Major Leaguers You Can Learn From: Curtis Granderson

Since he re-worked his swing with Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long at the end of the 2010 season, Curtis Granderson has been one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Since the tweak, Curtis has launched more home runs than anyone in the Major Leagues not named Jose Bautista. Not bad for a six-foot-one, one hundred eighty-five pound centerfielder. How is he doing it? Lets break it down.



(Video courtesy of MLB.com)

Set Up:
As you can see in this video, the "load" portion of Granderson's set up is very overexaggerated and deliberate (which makes it a perfect example for youg players). After the "load", Curtis' hands are drawn back to a perfect hitting position. Also, notice the LACK of extraneous movement in his set up. There is no energy-wasting bat waving going on, nor are there any extra "time mechanisms" to allow him to get fooled on the offspeed pitch. There is only one instance where movement is necessary, and that is when he goes from "ready" to "loaded".

Explosion:
As I mentioned before, Curtis Granderson is not a physical monster: in fact, many of the high school players reading this may be of comparable size. Even though he has a relatively small frome, Curtis generates light-tower power through the use of his HIPS. Watch as his rotation begins: as soon as the front foot lands, the front hip begins to clear in a violent fashion. POWER is not LINEAR in baseball, whether it be at the plate or on the mound. "Sliding" forward does not make the ball travel, it is the torque of the hips that increases bat speed, therefore increasing the force with which you can hit the ball.

Swing:
As the bat begins to travel through the hitting zone, notice the slight uppercut of the swing. We are not looking for a toes-to-nose hack, but rather a smooth transition that allows the bat to take the shortest, most effective route to the ball.

Finish:
In a word, perfect. Granderson's backswing is identical to what I have been teaching students for over a decade. Both hands remain on the bat throughout, with the barrell ending up directly ACROSS the numbers, avoiding an uppercut that is to exaggerated, while still producing backspin that allos the ball to travel.

These tweaks to his swing have allowed Curtis Granderson to become one of the most feared hitters in the Major Leagues, showing that even the smallest of adjustments can be the difference between an average hitter and a beast at the plate.