When the great Ted Williams sat down to write the book The Science of Hitting with co-author John Underwood, he talked about what it took to be a great hitter—from theory to mechanics to application.
In his other book, My Turn At Bat, Williams also said, "A man has to have goals—for a day, for a lifetime—and that was mine, to have people say, 'There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived.'"
By many accounts, Williams reached his goal.
However, Williams not only conquered the science of hitting, but he did it in a way that looked majestic. He terrorized opposing pitchers, but they marveled at the beauty of his swing.
Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller was one such admirer. “Trying to get a fastball by him was like trying to get a sunbeam by a rooster,” Feller said.
Ted Williams did indeed become one of the greatest hitters who ever lived, and he did it with a swing that was both admired and envied. However, many other hitters have graced the major leagues with swings that induced admiration as well.
In 1989, Ken Griffey Jr. made his debut with the Seattle Mariners, and players and fans alike were in awe of his natural, free swing that looked both effortless and mystifying.
Who else came into baseball with what was considered a sweet swing? We will take a look at 50 players with the prettiest swings in all of baseball.
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