# Baseball's Sweetest Swing **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 14, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771 "2009-06-14T23:08:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/21 "2009-06-16T12:51:56Z")
For newer, younger players, I think that Adrian Gonzalez has a really nice, sweeping swing. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Derfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@Lord\_Derfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Derfel)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/22 "2009-06-16T15:11:39Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > There’s a promo for one of the local sports network’s baseball coverage that includes a video of Manny Ramirez swining, and it pauses at the moment of contact, then continues. Good God, the man has a beautiful swing. It’s absolutely perfect. No wasted energy. His head is motionless through his swing, his bat kept back, his follow-through perfect. His body position is perfect, his body always vertical and square to the plate. His wrist action is amazing. At the moment of contact he is applying maximum force to the ball with every ounce of strengh he and the 'roids have. > > It’s just a beautiful, beautiful swing. I know it’s sacreligious to say this, but it’s as good as Ted Williams’s swing and, dare I say it, maybe better. Too true. Even thought Sportsnet shows that clip every 5 minutes it seems, I still have to stop what I am doing and watch it. It’s the platonic ideal swing. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/23 "2009-06-16T15:32:19Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > but the ones I love the best are the break-the-mold unothodox ones. Rod Carew’s lazy, bat back stance Craig Counsell! Weirdest stance evah! ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/24 "2009-06-16T17:52:10Z")
It’s not just the swing, but I’ve always liked watching Gary Sheffield hit. His whole approach is so fierce. Darryl Strawberry had a great swing at the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/25 "2009-06-16T18:53:20Z")
Anyone else think Pujols’ swing is weird for how great a hitter he is? He crouches down so much. ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/26 "2009-06-16T19:37:38Z")
Got to agree on Junior’s, just perfect. Josh Hamilton’s is really nice too. [Here](http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Hitting/ProfessionalHitterAnalyses/index.html)is a neat site with a few different hitters’ swings slowed down frame by frame in .gif format. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/27 "2009-06-16T19:38:27Z")
Manny’s swing is truly a work of art, but I can name about a dozen lefties with sweeter swings. I think there should be a separate righty list that includes Ryan Braun and Evan Longoria. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/28 "2009-06-16T19:45:54Z")
> [@Stringer](#): > > Anyone else think Pujols’ swing is weird for how great a hitter he is? He crouches down so much. Pujols swing is devastatingly effective, but not particularly “sweet” or “beautiful”. If anything its a bit brutalist - someone (perhaps on this board) described it as “premeditated baseball murder” which seems about right. He’s extremely quiet in the body and hands with a minimal “load” phase, and then explodes violently. Here’s a breakdown of Pujols swing: [link](http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Hitting/RethinkingHitting/Essays/BreakingDownAlbertPujolsSwing.html) ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771/29 "2009-06-16T22:38:58Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Pujols swing is devastatingly effective, but not particularly “sweet” or “beautiful”. If anything its a bit brutalist - someone (perhaps on this board) described it as “premeditated baseball murder” which seems about right. He’s extremely quiet in the body and hands with a minimal “load” phase, and then explodes violently. > > Here’s a breakdown of Pujols swing: [link](http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Hitting/RethinkingHitting/Essays/BreakingDownAlbertPujolsSwing.html) Good post, thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseballs-sweetest-swing/499771.md?page=1)