Did Ken Griffey Jr have the sweetest swing in baseball?
- Thread starter Mr. Potter
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He had a pretty swing. Rafael Palmerio did too.
Everything about Jr was cool. I hate when old fogies (older and fogier than me that is) complain about kids wearing their hat backwards or the way kids tape their bat or laces their glove or whatever. Jr did all that stuff and he is an all-timer
Yeah, Gotta go with Will the Thrill, even though Junior was a much better player. Lefties definitely prevail in this particular area. By a wide margin.
I must politely say no!
The baseball announcers, at the time, said that Frank Thomas had the sweetest swing in baseball.
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I've followed baseball for over 6 decades, and I have no idea what a "sweet swing" is. If such a thing existed, then Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Wille Mays, Hank Aaron, and George Brett, at least, had sweet swings. But swings aren't sweet, they're powerful or smooth or vicious or, uh, Ruthian.
A-ROD, FRANK THOMAS RANK THE BEST PURE SWINGS MLB HAS EVER SEEN
A-Rod, Frank Thomas rank the best pure swings MLB has ever seen | FOX Sports
Junior is up there as well however.
Kudo's to you sir.
He is one of my favorite HR hitters of all time.
Was also going to say Clark. Frank Thomas was great too. Clark’s stance had some wiggle to it so it seemed like he was always in motion. Very fluid.
After the crap that Palmeiro pulled, I would find it hard to vote for him for anything. But perhaps that's just me ...
And he had a giant head. At least that's what the Simpson's told me. I don't watch baseball.
I was 1 when he made his MLB debut. But screw it, I'll say yes.
On a more serious note, check out MLB Network's doc on Jr. next time it's on. I watched it a few weeks back. It's really good.
On a more serious note, check out MLB Network's doc on Jr. next time it's on. I watched it a few weeks back. It's really good.
Griffey's is up there, but the prettiest swing probably goes to John Olerud ...
I’d have to go with Clemente and Vladdy. From the dirt to their eyeballs, they were dangerous. How can you say anyone else? 
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For pure plate coverage and ability to hit any pitch as opposed to style, Carew and Gwynn. Watching them was like watching orchestra conductors.There is a great interview that Costas did with Ted Williams and Gwynn where Williams is basically quizzing Gwynn. He tells Gwynn to guess more and it will help him power wise. I am not sure if it’s in that interview, but Williams often told the story of his last AB from a hitter’s perspective. Said the pitcher (Eddie Fischer) I believe threw him a fastball and Williams was shocked when he swung through it. Williams said that the pitcher probably thought Williams couldn’t hit it and that he was certain he’d throw the same exact pitch again. Williams was dumbfounded he missed it the first time, he didn’t miss it the next time.
.For pure plate coverage and ability to hit any pitch as opposed to style, Carew and Gwynn. Watching them was like watching orchestra conductors.There is a great interview that Costas did with Ted Williams and Gwynn where Williams is basically quizzing Gwynn. He tells Gwynn to guess more and it will help him power wise. I am not sure if it’s in that interview, but Williams often told the story of his last AB from a hitter’s perspective. Said the pitcher (Eddie Fischer) I believe threw him a fastball and Williams was shocked when he swung through it. Williams said that the pitcher probably thought Williams couldn’t hit it and that he was certain he’d throw the same exact pitch again. Williams was dumbfounded he missed it the first time, he didn’t miss it the next time.
My vote is for Ted Williams or Will Clark. What is it about left-handed hitters? Their swing just looks sweeter than righty's.
Clearly Craig Counsell. Now onto golf, where Jim Furyk is the obvious answer.
Barry Bonds. I loved watching his hands, the way he kept his elbows tight, the way he choked up on the bat - just no wasted motion. He had a very compact and powerful swing, and always had great balance. Fundamentally, he was outstanding, and always seemed to have a very repeatable swing.
I’d have to go with Clemente and Vladdy. From the dirt to their eyeballs, they were dangerous. How can you say anyone else?
