Another thread deviated to becoming a topic about the MLB player with the best swing. Seems like it was focusing on the 1980's to early 90's. While I thought "Junior" and "Will the Thrill" had ageless swings, reflecting back I have to consider my favorite batter of that era to have been Tony Gwynn. The man approached his at-bats having researched not only his swings but also the opposing pitcher (before it was as broken down as it is now).
From Larry Brown Sports:
Maddux didn’t strike Gwynn out a single time — NOT ONCE.
And Maddux knew it. On Monday, ESPN’s Ethan Strauss reminded us about a fantastic quote that Maddux once had about Gwynn that summed up his sensational career. The righthander was discussing how changing speeds and having control are far more important than velocity, because no hitter can tell the exact speed of a pitch. Well, except one…
“You just can’t do it,” Maddux said. “Sometimes hitters can pick up differences in spin. They can identify pitches if there are different release points or if a curveball starts with an upward hump as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. But if a pitcher can change speeds, every hitter is helpless, limited by human vision.
“Except for that (expletive) Tony Gwynn.”
From Larry Brown Sports:
Maddux didn’t strike Gwynn out a single time — NOT ONCE.
And Maddux knew it. On Monday, ESPN’s Ethan Strauss reminded us about a fantastic quote that Maddux once had about Gwynn that summed up his sensational career. The righthander was discussing how changing speeds and having control are far more important than velocity, because no hitter can tell the exact speed of a pitch. Well, except one…
“You just can’t do it,” Maddux said. “Sometimes hitters can pick up differences in spin. They can identify pitches if there are different release points or if a curveball starts with an upward hump as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. But if a pitcher can change speeds, every hitter is helpless, limited by human vision.
“Except for that (expletive) Tony Gwynn.”
