Walkers Swing

[Goldfan]

I’ve watched many vids from ST
He looks off balanced
Not fluid
Awkward
Rear leg collapsing
A comment I saw on X summarizes it well.
He looks like an athlete from another sport attempting to take BP
He’s cooked.

Watched a video of him the other night on the Matrix Midwest app..shows him hitting...and some questions and answers on the team chemistry and stuff...and his new hobby...whichnis bowling....he seemed very exited for this year ...looked in fantastic shape...I thought his swing looked great...collapses quite a bit on the back leg ...not sure I'd that is for lift and power...just seemed more exaggerated than normal...I think he will be decent for the first 30 to 40 games ...then he's going to get hot and get his confidence back...would be so nice to have him as a threat in the middle of the order .

Honestly this is the op just having such a negative mindset that he can't view anything as positive. If Albert Pujols himself claimed Walkers swing looked good he would claim he was just being nice. He is one of the leaders of the I told you so fanclub.

Correct. He must be a real hoot at parties.
Far and away the most negative poster on the board.
That stated, I am sure that Bloom hangs on his every insightful word, and Walker will be cut shortly.

Has he ever posted anything positive?

Not in his DNA.

You’re funny Paige. Remember last fall when I was pounding the table to bring up JJ. You scoffed at that “positive review”…..so it really doesn’t matter what I type here….I’ll get the negative feedback lol:
Getting back to JJ…..who appears to be starting for the Cards when they leave camp…those couple weeks of AAA time INSTEAD of bringing him up for a cup of coffee last fall must’ve been the all important boost to allow him to start in the Cards lineup in ‘26

[Goldfan]

I’ve watched many vids from ST
He looks off balanced
Not fluid
Awkward
Rear leg collapsing
A comment I saw on X summarizes it well.
He looks like an athlete from another sport attempting to take BP
He’s cooked.

You could have said many other things to make my world big and bright. But- looking like another athlete from a different sport- breaks me down.

Has he ever posted anything positive?

Nope if he ain’t complaining he ain’t posting

LOL
Another Classic OP for the CT Time Capsule!
Shoot.....now I’m about to get another lecture!!!!

Cuse, I understand its hard for you to process anything beyond
“This is an anonymous forum”

[Cusecards]

I’ve watched many vids from ST
He looks off balanced
Not fluid
Awkward
Rear leg collapsing
A comment I saw on X summarizes it well.
He looks like an athlete from another sport attempting to take BP
He’s cooked.

You could have said many other things to make my world big and bright. But- looking like another athlete from a different sport- breaks me down.

Has he ever posted anything positive?

Nope if he ain’t complaining he ain’t posting

LOL
Another Classic OP for the CT Time Capsule!
Shoot.....now I’m about to get another lecture!!!!

Cuse, I understand its hard for you to process anything beyond
“This is an anonymous forum”

LMFAO
WHAT KEPT YOU???????
In response.....guilty as charged!
BTW....do you plan on RESPONDING to ALL the OTHER POSTERS in this OP of yours that I just agreed with????
This OP will fit nicely in that GF Time Capsule.
Just don’t forget those emojis.
They are the most lucid thing in your threads!

[Voldemort]

That swing is a great improvement over his previous year's swings. He is loading better and has a better stretch. I don't understand what the OP means by collapsing his back leg. Great hitters do things that in casual observation, can be explained with simple terms. For example, "knee chase." Look at his knees, they chase each other. He now has pelvic tilt. That was missing from his previous swings. Pelvic tilt to lateral tilt if done correctly, allows the hitter to not only gain power, but also enables them to have a more adjustable swing. I am actually pretty excited about this swing.

[imetsatchelpaige]

Goldfan-
Yeah, we all remember you "pounding the table" to bring up JJ last year.
It speaks to your insight into the game. Or lack thereof.

