Great hitters with poor hitting mechanics

[Honus Wagner Rules]

What great major league hitters of the past or present had/have poor hitting mechanics?

[csh19792001]

What great major league hitters of the past or present had/have poor hitting mechanics?

Based on whose values regarding mechanics? It's a "fluid construct". :)

Totally off the top of my head, by today's standards...
-It could conceivably be said that Babe Ruth had "poor" mechanics. I've seen more than a few times Babe take a few steps forward before swinging!
-Ott
-Simmons
-Musial and Speaker both kept the bat almost level as the pitch was delivered. Stan also lunged into the ball and lifted his back heel as he hit it.

Stan the Man. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GsQ9juMGXA)

These guys had very odd mechanics, I don't know they had "bad" mechanics. Dave Winfield had awful mechanics. Frank Howard had a tremendous hitch, much like Winfield.

Ted Williams has the best mechanics of anyone I've ever seen. Late career Bonds had a technically fantastic swing. Tony Gwynn had a beautiful swing and technique. Eddie Mathews and Billy Williams too.

I think in general, swings having gotten increasingly homogeneous and less idiosyncratic and individualistic.

[cubsphill]

... lunged into the ball and lifted his back heel as he hit it.
...

....:crazy

[Baseball gLove]

One guy that announcers would frequently ask parents to turn their kid's eyes from the tv screen when he came up to bat is Luiz Gonzalez.

[Homestead Gray]

I would have to go with Manny Sanguillen. Here was a guy who very seldom took a pitch and who could hit a ball or strike in any location. Poor style but an impact hitter.

[korp]

If they are in the major leagues they have good qualities in their swings that work for them. As for the great ones ... I would say none of them have bad mechanics but maybe some odd things that most don't do. Ripken changed his swing all the time and obviously things worked out as long as certain things are consistent.

[dominik]

Ichiro has an odd swing. Every swing in MLB is efficient, but there might be some who are a bit off the usual understanding of a great swing.

[PhilliesPhan22]

How about this swing??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl9GuPmrSMI&feature=related

[omg]

I was thinking they all had good mechanics but then I remembered Ralph Garr,MLB batting champion.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ralph_Garr

[Chris O'Leary]

-Musial and Speaker both kept the bat almost level as the pitch was delivered.

Not true for Musial...

http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Hitting/Videos/Video_Hitting_StanMusial_C_001.gif


Stan also lunged into the ball... and lifted his back heel as he hit it.

This is good and not bad. That's why you see it in Mays and Clemente and to a lesser degree in most every modern power hitter.

Most good hitters are front foot hitters.

[Mark H]

Does everyone define "good mechanics" as a certain form or look. Or are good mechanics defined as efficient and effective?

[korp]

How about this swing??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl9GuPmrSMI&feature=related
Haha of course somebody has to bring that up. Again though look at where hes at before he swings .... at contact everybody in the major leagues is similar and most hands do end up coming from the same spot one way or another.

[mnh999]

Does everyone define "good mechanics" as a certain form or look. Or are good mechanics defined as efficient and effective?

I define good mechanic as within the MLB swing pattern. Anything else is suboptimal, IMO.

Mark, is this something you have moved away from? I know you always used to refer the MLB swing as the best swing in the world and the swing we should all strive to teach. Seems like more recently you've made an effort to move away from referring to the MLB swing and more to an effort of referring only to an "efficient & effective" swing.
Just curious if you still believe the MLB swing is model you believe we should all be teaching? Do you still believe it's the most effecient swing? Or if you have changed your views to now believe that other swing patterns, outside of the MLB, is ok to teach.
Not looking to get into a debate of what is or isn't the MLB pattern. There are already other posts for that. I'm just simply asking if you still think the MLB swing is the exclusive swing model we should all be teaching (baseball & softball)?

[BigGeorge]

I define good mechanic as within the MLB swing pattern. Anything else is suboptimal, IMO.

Mark, is this something you have moved away from? I know you always used to refer the MLB swing as the best swing in the world and the swing we should all strive to teach. Seems like more recently you've made an effort to move away from referring to the MLB swing and more to an effort of referring only to an "efficient & effective" swing.
Just curious if you still believe the MLB swing is model you believe we should all be teaching? Do you still believe it's the most effecient swing? Or if you have changed your views to now believe that other swing patterns, outside of the MLB, is ok to teach.
Not looking to get into a debate of what is or isn't the MLB pattern. There are already other posts for that. I'm just simply asking if you still think the MLB swing is the exclusive swing model we should all be teaching (baseball & softball)?

Is there just the one "MLB Pattern" or are there more??

The reason I ask is the pattern shown in this Hall of Famer's swing.....

http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/media/player/mp_tpl.jsp?w=http%3A//mfile.akamai.com/31386/wmv/mlb.download.akamai.com/31386/open/members/clemente_r/clemente_roberto_hr_71asg_400.wmv&type=v_free&_mp=1


.....similar in any way to this probable Hall of Famer's swing:

http://hittingillustrated.com/library/Pedroia1.gif

From where I sit, there is no such thing as a "MLB Pattern". There are of course some things in common with successful hitters. There is no question that there are sometimes large differences in hitters forms and techniques. Can you really compare a front-foot hitter to a back-foot hitter and say they both are executing "The MLB Swing"?

[mnh999]

Is there just the one "MLB Pattern" or are there more??

The reason I ask is the pattern shown in this Hall of Famer's swing.....

http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/media/player/mp_tpl.jsp?w=http%3A//mfile.akamai.com/31386/wmv/mlb.download.akamai.com/31386/open/members/clemente_r/clemente_roberto_hr_71asg_400.wmv&type=v_free&_mp=1


.....similar in any way to this probable Hall of Famer's swing:

http://hittingillustrated.com/library/Pedroia1.gif

From where I sit, there is no such thing as a "MLB Pattern". There are of course some things in common with successful hitters. There is no question that there are sometimes large differences in hitters forms and techniques. Can you really compare a front-foot hitter to a back-foot hitter and say they both are executing "The MLB Swing"?

George, IMO, yes there is definitely a MLB pattern. I think there are certain aspects a MLB swing that 99% fo MLB hitters have. But, as I said, I would prefer not get into that this thread.

I'm guessing Mark will agree with me that there is though. I'm guessing he has authored literally hundreds of posts in the past that refer to the MLB swing and the need to copy the MLB swing. I just wondering if anything has changed in that thinking.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Great comments gentleman. It seems that most of the idiosyncratic swings are simply the movements before the hitter has the bat through the strikezone? Would Mel Ott's swing work in the majors today?