These five batting stances are as fun to look at as they are to imitate
The BBQ's Best 5 is exactly what it sounds like: Each week, we'll pick a category around the world of baseball and talk about the five best things within that group. Today, we're taking a look at the Best 5 stances in the Majors right now.
As baseball fans born in the mid-90's, we were lucky enough to grow up in the golden age of weird and notable batting stances. From Jeff Bagwell to Craig Counsell to Gary Sheffield to Tony Batista, the 2000's featured a remarkably deep collection of players with unique stances.
That being said, there's still a pretty awesome crop of weird and unique stances in the game today. Here are the five best batting stances in baseball right now:
5.
Gallo's stance isn't the only extremely-open stance in baseball right now, but his looks different simply because of how long his legs are. His feet are basically placed in opposite corners of the batter's box:
Even though Gallo's hands are cocked back towards his ear, his chest is so open that you can almost see the "TEXAS" across his uniform. Despite his open approach, Gallo's power isn't just to the pull side -- the slugger already has three homers to center and one to left so far this year.
4.
Since his rip-roaring rookie debut in 2001, Pujols and his batting stance have been cornerstones of the baseball world. While Big Al has made some slight adjustments to his stance in recent years -- his feet are closer together and his body is more upright -- the fundamental aspects of what makes Pujols' stance so memorable haven't changed one bit.
His stance is almost therapeutic and relaxing to look at and conveys a certain comforting cadence that captures the essence of Pujols' whole persona.
3.
While there's way more to Gattis than his rugged, lumberjack-y aura -- go read his incredible backstory if you haven't --that is undoubtedly part of what makes him so fun to watch. It's appropriate then, that Gattis' batting stance looks like he's about to thwack down a redwood.
Gattis is often still moving his feet when the pitcher begins his motion, but once the pitcher releases the ball, Gattis rips his presumably well-worn hands through the hitting zone with wonderful ferocity.
2.
When you're a kid in Little League, one of the things you'll hear every coach or parent tell you is to "bend your knees." But take a look at how upright Davis' body is and how straight his legs are even once the pitcher is at full leg lift. You can practically draw a straight vertical line up Davis' back.
Additionally, his entire lower half remains still and his front foot hovers so close to the ground through the swing -- particularly compared to other big dinger guys like
1.
If anyone has any idea what is going on with Odubel's front foot, please let us know because what in the world ...
The current bat flip king is also the current batting stance king. No one else in baseball twists their foot enough to have the underside of their shoe pointing at the pitcher like Herrera's does.
While his lower half twists in seven thousand different directions, his upper half remains upright. But once the pitcher releases the ball, Herrera coils his energy in tight with a leg lift that looks more like that of a pitcher than a hitter.
Somehow, some way, the Phillies centerfielder makes this odd stance work. Go try this one at home and see how impossible it is to stand like that -- let alone swing a baseball bat.