[Melville]

It's probably going to be a .220 season. Some players of his size use their length to their advantage. He doesn't. Unfortunately i think he's just going to keep being susceptible and flailing at sliders low and away. MLB pitchers are good enough to keep exposing that. I desperately hope i'm wrong

You are correct.
But there is an answer - which I was first to identify and explain to all.
He needs to close his stance.
That would allow him to fully leverage his length to greatest level of effectiveness.
The Cardinals have stupidly and persistently tried to force him into being a pull happy power hitter hunting inner-half pitches simply because he is big.
Never going to work.
He needs to focus on being a line drive hard contact hitter who feasts on pitches middle and away.
Not popular in today's game - but it is nonetheless exactly what he needs to do.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

[Voldemort]

It's probably going to be a .220 season. Some players of his size use their length to their advantage. He doesn't. Unfortunately i think he's just going to keep being susceptible and flailing at sliders low and away. MLB pitchers are good enough to keep exposing that. I desperately hope i'm wrong

You are correct.
But there is an answer - which I was first to identify and explain to all.
He needs to close his stance.
That would allow him to fully leverage his length to greatest level of effectiveness.
The Cardinals have stupidly and persistently tried to force him into being a pull happy power hitter hunting inner-half pitches simply because he is big.
Never going to work.
He needs to focus on being a line drive hard contact hitter who feasts on pitches middle and away.
Not popular in today's game - but it is nonetheless exactly what he needs to do.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

Have you ever studied hitting? How does closing your stance "leverage his length?" What the hell does that mean? Please explain it.

[Melville]

It's probably going to be a .220 season. Some players of his size use their length to their advantage. He doesn't. Unfortunately i think he's just going to keep being susceptible and flailing at sliders low and away. MLB pitchers are good enough to keep exposing that. I desperately hope i'm wrong

You are correct.
But there is an answer - which I was first to identify and explain to all.
He needs to close his stance.
That would allow him to fully leverage his length to greatest level of effectiveness.
The Cardinals have stupidly and persistently tried to force him into being a pull happy power hitter hunting inner-half pitches simply because he is big.
Never going to work.
He needs to focus on being a line drive hard contact hitter who feasts on pitches middle and away.
Not popular in today's game - but it is nonetheless exactly what he needs to do.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

Have you ever studied hitting? How does closing your stance "leverage his length?" What the hell does that mean? Please explain it.

I will explain it with clarity and perfection, as you kindly requested.
By opening up his stance to hunt inside pitches he hopes to pull (as the coaching staff has stupidly demanded), he leaves himself badly exposed on the outer half.
And pitchers are predictably shredding him there.
Dumb.
His length gives him innate physical advantage to cover more of the hitting zone - both width and height.
And as everyone knows from basic physics, length increases leverage which increases strength.
He is giving away his greatest advantage with his open stance.
Close the stance, cover the hitting zone, and he will automatically make more hard contact - which is all he needs to do.
Natural scientific principles will take it from there.

[Ozziesfan41]

It's probably going to be a .220 season. Some players of his size use their length to their advantage. He doesn't. Unfortunately i think he's just going to keep being susceptible and flailing at sliders low and away. MLB pitchers are good enough to keep exposing that. I desperately hope i'm wrong

You are correct.
But there is an answer - which I was first to identify and explain to all.
He needs to close his stance.
That would allow him to fully leverage his length to greatest level of effectiveness.
The Cardinals have stupidly and persistently tried to force him into being a pull happy power hitter hunting inner-half pitches simply because he is big.
Never going to work.
He needs to focus on being a line drive hard contact hitter who feasts on pitches middle and away.
Not popular in today's game - but it is nonetheless exactly what he needs to do.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

Have you ever studied hitting? How does closing your stance "leverage his length?" What the hell does that mean? Please explain it.

I will explain it with clarity and perfection, as you kindly requested.
By opening up his stance to hunt inside pitches he hopes to pull (as the coaching staff has stupidly demanded), he leaves himself badly exposed on the outer half.
And pitchers are predictably shredding him there.
Dumb.
His length gives him innate physical advantage to cover more of the hitting zone - both width and height.
And as everyone knows from basic physics, length increases leverage which increases strength.
He is giving away his greatest advantage with his open stance.
Close the stance, cover the hitting zone, and he will automatically make more hard contact - which is all he needs to do.
Natural scientific principles will take it from there.

He won’t be able to hit those outside pitches he flails at unless he has two bats fused together and it won’t stop him from taking fastballs down the middle. His stance isn’t the problem his swing when he hits the ball he hits it hard his problem is his pitch recognition. Unless he fixes his awful pitch recognition he will never be able to hit no matter what stance or swing he uses. If he closed his stance or scooted further up in the zone they would start jamming him inside or just going further outside pitchers are quick to adapt walker and Gorman aren’t they have awful pitch recognition

[ScotchMIrish]

He was fine when he first arrived in St Louis. Then Mozeliak's experts sent him down to fix his swing. I'm surprised he isn't standing on his head holding the bat with his feet now with all the tinkering they have done.

