Chili Davis Quotes

That's one thing I learned from watching great hitters hit. A lot of hitters, they're ready to hit from pitch one.

I think my mindset and my approach is to hit the ball hard, whether it be first pitch or work the count.

Sometimes you go to home plate, and you have an idea, like a clear idea, of what they're going to throw to you. I think that's all: getting better pitches to hit, realizing when you hit the ball better, what pitch you hit, if you're chasing too much. If you figure out all that, you can get a little better as a player.

Some batters, and good ones too, scoff at the whole theory of place hitting, calling it a myth. They are wrong, however.

I have to go with the approach I had in Triple-A. I need to take a lot of those fastballs I am seeing to left field. Also must gear up for the changeup and take them up the middle.

The toughest thing in hitting shouldn't be deciding when to swing. It is, for me, deciding when not to swing. You should be swinging from the time you get into the batter's box until something says don't swing.

The big thing is, it's about learning which off-speed pitches to swing at. A lot of people say, 'Oh, this guy can't hit a curveball; this guy can't hit an off-speed pitch.' But it's about swinging at the right one. Swing at the hangers. Swing at the ones you can handle.

Once I found my swing, I feel like if I put a good swing on it, I feel like it's got a good chance to go wherever - left, right, center - it doesn't matter. But I'm not just out here going to swing for home runs of anything. I'm just trying to put a good swing on the baseball.

The great hitters use the whole field, and that's a goal of mine.

I kind of realized that when I take more pitches I put better swings on them.

Whoever's hitting in front of you or behind you is going to determine how you get pitched, but there's nothing you can do.

Generally in the Little League you're up against a good pitcher who throws like hell. What does the coach say? Get a walk. Isn't that beautiful way to learn to hit? For four years you stand up there looking for a walk.

There is no doubt that because I am a switch hitter I have one of the best offensive advantages that a hitter can have.

Eddie Haas talked a lot about not hitting the ball in the air.

Learn what pitch you can hit good; then wait for that pitch.

Basically, hitters fall into a pattern, and once you know what they like, you can set them up for the putout with something else.

To be a good hitter you've got to do one thing - get a good ball to hit.

My theory of hitting was just to watch the ball as it came in and hit it.

A lot of hitters stay away from the plate, some are close up, some are forward, some are back. The thing about hitting is this: You have to know the strike zone. That's the most important thing. Hit strikes and put the bat on the ball.

Joe Torre would tell you to make sure you can hit the ball on the outside part of the plate.

You gotta keep the ball off the fat part of the bat.

Guessing what the pitcher is going to throw is 80% of being a successful hitter. The other 20% is just execution.

The way those clubs shift against Ted Williams, I can't understand how he can be so stupid not to accept the challenge to him and hit to left field.

Early in my career, I wasn't good in the strike zone early. I was good in the strike zone late, which is not a good thing.

As hitters, I think we take for granted at times how good our hands are and just how much the value of truly getting the barrel to the ball is. We don't have to do as much as we think we have to.