Since I've been checking almost all MLB players' mechanics by using video clips, I came to be able to discern about where is the black position player from, especially as for Cuban, Dominican and American, by his hitting mechanics, in high rate.
So in this article, I'll write about difference and tendency of hitting mechanics among those three country's black player.
1) United States of America
Probably the reason why is that USA has long and rich history of baseball, its instruction policy seems like having somewhat authoritative attitude and placing importance on basic matters, compared with other countries. Add to this that American people generally appear to prefer taking practical and statistical approach on baseball. So, a lot of American players have, so to speak, simple and sturdy hitting mechanics while coexisting with it somewhat rough touch appearances like their products made in USA. Of course, those tendency can be adopted for white players, but they almost all are from USA, in the first place. It doesn't holds as a quiz to me.
Concretely, many of American black players take a small stride, which probably means they attempt to raise their batting average in many cases, for example, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, Jason Heyward, Matt Kemp, etc.
In addition, compared with other country's black players, quite a few of them have a compact, tight and short swing, and that probably also is for batting average, for example, Justin Upton, Vernon Wells, Jason Heyward, Cameron Maybin, etc.
Vernon Wells; A Typical Example of American Black Player's Hitting Mechanics; It can't be that Cuban or Dominican swings like him. This is the American hitting mechanics. Of course, this tendency can be seen commonly with some of American white players: Chris Johnson, Freddie Freeman, Mark Trumbo, Jason Wearth, namely, this is a form of the American style, and I think that is like a symbol of a word, American pragmatism of which I don't know the definition very much.
Plus, American hitters, regardless of race, have another characteristic skill, that is, they created and have been practicing a new-style stride since the early 2000's. David Wright and B.J. Upton are typical examples of it. This stride now has come to be instructed even on Youtube.
As for that stride, thinking from instructive perspective, it might mean partitioning between stride and swing. As Charley Lau used to say, a popular instruction saying,"Don't do the stride and swing at once." can be said as one of the important basics of hitting skills still now. However, it also can be said that stride and swing are two important sections of a series of linking motion that shouldn't be cut into pieces. So I can't unconditionally agree on this American-style stride, and the primary reason why I can't agree on it is that the American-style is as essentially same as no-stride mechanics.
Then, let me itemize the characteristics of American black players' hitting mechanics:
●Compact and tight swing
●Short and small stride
●American-style stride
For example, Curtis Granderson is one of the typical case of it. People who was born and raised in Cuba or Dominica would hardly ever learn this kind of mechanics.
2) Republic of Cuba
The Cuban Style Finish: Left: Frederich Cepeda (Cuba) Right: Vinny Castilla (Mexico)
In the case of American players (regardless nationality, players who were raised in America), they seem to have a tendency that when they release their top hands in follow through, they extend and brake their arms in front area of their bodies and not pull their hands toward their backs. Alex Rodriguez, B.J.Upton, Mark Trumbo, Manny Ramirez (immigrated to new york at the age of 13) and Albert Pujols (immigrated to Kansas city at the age of 16) are typical cases of it.
Of course, these are just a mere tendency and there are many exception cases, but, by and large, that tendency holds true for Cuban and American hitters, and it speaks of their hitting attitude due to their baseball history and environment.
While both Cuban and American do the short and quick stride from comparatively wide stance, Cuban has aggressive, dynamic swing and American has tight, compact swing. So it can be said that a hitting mechanics that has short and quick stride from wide stance is able to be applied to various kind of hitting style, ranging from the 'sure contact hitter' to the 'home run or strike out hitter'. For example, Justin morneau, Vernon Wells and Shin-Soo Choo are the former, and Reggie Jackson, Jim Thome and Jose Canseco are the later.
By the way, what makes this difference between Cuban hitters and American hitters? In other words, why most American hitters put emphasis in contact more than Cuban hitters? The answer probably is that American hitters have opposed superior pitchers who gathered from all over the world. Meanwhile, Cuban baseball has been closed against foreign players since the Cuban Revolution, which took place from 1953 to 1959. As it turns out, cuban hitters lost opportunity to oppose superb pitchers being all over the world, and they would come to enjoy hitting a ball as far as possible from relatively easy pitchers.
