Why don't batters swing at a 3-0 pitch?

Question

it seems that most 3-0 pitches are fastballs right down the middle, in order to get a strike. why do batters just take it? or rather, why do managers instruct them to take it?

Answer 1

Why swing, if they throw a ball your're at first base.  If they throw a strike then they will have to throw another strike the next pitch, hit that one.

Answer 2

If the pitcher hasnt thrown a strike in the first 3 pitches, what are the odds that they will the fourth. They can be easily tricked into swinging at a ball and sometimes pitchers are working around a batter without intentionally walking them but the same concept. Also you dont want to take a chance that its not a good pitch and you kill a potential rally inning, hit into double play or whiff. 3-1 count is a hitters count so they are waiting for the hitters pitch then.

Answer 3

Well if you swing at a 3-0 pitch weather it is down the middle or not than you take the chance of popping it up and than if you dont swing you still have two more pitches at max. getting walked is just as good as getting a hit and way better than getting out.

Answer 4

better off taking the pitch. A walk is as good as a base hit. You play the odds of the game and dont swing.  

Answer 5

Because they usually get a walk I guess.

Answer 6

Usually, you have a better percentage of getting on base if you dont swing at a 3-0. but if it is a fastball, and it is a strike some batters do take it. a 3-1 count is called a batters count. which means, you are more likely to get a hit off of a 3-1 count. managers instruct them to take it because usually the fastballs down the middle could mean a base hit. or even more. hope this helped!

Answer 7

Actually, if you are a good hitter (3, 4, or 5) hitter sometimes you'll see the manager give a green light or let the batter swing at 3-0. Other batters don't because after 3 straight balls even though most of the time the pitch is right down the middle, you want to make that pitcher throw the strike. If he doesn't then you get a walk which is good. But even if he does throw a strike the count is 3-1 and still a good hitter's count. Therefore most managers will "concede" a strike 3-0 in order to try and get the walk, and then let the batter swing away 3-1 which is again still a good hitter's count.  

Answer 8

Because even the best of hitters only get a hit 40% of the time. A walk gets you on-base 100% of the time. Most batters I know, who select one pitch and in one location and if they got exactly (fastball, belt-high inside corner) that they'd swing at it, anything else, they'd just let go.

Answer 9

The batter takes the pitch because chances are if the pitcher throws 3 stright balls, he wont throw a good one on the 4th.

  

Answer 10

For all the batter knows, the 3-0 pitch could be ball 4 or strike 1. They don't want to swing at an obvious ball 4 and make it strike 1.