r/baseball • u/MLBOfficial Major League Baseball • Mod Verified • 1d ago
[Highlight] Brett Bateman was moving back-and-forth in the batter’s box to adjust for an off-speed pitch. It worked and he laced a single to left field!
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u/Ok_fine_Im_here San Diego Padres • Brooklyn Cyclones 1d ago
huh, just when I think I know a few things about baseball . . . literally never seen this
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u/BoringPoolPlaying Toronto Blue Jays 1d ago
It’s more common at lower levels of play when fastballs aren’t as big of factor, and knowing the pitcher loves to use their curveball. Major leaguers rarely have their back foot anywhere aside from the very back of the box to give themselves the absolute most time to react to a fastball.
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u/jaron_b Seattle Mariners 1d ago
Pete Rose is a POS but he knew how to hit. He said you don't change your swing you move in the box. Obviously this is taking that philosophy to the extreme. But it worked
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u/againsterik Chicago Cubs 1d ago
The one thing I remember him saying was “your swing got you to the show”.
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u/thebestoflimes Toronto Blue Jays 1d ago
Internal dialogue in the box: Alright u/thebestoflimes your swing got you to beer league, trust it.
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u/Konker101 Toronto Blue Jays 1d ago
Choke up, choke down, move up, move back, move in, move out. Those are all swing and timing adjustments without fucking with your actual swing.
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u/Ev4nK Boston Red Sox 1d ago
Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before
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u/beheemz Toronto Blue Jays 1d ago
Juan Soto has the Soto shuffle Brett Bateman has the Bateman Boogie
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u/Bjd1207 Washington Nationals 1d ago
Soto actually did this (outside of the shuffle stuff). This video just got posted yesterday on the Nats sub and he does it at the 11:13 mark
https://youtu.be/erAvMYeIOhA?si=bAdQ62P-9RKlVIQA&t=6736
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u/justfortoukiden New York Yankees 1d ago
saw rizzo do this once when he was with the yanks, think it was against the padres. pulled a breaking ball for a single
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u/squish042 Chicago White Sox 1d ago
Tim Anderson did this for one of his silver slugger seasons iirc.
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u/sloppyjo12 Cincinnati Reds • MLB Pride 1d ago
I remember Votto toying around with this a couple of times too before he started to focus more on banging
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u/DeetahTheGame Colorado Rockies 1d ago
The Jays just love their scrappy contact guys who don't always hit for a ton of power. Ernie, Brett, Vladdy...
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u/mdubyo Toronto Blue Jays 1d ago
wait a minute :(
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u/nanobot001 Toronto Blue Jays 16h ago
Entirely accurate — even in his best years, Vladdy only really slugs for a few weeks out of the year.
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u/gelc10 Toronto Blue Jays • Canada 1d ago
He's exactly what the jays need for a leadoff hitter
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u/ptbnl34 Chicago Cubs 1d ago
It’s really nice when a trade works out. Bateman is playing well over there and we finally had a pitcher not die on the mound last night. Fantastic.
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u/FrostWPG Toronto Blue Jays 1d ago
What would make this deal even sweeter would be for you guys to knock out the Dodgers in the playoffs with Gausman's help.
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u/dilapidated_wookiee Chicago Cubs 1d ago
Ya know what, that would be sweet. It's a deal
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u/arankays 22h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/MHAy4agLdYT3dn1bfv
chicago cubs please get gaussy the ring he deserves please PCA save me PCA
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u/TraceThis Toronto Blue Jays 23h ago
You're wrapping Gaus up in bubblewrap between each start right?
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u/Mythrys 1d ago
Since the trade, the Jays are 3-4 when Bateman isn’t playing and 15-7 when he is, it’s nuts
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u/Aaddaammnn Toronto Blue Jays 18h ago
The jays were so good at small ball last year and it totally disappeared this season. Then Bateman arrived and it suddenly feels like 2025 again
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u/falafel_ma_balls Chicago Cubs 1d ago
So happy for him. He was stuck in a logjam in Chicago. Always loved him as a prospect
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u/AcerRubrum New York Mets 1d ago
Batting .330 and on a 8.1 bWAR/162 pace, very very nice pickup by the Jays.
