Photos: Breaking down Jose Abreu’s swing
1. “When he gets in, he finds his toehold. His toehold is basically his balance, his width between his shoulders. Get balanced and get into his legs right off the get-go. As he gets into his setup, as the pitcher goes through his windup, he has a timing mechanism connected with the pitcher (a toe tap). Usually right about when (the pitcher) separates his hands, he gets into what we call a ‘coil’ or a tuck position with his shoulder going into the zone and his head out over the plate.” (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Tribune
White Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson goes through Jose Abreu’s swing step-by-step.
2. “Not every hitter can do what he does as it relates to holding the bat because he has ... almost 11/2 fingers off the bat. That creates what we used to call a ‘buggy whip’, a lot of whip with the head and the bat. You’ve got to be strong to do it, though, because you can lose the barrel if you’re not strong enough to keep the barrel up there long enough.” (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
3. “As the pitcher gets going, he’ll start getting sturdier inside his body and start sinking down into his legs and sinking his body out over the plate as he gets himself prepared to separate. ... He’s got his hands in his slot from his firing position. ... Different guys fire from different spots, but his is roughly right about shoulder height.” (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
4. “The next move is what you would call a ‘pull’ with the bottom hand and the top hand together toward the baseball. He likes to stay inside the ball a lot. ... He is making sure his hands don’t start to go out around the ball before it gets to the plate.” (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
5. “Once he starts to fire the bat, the front foot is down. ... Once that heel hits, that back heel starts to come off the ground, and the backside of his body, all is connected -- foot, knee, hip and hands, with the barrel coming last. Everything in the hitting for him is a whip. Once you get your foot down and that backside starts driving through your legs to the baseball and your hands are on path with the ball, then the barrel will come off the right shoulder.” (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
6. “The last thing that comes is the barrel. The finish is key ... his hands going upward at the end for a finish and true extension. Most hitters, especially him, if you finish down below your shoulders, typically you may have come around the ball or you cut your swing off. ... The fact you’re able to finish this way, with this type of tilt, tells you (that) you were over the ball.” (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
