From Ted Williams to Ken Griffey Jr. to Bryce Harper, the MLB has seen its fair share of sweet strokes––some of the prettiest swings in baseball history were swung far before any of our births. On the heels of my 10 Prettiest Jump Shots in the NBA blog, here are my 10 prettiest swings in MLB history.
10. Joe Mauer
With a surprisingly sweet stroke for a former catcher, Joe Mauer won three batting titles over four seasons and has a career .308 batting average. His short stride and quick bat-path to the baseball gives him a nice, easy looking swing. As one of the most underrated players ever, the 6x All-Star also finishes his swing nice and long with two hands on the bat, which looks so good after just hitting a bomb.
9. Chipper Jones
Chipper Jones, the former Braves third baseman, had one of the nicest strokes from both sides of the plate. Jones became the prototype switch-hitter at an early point in his career because of his consistency––he hit a career .304 (.305 as a righty, .304 as a lefty). His mechanics differed slightly from opposite sides of the plate; as a right-handed batter, he kept two hands on the bat and cut his follow-through a little short, but as a lefty he released his top hand after making contact and had a slightly longer follow through. One of the best to ever switch-hit, Jones had an absolutely mesmerizing swing.
8. Darryl Strawberry
The big leg kick and the long stride heads Darryl Strawberry’s unconventional swing. With a very direct bat-path, the former 8x All-Star and ROY never raised the bat above his shoulder, giving him a very effortless looking swing. His easy stroke was effective; he recorded 5 top-5 seasons in NL home runs (first in ‘88). Strawberry never finished his swing very high, which deducts him a few points in my book, but his high leg kick easily makes up for it.
7. Mike Trout
Mike Trout has been widely regarded as one of the best hitters in baseball since the moment he broke into the MLB. He sports a wide stance with a short and sweet swing that makes you feel all warm inside. He’s got one of the most consistent swings regardless of pitch location, and it’s shown up on the stat sheet––he’s got a career .306/.410/.978 in 8 seasons. He has an underrated leg kick and finishes his swing across his body instead of over his shoulder.
6. Will Clark
Although lacking much career success due to injury, Clark played 15 years and hit a career .303 with 284 home runs. His closed stance, bat movement, and follow through composed one of the most imitated swings by young ballplayers during his time. He was nicknamed “The Natural,” and for good reason: He had one of the most natural looking swings I’ve ever seen.
5. Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper has, in my opinion, the prettiest swing in baseball right now. He has so much power in his stroke and can hit the longball while simultaneously covering all sides of the strike zone. He’s got a wide stance and generates such a fast bat speed that he often has a very eccentric follow through. His powerful swing has led to a lot of bat flips––the 2015 NL MVP already has 158 home runs in his young career and many more yet to come.
4. Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramirez had one of the most iconic swings in Red Sox history––one that I grew up modeling mine after. As a righty batter, it’s difficult to have what people would call a “sweet swing,” but Manny had it; he had the big leg kick, the short stride, the powerful hips, and he always finished his swing like he just hit a ball 500 feet. I have half a mind to say that Manny popularized bat flipping after his no-doubt walk-off in game two of the 2007 ALDS. The man had one of the sweetest right-handed swings of all time; just Manny being Manny.
3. Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds is to baseball what Steve Jobs is to technology, and his swing produced more home runs than any other swing in MLB history (762). Once considered a demigod in the batter’s box, Bonds’ powerful swing was one that dismantled baseballs on a regular basis. To those of you for whom the thought “yeah, but he juiced” creeped into your head: Steroids don’t help your swing mechanics, and Bonds had one of the smoothest, most powerfully-efficient swings in baseball history.
2. David Ortiz
Call me a Red Sox homer; I dare you. I don’t care if you’ve never watched a lick of baseball––if you don’t think Big Papi’s swing is gorgeous I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Ortiz’s swing––his big leg kick, his hands dropping then rising to contact, his high finish with one hand as he’s falling back––was so pretty that it made Angels fans stand (see above). Big Papi is immortalized in Red Sox history for his heroics and his consistency, and he’s easily one of the best home run hitters to ever play the game.
1. Ken Griffey Jr.
How does one define biomechanical perfection? Answer: Ken Griffey Jr.’s swing. Every baseball-lover born in the last 25 years has tried to mimic The Kid’s unmistakable stroke. Stay closed, make a quick bat-path to the baseball, get your hips through, finish your swing high: These are all things that batting coaches preach, and Griffey Jr. was the perfect model. Honestly, I’d be dumb to not put him at No. 1.
(Statistics via Baseball-Reference, GIFs via GIPHY)
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