Hitter Quotations | Page 3

Every hitter is a pretty big situation because they can all hit it out of the ballpark, but obviously, with the bases loaded, two outs right there, that was huge.

Every hitter has holes in his swing. Some holes are smaller than others. When pitchers figure Jacobs out, he will have to make the changes.

At the beginning of the week I thought this looked like it was made for me. Because of the tightness there's really no huge advantage of being a long hitter because there's no place to hit it.

Another guy who will show what it means to be a Penn State student-athlete, Michael is a proven college hitter who should provide some power for us. He comes from a great academic school, and we'll look for him to provide some leadership as he will be replacing two seniors at third base.

Elvis has swung the bat very well. If we were to start the season right now he'd be our DH. He's been our best hitter since we got back (from winter break).

Elliot is a great hitter and has good pop for a second baseman. He's proving he can hit the ball to anywhere.

Felipe is going to hit. You won't see anybody up there red-hot all the time. He's a very good hitter from both sides of the plate.

There should be no question about the respect this organization has for Frank and all that he has helped us accomplish, including a World Series championship. He is the greatest hitter in White Sox history. At the same time, it is my responsibility to make the best decisions I can on behalf of the organization. Our plan is to continue to speak with Frank and his representatives over the coming months as more information is known about his health.

There's guys hitting at the lower end of our order here hitting seventh, eighth and ninth that when they were in high school were their No. 3 hitter and were their star high school player.

There's no doubt she might be the best hitter in the Classic 8 Conference. She hits the ball hard all the time. Plus, she swings at good pitches. She's impressive at the plate, no doubt about it.

There's nothing you can do to prevent some injuries. He's the type of hitter who has no fear against left-handed pitchers. Not too many guys have the type of swing he has.

I've been a very aggressive hitter all my career,

The way he's swinging the bat, I can't take him out of the lineup. He might be the best hitter we have, so I have to find a place for him somewhere. But he's probably strongest defensively as a catcher.

It would be like guys talking about cars. Rebuilding a carburetor is nothing for them. For me, that's an impossibility, it's not going to happen unless I take it somewhere. But for a hitter those are terms that are pretty commonplace.

The thing about Joey is that he sprays the ball. He's not just a power hitter that pulls the ball.

I've never been a power hitter before, but I've been working out to increase my strength. I'm not that big to begin with, but I can feel it now when I drive the ball.

I used to think Brian Giles was the best hitter I ever saw when he was hot, but Randy Winn has topped that,

I wanted to get off to a good start this season because I didn't do that the last couple of years. I'm shorter in my swing and I think I'm a different hitter this year. We came out and beat some good teams and we really didn't hit that well as a team.

Sometimes these Davis Cup doubles are on a knife's edge, especially when it's a 1-1 scenario, it shows how pivotal they are, but this was a good effort, tough players those two guys. You've got Max ranked three in the world (in doubles) and the other guy's a hell of a hitter of the ball. These are not easy to win. That was a very good performance.

Ryan is a big, strong physically gifted hitter who has the potential to hit for a lot of power.

said Millar, who is .306 in last 75 games after hitting just .231 in his first 44, to bring his average to .276. ''I've been a .290 hitter in this league for the last eight years. At the end of the season, I'll be right around there.

No question it's big to have his bat in the lineup. He's working his way back and has been the designated hitter for a while, and he's about a week or so from getting back into the field.

No question. He came in when Ryan was struggling. I thought Ryan battled for not having less than great stuff. He (Taylor) picked it up. Then Mason getting their best hitter ... that was big for this team.

Now he needs 800 more at-bats to be the greatest hitter in history,

Any manager who can't get along with a .400 hitter is crazy.

April hasn't been very good. It's hard. I know I'm a better hitter than this. But when you go 0 for four, it's hard not to get frustrated. I expect more. I've got to get the ball back on the barrel of the bat.

A short hitter has got no chance unless he has a career week with his putter. Only a few guys can win here now ? we all know who they are.

Ashley is going to be a fantastic hitter. She has great plate discipline and a great knowledge of the strike zone. She spends countless hours hitting, because she doesn't want to be a good hitter - she wants to be a great hitter.