For pure plate coverage and ability to hit any pitch as opposed to style, Carew and Gwynn. Watching them was like watching orchestra conductors.There is a great interview that Costas did with Ted Williams and Gwynn where Williams is basically quizzing Gwynn. He tells Gwynn to guess more and it will help him power wise. I am not sure if it’s in that interview, but Williams often told the story of his last AB from a hitter’s perspective. Said the pitcher (Eddie Fischer) I believe threw him a fastball and Williams was shocked when he swung through it. Williams said that the pitcher probably thought Williams couldn’t hit it and that he was certain he’d throw the same exact pitch again. Williams was dumbfounded he missed it the first time, he didn’t miss it the next time.
Vladdy was just plain violent. I always liked jim Thome’s swing for an older player, but I’m a fan of Bruce Harper’s swing now. His bat speed and quick rollover is insane.
Rick Schu did an interesting analysis of Harper’s swing when he had him in Washington. Overlayed the image of Ruth’s swing over Harper’s and found that their finishes were basically identical. Both their swings are very violent with them both almost coming off the ground to generate the torque they achieved. Their swings are problematic from an injury perspective. Some of Harper’s injuries mirror what Ruth had which weren’t really reported. It was interesting in that another athlete who mirrored similar biometrics was Tiger Woods. All of these guys have had or had back and neck issues from the impact their swings have had over extended periods. Ruth played through a lot of neck and back pain although not widely reported. They are basically shredding their bodies in common speak.
Here is a little video.
Here is a little video.
Ted Williams had the best swing I ever saw, followed closely by Mike Schmidt.
He did all that, played the game right and wasn't a jerk. It's a shame he didn't get at least one ring.
For people who were not old enough to have seen Mays play, he was the closest player I’ve seen to what I remember Mays being. Combination of offense and defense and the way they both lit up the field. The Kid and The Say Hey Kid; it was a pleasure seeing both of them.
Hell yeah! Growing up a Mets fan in the 80s, his was the swing I emulated. I struck out a lot just like he did, but damn it was pretty
Kevin Youkilis. Clearly beats Counsell. And doesn’t Charles Barkley beat Furyk?
I once saw Griffey Jr. hit a home run to straight center field on a line at Camden Yards. It got out of the park so fast the center fielder never moved. It hit the second wall out there and almost bounced back onto the field. We were in right center. My buddy said ‘have you ever seen anything like that before?” I said no. Truly amazing talent with all five tools.
All my friends were Mets fans and would try to emulate that swing playing waffle ball (and right handed). As a Reds fan, I always tried to use the Eric Davis swing. I don’t know how he ever made contact dropping his hands to his waist like that. Maybe the quickest hands I’ve ever seen.
I always liked the compactness of Bonds.
For pure terror the Hawk was always great.
For pure terror the Hawk was always great.
Davis was such a freak athlete, he used the heaviest bat in the majors I believe.
Well, if you're metrics are ability to make contact and go the other way with the ball, then, yeah, Carew, Gwynn and Brett have to be at the top of your list. But if the metric is the pure beauty of the swing, then no. They frequently shortened their swing in order to achieve their desired end. And as great as Clemente and Vladdy were, watching them swing at a ball in the dirt is not necessarily a thing of beauty. Watching Griffey or Will Clark take a full, left handed cut (complete with follow through), was a sight to behold.I’d have to go with Clemente and Vladdy. From the dirt to their eyeballs, they were dangerous. How can you say anyone else?
For pure plate coverage and ability to hit any pitch as opposed to style, Carew and Gwynn. Watching them was like watching orchestra conductors.There is a great interview that Costas did with Ted Williams and Gwynn where Williams is basically quizzing Gwynn. He tells Gwynn to guess more and it will help him power wise. I am not sure if it’s in that interview, but Williams often told the story of his last AB from a hitter’s perspective. Said the pitcher (Eddie Fischer) I believe threw him a fastball and Williams was shocked when he swung through it. Williams said that the pitcher probably thought Williams couldn’t hit it and that he was certain he’d throw the same exact pitch again. Williams was dumbfounded he missed it the first time, he didn’t miss it the next time.
Because we're simply much better looking than those awful, ugly-swinging righties.
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