We started out the AL West with the Seattle Mariners, and now we move to a...
Written By: Chase Becotte
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<h5>Mike Trout</h5>
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<strong>Grade: A</strong>
<strong>Analysis:</strong> Trout has a relatively simple swing as he keeps a moderately open stance and has a high leg kick as the only big movement before a short two-handed follow through. I think SDS has Trout drop his hands a bit too much on the load of the swing, but otherwise everything else here looks great as Trout quickly leaves the box after demolishing the baseball. Trout is mostly no frills, and that's replicated here.
<h5>Anthony Rendon</h5>
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<strong>Grade: C+</strong>
<strong>Analysis:</strong> The big offseason free-agent acquisition, Rendon actually has a weird swing to mimic because so much of it is rhythmic as he goes from waiting for a pitch to loading. The issues here are that The Show doesn't really know the best way to show off Rendon's unique load for his swing. The toe tap is mostly correct as he just taps the top of the foot to the dirt, but they have him close down his stance too much. In addition, the stillness of Rendon's body as he loads is not mimicked well at all. Rendon really doesn't move his hands much. Instead, he loads the hands at the last second by more pulling them back as he uses a rhythmic bounce in his body to activate the swing. On some level, it's hard to see how he generates power, but it's that his hands are just that good.
<h5>Albert Pujols</h5>
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<strong>Grade: A</strong>
<strong>Analysis:</strong> It feels like Pujols has had the same swing forever, and The Show has it down here. His leg kick could maybe be even a little bit smaller, but the point is to have that front foot come out just a pinch as he steps away from where he started. Then he has the short, one-handed follow through that follows it up as he pulls the right arm towards his body. I actually don't know how often he still does the little skip out of the box, but I'm fine with him still having it here either way.
The celebration is spot on as well since Pujols has also been doing the same thing at home plate for many moons. He does a little hop to home plate, points to the sky with two hands and heads to the dugout.
<h5>Shohei Ohtani</h5>
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<strong>Grade: B</strong>
<strong>Analysis:</strong> Ohtani's swing isn't bad, but the follow through is where it breaks down a little. Before that, Ohtani tends to more just go up on his toe rather than do a full-on leg kick that he does in the SDS clip. The follow through is where it needs the most work though as Ohtani needs to sort of fall out of the box a little more and wrap the bat more back behind his back. The way he walks out of the box still holding the bat is very much a good touch.
<h5>Justin Upton</h5>
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<strong>Grade: B</strong>
<strong>Analysis:</strong> Again, the follow through is where the swing unravels a bit for Justin Upton. The big thing with his follow through is to have him look a little stiff. His follow through doesn't get full extension, his legs sort of stay straightened out as he comes up on the heel, and you see the give more in his midsection as his spine bends back a bit as leans back towards the catcher and watches the ball fly. The way he tosses the bat away is accurate though, and the leg kick and other components of the swing work well overall.