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Baseball Glossary
Learn the language of Baseball — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
273 terms
- Throwing MechanicsBeginnerThrowing mechanics are the sequence of arm and body movements that deliver the ball accurately and with arm-safe velocity. They apply at every position.
- Thrown Bat RulesBeginnerNo, throwing the bat is not automatically an out under MLB rules. It becomes an out when the thrown bat interferes with a fielder trying to make a play, whether it was on purpose or not. A batter is also out if his thrown bat hits the catcher while he is catching a third strike, or a pitch with runners on base.
- Time to ContactAdvancedTime to contact is the split-second a swing takes from trigger to ball. It sets how late a hitter can afford to start swinging against a given velocity.
- Timing a Pitcher From the DugoutIntermediateTime a pitcher from the dugout by matching your load to his delivery. Watch when his hands break or his leg lifts, and start your load in rhythm as if you were batting. Also note his pitch types, his speed and anything he does differently on off-speed pitches, such as a slower arm or a visible grip.
- Toe Tap Timing TriggerBeginnerA toe tap is a small lift and set of the front foot, used as a timing trigger instead of a stride. It gives a repeatable rhythm cue with a smaller moving part.
- Too Passive at the PlateBeginnerA passive hitter takes too many hittable strikes and often watches strike three. Common causes are fear of striking out, no clear plan, late timing and waiting for a perfect pitch. Many coaches fix it with a simple plan, such as swinging at the first good fastball, and by praising aggressive swings more than results.
- Tools Grade Scale (20-80)AdvancedThe 20-80 scale is how scouts grade each of a player's tools. A 50 is Major League average, 80 is elite, and 20 is well below usable at the top level.
- Topspin Contact (Batting)IntermediateTopspin contact is when the barrel hits the ball above its center. That forward spin drives it down fast and is behind most weak rollover grounders.
- Tracking the Ball (Seeing It Better)BeginnerTracking the ball means picking it up early from the pitcher's hand and keeping a still head so the eyes can read it. Eye studies show batters cannot follow the ball smoothly all the way to the bat. Good hitters read it early and predict where it will cross. A quiet head, a soft focus on the release area and both eyes on the pitcher help most.
- Training to Hit VelocityAdvancedTo train for 90-mph pitching, shorten your reaction time in practice. Move a pitching machine or front-toss screen closer so a slower pitch arrives as fast as game speed. Track high-velocity pitches without swinging, too. Pair that with a short, quick swing and an earlier load, since you have less time to decide.
- Travel BallBeginnerTravel ball is club youth baseball played outside local rec and school leagues. It usually means multi-city tournaments and higher-level, more selective play.
- Tunnel PointAdvancedThe tunnel point is the spot in a pitch's flight where two pitch types still share nearly the same path. It is roughly where the batter must decide to swing.
- Turn the Barrel (Hitting Cue)Intermediate"Turn the barrel" is a hitting cue for getting the bat head to rotate around your hands early in the swing. Instead of pushing the hands straight at the ball, you let the barrel turn behind you and into the path of the pitch. Done well, it gets the bat on plane sooner and adds whip at contact.
- Turn TwoBeginner"Turn two" is slang for completing a double play, two outs on one batted ball. Most often, a grounder is fed to a middle infielder who pivots and relays to first.
- Two-Seam Fastball / SinkerIntermediateThe two-seam fastball is gripped along two seams and usually moves arm-side and downward, inducing ground balls rather than strikeouts.
- Two-Strike ApproachIntermediateA two-strike approach is how a hitter adjusts with two strikes. They shorten the swing, cover more of the strike zone, and put contact ahead of power.
- Two-Strike Choke UpBeginnerChoking up with two strikes means sliding the hands up the handle from the knob. The shorter lever gives quicker, more controlled swings but costs some power.
- Two-Way PlayerBeginnerA two-way player both pitches and plays a position (or hits regularly) at a competitive level instead of specializing in one role.
- Uppercut SwingIntermediateAn uppercut swing is a bat path that rises too steeply, past the pitch's downward plane. It shrinks the contact window and produces pop-ups, not line drives.
- USA Baseball Bat (USABat)BeginnerA USA Baseball bat (USABat) carries the USA Baseball certification mark and is tested to a wood-like performance standard. Little League requires it for non-wood bats in its Minor League and Majors divisions. Other youth leagues such as Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken, PONY and AABC use it too. The standard has no drop-weight limit.
- USSSA Bat (1.15 BPF)BeginnerA USSSA bat carries USSSA's 1.15 BPF certification mark on the taper. It is made for USSSA travel-ball baseball and is tested to a different standard from USA Baseball and BBCOR bats. USSSA bats are banned in Little League, and a USSSA-only bat is not legal in high school play.
- Vertical Bat AngleAdvancedVertical bat angle is the tilt of the bat compared with level at contact. Zero means the barrel and knob are level, and a negative number means the barrel is below the hands. Almost every hitter reads negative. The number gets more negative on low pitches and less negative on high ones.
- Video Breakdown SessionIntermediateA video breakdown session is a focused review of swing, pitching, or fielding video. It turns specific mechanical patterns into concrete practice priorities.
- Walk RateIntermediateWalk rate (BB%) is the percentage of a hitter's plate appearances that end in a walk. An indicator of plate discipline, pitch recognition, and the ability to take advantage of a pitcher's wildness.
- Weighted Bat Warm-UpIntermediateSwinging a donut-weighted or heavy bat on deck makes your game bat feel lighter, but studies have not found that it makes your swing faster. In lab tests, a heavy warm-up left the next swings with a normal bat no faster, and sometimes slower, even though players felt quicker. A few hard swings with your game bat, or a lighter bat, prepare you at least as well.
- Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA)AdvancedWeighted On-Base Average (wOBA) gives each hitting outcome a run value. It combines walks and hits into one rate that is scaled like on-base percentage.
- Whiff on Spin vs VelocityProWhiff on spin vs velocity splits a hitter's swing-and-miss rate by pitch type. It shows whether breaking and off-speed pitches or hard fastballs cause the misses.
- Whiff RateIntermediateWhiff rate is the percentage of swings that result in no contact at all — distinct from chase rate. This measures the decision to swing, whiff rate measures what happens once the swing is already committed.
- Windup vs. StretchBeginnerThe windup and the stretch are the two legal pitching positions. The windup is mainly for empty bases and power; the shorter, quicker stretch helps hold runners.
- Wood Bats (Maple, Ash, Birch)IntermediateMost wood bats are maple, ash or birch. Maple is dense and hard, ash is lighter and more flexible with a visible grain, and birch is often described as a middle ground. MLB Rule 3.02(a) requires one piece of solid wood, no more than 2.61 inches thick and 42 inches long. Pick by feel, weight and the quality of the grain, not just the species.
- Wrapping the BatIntermediateWrapping the bat is a load fault where the barrel rotates too far behind the head or back. That adds distance and time before the swing can even begin.
- Zone Contact RateAdvancedZone contact rate is the share of swings at in-zone pitches that make contact. It is a core measure of bat-to-ball skill on pitches a hitter should handle.
- Zone HittingIntermediateZone hitting means swinging only at pitches in the hitter's most dangerous part of the strike zone. It avoids the edges where the swing makes weak contact.
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