Walk off home runs are terrific BUT

[CaliCuse]

I prefer a batter whose BA is sufficient and filled with singles with RISP I see that Beltran is now using the Soriano upper cut swing at pitches out of the zone. Upper cut swings are probably the worse in the game Simple geometry tells you that the swing and pitch pathway intersect at one spot. A level swing through the zone gives a batter far more opportunity to make decisive contact. Jeter is a prime example even if his swing produces ground ball DPs at an above average rate in his career. I very well recall one of the most graceful swings in baseball. Roger Maris had one year when everything went well for him except for the press coverage and the fans who hated him for being the HR champ instead of the favorite Mickey Mantle Roger's swing was beautiful in that he kept his top hand on the bat through the entire swing Mantle's swing was creakingly unbelievable with power. He was by far the best Yankee I was able to see when I was young and impressionable. I was not there the day he hit the ball that almost cleared the facade. The ball was rising when it hit and the mathematicians calculated the probable distance of well over 650' if it was unimpeded in flight. That is monster power. With relief pitching becoming the strategic norm and now being developed in the minors as a good way to the majors there will likely never be players in this category again