Tony Gwynn is unquestionably one of the greatest hitters in modern times. His hitting was probably the most important factor for making the Hall of Fame. As great as he was it is surprising that few if any individuals are interested in copying or teaching his swing technique.
In my estimation the swing technique exhibited by Tony should be his legacy! It should be called the Tony Gwynn swing techniqueIt. This does not mean he was the only one to have this technique as other great hitters also possess the key elements of his swing technique. Even today, almost all hitters batting close to or over 300 have elements of this effective technique.
At one time, prior to the homerun success of Reggie Jackson, most batters used the same basic technique. Key elements of this technique included powerful weight shift forward, maintaining the weight forward so that their bodies were more upright and swinging more level.
However, since Reggie Jackson became famous for his home runs (while disregarding his great number of strikeouts), Tony’s style became obsolete even though it is infinitely better for production of more hits.
What can be called the homerun style is the sit and spin technique. In this technique the batter steps into the ball and then straightens the front leg to push the weight backwards onto the rear leg which becomes the pivot point for spinning the body around.
As a result the batter is forced to swing upward which of course is good for homeruns. Line drives are for hits while high fly balls are more conducive to homeruns.
It appears that most teams on all levels of play, encourage the batters to go for a home run rather than getting a base hit. As a result batting averages have gone down while the number of home runs has gone up slightly. Understand that in the sit and spin technique the batter is forced to swing upward, which of course is good for homeruns. Line drives are for hits while high fly balls are for more homeruns.
Many people maintain that more homeruns is good for the game. I would agree if the number of hits did not go down. But I find it is hard to comprehend why they and the fans would rather see 1-2 home runs and lose the game rather than having more hits and the team winning. I’ve yet to see fans disappointed or booing when the batter only gets a single or double as opposed to a home run.
Baseball personnel make decisions on wins and losses, not on how many homeruns were hit. But, because of the pursuit for more homeruns, mediocrity prevails and has permeated the game.
A batter who can hit .250 commands millions of dollars today. They now comprise the bulk of “good “hitters. Is this what is called progress?
For more information on hitting styles see Build a Better Athlete.