Is this a Strike or a Ball?

Trick question: it doesn’t matter.

Why? Because it went out of the ballpark!

Why did @jt_realmuto swing at this pitch?

Because he thought it could hit it hard! That’s it. Period. End of story.

Parents: if your ballplayer swings aggressively at a pitch, celebrate that no matter what, even if it was a bad pitch to swing at. DO NOT shame them for trying to get hits!

It’s easy to teach plate discipline when they get older - at young ages (Little League) we need to encourage fearless aggression at the plate. If we take that mentality away from them by yelling at them when they swing at a bad pitch, all we’re doing is creating scared, indecisive, and tentative hitters.

I’ve seen it a million times in Little League: a kid swings at a bad pitch and gets yelled at by a coach, parent, or someone in the stands. Then he watches the next 2 good pitches go by without even swinging because he’s afraid of getting yelled at again.

Alternative scenario: a kid swings at a bad pitch and his coaches and parents say, “I love the aggression…keep hacking!” Then he swings confidently at the next pitch and rips a single.

Try this at your next Summer League game and watch how well it works!