Fidel Castro
This circumstance around Cuban baseball is, so to speak, a form of Galapagosization, also known as Galapagos syndrome. As far as watching WBC game, Cuban baseball is slightly, but obviously different from other Latin American baseball, and it has shown somewhat out-of-date flavor over a various range of aspects.
3) Dominican Republic
As for dominican baseball, it seems like a polar opposite to the Cuban baseball, that is, dominican baseball seems to regard itself as a market for MLB rather than as their own baseball, and an organization Dominican Prospect League appears to symbolize what dominican baseball is. Probably, therefore, many dominican players seem to put forward their personal ability and chose their play style considering how to attract major league baseball industry to themselves.
Specifically, some or many of them having somewhat good physiques tend to lift their front leg high and swing largely. Conversely, players having relatively good speed apparently tend to become a switch-hitter.
A typical Dominican power hitter's mechanics; If he wears MLB uniform, I will find out that he is a Dominican player.
So in this article, I'll write about difference and tendency of hitting mechanics among those three country's black player.
1) United States of America
Probably the reason why is that USA has long and rich history of baseball, its instruction policy seems like having somewhat authoritative attitude and placing importance on basic matters, compared with other countries. Add to this that American people generally appear to prefer taking practical and statistical approach on baseball. So, a lot of American players have, so to speak, simple and sturdy hitting mechanics while coexisting with it somewhat rough touch appearances like their products made in USA. Of course, those tendency can be adopted for white players, but they almost all are from USA, in the first place. It doesn't holds as a quiz to me.
Concretely, many of American black players take a small stride, which probably means they attempt to raise their batting average in many cases, for example, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, Jason Heyward, Matt Kemp, etc.
In addition, compared with other country's black players, quite a few of them have a compact, tight and short swing, and that probably also is for batting average, for example, Justin Upton, Vernon Wells, Jason Heyward, Cameron Maybin, etc.
Vernon Wells; A Typical Example of American Black Player's Hitting Mechanics; It can't be that Cuban or Dominican swings like him. This is the American hitting mechanics. Of course, this tendency can be seen commonly with some of American white players: Chris Johnson, Freddie Freeman, Mark Trumbo, Jason Wearth, namely, this is a form of the American style, and I think that is like a symbol of a word, American pragmatism of which I don't know the definition very much.
Plus, American hitters, regardless of race, have another characteristic skill, that is, they created and have been practicing a new-style stride since the early 2000's. David Wright and B.J. Upton are typical examples of it. This stride now has come to be instructed even on Youtube.
As for that stride, thinking from instructive perspective, it might mean partitioning between stride and swing. As Charley Lau used to say, a popular instruction saying,"Don't do the stride and swing at once." can be said as one of the important basics of hitting skills still now. However, it also can be said that stride and swing are two important sections of a series of linking motion that shouldn't be cut into pieces. So I can't unconditionally agree on this American-style stride, and the primary reason why I can't agree on it is that the American-style is as essentially same as no-stride mechanics.
Then, let me itemize the characteristics of American black players' hitting mechanics:
●Compact and tight swing
●Short and small stride
●American-style stride
For example, Curtis Granderson is one of the typical case of it. People who was born and raised in Cuba or Dominica would hardly ever learn this kind of mechanics.
2) Republic of Cuba
Cuban style baseball is, to put it nicely, agressive and thrilling, but on the other hand, it still seems to remain somewhat primitive taste. As far as I know, their play style mainly depends on their physical ability, and most of them swing as hard as they can. As for hitting mechanics, they mostly have a small stride. However it probably is not for batting average, but for they know that width of stride doesn't matter about power production, because they have watched Omar Linares. As an evidence of it, a dynamically big swing is their another primary special product. "Big swing from small stride" is their trademark.
Alfredo Despaigne, a typical example of cuban swing: Most of them take short and quick stride from wide stance and swing so hard with their elastic and strong muscle. They continuously have been adopting this hitting approach since the 1980s.
Add to this that their swing has characteristic follow through, which can classified into two types. First, this is the most characteristic point of cuban swing, that is, in the case of swinging with both hands to the finish, their barrel knock their back at finish. When I think about this follow through, I remember nobody but Omar Linares, and after his era, in the 1990s, some of major leaguers showed that follow through: Vinny Castilla, Mike Piazza and Carlos Beltran, which might be an influence of Omar Linares and other cuban hitters.
