From an ability standpoint, it starts at batting practice. This can give us an idea of power and skills to all fields. I’m looking for fluidity and what he does with each pitch and how the ball comes off the bat. You can see raw power here on pull pitches and gap-to-gap power well. Then it’s about if he can translate those skills to his at-bats.
Bat speed, strength, and basic swing mechanics. This is a good place to start on a hitter evaluation at BP. The swing path and type of hitter dictate how the tools will play and the position he will best fit.
Evaluation of a hitter.
1. Athleticism
2. Bat Speed
3. Feel/Bat Control
4. Plan at the Plate/Pitch Recognition/Discipline
The swing path is what I’m looking towards first (downward, level, uppercut). We can tell this from the swing itself and then from determining where the ball travels. What type of hitter is he? (slap, contact, power, line drive). I’m looking at the lower half and how it dictates the load/pre-hand movement and how the hitter’s stretch is. When his front foot hits, how does his body align? (It’s convenient to get a side angle look for this) One will determine the other so we want to see some fluidity here. Deciding whether a hitch in the swing can be fixed is case by case.
A desirable bat path is one that is level or with a slight uppercut and in the zone for a long time.
Athleticism:
This is in the baseball sense and in defining the athletic aspects of the player in the box. His defense is another judgment altogether or another determination you will have to declare for a position. Feel to hit, good sense of the zone, loose hands, power, or pop to all fields. It’s being athletic in the box.
Bat Speed/Swing:
The general principle for good swings is balance, loaded hands around the back shoulder, upper and lower halves synced at contact, a direct path to the ball, and a little loft in the finish. There can be a correction made in one of these but lacking multiple is a problem. It takes longer to believe there can be a success without these but it’s not impossible. Obviously, the more tooled up a player is, the better you feel that a correction can be made.
Bat Control:
The ability to get on plane with the pitch thrown and match your swing. This is noticeable when hitters are imbalanced or fooled by off-speed but still able to put the barrel on the ball. A free and loose swing is a strong basis for good bat control. A stiffer swing from a big slugger will have more swing and miss in it. Certain players with this flaw can still do well for a period of time but the swing will be so repetitive that it can often be determined in batting practice that there’s a restriction. This is back to the idea of having the bat in the zone for a long time for the best result. Is the hitter overwhelmed and being dominated by the pitcher?
Plate Discipline:
We want to see a plan here for the hitter and if he can dictate the at-bat. That involves all of the formulas above. Laying off good pitches, getting into hitters’ counts, finding a pitch to drive, and ultimately hitting the ball hard. Having an idea at the plate, recognition of pitches, working towards good hitting counts, avoiding swinging at breakers in the dirt or the high fastball, etc. The best time you will be able to see this with young or amateur hitters is when they face a pitcher who is throwing harder than the norm. Someone who will test them above the standard. The advancement in plate discipline is difficult, not saying improvements can’t be made, of course, they can. But the history of K-BB is a strong indicator with little change over time. Most plate discipline is an inherent skill and it takes a lot as a hitter to work yourself into good counts. Project OBP in/with the hit tool. It’s important to understand the value of the at-bat and if he walks, so be it, the result is positive and it should reflect that way.
The hitting tool is combining all the components from above to give another scout or the front office the ability to apply their own thoughts or projections.
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