MLB: The 10 Sweetest Right-Handed Swings
1. Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez delivered the easiest power I’ve ever seen from the right side. There appeared to be no stress to his swing. It didn’t even look like he swung hard, but the ball never lied.
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He’d pop moonshots to dead-center and line shots to left and right. He put the ball in play, took his walks, and hit for high averages. For 15 years, A-Rod was the toughest out in baseball.
He had such swagger at the plate. I loved the controlled wiggle of his bat at set-up, along with his left toe tap, and slight knee bend. He always looked very relaxed as he was getting ready to hit.
Then he’d explode through the hitting zone. He had the modest leg kick and got such great extension on basically every hack. Rodriguez seemed to open his front hip earlier than a lot of hitters, but that never affected his balance or plate coverage.
His timing was impeccable; it was incredibly rare that he’d look silly in the batter’s box.
A-Rod finished his 22-season career with .295 batting average, 696 home runs, 2,086 RBI, and a 117.5 WAR. He was a three-time MVP, 10-time Silver Slugger, and 14-time all-star.
Controversy and hypocrisy will long surround his name, and steroids will tarnish his production. I will not defend his actions or character, but I will say that his swing was a thing of beauty, steroids or not.