Hitter Quotations

You would be amazed how many important outs you can get by working the count down to where the hitter is sure you're going to throw to his weakness, and then throw to his power instead.

I threw my best to every hitter I faced, and I found I had the strength to go all the way.

The bigger the game, the better I liked it. Not that I was about to let anybody know I was excited. I approached every game the same way. One pitch, one hitter at a time.

Your goal as a hitter is to get on. And if the third baseman is playing back and letting you lay down a bunt, I don't have a problem with that, even if it's late in a no-hitter.

Joe Morgan was the one guy that absolutely put our team really over the top. ... Then we had George Foster come in; Ken Griffey Sr. was as good a two-place hitter as there has ever been in the game, and Cesar Geronimo won four Gold Glove awards. I mean, how could you ask for a better team?

It just tickles me still when you see Roger Clemens, as great as he is, throw a split-finger and the hitter just swings and misses. They don't see that ball that well. Jack Morris threw an awful good one and Mike Scott -- there's a lot of great pitchers over the years that I think that pitch definitely helped their career.

Actually punching is a mistake; a heavy hitter will cut you with one shot.

There is no doubt that because I am a switch hitter I have one of the best offensive advantages that a hitter can have.

Old third basemen become first basemen, and old first basemen become designated hitters.

That's one of the great oddities of baseball: Success is relative. A hitter who fails 70 percent of the time at the plate is a potential member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and many World Championship teams lose more than 70 games during their title-winning seasons.

I was a contact hitter my whole career but I learned how to handle the ball inside. And Ted Williams played a big part in that. He gave me the advice on how to handle inside pitches.

Traditionally, baseball punishes preening. In a society increasingly tolerant of exhibitionism, it is splendid when a hitter is knocked down because in his last at bat he lingered at the plate to admire his home run.

I was focused on results. I went out there and tried to get the first hitter out every inning and set the tempo.

Porter's a great pitcher. He's a guy that we can rely on to face a hitter at any time. Coach Mac went out there and asked him 'What do you think I'm going to do?' and he goes 'I want the damn ball.' Coach gave it to him and he did the job.

I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks in batting practice.

I was surprised to see Sanchez trying to steal, especially because of the score (3-2), the fact he already was in scoring position at second and they had their No. 1 hitter in Jason Bay at the plate.

When the No. 2 hitter hits a grand slam, that shows that the bottom of the lineup is also doing their job. We're getting production from the bottom of the order as well as the top.

One of the things that we're trying to do is use our speed. The girls are more skilled with the bat so we're willing to take more gambles that may seem unconventional. I mean who in their right mind is going to bunt their No. 4 hitter in the first inning of the first game? We did.

Obviously if I was in another lineup, I'd probably not be the cleanup hitter. So for me, personally, it's kind of an honor. I'm glad they feel confident in me to put me in that position. For me, it's just exciting to be in the big leagues opening up. Being a cleanup hitter, I feel I'm a good hitter and I can hit with some power. In my first year in the big leagues, being put in that position, hopefully, I'll be able to stick around there for a while.

Obviously I'm not a power hitter at all,

Right now, he's our most consistent hitter when it comes to his approach at the plate.

I didn't like it that our guys threw so many balls. They were all throwing strikes pitching in the bullpen. It is amazing what happens when you put a hitter at the plate.

Last year, we didn't care if (opponents) knew where the ball was going. But now we don't have a hitter who can go up against a double block and score consistently.

We need to not do those types of things. When you've got your best hitter at the plate, and you're struggling to score some runs, we need him swinging the bat.

Megan probably gets to the ball quicker than anyone in our outfield. Offensively she has good instincts and loves to hit with runners on base. Liz became our starting centerfielder by the end of the year last year and became an even better hitter through the fall. She has as good an arm as anyone in the Big Ten in centerfield.

Mentally, is closing tougher than a hitter going out there with 600 at-bats to produce ... tougher than a starting pitcher? For the great closer, it's as tough. He watches the club for eight innings. Then if he goes out there and screws it up, he's got 24 guys to answer to. It's a heck of a deal. Some guys can't handle it.

Mike still thinks he can catch 70 to 80 games. We'll also use him as our designated hitter against American League teams on the road (nine games against the Angels, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers). And he could play first base against some left-handed pitchers.

Mauer was the guy who hurt me. He's a good hitter and right now he's seeing the ball like it's a big trash can.

McCoy is one of the older girls and more experienced. She's a good, strong, powerful hitter and makes good contact. We're glad to have her. She's the only real power we have on the team. Everyone else is singles hitters.

She has a great fastball (62 mph), but she has developed a couple of other pitches to where she throws a curve, drop and rise. She has made the move offensively to a left-handed slap hitter and now a left-handed hitter who can hit it over your head.

