Swing, Battah

I saw in the paper yesterday that the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber is going back to the batting stance he used in college.  Schwarber told the Tribune that, after a number of changes in the wake of a .211 BA in 2017, “I’m going to go back to being simple.  Squat, put the foot down and go hit.”  Sounds like a bigger version of Matt Stairs to me, but go for it, I say.

 

Hitting is all about bats and stances, along with a modicum of talent.  Clare started off like a little Jeff Bagwell, feet spread so far apart I thought she’d snap.  Then there was a little bit of a front-leg kick followed by years of fighting with her dad.  Eventually, she would alternate between a straightaway stance and a slightly closed one, with her front (left) foot pointing to first base.  There was also a slight stride into the pitch and a slight wagging of the bat as the pitcher got ready to throw the ball.  Clare didn’t get there all at once, but, once she arrived, the balls did fly.

 

I’m sure that’s what Schwarber remembers and wants to regain.  For my money, he has a pretty clean stroke, compact even for a power hitter.  Personally, I believe in keeping it simple, unlike, say, the helicoptering antics of Kevin Youkilis with a bat or the approach that Tony Batista took.  A 14^th century clock had fewer moving parts than Batista’s stance and swing.

 

So, not everyone can do it simple, in which case it pays to remember the advice of the late and astute Bill Robinson, who once said, “A good hitting instructor is able to mold his teachings to the individual.”  That kind of coach knows, “If a guy stands on his head, you perfect that.”

 

At least with Kyle Schwarber, he’s already right-side-up.