Each team's sweetest swings

[Moose Milligan]

Man, they're really grasping at straws for new content...

https://www.mlb.com/news/sweetest-swings-for-every-mlb-team

Orioles: Rafael Palmeiro, 1B, LHH
Years with team: 1994-98, 2004-05

The Orioles have never wanted for sweet left-handed swings, thanks to the likes of Brady Anderson, Harold Baines, Ken Singleton, Will Clark (briefly) and many others. But few in MLB history have ever matched the aesthetic heights brought to the box by Palmeiro, whose effortlessly elegant stroke was the envy of so many over the span of his 20 MLB seasons. Easy, balanced and powerful, Palmiero’s swing inspired both fear and wonder, and seemed to fold into itself with perfect symmetry, like something found in nature. Perhaps Brad Ausmus said it best to ESPN in 2005: “It’s almost as if the bat is swinging itself.” Watch Palmeiro's swing >

 

[interloper]

Can't argue with this. 

[murph]

Man I wish Raffy had played clean and could go into the Hall.   Think he would go in as an Oriole? 

[SteveA]

I don't know if it counts as a "sweet swing" but I loved the way Eddie would uncoil and jump all over a mistake pitch that was up in the middle of the plate.

[Moose Milligan]

32 minutes ago, murph said:

Man I wish Raffy had played clean and could go into the Hall.   Think he would go in as an Oriole? 

I always thought he'd have gone in as a Ranger.  Hit his 500th homer there, played slightly longer there, was slightly better there.  

[murph]

Yea makes sense.  I think that is why he tried to come back as a 53 year old to convince everyone that if he could do it at that age, he didn't need the juice anyway.   He did put a nice .919OPS at that age in independent AA, still pretty impressive even with limited playing time. 

[DrungoHazewood]

I'd be more interested in an article on each franchise's most absurd stances/swings.  Tony Batista, Disco Dan Ford.  Mickey Tettleton.  Cal probably had one during the 5-8th innings of May 17, 1988, but then changed it.

[murph]

3 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I'd be more interested in an article on each franchise's most absurd stances/swings.  Tony Batista, Disco Dan Ford.  Mickey Tettleton.  Cal probably had one during the 5-8th innings of May 17, 1988, but then changed it.

Lee May?  Remember him moving like crazy up until he started his swing.

[DrungoHazewood]

3 minutes ago, murph said:

Lee May?  Remember him moving like crazy up until he started his swing.

One of the disappointing things about reams of data and video is the standardization of everything towards common, most efficient solutions.  Coaches look at someone contorting themselves into knots at the plate and tell them to cut it out and stand up straight, even if they're hitting .400.

[Aristotelian]

3 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I'd be more interested in an article on each franchise's most absurd stances/swings.  Tony Batista, Disco Dan Ford.  Mickey Tettleton.  Cal probably had one during the 5-8th innings of May 17, 1988, but then changed it.

Batista might have the craziest stance of all time, but I think of him more as a Blue Jay than an Oriole. 

[Moose Milligan]

4 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I'd be more interested in an article on each franchise's most absurd stances/swings.  Tony Batista, Disco Dan Ford.  Mickey Tettleton.  Cal probably had one during the 5-8th innings of May 17, 1988, but then changed it.

I was going to see how those stances worked out for Cal that day but unfortunately they didn't play  

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/?date=1988-05-17

[LA2]

9 hours ago, SteveA said:

I don't know if it counts as a "sweet swing" but I loved the way Eddie would uncoil and jump all over a mistake pitch that was up in the middle of the plate.

I think the coiling and uncoiling disqualifies him, although, yes, his swing never seemed as violent as one would expect.

[OsEatAlEast]

Not the sweetest but one of the craziest swings in my memory bank.

[OsEatAlEast]

I've always wondered if more righthanders would make these kinds of lists if the centerfield camera was set up predominantly over a pitchers left shoulder. Instead of the right like it has been historically.

[DrungoHazewood]

22 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

Batista might have the craziest stance of all time, but I think of him more as a Blue Jay than an Oriole. 

I don't know if he's any crazier than Johnny Wockenfuss, who somehow stood with both feet on the back line of the box.