Monday, April 27, 2015
Weekly #12: Bryce Harper
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.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
ReplyDeleteThis was a really cool article! The analysis of him as a baseball package was phenomenal from the images showing what’s thrown to him and the images accompanying them showing what he hits and where to images of his actual swing in motion. I liked the emphasis in the article (probably showing the father’s influence on his son) about how his swing just happened when he was a kid and his dad just let him not focus on the mechanics and later on he was coached but his swing is still essentially the same raw, natural swing that he started with as a child. The graphics were cool overall and the style of writing was nice; I appreciated the portrayal of him as well as his father as kind of low key guys that are just doing their best and enjoying what comes at them. The ending about how he can get so much speed behind his bat is interesting as well.
I loved the intro that compared his swing to Babe Ruth’s. I think it gave the article a nice sense of nostalgia, which is a big part of baseball. The moments described with his father also added to this nostalgia. The idea that the reason Harper has such a perfect swing is because of the work he did with his father when he was a boy is heart warming. I mean could it get any more American? I also loved the the quote of Harper talking about the “critical moment” of his swing. One thing I didn’t really realize until reading this article is just how different Harper’s swing is. Specifically the side by side of Harper and Griffey shows how Harper’s swing is a chop with a big elevation change, rather than a traditional lefty who has a sweeping swing. It’s so fascinating that he consistently makes contact and doesn’t hit a lot of ground balls. Finally, I like that the swing wasn’t forced by trying to achieve perfect mechanics, but instead the evolution of what felt right when Harper tried to hit the ball into opposite field.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Bryce Harper is: Prodigy. It makes me think more about how he was raised, this work and habits leading up to the MLB, and his natural ability throughout his years playing little league. What needs to go right for a 20-year-old to be this proficient and dynamic in the competitive world of professional baseball? This idea of working outward from where he is comfortable, building his skills and his abilities from this unnatural swing is fascinating. So often, you hear coaches and parents drilling in to kids about having a strong foundation, mastering the basics, and building off of that. The comparison of Harper learning about baseball and an immersive language education really put his skill and development in perspective. The focus was on loving the game and putting in work, something that I think young athletes need to focus on more.
ReplyDelete-Chloë
I loved this piece. It teaches a lot about how the swing works and just how hard it is to execute. I found the part about the relation between swing style and pitching style pretty cool and the visuals were amazing. But what was really interesting was Harper's ability to still hit above average with his superpowered swing. They way they really modernize the piece with media is amazing. It adds another level to the piece that I think you couldn't express with just words. Overall I think the piece and Harper are amazing and I can't wait to watch the rest of this baseball season.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that the use of non-static media (i.e. the progressive images of Harper swinging) is something that really helps to tell a story, especially when the story itself is so heavily reliant on a visual. Some of the description of Harper's swing was difficult for me to visualize, but seeing him do it solved that problem. Additionally, it's really just not possible to adequately describe the difference in swings between Harper and Griffey Jr. without providing video. The point is made so much better with the inclusion of the side-by-side comparison, and that kind of thing makes the story as a whole more accessible to the reader. It also breaks up the often-unappealing "wall of text" that can be difficult to read and interferes with the content.
ReplyDeleteSam R.
Unlike many other articles that we have read, this one included both the back story to Bryce Harper and a detailed analysis of Harper’s “swing of beauty.” I thought it was very interesting that starting from the beginning of Harper’s interest in baseball neither his father nor coaches ever really taught him anything mechanical regarding his swing. Rather, they would simply just ask if his hand positioning felt right or if he was comfortable. Consequently, Harper was forced to learn the correct postures, etc by himself, and I believe this is what makes a great player. One might say Harper learned the hard way, however, I would argue that instead he simply taught himself ultimately granting with a greater understanding of the game. Ever since I began playing volleyball coaches have constantly bombarded me with advice and pointers, never really allowing me to figure it out myself. Looking back, I wish that I had more of an opportunity to learn the game of volleyball without much guidance.
ReplyDeleteSamantha
I enjoyed his retelling of the nature of his stroke, and how his ability to hit developed naturally and un-mechanically. Especially with the loose-guidance of his father, he was able to feel out the best stroke for himself while still focusing on hitting the ball towards the left side. It was interesting to acknowledge the necessity of fluidity between his muscles in order to hit as well. Due to his aggressive swing, he needs to make key movements such as his back foot popping up to allow his body to work in unison. His success surprises me given the intense nature of his swing that generally is found in all-or-nothing batters.
ReplyDeleteAlly
This article is interesting to me because it analyzes Harper's swing through physics and baseball language, but also through his life. It gives you a full image of how Harper became the player he is today. Looking at such a violent swing always makes me wonder how effective each player's unique features are, but this article comprehensively breaks down the reasoning behind every aspect of Harper's swing. Bryce Harper amazes me with his young talent and superstar status at such a young age. He is the epitome of a "homegrown" ballplayer and an extremely talented one at that. I wish that more articles would analyze players in this way as it gives a whole image of the individual in a comprehensive manner.
