Alan Mauthe was the hitting coach for the Lowell Spinners, the Red Sox affiliate in the short-season New York-Penn League. A 42-year-old native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Mauthe completed his second season with the Spinners in 2006 and his fifth overall with the Red Sox organization. A member of the Canadian National Team from 1985-88, Mauthe represented his country in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea and owned and operated the Extra Innings Baseball Academy in Vancouver prior to joining Boston’s Gulf Coast League affiliate in 2002. Mauthe is currently working on an instructional video called “The Perfect Swing Path Hitting System.”

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Absolutely, it’s important a hitter gets into the right position to hit on time and they have the ability to rotate their lower body properly while maintaining balance. That being said it is also makes sense the longer a hitter can keep their bat head on the plain of the pitch, the better their chances of driving the ball. I’m not saying the PSPHS is the only thing you need to do to succeed as a hitter, however I do believe the better you can control the bat head, the better your chances of driving the ball when facing top pitchers at the higher levels.

They simply identify a hitters’ strengths and weaknesses. The higher the percentage on a consistent basis, means they have better bat control and proper swing mechanics. The more consistently they control the bat head and make solid contact, the greater the chances of improving as a hitter. This equates to higher batting average, on base percentage and in many cases hitters will improve their bat speed because they develop shorter quicker swings which increases power.

Players typically like to work more on the things they are good at. We want them to work on their weaknesses and challenge themselves to become better hitters, however they should continue to maintain or improve their strengths. They need to understand this is not about looking good and only hitting pitches that they are good at; it’s about getting better as a hitter and continually working towards becoming more consistent on all pitch locations on a daily basis. The bigger a hitter can expand their hitting zone, in other words, if they can drive more pitches successfully in a bigger area (zone), the better the hitter they can become.

The whole purpose is to develop consistent bat control through muscle memory. When hitters are hitting off the batting tee, we recommend they are up at a 80% or better success rate on a consistent basis. This will prove the hitter has good bat control when using their tee. Don’t be alarmed if the scores are much lower at first, this in many cases is normal due to poor swing mechanics. The more they practice properly, the better they will get. 

There is a good chance the scores will vary slightly, however if you see big declines in their score it is likely they are either not doing their work or when they are working they are not focused on doing it properly. In other words, they are just swinging and have no purpose to what they are trying to accomplish. This is exactly what we want to avoid and why the PSPHS was designed, to prevent poor practice habits!

The ball must be “well hit” for a hitter to be rewarded and it must go to the proper field location illustrated on the color coded balls. If a right handed hitter hits the ball more to the center of the field, they would also be rewarded. For example if they are hitting the “red ball” inside pitch that says “left field” and they hit the ball to left center field they would get rewarded. If they hit this same pitch to the pull side, example to the left field corner they would not get rewarded. The reason for this is it is better for a hitter to stay inside the ball longer vs. getting around the ball and pulling it more. The same goes for left handed hitters.

A “well hit” ball is a hard hit ball with backspin or a slight carve in the ball, sharp one or two hop through the infield or a line drive. Fly balls and weak ground balls are not well hit. This includes deep fly balls because more often than not at the higher levels, they become outs. Keep in mind “well hits” will vary from hitter to hitter and will be determined by each hitters physical strength.

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It’s not the bat it’s how you use it! People think if they buy a $200 to $375 bat, it will make them a better hitter. That’s no different than buying a top of the line set of golf clubs and expecting them to make you a better golfer. A good bat doesn’t make you a good hitter, a good swing does. Invest in your swing first!

There is a saying in professional baseball: “Learn how to be a good hitter first (hit for high batting average) and let power take care of itself as you develop physically.” 

You may hit the odd long ball with a better bat, but you need to ask yourself, do you want to hit the odd long ball or be a more consistent hitter with a higher average? A hitter who drives in more runs, is a player you want to see at the plate in the big game with runners on base. These are hitters every coach is looking for.

By all means feel free to purchase that expensive bat when you become a better hitter. 

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