Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and the 4 other best swings in baseball

Manny Machado and Shohei Ohtani round out our list of the best swings in baseball

Manny Machado, San Diego Padres

When you talk about fluid swings in today’s game, it’s hard to overlook what Machado is doing in San Diego. And it’s not just about the smooth swing that Machado displays but also the power behind it. Since the 2015 season, no MLB player has registered more hard hit balls (hits with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher) per Baseball Savant than Machado.

What goes into Machado’s swing and what elements are reminiscent of the swings displayed by Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez? Let the folks at MLB Network tell you in the video below.

Machado still has an outside chance to get to the 3,000-hit club, and his .355 batting average entering Friday was the highest in the National League. Machado’s swing isn’t just fluid and considered one of the sweetest ones in the game today, it’s also very effective and one of the reasons why the San Diego Padres are showing early signs of rebounding from last season’s second-half implosion.

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

It’s likely no surprise that the reigning American League MVP makes the list, but what could be a surprise is that another player on the list (Bryce Harper) is one that Ohtani studied in detail when he was playing with Japan’s Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013. A mixture of watching and studying Ichiro Suzuki when he was a boy (and working with him in 2018 to instill a toe tap versus a leg kick in his swing, per this article from The Athletic (subscription required)) and Harper as he got older has resulted in Ohtani having one of the most lethal swings in the game today.

Last season, no one barreled more baseballs than Ohtani, who totaled 78 and was one of just five players (including Aaron Judge, also on our list) to barrel 70 or more in the season.

Those are the best swings in baseball in our eyes. Who would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments section below.