The Cuban Style Finish: Left: Frederich Cepeda (Cuba) Right: Vinny Castilla (Mexico)
As for the second characteristic point, it doesn't so much separate cuban hitters from other countries' hitters compared with the first point, but it still expresses their hitting attitude very well. I mean, when cuban hitter releases his top hand in follow through, that follow through draws comparatively bigger arc than American's it, in many cases.
In the case of American players (regardless nationality, players who were raised in America), they seem to have a tendency that when they release their top hands in follow through, they extend and brake their arms in front area of their bodies and not pull their hands toward their backs. Alex Rodriguez, B.J.Upton, Mark Trumbo, Manny Ramirez (immigrated to new york at the age of 13) and Albert Pujols (immigrated to Kansas city at the age of 16) are typical cases of it.
Of course, these are just a mere tendency and there are many exception cases, but, by and large, that tendency holds true for Cuban and American hitters, and it speaks of their hitting attitude due to their baseball history and environment.
While both Cuban and American do the short and quick stride from comparatively wide stance, Cuban has aggressive, dynamic swing and American has tight, compact swing. So it can be said that a hitting mechanics that has short and quick stride from wide stance is able to be applied to various kind of hitting style, ranging from the 'sure contact hitter' to the 'home run or strike out hitter'. For example, Justin morneau, Vernon Wells and Shin-Soo Choo are the former, and Reggie Jackson, Jim Thome and Jose Canseco are the later.
By the way, what makes this difference between Cuban hitters and American hitters? In other words, why most American hitters put emphasis in contact more than Cuban hitters? The answer probably is that American hitters have opposed superior pitchers who gathered from all over the world. Meanwhile, Cuban baseball has been closed against foreign players since the Cuban Revolution, which took place from 1953 to 1959. As it turns out, cuban hitters lost opportunity to oppose superb pitchers being all over the world, and they would come to enjoy hitting a ball as far as possible from relatively easy pitchers.
Fidel Castro
This circumstance around Cuban baseball is, so to speak, a form of Galapagosization, also known as Galapagos syndrome. As far as watching WBC game, Cuban baseball is slightly, but obviously different from other Latin American baseball, and it has shown somewhat out-of-date flavor over a various range of aspects.
By the way, wile the quick and short stride from the wide batting stance has come to be adopted by many hitters in MLB since about the 1990s, Cuban hitters had already adopted it as a standard installation as of the late 1980s. That means that the formerly advanced skills of Cuban hitters have become a little bit obsolete nowadays because of the Galapagosization.
The cuban batting order at 1989; Although their mechanics would be in up-to-date at this point, those seem to have slightly passed into out-of-date nowadays.
In addition, Cuban hitters have another characteristic motion in terms of getting good timing in their stride motion, that is, some of them turn their front leg inward quickly when they take stride, for example, Alexi Ramirez, Dayan Viciedo and Alexi Bell are definite cases.
As this motion can be seen at the point of 1989 in Orestes Kindelan's hitting mechanics, it would be one of their conventional styles. Meanwhile, it should be considered that a Latino hero, Roberto Clement also had been doing it, so, that stride motion may be an influence of and homage to him.
Then, let me itemize the characteristics of Cuban hitters.
●Small and quick stride from wide stance
●Big, aggressive and dynamic swing (and two kinds of characteristic followthrough)
●Turning front leg inward quickly in the stride
Considering above items, Alexei Bell's mechanics can be said as a typical case of Cuban hitting mechanics.
3) Dominican Republic
As for dominican baseball, it seems like a polar opposite to the Cuban baseball, that is, dominican baseball seems to regard itself as a market for MLB rather than as their own baseball, and an organization Dominican Prospect League appears to symbolize what dominican baseball is. Probably, therefore, many dominican players seem to put forward their personal ability and chose their play style considering how to attract major league baseball industry to themselves.
Specifically, some or many of them having somewhat good physiques tend to lift their front leg high and swing largely. Conversely, players having relatively good speed apparently tend to become a switch-hitter.
A typical Dominican power hitter's mechanics; If he wears MLB uniform, I will find out that he is a Dominican player.
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