineup should be a quality hitter. Most people believe that person should be a person that has a lot of power. Well, that is primarily true but I believe there is another quality that the 4 hole hitter must have.
The cleanup hitter must have the ability to take the curve ball.
Opposing teams have the same opinion of the cleanup hitter as we have. They certainly respect this spot in the order. They are not going to throw room service fastballs. Rather, they are going to pitch "backwards" and be as unpredictable as possible. If pitches can't be predicted, it is imperative that the cleanup hitter be able to recognize pitches. You don't want your 4th hitter flailing at off speed stuff when taking the pitch would put him in a better position to hit.
So, although power is a probability in the 4 hole, discipline is an absolute necessity.
Swinging and missing at the curveball simply perpetuates the breaking ball count and guarantees that the same pitch will be thrown over and over again.
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