There are no absolutes in pitch calling, only guidelines. If you feel there are absolutes and “must-do’s” in certain counts or situations you are mistaken.

The first #1 priority is to pitch to the pitchers strength. If you know your pitcher, go to what he does best.

“The wrong pitch thrown with confidence is better than the right pitch thrown with doubt.”

In the younger levels we shoot more for the green “middle of the plate” rather than the pin “the corners.”

At upper levels pitch location is coming more about stacking - more up and down than in and out. Pitching inside is a lost art and an area that baseball needs to get back to.

Usually when hitters don’t hit, it’s because they’re off-time. So getting the ball up in the strike zone covers up the curveball (meaning it’s not automatic deciphering it out of the hand).

The next wave of the game advancement is what is going on in the brain: neuroscientists measuring brain activity and identifying the players with the “circuitry” that allows them to do the complex parts of the game.

For Jerry, every pitch you throw should be trying to get an out. Most of the time you get hitters out with their pitch. Fastball hitters make outs on fastballs. Contact is really good. Rule of 68: 68% of all balls in fair territory result in outs.

So we want to throw strikes, we want weak contact. Stay out of the “nitro” zone. But you can make great pitches and still give up hits. But it is still one pitch at a time. Based on what the hitter and pitcher have done during the at bat, try to avoid where the hitter’s attention is going.

Reading the hitter is important but not a hard rule. If a hitter fouls it straight back, he “just missed it”, and many will say you better throw something different. Jerry believes that “just missing it” was exactly his goal in the first place so that doesn’t mean he has to change anything. Maybe throw a different location but you don’t have to abandon your plan completely. Knowing your pitcher is the biggest key.

Typically it’s three guys who are going to determine the outcome of a game on any given day: The pitcher, catcher and umpire. So know the umpire’s zone whenever possible.

It is the pitcher’s ball game. If the catcher throws down a particular pitch, even if the coach calls it, the pitcher needs to be able to shake it off and throw the pitch he wants to throw. Confidence is everything. Let him own his game.

Also, you are not allowed to second guess. If a guy shakes off and wants to throw something else and get’s beat, that’s how it goes.

If you can throw two different speed pitches over the plate that are well located, then you need to shoot for the green and not the pin. Go get him.

Scouting reports can be pretty iffy. If you don’t see a guy with 40 at bats then we really don’t have very solid information. If we assign too many positive attributes to a hitter (via a scouting report saying this is a strong hitter...etc) then it becomes big him and little me, which is obviously never a good mindset to perform in.

Ultimately it’s about playing catch, throwing strikes, put the ball in play, running the bases aggressively and having a good team spirit then you force the team to adjust to you.