If you're a fastball-slider pitcher then this article may be helpful.
As you know, the slider is a great pitch. It comes in harder (more velocity) than a traditional curveball, and breaks later.
Those two factors make it tough to hit.
But not always.
That's why I teach my fastball-slider guys to avoid throwing the pitch to hitters with long swings. Against those types of hitters, a straight fastball middle to middle-in is a much better pitch.
That's because hitters who have long swings tend to have slow bats (unless they guess the pitch correctly).
For them to get the head of the bat out in front of the baseball to drive it off the "sweet spot" of the bat, they need a pitch moving at less-than-full velocity, and out from in on their hands. That, of course, is how sliders move and where most pitchers place it.
Many long-swinging hitters can't catch up to the fastball inside. Unless they "cheat," start their hands early, or guess fastball, they cannot handle inside heat -- their hands are too slow to the ball.
If you establish the inner half with a fastball as opposed to dropping a slider on the outside part of the plate, you'll get a lot of weak pop-ups, strike outs, and/or just plain easy outs.
The slider's a great pitch. Throw it. But be smart with it.
Practice It!
