Posted by: Ramon () on Fri Mar 26 11:23:47 2004

BHL,
> >
> > That is absolutely ridiculous. The reason Mankin and other coaches stress trying to hit the ball to the ceter of the field is because this maintains proper bat path and other aspects of the swing. 99% of the time if a player is looking to pull the ball and it is an outside pitch, he will end up hitting a weak ground ball or flare to the outfield. Nice try, but your new philosophy is just plane dumb. I can say with confidence that there is probably not one major league player that has this approach when they hit. And...What if the player has better power to the opposite field (as some players do)? Would you tell them to try and hit an inside pitch the opposite way? Kind of tough to do?
>
> BHL, maybe in a previous life you were my coach! When I played it was your philosophy that got me to AAA baseball. I was an all-star throughout the minors, and only a knee injury that ended my career kept me from making the big show. You should produce a video, BHL because you are articulating something that few others have the knowledge to articulate.

BHL, I'm not a pro but I did play D1 college baseball and I have been teaching/coaching high school baseball the last 10 years. I have sent numerous students to on to college ball and beyond, and our games are regular stops for the scouts and recruiters. And the method I teach? Well it's very similar to the philosophy you described. I can also tell you many coaches in the league are starting to copy my methods. Thanks, BHL for sharing your info, and I just wanted to let you know you are not the only one sucessful with this philosophy.