FPOM and SPOM

[SF11704]

Just curious. Would like to see some other peoples perspective on this. As a kid and into my 30's I tended to play quite a bit of ball. Baseball, softball or whatever. It didn't really matter. What I'm curious about is what makes someone a good candidate for a FPOM or a SPOM. I can't remember ever swinging at the first pitch in any situation. Just never felt comfortable enough to after the very first pitch I saw in any at bat. Always wanted to see the delivery, the speed, the movement and just wanted to give myself time to settle in and think about what the hell I was looking for. It seems to me that a FPOM or a SPOM must have either recognized what was thrown and had already decided that they were going after that pitch. Still think it's so hard to guess correctly on the first pitch. Not even sure you had time to settle into the box before you need toput the bat in motion. I've often wondered are FPOM the type of players that come to the plate with a rush of 'stored' enery and it's almost an involuntary reaction to swing at something that appears to be close. I would also have to think that in today's world of information a pitcher must have a good idea of who the FPOM players are. If that's the case I would try and capitalize on that. I'd try and give them something reachable but not a very high probablility of making good contact. Don't believe they would ever try and just blow a fastball past them down the middle. No need to. Wonder what the success rate of a FP swinger really is. Sometimes I feel it's better to foul the damn ball off and then settle in for another swing. To me many of the FPOM seems to be weak oposite field grounders or pop-ups in the infield. I just don't understand the mindset of this type of player. Is it confifence or reaction?

 

[BigDDude]

Just trying to be helpful here, but I may not be the only one that does not know the full names of acronyms that you have listed. If I did, I know I could follow your post and point a lot better.

 

[SF11704]

Just trying to be helpful here, but I may not be the only one that does not know the full names of acronyms that you have listed. If I did, I know I could follow your post and point a lot better.

First Pitch Out Machine
Second Pitch Out Machine

Players that always seem to go after the first pitch they see (or second). rarely work a count deep unless they foul off quite a few

 

[Heathbar012]

I only played ball through high school with a little slow pitch (which is a completely different sport, in my opinion) since. I wouldn't say I'm a first-pitch swinger (though, I mostly batted 1st, 2nd or 6th in my "career"). Those aren't usually good spots for an aggressive swinger. Chicken before the egg? You'd have to hunt down a good amount of coaches, and have a series of very boring, pointless conversations to figure that one out.

As far as my opinion on your question, I think it's a combination of both. There is a lot of instinct and power that needs to be possessed before the first-pitch swinger mindset is solidified. Does that breed confidence? Absolutely. Would the confidence be there or develop anyway? I have no idea. The bottom line is: It's acceptable from players like Vlad, Panda and Pence. Would you rather they just work a count until they K, BB or HR, like Dunn? Instead of a double play, sure, but I don't think either one of those guys have ever thought they were gonna hit into a DP when they make contact with a baseball. Confidence again. Guys like Blanco, Torres, Posey or Crawford with FPOMs, I call a lapse in judgment. Some continue their lapses, others hit closer to .300. That is all the statistical analysis I needed to decide what my limited athletic ability should focus upon.

 

[calsnowskier]

First Pitch Out Machine
Second Pitch Out Machine

Players that always seem to go after the first pitch they see (or second). rarely work a count deep unless they foul off quite a few

Actually, FPOM = First Pitch Out Made/Making and SPOM = Second Pitch Out Made/Making, not "machine".

It is a verb, not a noun

 

[SF11704]

Actually, FPOM = First Pitch Out Made/Making and SPOM = Second Pitch Out Made/Making, not "machine".

It is a verb, not a noun

LMAO .... got so used to it ... I just transformed it into a noun used to define a few of out hitters! Some of the are like machines

 

[calsnowskier]

LMAO .... got so used to it ... I just transformed it into a noun used to define a few of out hitters! Some of the are like machines

Well, the way he have been reacting lately, every player who performed the verb in their last AB is apparently the noun until we get distracted by something else...

 

[SFAnthem]

LMAO .... got so used to it ... I just transformed it into a noun used to define a few of out hitters! Some of the are like machines

lol I've seen it used both ways here.

Pablo was a notorious FPOMachine

 

[Heathbar012]

lol I've seen it used both ways here.

Pablo was a notorious FPOMachine

... if the gears fit.

 

[Stokes1931]

I have read, and am too lazy to cite the reference, that swinging at the first pitch begets a higher batting average than any other pitch. Here is the breakdown of the Giants from MLB.com on the first pitch (hope the link works):

Major League Baseball Stats | SFGiants.com: Stats

Pence is hitting .447 on the first pitch, Pagan is .222

Everyone else with more than a handful of AB's are hitting pretty well.

My issue is several fold.

First, all hitting is context driven. i.e. leading off an inning dictates a different approach to hitting with two runners on. Hitting after a pitcher has walked two batters in a row is different than one who has struck out two in a row. These Giant hitters, for several seasons, don't seem to have much of a clue as to the context.

Second, there probably is something about patience and confidence going on. When a hitter is slumping, they are missing pitches they would normally hit, and so can begin second guessing themselves. After a bunch of outs in a row, confidence can wane, and pitch selection has more to do with fear than confidence.

Personally, I ALWAYS swung at the 1st or 2nd pitch, in baseball and softball. I was a terrible hitter, and had no confidence at all. I would go to the plate, thinking to myself, "see a pitch or two", and then, the pitch is on the way, and my hands and arms would swing!

This team can hit, as evidenced by the performance in April, or maybe that was a mirage to tease us into thinking they are better than they really are. This is a bad stretch of games, but we are still at .500, and though we ought to be doing better, that's where we are. We could be the Dogs, 9 games under .500 with a gazillion dollar payroll.

 

[calsnowskier]

lol I've seen it used both ways here.

Pablo was a notorious FPOMachine

I am not sure I have seen that use of it. At least if I have seen it, my brain always translated it to "FPOM machine"

 

[Stokes1931]

I am not sure I have seen that use of it. At least if I have seen it, my brain always translated it to "FPOM machine"

When I use it, I mean "First Pitch Out Made"

:panda: with the FPOM = Panda with the first pitch out made

:panda: with the FPGIDP = Panda with the first ground into double play

 

[SF11704]

http://faculty.engr.utexas.edu/bickel/papers/avg_by_count.pdf

very complicated ,,,, and very mathematical

 

[Stokes1931]

http://faculty.engr.utexas.edu/bickel/papers/avg_by_count.pdf

very complicated ,,,, and very mathematical

Geeks of the world, unite!

 

[SFAnthem]

I am not sure I have seen that use of it. At least if I have seen it, my brain always translated it to "FPOM machine"

Is that like saying PIN number? lol

it's usually FPOM! Dammit (insert Giants player here)

 

[SFAnthem]

http://faculty.engr.utexas.edu/bickel/papers/avg_by_count.pdf

very complicated ,,,, and very mathematical

oh my goodness, can I get the dumbed down version? good stuff tho