With two strikes or any situation where it's important to just put the ball in play
, there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving in a little and just trying to make contact. There is nothing wrong with conceding a little to the pitcher and facing the fact that if the count is 1-2, you have a little bit of a problem on your hands.
Don't be afraid to choke up an inch or so and just try to make contact with the baseball and put it in play. Don't try to "do too much."
I know an outstanding high school baseball coach who has two things he makes his players promise to do every time they come up to the plate.
One is that they completely relax and visualize before every pitch they will hit the baseball hard. The other thing is that everybody chokes up 2 inches on the bat when they have 2 strikes on them. No matter where they are hitting in the batting order, if they don't choke up with two strikes they are removed from the game immediately! The coach understands very well that with two strikes on his hitter, it is a contact situation.
Note that I didn't say good or very good coach, I said outstanding baseball coach.
Hitters should not only focus on contact when they have two strikes on them.
There are many other situations where the sole purpose of the at bat should be putting the ball in play!
It is extremely frustrating if your team has the tying run on third base late in a game with one out and you cannot get that runner home. Especially if your team may have a hitter at bat who is not an exceptionally strong hitter.
He doesn't concede anything and takes this big, long, looping swing and he strikes out. Your base runner ends up stranded at third base.
Why on earth some baseball hitters don't realize that a weak ten hopper to the second baseman is all that's called for in certain situations. This is a total mystery to me.
You can be somewhat of a hero just by hitting a weak ground ball and getting an important runner home from third base.
As a hitter, the name of the game is being productive at the plate.
If a weak ten hopper to the second baseman gives your team a better chance to win, then making contact with the baseball should be your only approach during that at bat.