Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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I would also like to take this opportunity to brag about my new custom-turned bats from NYStixs:

http://baseballdelusions.com/blog/wp...07/12/bats.jpg

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What type of wood? Ash?

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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Why is hitting for average a tool and controlling the plate for high OBP not? OBP >>> BA.

For example, Mark McGwire's career BA was .263 vs. a league adjusted average of .262. But his career OBP was .394 vs. a league adjusted average of .332. Was he an average hitter?

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Mark McGwire was not a five-tool player. Just because he lacks the tool to hit for high average doesn't mean he is a bad hitter. You are not reading correctly.

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Gotcha, I skimmed past where you explained that.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

Kyle,
Great stuff. I have a few questions though.

1. Do hitters change their swings to compensate for a weakness? Let's say a AA player can't hit a low inside curveball. How does that player adjust so that the pitchers don't constantly throw that pitch? Or is he basically never going to move up to AAA or the majors?

2. Mickey Mantle always used to say to hit for distance, you almost have to start swinging before the pitcher throws the ball. What does he mean by that?

3. If you compare Derek Jeter and A-Rod, both are the same height although A-Rod is about 20 lbs. heavier. So how come A-Rod has 500+ HR's and Jeter is nowhere near that amount? Does the difference in weight make that much of a factor when hitting?

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

Great post
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) That's not really the Moneyball idea, but I see why people get that feeling based on Lewis's book. I believe what a player has done (stats) is more important than what a player can do (tools), but too much reliance on stats will lead to the Blue Jays Syndrome - getting a ton of low-ceiling low-variance players in your farm system without any impact players.


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Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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3. If you compare Derek Jeter and A-Rod, both are the same height although A-Rod is about 20 lbs. heavier. So how come A-Rod has 500+ HR's and Jeter is nowhere near that amount? Does the difference in weight make that much of a factor when hitting?

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I'm not kyleb, but IIRC I spotted a BP piece that noted a statistical significance with prospects and their weight with isolated power.

So to a degree... yes?

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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I would also like to take this opportunity to brag about my new custom-turned bats from NYStixs:

http://baseballdelusions.com/blog/wp...07/12/bats.jpg

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What type of wood? Ash?

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Maple.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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1. Do hitters change their swings to compensate for a weakness? Let's say a AA player can't hit a low inside curveball. How does that player adjust so that the pitchers don't constantly throw that pitch? Or is he basically never going to move up to AAA or the majors?

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I suppose the best way I can answer this question is with an anecdote from Moneyball. Jason Giambi can't hit a fastball waist-high on the inside corner of the plate. However, if you miss by 2 inches, you get the favorite part of his hitting zone.

Giambi also steps out and smashes those pitches foul, scaring the pitcher into believing he can hit that pitch.

No hitter can hit all types of pitches in all zones of the plate. Fortunately enough, most pitchers aren't good enough to throw the weakness pitch every single time.

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2. Mickey Mantle always used to say to hit for distance, you almost have to start swinging before the pitcher throws the ball. What does he mean by that?

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He is right. He's basically saying you need to load the bat and follow the four steps of hitting that I outlined. The best power hitters exercise a negative bat load by bringing their hands back and loading their back shoulder as they perform the back leg push step, creating greater "separation."

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3. If you compare Derek Jeter and A-Rod, both are the same height although A-Rod is about 20 lbs. heavier. So how come A-Rod has 500+ HR's and Jeter is nowhere near that amount? Does the difference in weight make that much of a factor when hitting?

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A-Rod has a lot of things going for him over Jeter:

1) He has way more LBM.
2) His swing is a classic power stroke that is nearly identical to Hank Aaron's. He generates insane backspin on his fly balls, giving them 20-30 feet more distance easily.
3) His swing has more loft in it.
4) And lastly, A-Rod is just a better hitter.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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I would also like to take this opportunity to brag about my new custom-turned bats from NYStixs:

http://baseballdelusions.com/blog/wp...07/12/bats.jpg

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What type of wood? Ash?

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Maple.

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Nice.

I'm partial to the Carolina Clubs myself. I love the thin handle.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

How do you go about purposefully generating more backspin?


Awesome, awesome thread, ldo.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

The Clemente gif should get more love--it beautifully shows how great hitters generate an explosive weight transfer forward, creating power and then their front leg acts as the wall stopping the weight from keeping their body from continuing to move forward--you can see Clemente's back leg come up off the ground, every good hitter does this and this is b/c of the force moving forward and then the foot jabs back down b/c of the firm front leg acting as the wall. If he were to rotate his back leg into the ground and not get any weight transfer forward that leg wouldn't come up and his center of gravity would be driving straight downward which=bad bad bad.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

great post,lots of info. Nice work Kyle. That jpeg of Pujols is awesome

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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I would also like to take this opportunity to brag about my new custom-turned bats from NYStixs:

http://baseballdelusions.com/blog/wp...07/12/bats.jpg

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What type of wood? Ash?

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I'm pretty sure everyone has switched to maple. Those are some nice sticks, reminds me of the custom I used to have from SamBat, years before they got huge and way overpriced thanks to Wilson. That bat lasted me about 2 and a half years and I was taking BP with it just about everyday

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

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How do you go about purposefully generating more backspin?


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Slicing "down" on the bottom half of the ball creates the backspin. These are the type of hits that send liners over the CFers head because he can't judge them. It's tough to do, and personally, I could only square up the ball. Once in a while get those good backspin liners. Usually on slicing, opposite field shots on low-ish away pitches.

Kyle: About Bonds...hasn't he shortened up his swing since '01? That video of him is surprising. I could have sworn his swing was much more efficient than that.

But his torque is incredible, especially considering he's got terrible knees, and the power he generates from his top-hand is second-to-none. I love his swing.

Pujols' swing is also amazing, ldo. He's got those long legs and thick thighs which allows him to spread his feet wide, and just twist his hips to generate all his power. Pujols never looks like he's swinging hard because it's all in the legs/hips. That's why he can throw his bathead out on a low-and-away pitch and line it 395 feet into the right-center bleachers. So pretty.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

Kyle, I agree that Pence's swing is crazy looking.

What are your thoughts on him as a hitter?

I chalk his crazy swing up to his weird body type. He's got super-skinny legs but then wide shoulders, and a long torso and lanky arms. Weird body to work with, but he hits the ball damn hard when he squares it up.

Last season he hit a blazing liner about 5 feet off the ground just to the left of some shortstop and it rolled all the way to the wall. lol.

He's like all torso and arms.

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

awesome post

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

re bonds swing: i always assumed it was more of a timing trick he used and i always heard that it doesn't *really* matter what you do with your hands before your swing as long as they were in the correct position just before and during the swing

Re: Introduction to Five Tools Analysis: Hitting
 

Watch Bonds' arms...they don't do much moving. He keeps his shoulders, elbows, and hands in the same position relative to the bat until point of contact when his hands turn over obv. for the follow-through.

If you were to connect the dots and draw a box from left hand to left elbow, to left shoulder, to right shoulder, down to right elbow and to right hand...the shape sort of resembles home plate. It's like 5 rigid points, and the general rigid shape doesn't change in his swing, which is what gives him superhuman "top hand" strength. The only thing that changes is as he's pulling the bat through, his back elbow drops a bit and his front elbow rises a bit so he can get the bat down through the zone.

Watch his swing, his front leg "plants" allowing a firm rotational point for his hips and as his hips twist around his leg his rigid arms are coming through the zone and he just mashes it. I'm sure he also has very strong wrists and hands which allow him to remain firm at point of contact.

Chase Utley's got sick wrist and hand strength at contact.