Posted by: ray porco () on Wed Jul 4 20:20:11 2001

"the 45-degree angle in the position of power is the most efficient angle to get into the correct approach angle to the ball........during the approach to the ball, as the knob gets to the front hip area, the barrel should be about shoulder height.....the angle at this point is flexible, as long as the barrel of the bat is above the hands...........this statement was made by a prominent hitting instructor....what especially intrigued me was the statement "as the knob gets to the front hip area, the barrel should be about shoulder height"......am i missing something here?.....if i look at any 4-to-5-frame clip or picture of any major league hitter, by about the 3rd frame the bat is parrallel to the ground, ready to be released , and the hands (knob) are about half way between the two hips (blastsystem calls this the "lag position")......can anyone think of a major leaguer who , when the knob has already past this halfway point and near the front hip, STILL has the bat shoulder height?.............respectfully, grc.....

grc,

what seems very lucid to some, can be ambiguous to others. words (written) must be read, trying very hard to understand the intent of the writer. not meaning to lecture, let me demonstrate.

the "prominent hitting instructor", you referred to, said,"...during the approach to the ball, as the knob gets to the front hip area, the barrel should be about shoulder height..."
grc, you said, "can anyone think of a major leaguer who, when the knob has already past this halfway point and near the front hip, STILL has the bat shoulder height?"

grc, you are assuming that you must be past the halfway point to be near the front hip with the knob of the bat. i would tend to agree, but is that what he meant?
he said, "...as the knob gets TO the front hip area,..."
"TO" can mean:
in the direction of
toward
on the way to
en route for
just before
headed for

can the prominent hitting instructor mean "just before"? perhaps.

continuing:

you said, "...STILL has the bat shoulder height?"
he said, "...the barrel should be about shoulder height..."
"...bat..." vs. "...barrel..."
big diff. all the bat vs. part of the bat.

sooooo, the barrel can be "...about..." shoulder height (at least the rear shoulder) just before the knob gets to the front hip area. that's if that's what the prominent hitting instructor meant.
have i seen batter's that do this? yes, especially hitter's that, when they coil, keep the bat very close to their head and their hands closer to their body than others. Examples: Mo Vaugh, Bonds, etc.
not so much - Griffey, O'Neill, etc.

in answer to your question, "...can anyone think of a major leaguer who, when the knob has already past this halfway point and near the front hip, STILL has the bat (meaning the entire bat - i interpret) shoulder height?"
yes, tony gwynn for one, and musial for another. primarily when your behind in the count and get a ball that's up in the strike zone.

a note:
i was always taught to "stay on top of the ball" (for the first part of the swing, that is). i can still hear my coach say, "keep your hands above the ball, and the barrel of the bat above your hands". do i still advocate this? for the first part of the swing, yes. BUT TO WHAT POINT IN THE SWING? that depends on the pitch.

was i lucid or ambiguous?
ray porco