By Kevin Wilson

Coaches preach comfort.  They want the hitter to be at ease and relaxed at the plate.  They sometimes even preach about how you step into the batters box each and every time.  They want you to have routine and purpose.

Where most of this could be seen as good advice for a young hitter, what they are missing is the ability to adapt.

The word “adapt" is something that the best hitters in this game do on a nightly basis.  They are able to pick up tendencies or patterns of the pitcher and make adjustments in the midst of their at-bat.  They are able to recognize what type of pitcher they are and maybe deviate a little bit from their initial plan at the plate.

I watched one of my right-handed hitters play a game the other day and he was facing a soft tossing LHP and getting frustrated by continuously popping up and getting out front just a bit on the outside pitch. 

When you face these “soft-tossers,” you may not be able to stand in the same spot in the batters box that you do against pitchers who throw at what I call “normal hitting speeds.”