She is an excellent passer and defender, but the jumping at outside hitter is hard on her knees. You can tell she loves back row by how hard she plays.

She is the clutch hitter for us. She creates havoc with her speed. She's got some power, too. So when she's on, she's a real dangerous player.

She is very sound, very controlled in the box. She has good strength, good power. She has a good eye for the ball. She's a very disciplined hitter at a young age.

She really came on as a hitter last year for us.

She has been a consistent player for me every year. She showed what she could do as a hitter last season.

Let's make no mistake; he was a good hitter to begin with. But good hitters need to be strong, too. The added strength has made a lot of difference for his this year.

Should I be suspicious of every power hitter now because of steroids? ... Should I assume that everyone who played during the 'juiced ball' era was on steroids? And what about players like Albert Belle and Matt Williams ? Should I assume they were juiced as well?

She's one of the biggest talents we have. She's brilliant behind the plate and she's a good contact hitter with power.

She started really slow, and her opponent is a very hard hitter who dominated the 'T' for a while. Once she could maneuver the ball into the back corners, she got better looks and adjusted to the pace. She did quite well from there.

She was an outside hitter for me because we lacked height. She is a phenomenal libero. Defense is an attitude and she definitely has that attitude.

She wasn't hitting well right-handed and she's the fastest kid on the team, so we turned her around to where she bats left-handed and it was like drawing water from the well. She's as good of a left-handed hitter as anybody we've faced.

She's going to be a great hitter for the next four years. She expects it and we like it so it's working out a lot for everybody.

She's a very powerful hitter and she stepped in and ran off five service points with two aces and that turned the tide.

She's been a solid hitter the past couple of years and does a good job throwing runners out. She's a tough, steady player and a great kid.

She's probably the only big-time hitter with power coming back this season.

She's shown us through the last six months that she can play. She can do it all. She's quick on the bases, she a smart hitter and a talented infielder.

She's a player. She loves the game and wants to be involved in every play. She's a very determined hitter and one of the most athletic players I've ever coached.

We were calling pitches to pitch around Ovens, but the pitchers weren't pitching it. It's that simple. We weren't calling for fastballs down the middle with base-runners on with the best hitter on their team standing there. They couldn't hit spots, and if you couldn't hit spots, he'll hit the ball.

When the season started, (King) was the No. 3 hitter, and I've always been one to have my best hitter in the No. 3 hole. But Edgar Ramirez started off hot, so I moved him to No. 3 and switched Tom to the second hitter. Then we started winning. I figured, why change something that's working?

I was looking for something in because coach told me to get on the plate and make him pitch me inside because I am an inside pull hitter and he pitched it inside and I ripped it down the line.

Kim may also play some outside hitter for us this season.

Kevin will be missed. He was the guy that always kept things light and humorous and funny. Baltimore is getting a pretty good hitter and a great teammate, a guy that makes things fun.

He is the strongest hitter in this program, and he has been for the last three years.

He knows how to put a hitter away.

I don't think it takes much more than two weeks for a hitter to start getting into the groove.

For me, this is no problem. Sometimes when I strike out some people I feel good and I do something that's in the moment. So I don't try to intimidate that guy. I do it for myself. ... You feel happy because everybody knows he's the best hitter right now in the major leagues.

If Billy is willing to offer it and Rickey is ready to retire, I'd be happy to negotiate a one-day contract. But I don't know what Rickey's sentiments are on the topic. The last time I talked to Rickey, he said he'd like to be the leadoff hitter and starting outfielder for some team in the major leagues. I don't know if he's had a change of heart.

If a hitter has been in a slump, he should not be trying to hit home runs. They should go for doubles and singles. You've got to build your credibility, go back to the fundamentals.

But god-damn, to think you're a .300 hitter and end up at .237 in your last season, then find yourself looking at a lifetime .298 average - it made me want to cry.

I don't know, maybe it's just a mental thing with them. I would want to hit here. This kind of a park that we have here makes you a better hitter because you have to hit line drives. You can't hit a lot of fly balls. It's a big park, the wind's always blowing in. There are outs here.

I felt good. I was just working on hitting my spots more than anything, kind of playing catch. It's a different look with a hitter up there.

Chris is a big hitter and a good leader.

Barry kept his hands back. That's why he's the second-best hitter in the game, behind me.

Batting third could help him hit .300 for the first time. He's too good a hitter not to have done that.

To continue this pace ... well, that's going to be hard to do. But he's got the mechanics to be a good hitter and things are going well for him.

To get a switch-hitter (who is) a leadoff hitter with a lot of dimensions -- power, speed -- the ability to play the outfield as he does is really a godsend to the organization.

What I like about this team is that they never give up. We are not big at the net and we need another hitter to step up, but if we stay tough and remain focused, then we'll be competitive.

He's a good right-handed hitter and can play some first and left field.

