Game Planning Vs. Chase Burns
Mar 18, 2024
New Podcast with Cody Bellinger's hitting coach, Micah Franklin
* Changes Cody Bellinger made
* Staying true to who you are as a hitter
* How fragile MLB hitters are between the ears
Chase Burns is one of the top pitchers in college baseball.
Currently, he’s the Friday starter for Wake Forest.
Previously, he spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at the University of Tennessee.
Let’s look at how to game plan against one of the top pitchers in college baseball.
No matter how good a pitcher's stuff is, they make mistakes, you just have to capitalize on those mistakes when they happen.
Let’s look at Chase Burns in 2023
Pitch Frequency
You can see that he predominantly pitched away from RHH and came inside on LHH in his first 2 years at the University of Tennessee.
Movement Plot in 2023
Now let’s look at 2024 Chase Burns
He’s starting to throw inside to RHH.
The biggest difference:
- He's throwing inside to RHH
- The movement on his FB has changed
In 2023 his average release height on his FB was 6’2’
His average FB velocity was 96.5 MPH
In 2024 his average release height on his FB is 6’5’
His average FB velocity this season has been 98 mph
Since his release height has gone up, the movement on his FB has slightly changed.
You can see on the right his FB has slightly more cut this season vs. last.
Check out the difference in release point from his last game in 2023 vs. 2024.
How would you game plan knowing everything we’ve seen above?
The harder they throw, the simpler we get.
When hitters are facing a pitcher with a big name, they tend try to do too much.
The better the stuff, the less you try to do.
I know that doesn’t make sense, but hitting is an art not a science.
Look middle/middle.
Here is every ball that has been hit over 95 EV against him in his college career.
Look where they’re hit in the zone, right over the middle of the plate.
He’s going to throw a ball over the middle of the plate, you just have to be ready to capitalize on it.
Lastly, I’m a big believer in visualization, no better way to do that than by watching others do well against Chase Burns.
Here is every ball hit over 95 exit velocity against him in his college career.
Summary:
- Look middle/middle
- Do less not more
- Aggressive patience
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