As a GM, to get a switch-hitter who's a leadoff hitter with a lot of dimensions -- power, speed, the ability to play the outfield the way he does -- is a godsend to the organization. The opportunity was great, the timing was wonderful and he's very deserving.

Babe Ruth is back! The greatest WBC hitter of all-time!

Bagwell doesn't have much left -- only $15 million US on next year's contract. I don't know whether Houston will use him here or go with Berkman. Everett's a very good hitter even though his physical tools have diminished. He's a switch hitter who is a good fit in the middle of their lineup. And he hasn't caused the club one bit of trouble.

Back at home, everybody always thought that David was going to be big time. When he was in Minnesota, a lot of people thought that he was going to be a productive hitter there. But he's moved on to a bigger market and he's done what he's done, and he deserves everything that he's getting.

That shows the kind of hitter he is.

That's like a hitter trying to get his first hit of the season. Trying to get that first something off of your back, it kind of alleviates the pressure and opens the door a little bit.

That's like a hitter trying to get his first hit. Anytime you get that first something off your back, it relieves the pressure. Jason has outstanding stuff. All he needs now is to learn how to control that fastball. But, he'll get it down (because) he works hard and has a great attitude.

You're trying to be ready for everything, and you're not ready for anything. We'd like for them to be ready for the one pitch, the fastball. That's where you start. We go from there. ... All timing comes off the fastball. You've got to be a fastball hitter first.

Zimmerman is a right-handed hitter and he may need a day off sometimes. Why not play a little third base? I'm a jack of all trades.

Zane had an exceptional year last year. He's just a natural hitter with a lot of natural ability.

You want a straight change-up that has the same spin as a fastball. You actually want the hitter to hit it but be off balance.

This is not power golf over here. You don't take on the golf course like you do on other major events. You tend to take away the advantage of a longer hitter here. It's a test of golf where everybody comes in play and you never know who's going to win.

This is pro golf now. Driving it long and straight is obviously a serious advantage. There are still ways to get around it and this golf course, if it plays dry and firm a regular hitter will still have a great chance this week.

They signed every left-handed hitter from Japan to Latin America - literally.

They tend to take away the advantage of a longer hitter here. You don't just stand on the tee and bomb your drives.

A lot of guys get upset in that situation, ... but he was able to shrug it off. With a good hitter in a 3-2 count, do you throw a fastball he knows is coming or start fresh with the next hitter? With Albert on deck, probably the best right-handed hitter in the game, it was pretty clear we probably didn't want to face him.

A lot of guys don't get their best stuff until they have a hitter up there, and they get the adrenaline going. Some guys don't like to air it out in the bullpen.

Almost every hitter swung at a ball in their at-bat, and that changes the whole at-bat when you swing at a ball. It changes it drastically. We were fighting ourselves a little bit too much -- not being quite relaxed. Maybe some of that's me, and some of it's just trying too hard. I'm not sure.

Although Kelsey has been our best hitter this year, Mary's right behind her and lately she's been outstanding. She had a nice hit earlier in the game, so it was difficult to decide to give her up. I let her swing early in the count and then when she got two strikes on her, there wasn't a whole lot of choice.

A lot of us were nervous knowing that it's a big game, a big situation and we haven't thrown, haven't faced a hitter in two weeks. If I have to rest until March or February, so be it. We live with it as long as we win.

They don't go through the grind others do defensively, diving after balls, chasing balls, if you make an error how it might affect you next at bat. If you're a DH you don't go through any of that. You just hit. So as good a hitter as he is, and he's one of the best in the game, no question, I can never vote for him. That's all.

They don't go through the grind other guys go through defensively, diving after balls, chasing balls. If you make an error, it might affect you but if you're a DH, you don't go through any of that. You just hit. As good a hitter as he is, and he's one of the best, no question, I could never vote for a guy who doesn't do play defense.

They'd use wood rather than aluminum bats, so you'd get a better idea of what to expect. The first thing a minor-league pro will do to a college hitter is to come inside. The pitchers tried, Troy made the adjustments.

You don't want to use too many statistics. The ones that apply to a July or August game won't be relevant on Saturday. If they are tied, or a game separated, who cares what happened back in May? Who cares if this hitter was 6-for-28 against this pitcher.

You don't want to see a guy go 3-2 on a hitter all the time. (Perez) attacked (yesterday) -- that's what I want to see.

