Im sure this was posted a while ago (like long ago)

[ozzfest]

http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles...kham-swing.html

 

Arod and Gordon

 

thoughts? beckham is not a roider so obvs. he's not going to produce the same power as aroid, but man are their swings pretty. check em' out.

 

DISCLAIMER: many of you have probably seen this already

Edited February 8, 2010 by ozzfest

[Jerksticks]

That .509 OBP is sexy.

[Milkman delivers]

http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles...kham-swing.html

 

Arod and Gordon

 

thoughts? beckham is not a roider so obvs. he's not going to produce the same power as aroid, but man are their swings pretty. check em' out.

 

DISCLAIMER: many of you have probably seen this already

 

Like any of us know that.

[whitesoxfan101]

Like any of us know that.

 

Yeah, other than Frank Thomas, I give up guessing who is and isn't roiding.

[Marky Mark]

Yeah, other than Frank Thomas, I give up guessing who is and isn't roiding.

 

 

My thoughts exactly. Him and Craig Counsel.

[MiddleCoastBias]

My thoughts exactly. Him and Craig Counsel.

 

I add Ken Griffey, Jr. on that list.

[ozzfest]

Milkman Delivers, if you doubt the integrity of baseball to the point you think Beckham is a roider, and you still watch games, mad props to you.....if i thought EVERYONE was on steroids theres no way in hell I'd watch with any degree of enjoyment..props

[Marky Mark]

Milkman Delivers, if you doubt the integrity of baseball to the point you think Beckham is a roider, and you still watch games, mad props to you.....if i thought EVERYONE was on steroids theres no way in hell I'd watch with any degree of enjoyment..props

 

 

If everyone was on roids it'd be perfect, but the problem is that some are and some aren't.

[Quin]

Hadn't seen that. That's an eerily similar swing.

 

Now Gordon, go put up crazy A-Rod numbers

[Milkman delivers]

Milkman Delivers, if you doubt the integrity of baseball to the point you think Beckham is a roider, and you still watch games, mad props to you.....if i thought EVERYONE was on steroids theres no way in hell I'd watch with any degree of enjoyment..props

 

I don't think everyone is on steroids. I just don't know who is.

[ozzfest]

I don't think everyone is on steroids. I just don't know who is.

ill respect that. the point of the post though was to compare the swings. btw herbert perry is awesome

[Milkman delivers]

ill respect that. the point of the post though was to compare the swings. btw herbert perry is awesome

 

[Felix]

I add Ken Griffey, Jr. on that list.

Given the number of injuries he's had in his career, I wouldn't be surprised if Junior used something to heal faster.

[3E8]

I pointed out the similarities between ARod's and Beckham's swings' awhile ago without knowledge of this article. But they miss the main point which is that both hitters put backspin on the ball. ARod is the best I have seen at this and Beckham is the only White Sox I can remember to do this. Gordon is especially good at putting backspin on pitches away, which allows the ball to carry more and gives him the opposite field gap power we've seen. A hitter who implements a swing with a slightly downward plane requires better timing because the pitch is always coming in on a downward plane as well

[witesoxfan]

I pointed out the similarities between ARod's and Beckham's swings' awhile ago without knowledge of this article. But they miss the main point which is that both hitters put backspin on the ball. ARod is the best I have seen at this and Beckham is the only White Sox I can remember to do this. Gordon is especially good at putting backspin on pitches away, which allows the ball to carry more and gives him the opposite field gap power we've seen. A hitter who implements a swing with a slightly downward plane requires better timing because the pitch is always coming in on a downward plane as well

 

[macsandz]

I pointed out the similarities between ARod's and Beckham's swings' awhile ago without knowledge of this article. But they miss the main point which is that both hitters put backspin on the ball. ARod is the best I have seen at this and Beckham is the only White Sox I can remember to do this. Gordon is especially good at putting backspin on pitches away, which allows the ball to carry more and gives him the opposite field gap power we've seen. A hitter who implements a swing with a slightly downward plane requires better timing because the pitch is always coming in on a downward plane as well

 

Beckham's hands start lower now than they were in college. All MLB hitters swing on the same plane as the pitch. The better ones stay on that plane longer which allows them to square it more often.

[3E8]

Not all hitters swing on the plane as the pitch. A slight upswing at the same angle which the pitch is oppositely going down gives you a better chance at contact, which Ted Williams advocated so strongly in his book 'The Science of Hitting' (recommended btw). On outside pitches, Beckham has shown ability to take a slightly downward swing until point of contact then quickly roll his right wrist over, creating tremendous backspin on the ball. This video is a great example, clear to see around the 36 second mark.

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/vide...tent_id=6466723

 

The backspin is what causes the ball to carry and fool Ellsbury. Stone comments about the ball "slicing away" and "just taking off". The opposite effect occurs when you swing at an angle steeper than that which the ball is coming down at and put topspin on the ball, or a humpback line drive as Hawk would call it

[macsandz]

Not all hitters swing on the plane as the pitch. A slight upswing at the same angle which the pitch is oppositely going down gives you a better chance at contact, which Ted Williams advocated so strongly in his book 'The Science of Hitting' (recommended btw). On outside pitches, Beckham has shown ability to take a slightly downward swing until point of contact then quickly roll his right wrist over, creating tremendous backspin on the ball. This video is a great example, clear to see around the 36 second mark.

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/vide...tent_id=6466723

 

The backspin is what causes the ball to carry and fool Ellsbury. Stone comments about the ball "slicing away" and "just taking off". The opposite effect occurs when you swing at an angle steeper than that which the ball is coming down at and put topspin on the ball, or a humpback line drive as Hawk would call it

 

There are two approaches, rotational (current players) and linear (Williams and most from earlier eras). If you watch the MLB Network you can see the old approach is so obviously different from what we see today. There is a pronounced forward "linear"movement into the pitch. This is where the upswing would be utilized. Today the hitters stay stationary once that stride heel drops and "rotate" around an axis. This is where that downward-outward approach comes in. They must must track the plane and share it to make quality contact.

 

The oppo hit that to me most represents Beckham's ability was the one that started his his acention,, the walk-off against the Cubs.