Contact pitcher

In baseball, a “contact pitcher” usually describes a pitcher who focuses on getting batters to make contact with the ball instead of relying on strikeouts as their primary strategy. Pitchers in contact with their teammates often prioritize hitting specific spots in the strike zone. They use a combination of movement and varying speeds to keep hitters guessing and produce ground or weakly hit balls that are easier for their teammates to field.

These pitchers may not have blazing fastballs or devastating breaking balls, but they have a remarkable knack for placing their pitches precisely and causing batters to make feeble contact. As a result, they depend on their defense to make impressive plays behind them. Pitchers who want to go the distance in games focus on being efficient, carefully managing their pitch counts and avoiding walks and extra-base hits.