Rating Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and the ten Sweetest Swings in MLB Right this moment

Everyone knows Ken Griffey Jr. had the sweetest swing in MLB historical past, and that making an attempt to match anybody’s stroke to that of The Pure can be blasphemy.

However who does have the sweetest swing in in the present day’s recreation?

I will let you know proper now, this was one of many hardest participant rankings I’ve ever executed. There are mountains of information to be discovered between Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, Statcast and the like, however there is not any column in a spreadsheet for “swing sweetness.” That makes this rating way more anecdotal than empirical; extra private choice than irrefutable proof.

All the identical, there is a motive that the constantly nice hitters are constantly nice, and it is their candy swings.

So let’s depend down the highest 10, ranked in ascending order of greatness.

Honorable Mentions: Cody Bellinger, Xander Bogaerts, Adolis García, Matt Olson, José Ramírez, Julio Rodríguez, Adley Rutschman, Corey Seager, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo

2024 Stats: .259 AVG, .328 SLG, 0 HR

Profession Stats: .324 AVG, .424 SLG, 24 HR

For essentially the most half, we’ll be specializing in candy swings that generate a number of energy.

However how might we put collectively this checklist with out together with the modern-day model of Tony Gwynn?

Luis Arráez was the explanation Aaron Decide did not win the Triple Crown in 2022, ending 5 factors forward of the Yankees slugger with a .316 batting common. And after getting traded to the Marlins, he gained one other batting crown with a .354 common in 2023—the very best such mark in a 162-game season since Josh Hamilton hit .359 in 2010, and the primary undisputed*, full-season** winner of each an AL and NL crown.

All of it begins with Arráez’s impeccable means to, you already know, hit the ball. He struck out in simply 5.5 % of plate appearances final season, which was the lowest rate by a participant in a season with not less than 500 plate appearances since Jeff Keppinger in 2008. And in every of his six seasons within the majors, Arráez has made contact on not less than 90 % of his swings, which is very unusual.

Not solely does he make contact, however he is additionally elite at placing it the place they ain’t. He can pull a house run every so often, however he is so good at inside-outting a slap single or depositing the ball into no-man’s land behind second/brief together with his compact stage swing.

He is simply the final word nuisance to opposing pitchers.

*Ed Delahanty’s 1902 AL batting crown is disputed, with some information crediting it to Nap Lajoie.

**DJ LeMahieu gained the 2020 AL batting title, albeit in a 60-game season.

2024 Stats: .204 AVG, .426 SLG, 3 HR

Profession Stats: .280 AVG, .520 SLG, 309 HR

Of all of the gamers on this checklist, Bryce Harper’s is the swing I most attempt (and miserably fail) to emulate as an outdated man taking part in slow-pitch softball—and I do not even bat left-handed.

What’s fascinating about Harper, although, is that he would not at all times do the identical factor when he is loading up. Typically he’ll deliver his entrance foot again and place it on the bottom for a split-second earlier than virtually restarting the swinging movement. Different instances, he’ll cock that proper knee again, however with out placing his foot again on the bottom.

It is in all probability extra of a unconscious timing factor than a premeditated determination on how a lot he seems like coiling earlier than the pitch, however with each approaches, the impact is like pulling again the plunger on a pinball machine earlier than coming again by way of with a ton of power.

With all that ahead momentum, by the point he hits the ball, Harper is commonly barely even conserving contact with the bottom together with his again foot. Again in his Washington Nationals days, it wasn’t unusual for that again foot to be a great inch or two within the air when bat met ball, as all of his power after which some had been transferred to that entrance leg.

No matter whether or not he is resetting that entrance foot or staying on the bottom with the again foot, every thing above the waist is image good. He will get his hips round so quick and generates a lot bat velocity. When he finds the candy spot, overlook about it.

2024 Stats: .204 AVG, .407 SLG, 2 HR

Profession Stats: .280 AVG, .583 SLG, 259 HR

There isn’t any query Aaron Decide has one of the highly effective swings within the historical past of baseball. He is one in all simply 5 gamers with a career ISO (SLG-AVG) of .300 or better, alongside Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Josh Gibson.

All that tells you is what you already knew about Decide: When he hits the ball, it normally goes far.

It is unfair what he is ready to do together with his 6’7″, 282-pound body.

When he is within the batter’s field, he seems to be like Will Ferrell doing a scene in Santa’s workshop in Elf, hunched down a bit, virtually making an attempt to cover the truth that he’s comically bigger than simply about everybody else who’s ever tasked with hitting a baseball. Despite the fact that he makes use of a bigger bat than most (35 in., 33 oz.) it seems to be like he is wielding a toothpick up there.

When Decide will get full extension and barrels up that toothpick, although, mercy.

