bad-ball hitter

bad-ball hitter

In baseball, a batter who tries to hit pitches that are out of the strike zone. A: "What on earth is he swinging at?" B: "He's a bad-ball hitter, it's just how he plays. He'll hit one eventually."
See also: hitter
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • hitter
  • curve ball
  • curveball
  • strike
  • three-strike(s) rule
  • base on balls
  • pinch hitter
  • dust off the batter
  • gopher ball
  • a ground ball with eyes
References in periodicals archive
Aaron used to have a reputation as a bad-ball hitter, but he isn't easy to fool anymore.
AARON: 1956 BATTING CHAMP?
The outfielder batted .318 with 449 homers and 1,496 RBI and was a notorious bad-ball hitter. He said he developed that talent as a kid in the Dominican Republic, playing a game similar to cricket in which hitters swung broomsticks while pitchers tried to bounce balls past them and knock over folded license plates.
Guerrero, Hoffman, Jones make it a quartet Hall: Quartet of baseball's greats get the call
Hey, Yogi Berra was a notorious bad-ball hitter, too.
Big time in the little league: for managers, coaches, players, and parents alike, nothing quite can compare to a season on the youth circuit
"I've always been a bad-ball hitter. I don't take a lot of walks, so I was more of a contact hitter.
Florida's Miguel Cabrera: patience at the plate has helped him develop into an all-around hitter
"He said Yogi (a notorious bad-ball hitter) would swing and foul it off.
Catching up with former pitcher Ken McBride
Along with such players as Ichiro Suzuki, Alfonso Soriano, Nomar Garciaparra and Julio Franco, Guerrero is the standard bearer for a disappearing breed in the major leagues: the bad-ball hitter. Their greatness runs counter to a growing trend that emphasizes strike-zone discipline, patience and a high on-base percentage.
Free swingers: hitters such as Vladimir Guerrero and Nomar Garciaparra concentrate on putting ball into play