ADVANTAGES FOR SHORT HITTERS

[Lillian]

I have long suspected that there are a few distinct advantages to being a very small hitter. We have all marveled at Jose Altuve, but usually think of him as being a remarkable hitter, by virtue of his diminutive size. It just may be that his small stature is, in some ways, actually advantageous, rather than a "handicap". The obvious plus is that the strike zone is smaller, thus posing a bigger challenge to pitchers. However there are some other advantages.

Here are some of those advantages:

 

The strike zone is SMALLER. That makes it harder for a pitcher to throw strikes. It also gives the hitter the advantage of having to cover a smaller area, when selecting a pitch, at which to swing. 

 

A tall hitter, has a bigger area, upon which he must focus, although he only has the same two eyes, that any sized hitter has. A shorter player has the same visual capacity, as a taller one, with less of an area, upon which he must visually focus.

 

Then there is the shorter swing plane. The distance traversed, during the swing is less for a short hitter, with shorter arms. That in turn, can result in a similar consequence, as the oft cited bat speed. While it doesn't produce the same power, it does allow the hitter to catch up to high velocity pitches. Short arms and a shorter bat, should be able to reach the hitting zone, more rapidly, given the same bat speed, simply because the distance traversed is less. Of course, the bigger, stronger man is able to compensate, by generating more bat speed and thus more power. A smaller hitter, using a lighter bat, might be able to generate comparable bat speed and given the shorter distance covered, provide the hitter the advantage of having more time to react to the pitch.

 

I'd love to see an article, on the subject, but a discussion, here on this forum could be just as informative, with some of our astute posters.

Edited October 12, 2018 by Lillian

[Leonard Zelig]

I believe that Eddie Gaedel has the highest career OBP of all time.

[Lillian]

LOL. Yes, but Veeck never let him swing the bat. 

[Dick Allen]

Swing is shorter, strike zone smaller. To me it’s a huge advantage as long as you can generate enough power. But with the golf balls they are using, the smaller parks, and weight training, little guys have a much better shot of being able to do that than ever before.

 

go to a PGA tour event. A lot of the top golfers are really little guys.

Edited October 11, 2018 by Dick Allen

[Lillian]

So, can we stop citing Vaughn's height of 5' 11" as a negative?

[SCCWS]

Not exactly the same but another factor for small hitters-  small hands

 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19201739/dustin-pedroia-do-anything-different-small-hands

[greg775]

Interesting topic for me considering I saw Freddy Patek at Marty Pattin's funeral service tonight. I remarked to a pal that if you asked 100 people that don't know Freddy what he did for a living NONE would say "he was a three-time all star shortstop." The guy is 5-foot-5 and looks all of it. Sometimes it doesn't matter how big you are.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Smaller cup size also allows for a greater range of motion

[Dam8610]

17 hours ago, Lillian said:

So, can we stop citing Vaughn's height of 5' 11" as a negative?

I don't know, can we stop calling Madrigal's height of 5'8" a negative?

[Lillian]

5 hours ago, Dam8610 said:

I don't know, can we stop calling Madrigal's height of 5'8" a negative?

Absolutely, and he's probably 5' 7" which doesn't bother me either.

[Dominikk85]

The Strike Zone Advantage doesn't really exist for short hitters. They get helped in the bottom but hurt up

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-jose-altuve-strike-zone/

Generally most great hitters tend to be medium size like 6 to 6"3. Above 6"3 it helps power but I think it hurts contact. The really huge power guys are tall but they also whiff a lot (judge, stanton)

[Jack Parkman]

28 minutes ago, [email protected] said:

The Strike Zone Advantage doesn't really exist for short hitters. They get helped in the bottom but hurt up

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-jose-altuve-strike-zone/

Generally most great hitters tend to be medium size like 6 to 6"3. Above 6"3 it helps power but I think it hurts contact. The really huge power guys are tall but they also whiff a lot (judge, stanton)

That has to do with having the ability to swing a longer bat. Longer bat=more power. Simple physics. you're putting more force on the ball with a longer bat. 

Have you ever tried to change a tire, and had a hard time getting the lug nuts off? Simple, use a longer lug wrench. Same principle.

Also, think about how the body twists when swinging a bat or a golf club. Honestly, torque is the physics concept that should be used when talking about baseball or golf. The baseball swing and golf swing are more about release of energy onto ball than anything else.  Typically, I don't know why anyone has an open stance anymore especially in the power happy analytics age. A closed stance is much more conducive to power generation. 

For you golfers out there, ever wonder why your driver is the longest club and your wedges are your shortest? Same principle. 

Edited October 13, 2018 by Jack Parkman

[Lillian]

There is no question that the taller hitter, with longer arms, or "levers," can generate more power. That is the obvious disadvantage for a shorter hitter. 

[Dominikk85]

Everything being equal being a little above 6 is probably ideal but the hit tool is still key. If you can hit you can hit whether you are altuve or judge.

Baseball isn't football, athleticism helps but some bad athletes just can hit and vice versa. Tony gwynn wasn't the greatest athlete but he could square up a ball.