Per Baseball Savant, Decide ranked within the one hundredth percentile in each common exit velocity and exhausting hit proportion in every of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

However why, oh why, would you ever throw this man a fastball?

Heading into this season, Decide was a profession .320 hitter and a .670 slugger in his 1,996 plate appearances that ended on fastballs. He struck out in a modest 23.1 % of these. In opposition to breaking balls, these marks drop to .244, .499 and 36.8, respectively, in 1,099 plate appearances. And in opposition to offspeed stuff, even worse marks of .201, .426 and 36.6, respectively, in 470 plate appearances.

Due to that, he lands a bit outdoors the highest 5, even if Decide’s moonshots are as aesthetically pleasing because it will get.

2024 Stats: .339 AVG, .710 SLG, 4 HR

Profession Stats: .269 AVG, .474 SLG, 54 HR

Bobby Witt Jr. will possible be essentially the most controversial alternative on the checklist.

If something, although, I worry he could be underrated at No. 7.

He is not even 24 years outdated but, however he has already established himself as among the finest within the enterprise. Heck, earlier than he even made his massive league debut, his swing was already being compared to that of Mike Trout.

There are appreciable variations, for certain. Trout has way more of a leg kick and extra motion together with his bat earlier than the pitch arrives, whereas Witt is extra statuesque on the dish earlier than bringing his sledgehammer by way of the zone with an impeccable quantity of energy.

They’re fairly comparable swings from a pair of phenoms, although.

The query early on was whether or not Witt would be capable to complement that energy with sufficient on-base proportion (and glovework) to again up all the five-tool hype. He hit 20 residence runs as a rookie, however he had a 98 wRC+ and a 102 OPS+ which left him trying like a borderline replacement-level participant.

He kicked it up a few notches final 12 months, although, and has been all kinds of particular early within the present marketing campaign, reinforcing the brilliance of Kansas Metropolis’s determination to present him an 11-year deal price almost $300 million this previous offseason.

Witt might properly win his first (of a number of?) AL MVP trophy this 12 months.

2024 Stats: .364 AVG, .712 SLG, 6 HR

Profession Stats: .295 AVG, .529 SLG, 258 HR

What Mookie Betts does higher than possibly anybody within the recreation is tucking his again elbow in near his physique on the level of contact with the ball.

Some guys will do it by chance in the event that they swing at one thing inside the plate, however Betts can one way or the other do it even on pitches which might be barely within the strike zone on the outer half.

It is why he has been such an ideal pull hitter. That again elbow motion virtually forces him to swing in such a approach that his proper palm is pointed on the sky whereas his left palm is pointed on the floor, which is nice for the ol’ launch angle.

And, to be clear, he will get nice extension together with his arms earlier than that elbow tuck.

In the mean time when his entrance foot hits the grime, his again elbow is again behind his ear and the bat is an efficient two toes away from his physique. He merely tucks that elbow as he is coming by way of with the identical repetitive movement that you simply would possibly anticipate to see from somebody who has bowled a couple of dozen 300s in his life.

Most pitchers attempt to pitch Betts down and away to power him to increase his swing, however give him one thing down and in over the plate and he’s possible going to destroy it.

2024 Stats: .255 AVG, .314 SLG, 0 HR

Profession Stats: .291 AVG, .532 SLG, 161 HR

Ronald Acuña Jr. has been in a slugging hunch to this point this season, but it surely ought to solely be a matter of time earlier than he snaps out of it, contemplating he has arguably the sweetest right-handed swing within the recreation in the present day.

All of us marveled on the 73 stolen bases final 12 months, however what’s actually ridiculous is that he obtained to that mark regardless of racking up 80 extra-base hits and slugging north of .550 for the fourth time in his first six seasons within the majors.

Stolen bases are purported to be the work of singles hitters, however this speedy outfielder is a slugger of the very best order.

Acuña had 41 residence runs final season, which is identical mark he reached in 2019. And he was working at a 162-game tempo of 47 residence runs in 2021 previous to struggling that torn ACL.

His exit velocity was down significantly in 2022, maybe partly as a result of he rushed again from that proper knee damage. Exploding off that leg simply wasn’t as possible/repeatable for him in that first 12 months again.

However he was clearly all the way in which again final 12 months, routinely trying like a cobra on the plate, coiled and able to strike with among the greatest arm extension for a hitter that you’re going to ever see. When he is in a groove, it is like he is swinging some kind of trebuchet up there, launching balls 450 toes into the seats.

2024 Stats: .302 AVG, .397 SLG, 1 HR

Profession Stats: .301 AVG, .513 SLG, 322 HR

Few gamers have ever hit as properly into their mid-30s as Freddie Freeman has.

Then once more, few gamers have ever regarded as perpetually snug, assured and as within the zone on the dish because the 34-year-old has all through his profession.

