The Benefits of the Batting Cage

The offseason for baseball and softball can feel like a long time. It can be more than enough time for a hitter to lose their groove and, in turn, their confidence. However, this is no reason to feel down. Offseason rust is a perfectly normal thing.

By taking a trip to the batting cage to work out the kinks in a swing, a hitter can return to mid-season form and stay there until the season begins. It’s often the players who worked the hardest, not those with the most talent, who end up as the most successful athletes.

Coaches have the responsibility of teaching young athletes about the value of good practice. Whether it’s through long toss, sprinting or swings in the batting cage, coaches can use practices, clinics and sports team websites to educate players during the offseason.

New Reds outfielder already working on his swing

Marlon Byrd is an MLB veteran well into his 30s. He’s faced hundreds of different pitchers and seen just about every kind of fastball, curveball and slider the game has to offer. However, in his older years, Byrd has faced some struggles. According to the Chillicothe Gazette, he recorded an impressive 25 home runs and 85 RBIs in the 2014 season. He also struck out 185 times. As a result, Byrd is already back in the batting cage.

“I wasn’t really happy with this season, even though I put up good numbers as far as power and production,” Byrd told the news source. “My battering average slipped down, my strikeouts went up, my walks went down. I need to get some work in.”

A-Rod begins recovery in the batting cage

Alex Rodriguez is one of the most polarizing players in baseball. His triumphs can’t be denied. In his early days with the Seattle Mariners, he was a swift shortstop who could steal a base just as easily as he could smack a double off the wall. In his later years with the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees, he became one of the most feared sluggers in the game. He eventually won a World Series ring.

However, after years of allegedly using performance enhancing drugs, his game has gradually waned. Nonetheless, he’s making a comeback effort this offseason. The New York Daily News reported that Rodriguez is already taking swings in a batting cage in Miami.

“Everything he’s doing in Miami, he’s trying to do it at game speed,” a source told the New York Daily News. “His bat is getting through the zone quickly.”