For over a decade Lance Berkman has been a career .300 hitter. I wanted to supply an analysis of a clip where he seemingly gets fooled a bit. But, because of his excellent extension, he looks to drive the baseball. Berkman’s hitting mechanics have not only produced batting average over the last ten seasons, he’s hit over 20 home runs in every season except his rookie year. Not bad stats, eh? Have a look at some of the hitting mechanics tips you can learn from Berkman.
1. Take a look at how Berkman’s timing is a touch off this swing. You can tell because his upper body shifts forward a bit more than it usually does on a swing where his timing is correct. But, unlike many hitters, Berkman still drives this baseball it looks like. He is able to achieve this because his hands continue towards the pitcher in this case for an amazing amount of time. Most hitters who get fooled will have used up their entire extension with their hands and pull of the baseball often popping it up the opposite way or pulling it weakly. The key is the first movement of the hands. Watch his, they move back to the pitcher immediately, not out or down (without forward momentum) at first.
2. One other reason for Berkman’s ability to hit this pitch is because he’s loaded his hands properly. In general you will see good hitters moving their hands back as they stride forward. Such is the case with Berkman’s hitting mechanics. Because his hands have more time along the path to the baseball, he can get better extension.
3. One other side note that addresses the issue of what some coaches call “bat wrap”. It’s when the bat begins to point somewhat back towards the pitcher when the hands load. If you take a look at this Berkman clip as well as the majority of the other clips I’ve got up, you’ll see most hitters have the barrel of the bat pointed a little back at the pitcher. The knob on load will be pointed at the catcher. This is ok, however, just make sure that the “bat wrap” isn’t impeding the path of the hands to move directly back towards the pitch.
