can Bonds pull a HR?
by non sequitur on Apr 27, 2006 6:49 PM PDT
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Anyone know something about the mechanics of hitting? If Bonds' swing is mostly or all upper body now, I'm wondering if it's actually easier for him to go opposite field rather than pull, for homerun power. I know nothing about the mechanics of hitting unless Krukow is explaining things, but it seems to me that turning on an inside pitch requires healthier legs, whereas going opposite field is more just a natural "uncoiling" of the body that isn't so demanding on bad knees.
Of course, I'm just talking about HR's here. Even if there's a shred of truth to this that doesn't necessarily mean that opposing pitchers shouldn't continue to pitch him primarily away or play the shift against him. Obviously, if you're the other team you want to get him out, not just prevent the homerun. But when Barry has pulled, he's hit mostly grounders or low line drives. I can only recall one fly ball that might have gone out in a different park.
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Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
You plant it, and uncoil your hips around it. If you think of the body as a series of levers, you will get a better idea
Going the other way per se, shouldn't have anything to do with it as that is mostly a function of where the bathead meets the ball during the swing.
Going the other way as you mean it means swinging with the upperbody primarily and not driving through with the hips against the plant leg. Its almost an inside out swing. Only really strong guys like Bonds can hit it out of the park that way. Most guys just hit weak fly balls, texas leaguers, or soft liners/groundballs.
Clear as mud I bet, huh?
by E Ticket on Apr 27, 2006 7:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
Who cares. I just wrote this diary to distract you from your misery over the Giants, E. Heh.
by non sequitur on Apr 27, 2006 11:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
by mxmob33 on Apr 27, 2006 8:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm gonna go with "yes".
by Josh from Hollywood on Apr 27, 2006 9:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
by allfrank on Apr 27, 2006 9:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
So everybody started pitching him away, and Barry did what he does better than any athlete I've ever seen -- he adjusted. Now, as you said, he's looking away and not trying to pull those pitches. So, instead of off-the-end-of-the-bat fly balls, he's hitting them out. So now, of course, it's "He can't pull the ball anymore" from the haters. He keeps htting them out to LF, guys are gonna try to bust him in again, and then he'll start pulling the ball again.
by Josh from Hollywood on Apr 27, 2006 9:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
I've never seen so many all arms swings from Bonds as this season, and I don't think it's because he's all of a sudden getting fooled more in 3 weeks than he does in an entire season.
I'm just wondering if he has confidence to plant that front leg in the correct position to cover those outside pitches.
by Daniel on Apr 27, 2006 11:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
Seeing whether teams start to pitch him differently will certainly make his ABs especially interesting, for me, even if it's painful to watch him hobble around. There was a brief period of this type of suspense last season which lasted maybe two games. When he came back he was good but still a little rusty, and the Dodgers found they could get him out with fastballs. Getting Bonds out with fastballs! You knew it would end as soon as he got his timing back and it did when he splash hit that Kuo fellow.
by non sequitur on Apr 28, 2006 1:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
Uh, which is what Josh from Hollywood said above.
by non sequitur on Apr 28, 2006 1:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
So, right now, I think that we want opposing pitchers to pitch Barry away - and we want Barry to understand that and hit to left field (whether that's only using his arms or whatever). BUT, after the pitchers adjust and start pitching inside again (whenever that is, and if I were the next team we face I'd do it immediately) is Barry physically capable of adjusting back to that and driving inside pitches again? Do we think that he will "get better" soon and then he can handle inside pitches? Or will warmer weather help eventually? Is he just "rusty" right now?
What's the common wisdom here, gang?
by Lyle on Apr 28, 2006 8:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
I don't know where you get that. If he was physically able to spin on inside pitches two weeks ago (2 bullets to RF in AZ off Batista, a seed off the RF wall in SF), then why not now? The only reason he hasn't pulled a HR is becuase he's hit 4 or 5 balls well enough, but just too low.
Remember, as I said above, it was only 2 weeks ago everybody was saying he could still turn on inside pitches, but didn't have the drive in his legs to hurt you on an away pitch. Joe Morgan said it in LA, Bob Melvin in AZ, guys on ESPN, etc. Just because he's proven the latter half of their argument wrong doesn't mean the former is wrong, too. Also, his 4 HRs in Spring training? All to RF, and a couple of them real mammoth shots.
by Josh from Hollywood on Apr 28, 2006 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
by Josh from Hollywood on Apr 28, 2006 11:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
totally destroys that defense
by bacci40 on Apr 27, 2006 10:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
by victor frankenstein on Apr 28, 2006 4:21 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
And, yes, Bonds can pull a homerun. I hope we see some pitches on the inside from pitchers who have decided he can't.
by Sayhey on Apr 28, 2006 8:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's easier for Bonds to pull a HR
by Salemicus on Apr 28, 2006 8:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
by TimSchultz on Apr 28, 2006 9:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: can Bonds pull a HR?
Tank yoo velly much, Massa Teem. I go back in kitchen now. Evelything OK.
by victor frankenstein on Apr 28, 2006 6:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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