[ls7plus]

Trout, Judge and Harper all have their potential problems. Trout seems to be developing Mantle's propensity for injury about five years too early, and heaven help him if an electronic umpire comes in for balls and strikes. He hits .213 on balls in the upper third of the strike zone, and depends all too often on the umps calling them balls rather than the strikes they are--can you say .265 batting average, anyone?

Judge simply got started too late to put up great career totals, and before he was injured, they seemed to have him changing his style to hit those little chinese homers to the short porch in right in New York, rather than the 480 foot bombs to left center that thrilled the fans. An attempt to cut down on his K's perhaps.

Harper, just in case anyone here hasn't noticed (the NL pitchers surely have, which is why they consistently try to get him out by pitching him on the outer corner), simply begins his swing incorrectly by violently yanking his lead shoulder open. The proper sequence is that the hips cock, begin to uncock as the pitcher releases the pitch, and then the hands start down with the top hand palm up. The shoulders are in sinc with the hands and arms--THEY DO NOT LEAD THE WAY! Check out some vintage footage of Ted Williams, Mantle, or even Rhys Hopkins. Slo-mo them if your remote has the capacity. The way Harper does it, the bat can only lag behind through the zone if he is to make contact on a ball on the outer half at all, which is why he has so very little power to the opposite field. My bet is that we are not done seeing him hit .240-.250 or so, and that anyone who will pay him nine figures with free agency will inevitably regret it.

Just sayin,

Larry