Posted by: THG () on Thu Nov 8 21:57:41 2007

> El Marto wrote: "In no way am I saying that letting the ball travel is more important than proper mechanics, I’m just saying that it is the proper approach and both go hand in hand."
>
> I don't think it is a useful piece of advice. With the hitting mechanics and strength of most kids, the ball will be traveling straight into the catcher's mitt.
>
> 1. Strength of upper arms, forearms, wrists and hands
> 2. Torque the handle
>
> What you are really talking about is timing. People mistakenly think correct timing will lead to a correct swing. It is the other way around. Give a hitter more quickness and he has more time, and suddenly, it's all pretty easy.
>
> Let the ball travel? Better give the first base coach some catching equipment.


With that being said, it alludes to why many of the great hitters are successful. Simply put, they have more time to hit the ball than other hitters. This is also why some hitters can get away with hitching before making solid contact. It is not the hitch that generates the batspeed, but the player's skill level. As such, I find it hard to use Bonds and Sosa as a standard because most big league hitters cannot hit like they do and be successful.