This is one of my favorite baseball articles of the last few years. The content is good. The media is good. The combination of the two is awesome. I'm not asking you to think about larger themes or ideas, just respond to what you read. What did you learn? What did you think of this baseball package? I definitely look at this as a great example of alternative story-telling, and that's why I think it's great. Enjoy.
And this has nothing to do with Harper, but it's quite funny. Love how athletes prank each other.
I had never really taken notice of the difference of swings between each batter in the Major Leagues. I always figured most kids were taught to swing more or less the same way, keeping his head steady and of course maintaing a level swing. However, I also realized some had very unorthodox swings as well. Bryce Harper seems to have a combination of both, where he continues to enforce the fundamentals of a good swing while also adding a flavor of his own. I really enjoyed the very detailed process of analyzing his swing through both media and written word. I found it very interesting his comparison to the great Babe Ruth. This not only shows us similarities with swings across many years, but also has a figurative implication as well. Could Bryce Harper ever be as good as the Great Bambino? Their very similar swings can only leave us wondering if Harper really has the potential to be that good. The analysis of Bryce Harper's swing and pitches hit provides the reader with an extremely in-depth, enjoyable analysis of one of baseball's young stars.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about players’ swings in baseball is that the only time that people seem to notice them is when they’re extraordinary or unorthodox. With the Giants, the only player whose swing and stance I have really paid attention to is Hunter Pence, because his the way he sets up to hit the ball is out of the ordinary. With Bryce Harper, he is noticed because his swing is remarkable. His swing produces results, averages that are better than many in the league, and therefore he is distinguished from other players. One thing I thought was interesting was how much detail the article went into when describing where Harper’s swing came from. It didn’t just describe his swing as it is today, but it went back to when he was 7 and began to build the swing that has made him a powerhouse hitter. The analysis of Harper was so thorough that I felt like I’ve seen him hit even though I had never heard of Harper before reading this article. Lastly, the graphics and video really enhanced the statistics the article gave for Harper. Most people who follow baseball understand what a .302 batting average means, but the graphics that showed the frequency of pitches thrown to him and where he hits them emphasized the point the article was trying to make, that a hitter like Bryce Harper is a rare breed.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite baseball articles of the last few years. The content is good. The media is good. The combination of the two is awesome. I'm not asking you to think about larger themes or ideas, just respond to what you read. What did you learn? What did you think of this baseball package? I definitely look at this as a great example of alternative story-telling, and that's why I think it's great. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI first off learned that Bryce Harper has an identical swing to Babe Ruth and how young and impressive he is as a ballplayer in all aspects. He can hit any pitch at a high rate and also is a strong base runner and outfield catcher with a cannon. I really like the short and sweet article mixed with a very interesting video with awesome visuals of Bryce Harper and his exaggerated, once in a generation swing. Bryce Harper is a phenomenal player at a very young age and I hope he continues this impressive resume and challenges the greats such as Babe Ruth, Pete Rose, and Mickey Mantle. I hope I hear of his greatness for many years to come.
There is no question that Bryce Harper has an amazing swing that captivates anyone who watches him. I loved how the article not only focused on where his swing is now, but focused on how his swing got to be so good. This quote, "He did not focus on mechanics to achieve his goal; the proper mechanics arose from his mission, like learning a language through immersion" is one that I think summarizes his ability quite well. His father did not give him exact instructions, rather, let him figure it out on his own, which is something that I admire. It seems like too many batters focus on the small details and instructions that ordinary batters must learn and perfect, but few actually go outside the box and figure out their own way to feel comfortable and master their own unique technique in order to become an extraordinary batter. I think Bryce Harper is a great example of an extraordinary batter who did just that.
ReplyDeleteSandy Schenker:
ReplyDeleteI really liked this piece. From this piece I learned that most batters, unlike Harper, do not put 100% of their force into their leg that allows power. I also did not realize that it was possible to put 150% of their body weight into one swing if they have perfect technique as Harper has. I find it awesome that just having perfect technique can make it so somebody is one of the best players in the game at just 21 years of age. I had never realized before that it was technique mixed with athleticism that made harper such an amazing player, I had always assumed it was just because he was a freak athlete. I also find it amazing that Harper at the age of 7 realized that he had to learn how to hit the ball to opposite field, and with no professional advice, made a swing with perfect mechanics that allow harper to bat for average and power to left field, center field, and right field. Overall, I really liked this piece because I learned so much about how it is the mix of technique and athleticism that leads to stars, not pure athleticism.
