Everyone has an opinion.Â
Is he on Steroids? Is he using a corked bat? Did he suddenly start wearing an Elbow Pad? No to all three, especially the last one. He’s been wearing elbow protection since his days in Texas.Â
It’s some changes to his swing – thanks in part to new Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long, who had a plan for A-Rod all offseason (article from 11/24/06)…
Spring training is still months away, but Kevin Long already has begun work in his new job as the Yankees’ hitting coach. He has had lunch with Alex Rodriguez to plan an offseason routine and will visit A-Rod at his winter home in Miami to help prepare him for camp.
“I’m pretty technical, as far as breaking down a swing, and Alex understands how the swing works,” Long said. “He really enjoys the technical part of it.
Well, The Baseball Analysts did their usual fabulous video comparison – and found that, indeed, A-Rod’s swing is just better this season. The work done by the guys over at Baseball Analysts is absolutely incredible …
From a recent NY Times article (go read the whole thing) …
(Don) Mattingly said he left all instruction to Long, who studied tapes of every Yankees hitter last winter. Long believed Rodriguez could be more consistent with a lower leg kick and a faster rotation of his hips.
The result would be a more compact swing. Rodriguez made this easier on himself by losing 12 pounds. A leaner hitter is more flexible. “That’s a huge factor,†Long said.Â
He met with Long in Arizona, where Long lives, and set up another meeting for five days in December at Rodriguez’s home in Miami.
It was there that Rodriguez started to deconstruct his swing. The lessons imparted, together with a better frame of mind and a sleeker physique, have helped Rodriguez to his potentially historic start.
My personal opinion as to why Rodriguez is performing so well so far this season is because he’s wearing his pants shorter. You can see his socks. Which is how baseball players are supposed to look.
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