Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Wed Feb 27 12:55:13 2002

>>> matt.....i know jack, tom, major dan et al will disagree with me, but in my opinion, yes!!! yes, the hands should be slightly ahead of the bathead to hit the ball away....reason: because the optimal spot to contact the outside pitch is the INSIDE of the ball, so the only way to angle the bat so as to hit the inside part of the ball is to get hands ahead of bathead......
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> > it would be nice if schmidt's theories would get more attention....<<<
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> the inside part of the ball is the optimal part of the ball to contact on outside pitches....it has to do with at what point the wrists roll over...better to hit the inside part of the ball (os pitch) with 90 per cent as much power than to pull an os pitch with 100 per cent power but hit it into the ground....
> > Hi Grc
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> > Other than when hitting behind the runner, what advantages do you and Schmidt find to intentionally hitting the inside of the ball? Why do you find having the hands lead the bat-head to be advantageous? -- I am not saying you and Mike are wrong, I am just curious as to the reasons for your positions.
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> > Jack Mankin
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Hitting the inside vs outside vs back of the ball creates direction. And of course we are talking slightly inside vs slightly outside. If back of the ball is 6 O'Clock and front of ball is 12 O'Clock then inside is probably 7 OC and outside is like 5 O'Clock.
The point of this type of contact is to determine direction.

The ability to hit a pitch that is away to center vs to the opposite field has to do with mechanics. I can envision using a rotational swing with tht to hit an outside pitch to center or left center - a swing similar to McGuire's. I can also see a rotational swing driving the ball to right or right-center ala Manny Ramirez.

Trailing the hands can be done two ways:
1- like Boggs, use the wrists to keep the bat head back so that as you swing through the bat head trails.
2- use rotation and tht, let the ball get deep and meet the ball before squaring with the pitcher. The bathead will be in the same relationship to the hips and hands as a ball hit to center but the body will have turned less and thus be facing right center. Turning extra can hit a ball to left center with the same alignment of hips, shoulders, hands, bathead.

My guess is #1 will have less power than #2 in this case.

Choice of stance - closer to or farther away from the plate - would determine at what point a hitter can no longer hit an outside pitch to center or left center.
THe greatest fault is being in a position where the only way to hit the outside of the ball and pull it is to cast early and roll the wrists to get that 5 O'Clock bat angle. That hits weak grounders to SS and is the horror story of every failed pull hitter.