I think the description of the physics behind Harper's swing is the most fascinating part of this article. Each of the different aspects that make his swing unique seem like minor details, but they work together to create a swing that greatly resembles Babe Ruth's. The slight cock of his head allows him to see the pitcher more clearly with his dominant left eye, the coiling of his torso and the lifting of his front foot allow him to store energy, the stiffening of his front leg and the uncoiling of his torso allow him to transfer energy, and taking his back foot off the ground allows him to transfer 150% of his body weight into the ball. When pitchers are able to throw off part of Harper's stance is when they have the greatest success. This is why pitchers have greater success against Harper with change-ups: the pitch alters his balance and makes hime lean over his front leg. All of these tiny parts of his swing work together to create something very unconventional and successful.
ReplyDeleteI think it is also very interesting that Harper says, "The full thing is God-given. I don't know how I got my swing or what I did." He says there was not anything mechanical that he specifically did to recreate the unconventional swing of Babe Ruth. Maybe having a great, unconventional swing like Ruth or Harper is in part just being a natural.
This article reminded me of the significance of a player’s natural talent for baseball. Athletes can learn from great coaching and experience, but many of the true greats just have the world of baseball in their blood. Harper sums this idea up well as he says, “The full thing is God-given…I don’t know how I got my swing or what I did.” I admire how he puts his ego aside and credits both luck and practice for his incredible skill. The story of playing catch with his father made me think of how baseball plays such a key role in the upbringing of these players. Even though Harper knows he is talented, he puts tremendous effort into perfecting the details of his swing. I’ve always paid attention to the differences in batting stances and swings and liked learning more about how Bryce Harper’s particular techniques mirrored those of the players who came before him.
ReplyDeleteI have never been one of the baseball fans who finds every aspect of the game down to a players swing fascinating. Because of this I never put much thought into a players swing, the pitch is thrown, the bat is swung, and the ball is either hit or it isn't. That is all I ever see, which is why this piece was so interesting. I never put much thought into the physics of a swing, and to think about a player like Harper, being able to generate 150% of their body weight in a swing is crazy. The graphics that broke down his swing show that so much is happening in the split second from when the ball leaves the pitchers hand and reaches the plate. The fact that he can have so much movement and staying on balance is incredible. In tennis we talk a lot about staying on balance, and often it is just smooth, simple strokes that allow you to do this. However, Harper proves that with incredible body control you can generate huge amounts of power and stay on balance with such a violent swing. I was also just impressed with the amount of data that is taken for every player. Like the break down of how many of each pitch he got and where he was getting hits. It is the kind of information I would never think about, but is so important to the game.
ReplyDeleteBeing that I am not very educated on the mechanics of baseball, it was interesting hearing about the tiny aspects behind batting. It is so much more than hand-eye coordination and just trying to make contact with the ball. As Bryce Harper says, as early as the age of 7, he was already thinking about the mechanics of his swing and how to maximize his batting average. My impression was that hitting was almost all about hand-eye coordination and the better coordination you had, the better batter you were. Although that is a part of it, it is not the only factor in being a good batter. Other major factors include speed and acceleration of swing, weight distribution between feet, rotation of neck, etc. Things that seem so minute actually are what make or break the success of a batter. One thing I learned from this article, along with the major importance of batting mechanics, is that Bryce Harper swung harder when he was first drafted than he currently does. I thought that the power in a swing was something that developed and improved as time went on, but after reading this article, I realized that there is such a thing as too much power behind a swing and it can begin hindering hitting percentages. Although most of the things I learned were based on my false assumptions about baseball, I still was able to learn a lot from this article, and also the media that was associated with it.
ReplyDeleteI found it pretty interesting to hear about how great of player Bryce Harper has become as well as his unorthodox swing, which is similar to babe Ruth's. The short video broke down every aspect of his swing and explained the mechanics behind his every movement which I thought was amazing. Although swinging baseball bat is much more complicated than shooting a basketball, as a basketball player I could relate to having an unusual form. It may not be traditional, but it gets the job done.