[Voldemort]

It's probably going to be a .220 season. Some players of his size use their length to their advantage. He doesn't. Unfortunately i think he's just going to keep being susceptible and flailing at sliders low and away. MLB pitchers are good enough to keep exposing that. I desperately hope i'm wrong

You are correct.
But there is an answer - which I was first to identify and explain to all.
He needs to close his stance.
That would allow him to fully leverage his length to greatest level of effectiveness.
The Cardinals have stupidly and persistently tried to force him into being a pull happy power hitter hunting inner-half pitches simply because he is big.
Never going to work.
He needs to focus on being a line drive hard contact hitter who feasts on pitches middle and away.
Not popular in today's game - but it is nonetheless exactly what he needs to do.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

Have you ever studied hitting? How does closing your stance "leverage his length?" What the hell does that mean? Please explain it.

I will explain it with clarity and perfection, as you kindly requested.
By opening up his stance to hunt inside pitches he hopes to pull (as the coaching staff has stupidly demanded), he leaves himself badly exposed on the outer half.
And pitchers are predictably shredding him there.
Dumb.
His length gives him innate physical advantage to cover more of the hitting zone - both width and height.
And as everyone knows from basic physics, length increases leverage which increases strength.
He is giving away his greatest advantage with his open stance.
Close the stance, cover the hitting zone, and he will automatically make more hard contact - which is all he needs to do.
Natural scientific principles will take it from there.

So, you can't define what you meant. BTW, what you prescribe as a cure will simply enable pitchers to throw inside to him. A closed stance also inhibits the back hip from "getting through" on balls. A closed stance with a hitter who has arms as long as Walker will ensure that the thin part of the bat will be over the plate, so he will get sawed off a lot. The limited video posted of Walker thus far on this site demonstrates that Walker is doing exactly what he needs to do. He is no longer vertically stacked or in a position where he is standing almost straight up and has a limited load. In the video, he is setting pelvic tilt, which will, inturn enable him to have pelvic tilt into lateral tilt. He was not efficient last year.

[JohnnyMO]

It's probably going to be a .220 season. Some players of his size use their length to their advantage. He doesn't. Unfortunately i think he's just going to keep being susceptible and flailing at sliders low and away. MLB pitchers are good enough to keep exposing that. I desperately hope i'm wrong

You are correct.
But there is an answer - which I was first to identify and explain to all.
He needs to close his stance.
That would allow him to fully leverage his length to greatest level of effectiveness.
The Cardinals have stupidly and persistently tried to force him into being a pull happy power hitter hunting inner-half pitches simply because he is big.
Never going to work.
He needs to focus on being a line drive hard contact hitter who feasts on pitches middle and away.
Not popular in today's game - but it is nonetheless exactly what he needs to do.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

Have you ever studied hitting? How does closing your stance "leverage his length?" What the hell does that mean? Please explain it.

I will explain it with clarity and perfection, as you kindly requested.
By opening up his stance to hunt inside pitches he hopes to pull (as the coaching staff has stupidly demanded), he leaves himself badly exposed on the outer half.
And pitchers are predictably shredding him there.
Dumb.
His length gives him innate physical advantage to cover more of the hitting zone - both width and height.
And as everyone knows from basic physics, length increases leverage which increases strength.
He is giving away his greatest advantage with his open stance.
Close the stance, cover the hitting zone, and he will automatically make more hard contact - which is all he needs to do.
Natural scientific principles will take it from there.

So, you can't define what you meant. BTW, what you prescribe as a cure will simply enable pitchers to throw inside to him. A closed stance also inhibits the back hip from "getting through" on balls. A closed stance with a hitter who has arms as long as Walker will ensure that the thin part of the bat will be over the plate, so he will get sawed off a lot. The limited video posted of Walker thus far on this site demonstrates that Walker is doing exactly what he needs to do. He is no longer vertically stacked or in a position where he is standing almost straight up and has a limited load. In the video, he is setting pelvic tilt, which will, inturn enable him to have pelvic tilt into lateral tilt. He was not efficient last year.