He's a great number two hitter or fifth hitter. He's hit everywhere in the lineup. We'll let that work itself out in the spring.

He's a better hitter than he showed in the first half of the year, and he's coming around. He's been a big plus for us. He's playing with confidence. He's playing with energy.

He's a great player with great tools. Having another switch hitter is also great. I respect all switch hitters, because it's tough to do.

He's aggressive and he takes what the pitcher gives him. He's evolved as a hitter every single year. He does things that a lot of good Division I hitters don't do.

He's a good hitter and he's hot. You make a mistake and he's hitting it. We made a mistake, and he hit it.

He's a good hitter and he's starting to swing the bat well. Whether the guy is struggling at the plate or he's hot, you always want to make your pitches because it can go either way at any time. If he's struggling, he's going to turn it around some time.

He's a good hitter and with the success he had last year, they might be pitching him differently sometimes. But Tony's one to adjust and I see him being successful again.

He's a good hitter because he runs his route hard, no matter where he is. He calls for the ball loud. It's tough not to give someone like him the ball.

He's a competitor and has great belief in himself. You can tell that on the mound. He's got that look in his eye that he's going to get the hitter out. He has something that you're born with, something you can't teach. He has the heart to be a top-notch Major League pitcher. He expects to win and has a quiet confidence. He doesn't get rattled and has a chance to be a top-of-the-rotation guy.

We've got to have him. He's too good of a hitter (not to contribute).

He's phenomenal, ... He doesn't give any at-bats away, no matter what the score or what the situation. He's obviously an awesome hitter -- the best hitter I've ever seen. The numbers that he puts up, the way he takes every at-bat, the consistency that he has every day, is better than anyone I've ever seen.

He was locating. When that happens, the hitter starts thinking. You start playing with his emotions when you pitch that well.

He was pretty much the best hitter in the game -- probably the best all-around player in the game. He was as good a player at 17 as he was in Seattle. He's just a natural baseball player.

He can pitch. I saw him last summer in a wooden bat league. He's crafty, just like Cornelius. He's a competitor. When he gets on that mound, he wants to send that hitter to the dugout.

He can throw to both sides of the plate with all his pitches. If there is a way to get a hitter out and he knows it, he can execute it.

He was cruising and he's your guy. You want to give him an opportunity to get out of it, but I probably should have got him out of there the hitter before I did.

He has always been a bright spot. He's hitting well and by far he is the best athlete and most aggressive hitter we have. He works hard.

He was a playmaker both offensively and defensively. He was a big hitter for his size.

He had two perfect pitches to bunt. That's the guy you want up there to get the bunt down. You get the bunt down, it makes them have to make decisions. And we had a guy coming up who's a contact hitter who can drive the ball to the outfield to drive the run in.

He worked himself into the hitter he became. He hit the ball much better as a senior than I would have ever dreamed of as a sophomore.

I'm a line-drive hitter with power. I can drive the ball into the gap, and I'm strong enough to hit it out of the park if I elevate it. No matter how people describe me, it's about staying focused. Don't worry about what people write or say. I don't play for those people. I play to try to get better.

Hollie is part of our power game. She can hit the ball pretty well. Megan plays good defense and is able to read her opponents well. Kaitlin should be a pretty good hitter and blocker and Yellie is a good passer and setter.

Holbert is a little better hitter than Olmedo against left-handers, ... And this was a chance to give Holbert a start. We're facing three left-handers in a row, so probably we'll play both.

Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in athletics -- hands down -- and you don't become the hitter he is without hard work in season and off. It's paying off and it makes me proud and happy for him.

His mark is he's a hard hitter and runs over people. He's just been out there doing it, and you have to give him credit.

Going into his final season we are going to count on him on the mound, in the outfield and at bat. There is no designated hitter for Alan. His batting and pitching are a plus, and even if he is playing in the outfield there is not a weak link.

He's got the mental fortitude to block everything out and just focus on the hitter, focus on the task and then execute the pitch to get that hitter out. Andy would be my guy.

He's got the middle of the order guys behind him. Plate discipline and what you swing at is extremely important at the major-league level. For him to become a great hitter like people think he can be, he's going to have to learn to not offer at pitches around (but not in) the zone. This type of role will help him do that and understand that.

He's healthy right now. Matt is a good hitter and we're going to use him as our lead-off hitter. He plays well in the field.

He's been such a consistent hitter throughout his career. He can take a mulligan, but he doesn't.

He's a really, really good hitter to all fields. Physically, he hits fastballs really, really well. He's an extremely hard worker. He's always working on his swing, and he's always working on his fielding abilities trying to make himself better. He works really hard just in everything he does, like with his rehab and everything -- with that he's already back and throwing the ball. Pretty soon he'll be able to play defense in a game, not just hit.

He's a solid defensive player at third base. He's a good offensive hitter with a little pop to his bat.