ReplyDeleteThis article was interesting because it contradicts what many people say, and is very different from a lot of other players stories. Many baseball players were in intense training ever since they were little kids. They had coaches for hitting and pitching on top of their normal baseball team coach. However, Harper's experience was very different and he came from a much more humble beginning. I really liked that his swing grew organically over time and was not manufactured. Another part of the article that caught my eye was his age. It seems like such a young age to be in the major leagues with such success. Although it is not abnormal to be young in the major leagues these days in any sport I still find it interesting when young players are the ones who have the best swing on the team or greatest shot since they are the ones with the least experience. This article was great because it showed the experience was not what mattered but rather his fundamentals and his work from the very beginning of his baseball career.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I just really enjoyed the presentation of the author's argument. I am very interested in analytical sports writing, and I thought the author used a fabulous array of statistics, graphs, charts, and visuals to accompany his already strong writing in a way that really spoke to me as a reader. When comparing this with articles that are not quite as diverse in their media efforts it becomes quickly apparent that the liveliness of the article stems from that. I also liked the plot of the story, I remember that first sports illustrated 4 or 5 years ago when harper, 16 at the time, had hit a 500 ft. home run and 12 year old me was convinced he'd be the next bonds (Also sure the giants would draft him). Needless to say, I think harper has a long future in front of him in which there are near limitless possibilities as long as he doesn't fall victim to some of the trends and pitfalls we've studied this year.
ReplyDeleteI would first like to point out the Schu's wife is a terrible person for getting him "Baseball" by Ken Burns as a present. Just kidding, but really at least give him a real movie haha. But going back to the article, I think it was very interesting to have it go in chronological order and give me, the reader, the life story of how Bryce Harper has transformed his game even as a 7 year old. Trying to compare Harper's maturity as a young kid to any young athlete that I know is impossible. It is mind blowing how he noticed what he needed to do to bring his game to the next level, at such a young age. He is on his way to becoming just as good as Babe Ruth, if not better.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from this article. I never really knew how much a swing had an effect on how well someone hit. I always just thought that a batter's swing is whatever felt most comfortable to them, and hitting success came from good discipline and hitting a good pitch. I personally have never heard of Bryce Harper (but then again I don't watch that much baseball), but for him to be compared to some of the best ball players in history is interesting to me. In the article it does talk a lot about how he has good statistics with hitting and how his swing is similar to Babe Ruth's swing, but does this make him a better player? I mean yes he has had success hitting but again I have never heard of him, and while playing, Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth did some pretty remarkable things. I haven't yet heard on the news of how good Bryce Harper really is, and because of this, I question whether a swing can really help make a player great. I'm not saying he is a bad player or has a bad swing but I guess unless he does become remarkable, his swing does not have that much of an input on how good a player he is.
ReplyDeleteEmily Kind:
ReplyDeleteI love the how the story is written so visually. The way Harper describes his constant baseball practicing reminds me of Jimi Hendrix in how he'd always be playing guitar, whether it be at the kitchen table or walking down a hallway. It is strikingly remarkable how much a skill can develop when so much consistent time is devoted to it. I also love the baseball-esque depiction of the the intuitive gift of the sport so to speak that Harper has in his self-developed hitting technique.
After reading this article, I was instantly amused when it talked about individuals so immersed in the professional baseball community still going back and watching the Ken Burns videos that we students are watching. I loved that. Then into the meat of the piece...I really like how the article was written in the way the it ties together both how Harper's roots inspired him and his passion for baseball started out of it simplicity but then how it has grown to the point that every one of the pitches he is thrown is being digitally analyzed. I am also amazed at his consistency to perform at high levels in all aspects of his game, something many players presently struggle with. From his hips and his bat speed to his rocket arm it seems as if he is almost supernatural (maybe magical realism???) and it will be great to see his talent in person from DC next year.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I first heard of Bryce Harper. He was 16 years old and on the cover of sports illustrated. Basically the whole story was about how he was sure to be a great major league player and I definitely had my doubts. As the years went by I kept hearing more and more about him, his attitude on the field, and how quickly he was rising in the majors. Now he is a certified superstar and it comes as no surprise looking back. That original article back when he was sixteen outlined a similar story about his swing as this article does. It seems Harper has the perfect combination of natural talent and competitive edge that will take him to the hall of fame.
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