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Baseball Glossary
Learn the language of Baseball — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
132 terms
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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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