There were times when I pitched that I would rather have seen a defensive player at a certain position behind me than an offensive player. It's tough as a pitcher to see players who should be out there and they're not because they aren't quite the hitter someone else is.

Absolutely. I've always wanted to be a .300 hitter with lots of doubles and drive in runs. The biggest thing is driving in runs and it doesn't matter how you're driving in runs as long as you are. I just take pride in that.

I told him that I'd prefer him not to do that, ... I know that I'm hitting third and a lot of people expect the third hitter to never bunt. I don't think like that.

It really was a very tight game. I thought Bradley played extremely well. It was nip and tuck right to the end. We came through at the very end, but my compliments to Bradley. They have a very solid team and they have a middle hitter who's a freshman, so they're only going to get better.

It's not easy to do. Three things have to go right: The pitcher has to make a bad pitch, the train has to be going by and the hitter has to have a good swing.

It's surprising to see how good a feel he has for his changeup. He has a great idea of what he wants to do. He can simulate facing a hitter very well.

It's almost like he's pitching like there's no hitter there. It's like, if I put it in my spot then I've got a pretty good chance of getting this guy out." ()

It's always embarrassing to come off the field, especially before throwing your first pitch, ... I was going to see what I could do with the first hitter and go from there. Basically, I played catch with (catcher Mike) Matheny the whole game. I was about 75 percent. One guy would pop it up, one guy would hit a ground ball. I just ran with it as long as I could. It was fun in a way.

It's power. Power is something that every human being likes to have in some form. You stand up there and you know you're throwing a fastball. The hitter knows you're throwing a fastball, and the fans know, and you still throw the ball by him? Well, it doesn't feel bad.

It's tough to take, because we had one little job to do and we didn't get it done. Probably what's most frustrating of all is that I didn't get the chance. It's like a hitter at the plate with two outs in the ninth and the runner gets thrown out trying to steal second. It takes the bat right out of your hands. That's what it felt like for me today.

Dave played right, middle and outside hitter last year, but mostly on the right side. Now he's getting a chance to be our top gun and has done well.

It's nice to get a hitter in there, just to have something in the box. I'm pleased with the way things are going. Today was another step. We got some hitters in there, and we're just progressing.

Everyone is a little different, but every good hitter has a good swing. There are some absolutes. That's what we're trying to teach.

The best clutch hitter I've ever seen. To me, he's the MVP. The guy's amazing.

It's important for a hitter to know that you can protect the inside of the plate. The reason the inside of the plate is so important is because slow pitches away become that much more effective when you can control it.

It's a never-ending process. As long as you're pitching, you're trying to learn something new. Anytime you can add a pitch, if it's a quality pitch, it's just another weapon that you have to work with. It's one more thing the hitter has to deal with.

It's definitely not just me carrying the team, ... As a middle-of-the-order hitter my job is to drive in runs and score runs.

It was a pitch that just took off across the plate. (Sanders) is a dead fastball hitter and we all know that, but if we locate it where we want to, we'll be all right. We just didn't get it where we wanted to.

It was more of getting a rhythm and getting strike one. Getting strike one on a hitter makes it easier. I was pounding the fastball in there, keeping it down on the inner half and the outer half.

It was a great call. It was a line drive right at the right fielder. He came up and made a great throw. You can't get thrown out right there, especially not with a hitter like Jake Smith coming up.

They caught a break and their best hitter came up, and that's that. This stings. It's hard. But the umps do a great job. Things happen so fast out there.

They caught a break and their best hitter came up, and that's that, ... This stings. It's hard. But the umps do a great job. Things happen so fast out there.

They came out ready to play. They hit the snot out of the ball sometimes you gotta tip your hat I played with Allen Craig; he's probably the best hitter I've ever played with. He's a great athlete.

The seventh inning, that's what we've been for the last nine years. Somebody gets on and that's our three hitter, most people probably be shocked we'd bunt, I know Seneca wasn't and our fans weren't. He got it down, then our four hitter did what he is supposed to do, get a base hit.

On-base percentage is No. 1. If you strike out a hundred times, but you also walk a hundred times, you're a pretty good hitter -- like Bobby Abreu. Yeah, he'll strike out. But his on-base percentage is always over .400, which is what you want.

