Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Jun 26 14:27:56 2006

>>> ...what comes first the chicken or the egg?

Are these hitters good because they have good bat speed or does their bat speed make them good hitters?

Are all hitters that have great bat speed good hitters? Hell No! Are there some great hitters that have average to below aver bat speed, yes. You can be a good hitter without great bats peed…you can have great bat speed and still not hit a lick.

Will increased bat speed give you a better chance at success, sure, it will allow you to wait longer, it will allow you to be more on time with a greater percentage of pitched balls, you’ll get fooled less often the longer you can wait on a pitch…however, bat speed is one (in my opinion) small component of being ABLE to actually hit…

I think my point is, bat speed and good hitting are separate entities…I think their could just as easily be a site on how to see the ball better, how to approach different counts, situational hitting, dealing with offensive pressure- internal and external…. These being other component that are just as important to good hitting. <<<

Hi Scott

I guess it all depends on how you define a great hitter. To fit my definition, the batter would need to hit for both power and average – say, 300+ average and 30 + HR. For many of the top power hitters like Ruth, Williams, Mantle, Brett, Musial, Bonds, Pujols, …. not only did these great hitters bat speeds allow them to hit for power, it also helped them placed high (or win) in the BA and RBI categories as well.

I grant you that hitters with mechanics that generate less power (bat speed) can serve a very valuable team role in getting on base, advancing runners, and etc. However, I think the record books will show their chances of reaching the “Hall of Fame” status to be much lower than the hitters whose mechanics generate great bat speed.

Jack Mankin