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[This is part of a series exploring the Baseball Tarot.]
There are two supposedly-contrasting forces for offensive players to maneuver toward - hitting for average, and hitting for power. Hitters for average are stereotypically smaller of build and fleeter of foot than others, with incredible bat speed that allows them to get the bat around on any pitches coming their way, no matter how poor the offering is, and punch it through the holes in the defense to get on base. Hitters for average are supposed to be the artists of the batted ball, specialists in placement and sneaking hits into places that don't seem like they could be responsible for a base hit. Those are the hitters...for the next post.
Instead, we're going to talk about those who use Power as their main method of baseball operations. For most power hitters, the key statistics are Home Runs, Runs Batted In, and the On-Base and Slugging percentages. These are all measures of offensive prowess and the likelihood that this hitter will produce multiple runs with a single swing of their bat. A power hitter lives for big plays and single moments, the bases-clearing hits and extra bases that end up on the highlight reels, the sports programs, and the newspaper columns written about the game. They are dangerous because they will hit anything that's not perfectly thrown and drive it very, very far.
On the other side of the plate are the power pitchers. Power pitchers might have two or three pitches in their repertoire, but their danger comes from sheer velocity. Pitchers that regularly throw in the high 90s and beginning 100s of velocity basically require hitters to decide whether the pitch is worthwhile almost as soon as it leaves the pitcher's hand. If the reflexes are too slow, it doesn't matter whether or not the player wants to swing, they won't have the opportunity to make contact before the ball is already in the catcher's mitt and the umpire is making a call.
Power is intimidating, and its skillful use can create an aura around the player that is very difficult to break. Some players exude that aura so well that they will be intentionally walked, just so they don't have to be pitched to. Others, especially pitchers in the closer role, rely on that intimidation aura and the sudden change in velocity to put players away with their fireballs in short order, bats still on their shoulders and mystified by what they have just seen.
The confrontation between power hitters and power pitchers is often a salivating affair for the observers, and the fanatics of both sides will sing the praises of their chosen partisan in an attempt to intimidate the opposition's fans. Power is intoxicating, even to those who are marginally proximal to it. Once the question is resolved in the rivalry at that point, power has been demonstrated. But the other person is only waiting for their opportunity to demonstrate their own power.
Power players have weaknesses, however. Power hitters, in their quest for extra base hits, will often take pitches they should be swinging at and will often swing at pitches they should be taking. Hitting for power often increases strikeouts, decreases walks, and hurts the batting average as well. Power pitching relies on a small set of pitches to be effective. Against a batter with good eyesight and high bat speed, sitting back and waiting to see what a pitch does for as long as possible, and with a remarkable talent for fouling off pitches that aren't just right, a power pitcher will eventually repeat themselves, have to go to one of their less effective pitches, or tire a bit and lose some of those velocities, and then a hitter can take advantage of these lapses for their own power hitting. Relying solely on your own power to get you through the game might work here and there, but it's not going to be the prefect solution for all situations.
This is usually the card of Strength in a more traditional Tarot deck, and much like its counterpart, Strength is useful in several situations, it is very flashy when put on display, but there are times where applying too much strength to a situation only results in things getting broken. For that kind of situation, you're going to need...
There are two supposedly-contrasting forces for offensive players to maneuver toward - hitting for average, and hitting for power. Hitters for average are stereotypically smaller of build and fleeter of foot than others, with incredible bat speed that allows them to get the bat around on any pitches coming their way, no matter how poor the offering is, and punch it through the holes in the defense to get on base. Hitters for average are supposed to be the artists of the batted ball, specialists in placement and sneaking hits into places that don't seem like they could be responsible for a base hit. Those are the hitters...for the next post.
Instead, we're going to talk about those who use Power as their main method of baseball operations. For most power hitters, the key statistics are Home Runs, Runs Batted In, and the On-Base and Slugging percentages. These are all measures of offensive prowess and the likelihood that this hitter will produce multiple runs with a single swing of their bat. A power hitter lives for big plays and single moments, the bases-clearing hits and extra bases that end up on the highlight reels, the sports programs, and the newspaper columns written about the game. They are dangerous because they will hit anything that's not perfectly thrown and drive it very, very far.
On the other side of the plate are the power pitchers. Power pitchers might have two or three pitches in their repertoire, but their danger comes from sheer velocity. Pitchers that regularly throw in the high 90s and beginning 100s of velocity basically require hitters to decide whether the pitch is worthwhile almost as soon as it leaves the pitcher's hand. If the reflexes are too slow, it doesn't matter whether or not the player wants to swing, they won't have the opportunity to make contact before the ball is already in the catcher's mitt and the umpire is making a call.
Power is intimidating, and its skillful use can create an aura around the player that is very difficult to break. Some players exude that aura so well that they will be intentionally walked, just so they don't have to be pitched to. Others, especially pitchers in the closer role, rely on that intimidation aura and the sudden change in velocity to put players away with their fireballs in short order, bats still on their shoulders and mystified by what they have just seen.
The confrontation between power hitters and power pitchers is often a salivating affair for the observers, and the fanatics of both sides will sing the praises of their chosen partisan in an attempt to intimidate the opposition's fans. Power is intoxicating, even to those who are marginally proximal to it. Once the question is resolved in the rivalry at that point, power has been demonstrated. But the other person is only waiting for their opportunity to demonstrate their own power.
Power players have weaknesses, however. Power hitters, in their quest for extra base hits, will often take pitches they should be swinging at and will often swing at pitches they should be taking. Hitting for power often increases strikeouts, decreases walks, and hurts the batting average as well. Power pitching relies on a small set of pitches to be effective. Against a batter with good eyesight and high bat speed, sitting back and waiting to see what a pitch does for as long as possible, and with a remarkable talent for fouling off pitches that aren't just right, a power pitcher will eventually repeat themselves, have to go to one of their less effective pitches, or tire a bit and lose some of those velocities, and then a hitter can take advantage of these lapses for their own power hitting. Relying solely on your own power to get you through the game might work here and there, but it's not going to be the prefect solution for all situations.
This is usually the card of Strength in a more traditional Tarot deck, and much like its counterpart, Strength is useful in several situations, it is very flashy when put on display, but there are times where applying too much strength to a situation only results in things getting broken. For that kind of situation, you're going to need...