You obviously know more about hitting than I do. I’m just a fan who hasn’t played since high school. Can you - or anyone smarter than me - explain why he is falling forward and stumbling at the finish of every swing? I can’t recall any good hitter consistently doing that.

[Voldemort]

It's probably going to be a .220 season. Some players of his size use their length to their advantage. He doesn't. Unfortunately i think he's just going to keep being susceptible and flailing at sliders low and away. MLB pitchers are good enough to keep exposing that. I desperately hope i'm wrong

You are correct.
But there is an answer - which I was first to identify and explain to all.
He needs to close his stance.
That would allow him to fully leverage his length to greatest level of effectiveness.
The Cardinals have stupidly and persistently tried to force him into being a pull happy power hitter hunting inner-half pitches simply because he is big.
Never going to work.
He needs to focus on being a line drive hard contact hitter who feasts on pitches middle and away.
Not popular in today's game - but it is nonetheless exactly what he needs to do.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.

Have you ever studied hitting? How does closing your stance "leverage his length?" What the hell does that mean? Please explain it.

I will explain it with clarity and perfection, as you kindly requested.
By opening up his stance to hunt inside pitches he hopes to pull (as the coaching staff has stupidly demanded), he leaves himself badly exposed on the outer half.
And pitchers are predictably shredding him there.
Dumb.
His length gives him innate physical advantage to cover more of the hitting zone - both width and height.
And as everyone knows from basic physics, length increases leverage which increases strength.
He is giving away his greatest advantage with his open stance.
Close the stance, cover the hitting zone, and he will automatically make more hard contact - which is all he needs to do.
Natural scientific principles will take it from there.

So, you can't define what you meant. BTW, what you prescribe as a cure will simply enable pitchers to throw inside to him. A closed stance also inhibits the back hip from "getting through" on balls. A closed stance with a hitter who has arms as long as Walker will ensure that the thin part of the bat will be over the plate, so he will get sawed off a lot. The limited video posted of Walker thus far on this site demonstrates that Walker is doing exactly what he needs to do. He is no longer vertically stacked or in a position where he is standing almost straight up and has a limited load. In the video, he is setting pelvic tilt, which will, inturn enable him to have pelvic tilt into lateral tilt. He was not efficient last year.

You obviously know more about hitting than I do. I’m just a fan who hasn’t played since high school. Can you - or anyone smarter than me - explain why he is falling forward and stumbling at the finish of every swing? I can’t recall any good hitter consistently doing that.

Johnny, when watching this video, do you see him falling forward? What I see is that he had maintained connection or the relationship of the hands to the back shoulder, allowed himself to drive the ball using his body instead of his arms and then, after the ball is gone, finishes the swing. If you watched videos of Pujols from back in the day, you would see that he sometimes crossed the plate on a swing. BTW, Johnny, did you notice that Walker's back toe actually comes off of the ground as he drives the ball. While subtle, it does. Again, Pujols did this when he really drove the ball. In the provided video, it appears that Walker's goal is to hit the ball out of the park.

https://www.facebook.com/Cardinals/vide ... 345786951/

[Voldemort]

Here is Cabrera doing much the same as Walker as he finished his swing.

https://maximizeyourhitting.wordpress.c ... behind.gif

[DwaininAztec]

That swing is a great improvement over his previous year's swings. He is loading better and has a better stretch. I don't understand what the OP means by collapsing his back leg. Great hitters do things that in casual observation, can be explained with simple terms. For example, "knee chase." Look at his knees, they chase each other. He now has pelvic tilt. That was missing from his previous swings. Pelvic tilt to lateral tilt if done correctly, allows the hitter to not only gain power, but also enables them to have a more adjustable swing. I am actually pretty excited about this swing.

Exactly. The shape of his finish is exactly what Ted Williams and Charlie Lau talked about in his writings. The front knee is to be bent slightly, while the rear knee breaks allowing the weight to shift from back to front. If the rear knee doesn't break, then the weight will remain on the back foot.

If you want to see a weird swing, watch Winn's where his read foot completely leaves the ground while shifting away from the plate. It works for him, so don't change him.

Oh, and then there was Willie McGee who did everything wrong, but still hit very well.

[Cardinals1964]

https://www.facebook.com/Cardinals/vide ... 345786951/

That swing looked great.