The pitchout early in the game

One of the major differences with professional coaching vs. amateur coaching is in amateur baseball the pitchout is not that prevalent. Whether it be lack of pitchers command or simply lack of knowing when to pitchout, professional teams use the pitchout a lot more than their amateur counterparts. How does that impact a game? Immensely.

Without the fear of a pitchout, an offensive coach or a manager can call anything he wants with impunity. There is absolutely no "what if" in his decision making. If he wants to hit and run, if he wants to straight steal, if he wants to squeeze he can do so without the thought of what is the opposition going to do. How is the defense going to prevent me from accomplishing my goal?

In pro baseball, many times teams will eschew certain choices because they believe the pitchout will be called. Not so much in the amateur game.

I contend that a good, astute baseball mind should pitchout early in the game to plant a seed to his opponent. That thought planted becomes "If he is willing to pitchout, maybe I can't run this play?" It's a simple process and granted a ball will probably be the immediate end result. But, in the long run it very well may dictate the opposition's attitude toward calling his next play.

Watch for the pitchout in the professional game. It is one of the more entertaining things to try and predict if you're a knowledgeable fan.