Pulling the Ball

South Side Sox notes that Brent Morel improved late in the 2011 because he pulled the ball more. I have a friend who believes that any ball hit the opposite way should be an automatic out. If you can’t pull the ball, you’re too wimpy to play. I understand his point of view, but there are certainly situations in which it is better to place a hit than pull a ball into an out. One of the things I admired about Jim Rice was that he didn’t try to pull the ball in Yankee Stadium. While his right-handed teammates hit deep outs to right-center, Jim hit home runs to left of center, a much easier poke. I’m also a proponent of hitting against the shift. If a team is giving a batter a free base by abandoning one side of the infield, the batter should take it. We know that walking a great hitter every time he comes up is a poor strategy. Conversely, going the other way for a single should be a great strategy.