Batting practice helps hitters improve their craft. One of the ways a hitter can groove his swing is to swing in a batting cage. A live pitcher may tire out after throwing to three or four batters, but a batting machine can throw controlled pitches and won't get tired. It can help a hitter feel more confident about his ability to learn to drive a baseball.
Significance
A manager or coach can ensure that every player gets a chance to hit. He can schedule everyone to get 10 minutes in the cage. You can dial the machine to throw pitches every 10 seconds or whatever frequency you deem appropriate.
Function
A batter can step into a hitting cage and just concentrate on his swing without worrying about tiring out the pitcher. This is ideal for a batter who is working on adjustments. A good hitter may be in a slump because he struggles against inside pitches. The batting machine can be set to throw inside and the hitter can work at figuring out how to hit the pitches that have been giving him trouble.
Features
A pitching machine will throw fastballs, curveballs and changeups. Some will also throw sliders. This can give the hitter a wide variety of pitches to hit. A machine can be set to throw inside pitches, outside pitches or pitches over the middle of the plate. You can set the pitch speed at between 55 and 95 mph on many pitching machines.
Considerations
Hitting machines provide warm-ups for pinch hitters who are about to come into a game in the late innings. While the rest of his teammates have been playing five or six innings, a pinch hitter has been on the bench for nearly two hours. In order to warm him up, seven or eight swings in the batting cage can get him ready.
Misconceptions
A pitching machine is not enough for most batters. While it will throw strike after strike, it is not like going up against a live pitcher. A human pitcher will not throw strikes on every pitch. The fear factor is not an issue with a machine; it can be with a live pitcher. A hitter may be sensational in the batting cage against a pitching machine but may struggle against live pitchers because of the fear factor. A good hitter will use a pitching machine to help him get ready and correct flaws, but it is not a substitute for going up against a human pitcher.
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