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Tuesday, July 08, 2008

BDD: Eisenberg: Different Ways to Be Great: Reggie Jackson and Paul Molitor

Straw-drink...you know the rest.

This article begins what will be an on-going series that will look at how the all-time great players in Major League Baseball history became the players they were in terms of the mechanics they used.

We start with a couple of the best hitters in major league history in Reggie Jackson and Paul Molitor.  Of course, like almost every great hitter, both players possessed great hand-eye coordination and the ability to center the ball, which allowed each player to make consistent, hard contact.  However, each player became great using very different styles and approaches.

...Notice how his elbow moves behind him.  This is Jackson loading his hands. There must be some sort of loading process to produce sufficient power.  To generate true home-run power, there has to be some sort of loading process.

At the end of this clip, notice the back foot dragging forward.  This is the sign of intent to swing hard.

Repoz Posted: July 08, 2008 at 12:14 AM | 2 comment(s)
  Related News: GeneralHistorySabermetrics

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   1. Walt Davis Posted: July 08, 2008 at 12:36 AM (#2848353)
each player to make consistent, hard contact.

Although a wuss by today's standards, I am fairly sure this is the first time the career leader in Ks has been described as making consistent contact.

"Hard" is a bit open to question as well. Jackson's career on-contact numbers are 355/665 -- very good but far from historic (and again rather pedestrian today).

Molitor is a different kettle of fish. First, his career OPS+ is just 122 which is nothing special for an HoFer -- hardly one of the best hitters in ML history, even among those with at least 8000 PAs, he's tied for 91st. And his career ISO was just 142 so "hard" is pretty broad there. Obviously he's a paragon of contact compared to Jackson but he still K'd about 1 per 8 AB. He's in the HoF because he passed 3,000 hits (and then some). On-contact, he hit 346/506.

Mostly beside the point of the article I know, I just found it odd to describe those guys that way.
   2. Jose Can Jussi Jokinen (Justin T) Posted: July 08, 2008 at 12:38 AM (#2848355)
This seems like a good place to brag that after I won $1400 in a NL Hold 'Em tourney at the card room last Thursday I purchased a 1973 throwback Reggie Jackson A's jersey. Can't wait for it to get here!
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