Freeman has posted an OPS+ of 132 or higher in every of the previous 11 seasons, usually with a batting common north of .300. Outdoors of a few accidents in 2015 and 2017, he performs virtually each recreation of each season, and he by no means appears to endure any kind of prolonged slumps.

What Freeman does in addition to anybody within the enterprise is just taking what the pitchers give him.

Pitch him away and he’ll lace one to the other hole, the place he deposited a dozen residence runs simply final season. Alternatively, he would possibly flare it proper down the third-base line for a double, which we noticed a ton of in 2023 en path to his MLB-best 59 two-baggers. However godspeed if you wish to pitch him on the internal half and permit him to activate one.

A giant motive he has been in a position to make use of the complete discipline all through his profession is his means to maintain his head locked in virtually over the plate. He type of falls towards/over the plate together with his again leg after he swings, however he is not off-balance. It is simply what his momentum does whereas he is watching the ball into the bat higher than anybody.

2024 Stats: .328 AVG, .574 SLG, 4 HR

Profession Stats: .296 AVG, .588 SLG, 133 HR

In the event you needed to sum up Yordan Alvarez’s swing in simply two phrases, what would you go along with?

Deadly lefty?

Houston hammer?

How about we abandon the alliteration and go along with: Managed violence.

For many mere mortals, making an attempt to duplicate Alvarez’s swing can be a wonderful technique to pull a number of muscle tissues in your core and/or find yourself flat in your face within the grime. But, he makes it look so good.

By the point he makes contact with the ball, he is already beginning to roll his entrance ankle to the purpose the place he actually simply has the surface of his proper foot firmly planted within the grime. He additionally has his again toes barely on the bottom and sliding towards the surface of the batter’s field behind his physique.

It is virtually like he is levitating whereas throwing his sledgehammer on the pitch, however he has a lot higher physique power and pulls his hips open with a lot power that the pop of the ball off Alvarez’s bat is second to none.

And whereas the taters (particularly his propensity for hitting them in October) are the first draw, averaging 44 per 162 video games performed in his profession, he is additionally darn close to a .300 profession hitter who’s completely happy to flare one down the third-base line for successful if you are going to attempt to pitch him away.

2024 Stats: .283 AVG, .679 SLG, 6 HR

Profession Stats: .300 AVG, .583 SLG, 374 HR

Due to the period of time Mike Trout has spent on the IL over the previous three seasons, we sometimes want reminders of how outrageously proficient he will be when wholesome.

Up to now this season, he is offering that reminder by main the majors in residence runs and placing out at a drastically decrease price than he had been in recent times.

By way of all of the accidents, Trout’s swing has at all times been a factor of magnificence.

He has way more of a leg kick than most gamers nowadays, but it surely’s such an ideal timing mechanism for him. As quickly because the pitcher’s plant foot is hitting the bottom, Trout is lifting his entrance leg to begin that highly effective stride.

What would not transfer even slightly bit, although, is his head. Whereas he is loading up and moving into that picture-perfect stance, his chin is virtually glued to his left shoulder. That is how he is capable of join the barrel of his bat to the incoming ball higher than principally everybody on an annual foundation.

Per Baseball Savant, Trout’s xSLG (anticipated slugging proportion) has ranked within the 97th percentile or higher in eight of the previous 10 seasons. The lone exceptions have been in 2021 when he did not play sufficient to qualify (however did slug .624 for the 36 video games he performed), and final season when he was nonetheless within the 92nd percentile regardless of a .490 slugging proportion that completely paled compared to what he had executed over the earlier 11 years.

Fingers crossed for a wholesome marketing campaign for a change. Baseball is simply higher after we’re getting to look at Trout do his factor.

2024 Stats: .343 AVG, .686 SLG, 4 HR

Profession Stats: .276 AVG, .570 SLG, 175 HR

The Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani $700 million with out understanding for certain if he’ll ever pitch once more.

So, yeah, he is obtained a fairly candy swing.

With Ohtani, there is not any wasted motion. Some sluggers have a pleasant massive stride that they generate energy from, however he would not even raise his entrance foot all the way in which off the bottom more often than not. He simply type of rises up on these entrance toes virtually like a ballerina earlier than dropping his heel proper again down the place he began. In the meantime, he is opening up his hips, shifting his weight from his again leg to his entrance leg and never even shifting his higher half till it is time to explode on the ball.

It is textbook.

It is attractive.

And it is why he has constantly ranked prime 10 within the majors in common exit velocity.

Ohtani does strike out a few quarter of the time, however, heck, that is simply baseball within the 2020s. It is a small worth to pay for a phenom who can hit a ball 450 or extra toes to the other discipline when he is within the zone.