Posted by: Shawn (whitelion_01@hotmail.com) on Tue Aug 19 21:54:16 2003

Is Todd Helton the Greatest hitter today statistically? Does he have the best mechanics? Could he be a better all around hitter than Bonds? If not, then who is better than Bonds today?
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> > > i think it is important to point out that being the best hitter does not necessairily mean having the best mechanics...
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> > hi bart
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> > damn right!
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> > you can put up great mechanics and still be late or early and you will suck..but with style. we have a few of those in my team.
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> > wanna know why? because timing is the name of the game, not baseball. two factors that nobody ever talks about: mental side of hitting and in-depth perception. those two make up for 50 percent of hitting. the difference between winning and losing. Indepth improves slowly with time. and the mental side is learning the pitcher and anticipating the pitches and working the count. a great hitter is an intelligent hitter. however all they talk about is mechanics everywhere. why? i dont know. too many dont know this game.
> > i played last saturday and i went 1 in 4. why? i dont know. my mechanics are rotational and solid now. what was missing? how the hell do i know? i couldnt adjust my moves to the pitches. however i hit a long drive to center field for a hit. why? because my timing was dead on. that ball left the bat in a hurry. man that´s it. i was prepared for a hard ball. I anticipated that pitch. so anticipation is a big part of timing. i knew the pitcher and i knew he threw down the middle so i waited for that ball and..got it. why do pitchers succeed in the majors in their first year and then dont do so well in the next two years? people see them and learned them...and anticipate them. ,, and still we consistantly take away the pitcher factor off the equation. Granted you will hit better with better mechanics but that´s only one side of the equation.
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> > ..bye
> > toti
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> the reason mechanics are talked about on almost every hitting forum and place is simple: good solid mechanics ALLOW you to put yourself in a situation to succeed .. with bad mechanics .. even if you knew what pitch is coming you would probably be real crappy.
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> learning the game, learning how to hit in different counts, learning the pitchers in your league .. and most importantly making adjustments is what keeps you in the game.
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> scott

I agree with Scott.

Good mechanics lead to seeing the ball better, reacting quicker, and consistancy. Consistancy is key for developing good timing.