Hitting: Power and Grace

Twins catcher, Joe Mauer

Think of some swings that are/were just beautiful to watch.  For me, I think of Ken Griffey Jr., Adrian Gonzalez, Ted Williams, Albert Pujols, and Joe Mauer.   I also think of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in golf.  What makes them beautiful is that all their swings have the combination of power and grace.  Power relates to the aggressiveness of the swing.  The bat speed generated.  The violent contact on the barrel with the ball.  Grace involves the rhythm and the timing of the swing.  The fluidness and smoothness of one step to the next from the stride to the follow through.  When you see a hitter who has the correct combination of both, the entire process looks effortless.  That is, until you see how hard and/or how far the ball is hit.

The great, free swinging Roberto Clemente

If I had to pick which aspect I’d rather have a kid be higher in it would clearly be power.  Having a very aggressive swing overall, in my opinion, will work in the hitters favor in the long run.  As any coach will tell you, it is always easier to calm a player down then it is to light a fire under him.  Latin players are great examples of this.  There is a popular saying among players from the Latin areas (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, etc.) which is “You can’t walk off the island.”  Translation:  If you want to get noticed by scouts so you can leave the island to go play baseball in America, you’d better show them you can hit.  In other words, you have to “hit” your way off the island.  This is why many young Latin players are free swingers who often lack discipline early in their careers – Rafael Soriano, Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Samuel, and Roberto Clemente are some that come to mind.  They have been programed from day one to error on the side of being aggressive.  However, when they mature as hitters they become very dangerous because they have the aggressiveness already there and now are beginning to add the grace.