Situational Hitting: Move Runners vs Drive Runs
The difference between good teams and great teams is not talent. It is situational awareness. Here is how to adjust your approach based on the game situation and become the hitter your team needs.
Coach Gerald Bautista
Professional Baseball Veteran | Hitting & Fielding Coach
Gerald Bautista spent nine years in professional baseball — including time in the Cleveland Guardians organization and independent leagues — competing at levels most players never reach. That career gave him a firsthand education in what separates athletes who advance from those who plateau: efficient mechanics, a confident plate approach, and the mental edge that holds up under pressure. He now brings that knowledge to the coaching box, working with catchers, infielders, outfielders, and hitters to build the complete player — one who is ready for the next level before they get there.
Credentials & Experience:
- ✓9 years of professional baseball, including Cleveland Guardians organization
- ✓Independent league experience at the highest non-MLB level
- ✓Specializes in swing mechanics, fielding fundamentals, and plate approach
- ✓Works with athletes from youth travel ball through college-bound players
Every at-bat happens inside a context. Runner on second, nobody out. Tie game, bottom of the seventh. Runner on third, one out. Each of these situations demands a different approach from the hitter. The player who swings the same way in every situation is not maximizing their value to the team.
Situational hitting is not about sacrifice. It is about optimization. Sometimes the best thing for the team is to drive the ball into the gap and score two. Sometimes it is to hit a ground ball to the right side and move a runner to third. The smart hitter reads the situation and adjusts their approach to produce the most valuable outcome.
This is a skill that separates the player who compiles personal stats from the player who wins games. Both have value. But the situational hitter is the one who comes through when it matters most because they understand what "coming through" actually means in each moment.
The Situational Hitting Matrix
Before every at-bat, you need to assess three things: where are the runners, how many outs, and what does the team need right now. The combination of these three factors determines your approach.
Nobody on base
This is the simplest situation. Your job is to get on base. No runners to advance, no runs to drive in. Be aggressive in your zone, look for a pitch you can drive, and get the rally started. This is where you can hunt pitches and be selective.
With nobody on and nobody out, you have the luxury of working counts and waiting for your pitch. With nobody on and two outs, the urgency increases because you need baserunners. Adjust your aggressiveness based on the out count.
Runner on first, nobody out
Hit the ball hard somewhere. A line drive advances the runner regardless of direction. If you get a pitch on the outer half, go the other way and move the runner to third. If you get an inside pitch, pull it with authority. Do not try to be too fine. Hard contact is the priority.
Avoid the strikeout here. Three pitches into the at-bat, you should be swinging at anything in the zone. A ground ball to the right side advances the runner even if you are out. A strikeout accomplishes nothing.
Runner on second, nobody out
This is the classic "move the runner" situation. Your primary goal is to advance the runner to third with less than two outs. A ground ball to the right side does it. A fly ball to the outfield does it. A line drive to the gap does it and scores the run.
The mechanical adjustment: look for a pitch on the outer half and drive it to the right side. Do not pull the ball to the left side where the runner cannot advance. Stay through the ball with an inside-out approach and put it in play on the ground to the right or in the air deep enough to score the runner.
Runner on third, less than two outs
Score the runner. That is the only goal. A sacrifice fly works. A ground ball works if it is hit hard enough to prevent a double play at home. Even a productive strikeout does not accomplish the goal here.
The approach: look for a pitch up in the zone that you can lift into the outfield. You need the ball in the air or on the ground to a position where the runner can score. A fly ball to medium depth in any direction scores the run. Stay on top of the ball slightly to produce a fly ball or line drive rather than a ground ball.
Two outs, runners in scoring position
Forget about moving runners. With two outs, the runner is going on contact regardless. Your job is simple: get a hit. Drive the ball hard and find a gap. This is where you can be aggressive and hunt a pitch to drive because the only productive outcome is a hit.
Look for the pitch you handle best and attack it. Do not try to go the other way if you are a pull hitter. Do not try to pull if you are a gap-to-gap hitter. With two outs, play to your strengths and let the hit fall where your natural swing takes it.
The Art of the Productive Out
A productive out is an out that advances a runner or scores a run. It does not show up in the box score as anything positive for the hitter, but it changes the game. Teams that make productive outs consistently score significantly more runs than teams that do not.
The productive out requires specific mechanical intentions. You are not just "putting the ball in play." You are directing the ball to a specific area of the field based on what the situation demands. This is the mechanical component of situational hitting.
