Reggie’s A Big Hit At Baseball Practice

With the next day’s game against defending Western League champion Venice foremost on their minds, Palisades High baseball players showed up at practice Monday eager to get back in the swing of things after a week off for spring break. There to help the Dolphins do just that was former Los Angeles Dodger Reggie Smith, who told his attentive audience what it takes to be a good hitter. ‘According to [Boston Red Sox hall of famer] Ted Williams, being a good hitter requires three things,’ said Smith, who is now President of his own instructional center in Encino. ‘First is proper thinking. You have to go up to the plate with a plan as to what you want to do. Second, you have to be patient and get a good ball to hit. And third, you have to be quick when you get the pitch you want.’ Smith, a switch hitter whose 17-year major league career included stints with Boston, St. Louis, Los Angeles and San Francisco, played on the Dodgers’ World Series championship team in 1981 and served as the team’s hitting coach for two years upon his retirement in 1982. With a career batting average of .287, Smith had 2,020 hits and scored 1,123 runs. After addressing the Dolphins, Smith worked individually with PaliHi players in the batting cage, critiquing each player on his batting stance and swing. ‘We’re thrilled to have Reggie here helping us before a big game like this,’ Pali co-coach Tom Seyler said. ‘Hopefully, some of the kids can apply what Reggie has taught them here today against Venice.’ Asked what the hardest pitch to hit was, Smith answered any pitch that is changing planes. He had the team repeat a visualization drill in which he would hold up his hand like he was going to throw, then see if the players knew what pitch to anticipate. This eye-switch technique is aimed at getting hitters to recognize a pitcher’s release point. ‘As a batter, you’re constantly fighting for more time,’ Smith said. ‘You’re looking for any little edge you can find to give you more time to see the ball and swing. If you see the pitcher’s hand below the ball, you can anticipate a curve. If his hand is behind the ball when he releases it, expect the fastball.’ Short stop Dylan Cohen asked Smith about positioning in the batter’s box and how far apart his feet should be. When Smith suggested Cohen crowd the plate, the way he instructed his major leaguers to crowd Atlanta Braves ace Tom Glavine, Seyler expounded on Smith’s wisdom: ‘Remember what Reggie just said. Stand closer to the plate against these guys [Venice pitchers]. Make them throw it over the plate to get a strike.’