'Batting Mechanics'                  

By Jose Reyes 6/24/03

              There is nothing more fascinating and more difficult, in the game of Baseball,  than hitting a baseball with a bat. This ability or may I say "Art" is considered by baseball experts and physics professors as the hardest task in any sport to achieve. These experts came to this conclusion because of the batting averages accumulated by the best hitters in baseball history. There are several extremely difficult obstacles a batter must confront to make contact with the ball. The 93 to 100 MPH speedballs and  the 80 to 86 MPH hooks hurled by the opposing pitcher along with  the placement of the ball, by the hitter, after it is hit, are what everyone must comprehend to understand the reasoning behind the experts. Place 9 exceptional defensive players to field the grounders and catch the fly balls that are being hit by the batter and anyone will realize the experts are "100%" correct.  If a baseball player can hit the ball 3 out of 10 times he steps up to plate for his career and do it at least 2,800 times, then he is officially considered a great "Hitter".

           In order to achieve a lifetime .300 batting average the baseball player must have a combination of extraordinary physical abilities.  First of all he must have a perfect 20/20 eye site, second he needs to have great hand and eye coordination, third is incredible quickness and lastly he must have great weight distribution. Leverage is very important also, because without it, the hitter would not be able to hit the ball straight enough or hard enough, to keep it fare and respectively hit it out of the yard.  The bat swing must be as level as possible in order to hit the ball affectively. 

               The "Batting Stance" is the way a hitter stands, to bat, in the batter's box, so he can effectively hit the ball accurate and with power.  The official definition of the batting stance is "The position of a batter's feet relative to the plate". My interpretation of the batting stance is, of course the feet positioning, but I'm adding a few components to make it complete. The movements with the bat and the body movements they make, just before the pitcher releases the ball from his hand are also part of the batting stance. Notice how we copy our favorite baseball player's batting stance, we also move the bat and mimic their body language in the process.

               Every player has their own batting stance, some might be similar but none are exactly the same. It is all about being comfortable in the batter's box. By comfortable, I mean, being in the right position to hit the ball as it crosses the plate. Once the ball is near the plate and the batter swings, they all swing in the same level fashion because after all, if they don't swing level, then they will misdirect or simply miss the ball.

               Fans attending a game that have bad seats, can only identify the batter by his "Batting Stance". I think its pretty comical how some of these players stand and act at the batter's box, but I guess this is the only way they can control their anxiousness and power before they swing at the ball. Some players are so anxious that they place the bat way over the heads like the great Carl Yastrzemski did or even pump their arm 3 times like Joe Morgan did. He looked like he was trying to fly. Some players are more low-keyed and less anxious, that they don't even move their body or their bat much until the time the ball reaches the batter's box, for example Paul Molitor. Some batters move their bat continuously, to kind of distract the pitcher before they pitch the ball, example,  Willie Stargell or the great Tony Perez. Check out Jeff Bagwell, he looks like he's taking a dump when he stands and Tim Salmon is not far behind in that category. Look at David Eckstein, the man doesn't stop moving his body, what a nervous wreck, but also, what a talented hitter. Alfonso Soriano lifts his left leg, Derek Jeter shakes his ass and Craig Counsell looks like a male ballerina. The batting stance is my favorite visual feature in baseball and I believe, the most unique aspect of the game. Here are some batting terms to remember when watching a game on TV, that announcers use in their description of the hitter in the batter's box.              

                               Batting Terms

Grip: The manner of holding a baseball bat (Types of grips)    

Choke grip: A way of holding a baseball bat in which the hands are positioned up the handle.

Choke up grip: To grip a bat higher up from the knob of the bat more than is usual.

The Coil: of the batter: To have the bat in position to hit a pitch.

Cock The Bat: How the batter raises the bat to prepare the bat.

Bat Speed: The velocity of the bat during a swing.

Follow-Through: The action of a batter completing a hitting motion with the bat.

Backswing: The movement of the baseball bat back behind a player in preparation for a swing.

Level Swing: A batting stance in which the feet point toward the pitcher.

Uppercut Swing: To swing so the bat moves upward as it passes through the hitting area.

Fluid Swing: A swing in which the bat appears to move smoothly and that creates little muscle tension. Synonyms: Loose Swing, Fluid Swing, Sweet Swing, Smooth Swing.

Stride of a batter: To take a small step with the forward foot while swinging.

Hitting Zone: The area of the strike zone where a particular batter can best hit the ball.

Power Zone: The part of a batter's swing where the most power is generated.

Plate Coverage: The degree to which a batter is able to reach a pitch thrown in the strike zone.

Crowd the Plate: To stand very close to the plate or lean into the strike zone.

Hole in his swing: A type of pitch or placement of a pitch that a batter has trouble hitting.

Switch-hitting: Having the ability to bat from either side of the plate.

Batting Stance: The position of the batter's feet relative to home plate.

Closed Stance: A batting stance in which the feet point away from the pitcher.

Even Stance: A batting stance in which the feet are positioned perpendicular to the line between the pitcher and catcher.
Synonyms: Even stance, Square stance, Straightaway Stance, Parallel Stance.

Flat-footed Stance: Taking a stance with both heels on the ground.

Open Stance: A batting stance in which the feet point toward the pitcher.

Closed Shoulder: A swing with the upper body turned away from the pitcher.

Foot in the Bucket: The act of a batter moving the front foot away from the plate as a pitch approaches, usually because the batter is expecting a different pitch or is afraid of being hit.

Golf Swing: To swing at a low pitch with an upward motion that causes the ball to go high into the air.

A Hitch in the swing: A pause in the motion of a batter's swing.

Lunge: An off-balance swing at a pitch.
Open Up: To turn the front shoulder too soon during a swing, thereby losing bat speed.

Overstride: To swing in a way that causes a loss of balance, usually as a result of incorrectly timing a pitch.

Overswing: To swing very hard and become off-balance, usually also failing to hit the ball.

Pull off the Ball: To turn the front of the body towards the pitcher during a swing and thereby reduce power.

Step in the Bucket: To move the front foot away from home plate as a pitch is approaching, usually because the batter is fooled or afraid of the pitch.  

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