Ball players say a team has to play “percentage baseball” to be successful. They’re right. But, what is “percentage baseball?”

A Manager, first of all, is something like a checker player. As he directs the team on offense, he very often has a choice of moves. In a given situation, he knows from experience that move A has a better chance of succeeding than move B. If he makes move A, he’s playing the “percentages.” If he makes a different move, he’s playing “against the percentages.”

A number of factors affect the percentages, including:

The position of the runners

The ball and strike count

The inning

The score

The strength of the Pitcher

The strength (or weakness) of the Batter

Examine, if you will, each of these factors. Baseball Training - Read More.