ReplyDeleteAngus
While this article used some graphics, that just enhanced the reader’s experience (such as showing models of Harper’s swing multiple times), I thought it did a great job of really using graphics to assist with the understanding of the text by creating visual aids. For instance, I thought the diagrams of where pitchers try to attack Harper versus where Harper hits for each type of pitch was well done and helped me comprehend the benefits(/danger) of Harper’s swing. This article also made me think about exactly how much control a player has over his/her technique. In the article it talks about how Harper just picked it up and did what felt natural instead of someone telling him how to hold a bat and swing. I wonder if other players were taught to swing more aggressively like Harper and tried to transfer their weight and over-twist their torso if they would get similar results.
ReplyDeleteJoseph
ReplyDeleteI have read this article before and enjoyed it again. It is an awesome article that highlights the "natural" side of the game. Harper has a feel of the game like no other. He got his GED at 16 to play a year of JUCO before going pro at 17. As the article mentions, he was fully matured as a hitter at 17. Comparisons to Babe Ruth in any way are an accomplishment at any level regardless of who you are. Although Harper himself gets a lot of flack for his cockiness, a player such as him, one groomed to play from birth almost, cannot avoid that attitude. In contrast, his on-field perspective of going after balls on defense is the definition of a player who loves the game. The article is a few years old, so it does not include the recent grumblings of Harper as a bust, but one must remember how young he still is: 22. He is younger than Cubs' super prospect Kris Bryant and has accomplished so much more. He is 8 years from his prime and has 60 career home runs. When he is healthy, he is a star. On a note about the writing of the article, I thought the visualizations were very helpful and intriguing.
Bryce Harper is a prime example of a player who has worked his tail off since he could first swing a bat and throw a ball. The stories of long sessions in the batting cage with his father, and constantly working to perfect his swing (learning to hit off-speed pitches, taking the ball to the opposite field) illustrate his work ethic. I certainly knew of his devotion to baseball, but this article provided interesting perspective on some things that I hadn't considered- the Babe Ruth comparison in particular was intriguing (personally, I think that Harper's swing is much more compact, but I had never drawn a parallel between he and Ruth). I was also surprised to see that pitchers didn't avoid throwing to Harper on the low outside corner, given his statistical success with that pitch. I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of Harper, but I have a huge amount of respect for him and his dedication to his craft.
ReplyDeleteGriff
Harper's playing style is one that every coach would love their players to have. He plays with natural tenacity and never backs down from difficult situations. I think harper embodies the phrase "born to play ball" because he shows the characteristics on the field at such a young age in which veterans in the game can not obtain. Along with his natural ability to play baseball, his worth ethic should not be overlooked. From a young age it seems as if Harper had been training to be a pro ball player, ready for the adversities that he would face in the future. He is such a phenomenal athlete and is admired by many. I enjoyed reading this article on Harper because it made it easy to comprehend why Harper is a superior player in the major leagues. It took into account many factors in his life that had correlations to his performance on the field.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great example of fantastic baseball journalism. The imagery was great and engaging, and read like a story, particularly the one of Harper and his father practicing in his garage. Additionally, the article was able to go in-depth about specifics to Harper with the breakdown of his swing, but in a way that wasn’t monotonous or boring. The exciting and bold way in which Kilgore presents Harper (by showing the comparisons between his swing and Babe Ruth’s) drew me in and led me to find out more about Harper and see his swing for myself. The graphics also added a very nice, new, interesting touch ot the article. I consider these all signs of good journalism.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazed me was Harper’s work ethic and ability to become such a great play using only what felt natural to him rather than breaking down the swings of the professionals of his childhood and making them into his own. In addition to being a naturally good player I have to credit Harper with putting in the time to become even better and sticking to the fundamentals and what feels right. Another thing thing that I was amazed about was the writing in general for this article. Typically when it comes to news articles about sports they are harder for me to follow, however Adam Kilgore was able to not only allow me to follow along in a comprehensive way, but I was captivated by the graphs and charts that were used in the article.
ReplyDeleteThis article portrays Bryce Harper as one of the few people to successfully achieve the American Dream. When asked about his swing, he did not know how he got it, it was just talent and hard work. No drugs (as far as we know), just plain old hard work. It is astonishing that a player can be of his caliber and not ever have any major mechanical changes to his swing. As a 20 year, being a professional athlete is impressive enough, but the uncanny comparison to arguably the greatest player the world has ever seen is a major accomplishment. With a bright future ahead of him, a spot in Cooperstown may just have his name on it.
ReplyDeleteConnor R