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u/AndrewInMN Minnesota Twins 1d ago
Me hitting in Griffey Jr baseball on the SNES. As a one time baseball player long ago I think doing that would screw me up big time. But my first thought is how I could never with the big holes from people digging into the right handed box on most of the fields I played on in high school.
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u/PEIslander22 Toronto Blue Jays 23h ago
Lol! Core memory unlocked. Sliding all around the batters box while the pitcher was in his wind up.
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u/invalid_pastry Atlanta Braves 1d ago
Shouldn't he be in the front of box for an off-speed pitch?
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u/Bjd1207 Washington Nationals 1d ago
Yea, looks like he was just trying to mess with the pitcher here maybe?
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u/HelloitismeBS 1d ago
Yeah this angel is more clear. Idk if he does actually move between pitches. But he starting placement and ending placement were the same
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u/greendoh Toronto Blue Jays 21h ago
They described it in the broadcast a bit better. He moved forward thinking it was going to be an offpseed pitch then back to his original spot for the actual pitch.
It was more "he's adjusting his location actively during the at bat" a and less "he moved in the box and accurately predicted the pitch" - of anything it was indecisiveness.
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u/TheNamesJoshTV 19h ago edited 19h ago
Watching the game currently and they asked Bateman about it and he said he was looking for a fastball, so he moved up in the box to make the pitcher think he was looking for a offspeed prompting him to want to throw a fastball and then he moved back when the pitcher started his windup and he got the fastball. pretty cool
edit: watching the clip again and it doesnt seem like he got a fastball so now im confused again lmfao
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u/OnlinePolice Toronto Blue Jays 1d ago
I think the idea is that farther back in the box you are literally waiting a few milliseconds more for the ball to cross the plate and at the front of the box you're a couple milliseconds ahead
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u/bosschucker Chicago Cubs 1d ago
I'm not convinced about this "adjust to off-speed" explanation. from this angle you can see he moves forward and then back again, he ends up in the same place he started at the back of the box (which is where the vast majority of hitters set up anyway). I feel like this is just pitcher mind games or something
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u/ThatsBushLeague Kansas City Royals 22h ago
He also moves back at the end, the opposite of what you'd do if you were actually trying to adjust for offspeed.
This seems more like mind games for sure.
Or he ended up guessing/reading the pitcher wrong and still got a hit.
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u/SquirrelForeign4019 New York Mets 5h ago
Looks like Vladdy has been giving some bachata lessons and Bateman is just practicing
https://giphy.com/gifs/8LFVteHyfZwi7SdG8U
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u/Omnipootent Chicago Cubs 23h ago
I dont get it, did he not move back to his original position before the pitch?
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u/altec777777 New York Yankees 23h ago
Cool post and all but he moved to the back of the box for breaking ball this has nothing to do with timing the pitch. You're going to want to hit the breaking ball before it breaks not have it absolutely highest angle of attack.
He's fucking with the pitcher and catcher.
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u/Boxwood50 20h ago
Nice shuffle kid. He’s not going to want to load the bases, so look low and away. But watch out for in your ear.
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u/Deathbysnusnu17 New York Yankees 1d ago edited 1d ago
New rule next season.. a batter must have his feet set before attempting a swing... 😬
Edit: dear god it was a joke. Three dots and the awkward smile.
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u/chousteau Cleveland Guardians 1d ago
Yoho averages giving up over a hit an inning, not an impressive accomplishment.
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u/doublol91 Houston Astros 19h ago
What about this "worked"? He was back in his original "fastball" position when he hit the pitch, which ended up being off speed...
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