It's natural, I don't care how long you're in the game, to press a little. He's not being as selective as he normally is; he's not seeing the ball too well right now. He's too good a hitter -- he'll come out of it. He's doing a nice job behind the plate.

Anytime you can see a hitter and face a hitter, you gain knowledge, and you gain that experience. Whether they hit a homerun off you, or you strike them out or whatever it is, it's information.

Anytime you can get your best hitter back in the game it's going to be good for you.

Any time you see a rookie who comes into the league, whether it's a hitter or a pitcher, and he does something, it's very rare, ... Any time you are successful like that, it's very special.

A pitcher should throw the ball over the plate. He shouldn't be throwing at the guy's head. You can pitch inside, but you don't throw at someone's head. There's no other way to say it. He hit him in the head. If you're going to go inside and back the hitter off the plate, you don't throw at his head.

A pitcher can be the leader among the pitchers and be there for anyone who wants to approach him. But he is not that one guy who will go to a hitter and get in his face. Sometimes you need a leader and arms of that leader on the pitching staff, bullpen and the reserves. A position player can cross the line and doesn't mind going over to talk to the pitchers. But pitchers are kind of hesitant to go over to the offensive side of it.

At this rate, he only needs another 800 at-bats to be the greatest hitter of all time.

The last thing you are ever thinking about against that guy is hitting a home run. As a left-handed hitter against him, you are trying to put the ball in play and make something happen.

I'm not sitting here suggesting that guys don't get hits on an 0-2 or a 1-2 pitch ... but ordinarily, on 0-2, you don't see balls get hammered. When you come up through a minor-league system, you know early on that when you get a hitter 0-2, a ball sitting right in the middle of the plate is not a very good location.

I'm not saying things would have necessarily been different if Sean was in the lineup but I think it would have helped to have a hitter who combined to strike out less 100 times over the last two seasons up in the situation. You need to make contact with a man on second and none out, and I think Sean would have given us a great chance of doing that.

I'm going to start him, too. I'm going to try to get him at-bats. You can't be a good hitter off the bench unless you get at-bats and get a good feel for it. You can't just sit there and get one at-bat a week or every three days.

I'm going to be stubborn and stay on the ball. I was more of a pull hitter (last year). It's not the way I had approached things in the first 10 years, so I don't know why in my 11th and 12th years I started changing. ... Not this spring.

I'm not going to concede too many runs in this series, ... It depends on who the hitter is, what stage of the game we're at. I've seen a lot of games lost where you're in the first or second inning and you say, 'Eh, let them have that run. We're going to score a bunch.' And you end up losing, 1-0.

I'm excited to play them. They have a big opposite hitter and when I came on my recruiting trip last year, BYU played UCSB in the MPSF playoffs. This weekend should be another good fight.

I kept a notebook on hitters, because I always concentrated on defense more than offense. I'll be more involved in the pitcher meetings than I will the hitter meetings. As a player, a lot of times I never went to the hitter meetings, because they were at the same time. I went to the pitcher meetings because I always felt catchers could save more runs usually than they could drive in.

Inge made the guy tired. When you use all your pitches to get a hitter out, and he ends up walking, you get in his head. That's the kind of game we need to win.

I know where my game is. I know I'm a power hitter and an RBI guy. I need to get on base for my teammates behind me and just stick with my game. I don't try to do too much. Sometimes when you try to do too much in this game you pretty much can't do anything. And that's pretty much my mentality.

I know that I'm hitting third, and a lot of people expect the third hitter to never bunt. I don't think like that.

I like that you have to shape shots. For instance, on the par-5 second, you absolutely have to hit a draw if you hit driver. A long hitter hitting it off line is not going to do very well at the Players Championship.

I'm interested to see if he's a pitcher only or a hitter only with the scouts.

I'm very happy to declare publicly what almost all of us in New England already know: David Ortiz is the greatest clutch hitter to ever wear the uniform of the Boston Red Sox. I say 'almost' because beginning today' the debate will begin.

I'm very happy. My putting worked well. That good start really gave me the push. If you shoot 65 anytime, it's always good and it'll give me confidence. You need to strike the ball well here. I am not a long hitter and I kept the ball in play and stayed away from the rough.