Okay, so most of you know how I feel about Manny Ramirez. It’s not a stretch to say that he isn’t my favorite player. I mean, aside from the whole “Manny being Manny” stuff (that I think is a disgrace to baseball) the guy has played for my two least favorite teams (Sorry to all the Dodger and Red Sox fans out there). That all being said there is no denying the fact that Manny is a great hitter. Probably one of the greatest hitters of our generation. He has an amazing ability to repeat proper mechanics. In fact if you guys remember the homerun he hit in the playoffs against the Cubs in Chicago where it looked like he reached out for that really low pitch, well when you break that swing down it is almost mechanically perfect. Most hitters would have to breakdown their mechanics to hit that pitch but Manny was able put a very mechanically sound swing on that pitch which enabled him to hit the ball the way he did.
Manny’s ability to repeat his mechanics so frequently is directly linked to how hard he works on hitting and (most importantly) how he practices. I came across an article yesterday that was written about what Manny does during spring training. How much and how he goes through his daily work. The excerpt below is Don Mattingly discussing how Manny goes about his tee work. I think that what he is saying is very relevant to the blogs I have written about deliberate practice. Pay attention to what Mattingly is saying, notice how Manny takes every swing, “as a whole at-bat”. In addition pay attention to what Mattingly is saying about Manny’s swing and think about the things you are learning. Mattingly talks about “simplicity” and “path to the ball” which is what we are always working on. Head stability, stride foot down early, no big movements are all the things we use to keep your swing simple. The top hand work and hip separation are both necessary for the direct, simple bat path.
Finally notice how Manny uses his mind during his practice session. Like we have discussed before, too many of you simply go out and perform mindless repetition. In order to achieve true mastery it is imperative that you incorporate your mind. Perform less swings, but think about what you are doing. Using your mind will enable you to develop the repeatable swing you need to be successful. Enjoy the excerpt, it you want the whole article let me know and I will email it to you.
"Nothing's changed from last year. He just keeps a simple path to the ball," said Mattingly. "He's patient. He knows there's almost a full Spring Training left and he doesn't feel he has to rush. How many at-bats did he get last Spring Training? I figure 40-50 for the older guys is enough."
Ramirez had 34 at-bats last Spring with the Red Sox, but theirs was a Spring Training shortened by unusual travel as they opened the regular season March 25-26 in Japan.
Mattingly said Ramirez's batting approach is successful because of its simplicity.
"I used to think my approach to hitting was simple, but not nearly as simple as his," Mattingly, the 1984 American League batting champ, said of Ramirez, the 2002 AL batting champ." Now I look back and, by comparison, I made it more difficult. His swing is the way to go.
"By 8 [a.m.], he's in the cage. He'll only take 30 to 35 balls, but he's almost perfect with them. He does it slow. He doesn't rush. He's not firing ball after ball. He takes his time with each swing. It's like each swing is a whole at-bat. He thinks about what he wants to do and then he thinks about what he just did. Every swing he takes with a purpose. And he doesn't talk much when he's hitting. But if he doesn't like one, he'll ask what you think he did.”
