Can hitters funamentally change their swing/approach?

[pete the dog]

One issue that comes up time after time in discussing CPatt were the efforts to change his hitting style. Was it a bad idea to try to change him into a leadoff hitter? Should they have left his swing alone, and just tried to train his eye for balls and strikes?

 

My question is how possible are these kinds of adjustments? How easy is it to retrain a swing? To teach a good eye? In Moneyball, Beane espouses the belief that you can't change what players are: they are what they are--especially after a certain age.

 

Is there an age at which it becomes impossible to change?

 

 

My perception is that it's very hard to change these things at any age, and that it gets progressively harder as players get older. Obviously, some players adjust their game, but maybe that's within a pretty narrow range of comfort.

 

I believe it was a mistake to try to turn Corey into something he's not. At the same time, I'm also not convinced that he could have developed the eye and discipline to make it with the swing he's got. Maybe Corey just is what he is, and he's not a great MLB player.

 

Finally, what kind of hitter do you expect Corey to be in Baltimore? Will he try to develop a new swing or only try to develop a new eye/discipline?

[Derwood]

Yes, a batter can change his swing. Look at what Jeff Pentland did with Sosa. Lowered his hands, got him to stop moving the bat around while waiting for the pitch, etc. Or look at Cal Ripken over the years. He seems to have a completely different batting stance every other year or so.

[Magnetic Curses]

I believe it was a mistake to try to turn Corey into something he's not. At the same time, I'm also not convinced that he could have developed the eye and discipline to make it with the swing he's got. Maybe Corey just is what he is, and he's not a great MLB player.

 

it would have been somewhat easier to simply have him shrink his zone. probably would have resulted in roughly the same amount of k's, but much more walks. corey paid lip service to this approach, but never utilized it.

[CardsFanInChiTown]

Yes, a batter can change his swing. Look at what Jeff Pentland did with Sosa. Lowered his hands, got him to stop moving the bat around while waiting for the pitch, etc. Or look at Cal Ripken over the years. He seems to have a completely different batting stance every other year or so.

 

Sosa is a rare exception. It can be done but I wouldn't bank on it.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I think overhauling the physical mechanics of your swing at the major league level is very difficult, and probably unnecessary since you've been good enough to make it thus far with that swing. Minor adjustments are made all the time by coaches and players, and changing your approach can be done and may be necessary to continue to have success.

[Abe Frohman]

I believe it is totally possible to change your swing. Hitting really is a mental thing..... the mechanics can be changed with work, the approach with study and actual thinking.

 

I don't think a guy will make it if he can't make adjustments. In Corey Patterson's case - he was stubborn to the point of being stupid. Remember Gene Clines quotes during the season in which he basically threw his hands up and said "I have done all I can do?"

 

I have a feeling that CP still WANTED to be considered a power hitter. The guy has as good of speed as anyone in the league. Really, all he has to do is slap the ball on that thick Wrigley grass and he will beat out 7 of 10, and be a 300+ hitter.

 

Unfortunately, Patterson seems to be perfectly content with the wiffing & popping up, with the occasional meaningless HR. Hell, I think every HR CP hit in 2005 was solo.

 

You have to use your noodle....

[UK1679666180]

Every pitcher has a different release every hitter has a different swing, there are certain absolutes though and if you adhere to those any adjustment in-between will focus on the type of contact.

 

When hitters adjust, if they have no major flaws they are likely adjusting bat speed for bat angle as it goes thru the zone.

 

When you have power hitters like Dunn, Burrell, Edmonds or any power hitter with a high # of Ks, they generate a great deal of bat speed and in generating that bat speed, it puts their bat in a position where it becomes more difficult to make more contact.

 

Typically, you'll see an upper-cut swing at that generates a high bats speed (90+), more often than someone like Pierre or Eckstein, won't make any contact or pop-it up b/c it isn't a very level plane.