Ground ball to the right side
This advances a runner from second to third. The mechanical key: look for a pitch on the outer half and stay through it with an inside-out path. Let the ball travel deep, make contact with the hands ahead of the barrel, and drive the ball toward the second baseman or the hole between first and second. This is not a defensive swing. It is a targeted, aggressive swing directed to the right side.
Fly ball to the outfield
This scores a runner from third. The mechanical key: look for a pitch in the upper half of the zone and put a slight uppercut on it. You want the ball in the air, not on the ground. A medium-depth fly ball to any field scores the runner. Do not try to hit a home run. Just get the ball airborne with enough distance that the runner can tag and score.
Hard contact anywhere
With two outs, any hard-hit ball has a chance to fall in. The mechanical key: swing at strikes in your power zone and do not try to guide the ball. Hit it hard and let the defense deal with it. Bat speed and barrel accuracy matter more than direction here.
Teaching Situational Awareness in Practice
Situational hitting cannot be taught in a lecture. It has to be practiced in game-like scenarios until the adjustments become automatic. Here are the drills that build situational awareness.
1. Scenario batting practice
Before each round of BP, give the hitter a situation. "Runner on second, nobody out. Get him to third." "Runner on third, one out. Get him in." The hitter must adjust their approach based on the situation. If they pull a ball to left field when they needed to go to the right side, the rep does not count.
Focus: Connecting the situation to the mechanical approach
2. Intrasquad situational innings
During intrasquad scrimmages, create specific situations. Put runners on base and give the offense a goal. "You need two runs this inning to tie. Go." The defense gets a goal too. "You need to get out of this inning without giving up a run." Both sides are practicing situational play.
Focus: Game-speed situational decision making under pressure
3. Right-side challenge
Dedicate one full BP round to hitting everything to the right side. Every pitch, regardless of location, goes to the right side. This builds the inside-out skill that is the foundation of "moving the runner" hitting. Players who can reliably hit to the right side on demand have a tool that most hitters at their level do not.
Focus: Building directional control for productive outs
The Mental Side of Situational Hitting
The hardest part of situational hitting is not mechanical. It is mental. It requires a hitter to suppress their ego and do what the team needs instead of what they want to do.
Every hitter wants to be the hero. Every hitter wants the three-run double. But sometimes the team needs a sacrifice fly that goes in the book as an out. Sometimes the team needs a ground ball to the right side that shows up as a 4-3 in the scorecard. The hitter who can execute these plays without feeling like they failed is the hitter who wins championships.
Coaches play a critical role here. If you only celebrate hits and home runs, your players will only care about hits and home runs. If you celebrate the sacrifice fly that scored the go-ahead run, the ground ball that moved the runner to third, the walk that loaded the bases, your players will understand that those outcomes have value.
Redefine success in the at-bat. Success is not "I got a hit." Success is "I executed what the situation required." Sometimes that is a hit. Sometimes it is a productive out. Sometimes it is a walk. The situational hitter measures their performance by contribution, not by batting average.
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Download Free TodayFrequently asked questions
Situational hitting means adjusting your approach based on the game situation: the number of outs, where runners are, the score, and the inning. Instead of swinging the same way every time, you modify your plan to produce the most valuable outcome for the team.\n\nFor example, with a runner on second and nobody out, a situational hitter focuses on driving the ball to the right side to advance the runner to third, rather than pulling the ball for a potential home run.
The most effective way is scenario-based batting practice. Before each round, assign a game situation and require the hitter to execute accordingly. Track execution rate: did the hitter do what the situation demanded?\n\nAlso valuable: intrasquad scrimmages with manufactured situations. Start innings with runners on base and let the offense practice scoring runs while the defense practices getting out of jams.
You should not think of it as sacrificing your swing. Situational hitting is adding tools to your swing, not subtracting from it. The ability to hit to the right side or lift a ball to the outfield on command makes you a more complete hitter.\n\nThat said, the team-first adjustment typically applies with runners on base and less than two outs. With two outs, revert to your best swing because the only productive outcome is a hit.
In the short term, it might. Going the other way intentionally or trying to hit fly balls can feel unnatural and produce weaker results initially. In the long term, it makes you a better hitter because you develop the ability to control where the ball goes.\n\nHitters who can drive the ball to all fields are statistically more productive than pull-only hitters because pitchers cannot exploit a single weakness.
Basic situational awareness can start at 10-11. Concepts like 'hit the ball hard somewhere' and 'do not strike out with a runner on third' are simple enough for young players. More advanced situational adjustments like directional hitting and productive outs are appropriate for 13-14 and up.\n\nThe mechanical foundation of directional hitting (inside-out swing, going the other way) should be developed alongside situational awareness so that when the game demands it, the player can execute.
