Posted by: JD () on Mon Mar 19 17:27:34 2001

grc...

I hope you don't mind me adding my two cents (which I don't normally do)...but...I talk to MANY scouts all the time about my boys, each of my baseball students (mostly high school kids and a few college kids). I even write feature letters and send them to my scout friends. Only on the kids that I think have potential to go to the next level. And from your description of your sons swing (mostly offered from what the scout said)...it sounds like you might want to work with him on getting the bathead to a one o'clock position in both the vertical and horizontal positioning. This technique helps shorten up the swing and quicken the bat from point to point. In conjunction with the techniques discussed here by Jack.

I am only commenting based on what you have said and since I haven't seen the swing...please take this suggestion as just that...a suggestion...

Good luck and I hope things go well for your son...

JD

jack, et al.....my son is almost 19, plays for a junior college....i asked a scout ( he is with a major league team) what he thought of my son's swing....he said my son's "approach" was just fine but that he had a "long" swing...what did he mean by "long"?....he said that my son's hands are too high and the bat is "wrapped", resulting in a "long" swing...in fact, he cited this "long" swing as the probable reason my son hits mostly to the opposite field....for the record, when my son's stride foot lands, the hands are over the toe of the back foot, the hands are roughly arm-pit level, and the bathead is at a 45 degree angle (straight up to the sky = 0 degrees, straight at the pitcher = 90 degrees)...i guess my question is how serious should my son take a pro scout's advice?...my son has been slumping, but i'm not so sure it has to do with a "long" swing...he has worked hard to perfect a swing that seems have many chacteristics of a major league swing....it doesn't seem to make sense to make drastic adjustments based on one scout's opinion and yet, afterall, he is one of those guys who makes a judgement as to whether or not a kid is worth following or not......comments from you and others would be greatly appreciated.....respectfully, grc....