Natural v. Mechanical Ballplayers

[jaybird2001wi]

Before I place the labels on the Brewer position players, I will define what each is...

 

Natural - Looks like he belongs out there, relies on athleticism and uses specific physical attributes to his advantage. When in a slump, does not change batting stance or the way he fields. Can get out of slump by a simple mistake pitch made by a pitcher (ie: hanging curve up in the zone). The Natural outfielder makes routine fly balls look more effortless than the Mechanical ballplayers (ie: does not use two hands keep a ball in his glove). The Natural infielder can field grounders and easily flip it to his double play mate with his glove. The Natural ballplayer may decline with age because the physical attributes start to deteriorate. Depending on his position, speed can deteroriate faster than others.

 

Mechanical - Looks semi-robotic out there, relies on whatever batting stance has worked for him in the past. Makes frequent adjustments whenever the current batting stance stops working. The Mechanical outfielder can make routine fly balls look tough and cause fans a heart attack but will get the job done.

 

Now there is nothing wrong with either type of ballplayer and my observations show some of our players have a little bit of both.

 

Jason Kendall - Mechanical, most catchers are mechanical and study the game carefully. Offensively, he is kind of a Natural. He had great athleticism and was fast for a catcher early on, but this has declined with age.

 

Prince Fielder - Natural offensively. Mechanical defensively. His physical attributes offensively totally and obviously are reflective of a power hitter. But his physical attributes could become his own enemy as he ages (see: Mo Vaughn). If he wants to continue his success, needs to watch his weight. May need to re-adjust himself to be mechanical on offense later in his career. Mechanical on defense, looks like he uses all necessary fundamentals to get the job done. His defensive skills were obtained and not what he was "born with."

 

Rickie Weeks - This is a tough debate. He exhibits natural athletic ability (speed, natural batting stance) but some of his fielding techniques look like they were obtained through fundamental teaching. Can at times make double plays look natural instead of mechanical. But whenever he makes a defensive mistake, its due to a small flaw in his follow through. Can field fly balls almost effortlessly.

 

JJ Hardy - Mechanical. Not the fastest guy in the infield, is young but at times appears to be much older than his reflective age (base-running skills are obtained rather than "born with"). Slightly above average among shortstops in fielding range. Makes few mistakes, which can lead me to believe he has some natural ability in his fielding game. Offensively, when he is in a slump, its because of a small mechanical flaw.

 

Bill Hall - Mechanical on all levels. Natural position is 2nd base, has had to learn new positions almost on a yearly basis. Slumps are credited with a mechanical flaw in stance. Follow through in his batting swing is semi-natural.

 

Ryan Braun - Natural offensively, semi-natural defensively. Looks like he belongs in the batters box no matter if he is in a slump or not. Uses his diverse athleticism to his advantage. May need to adjust mechanics as he ages. The reasoning behind my semi-natural defensive assessment is when he makes a mistake its all mechanical and does not seem to be a mental mistake. Uses his physical athleticism to compensate for any defensive shortcomings.

 

Mike Cameron - Natural defensively. Mechanical offensively. Can make defensive plays look effortless, relies on his natural speed to keep up and track fly balls. Lot of range in Centerfield. Mechanical flaws all around when he is in a slump.

 

Corey Hart - Natural offensively. Mechanical defensively. Uses height to his advantage when baserunning. Long arm span allows him to reach for balls slightly outside the zone. Mechanical defensively, changed positions twice (Natural first baseman) but uses his height to his advantage to catch up to fly balls. But looks like his defensive skill was learned and at times can make fly balls look difficult.

 

Any thoughts?

[zzzmanwitz]

I have a few disagreements. Mostly just my own observations, not much analysis.

 

I think Hall is a natural hitter. He looks comfortable in the box, like he was born to be there, just doesn't always perform well.

 

Cameron is one of the most natural players i've ever seen. He is a natural hitter in all definitions of the word.

[PlayerHader]

Disagree a lot on Weeks and Hardy. Hardy looks as natural as anyone; especially defensively. Weeks to me seems quite mechanical. He is a great athlete, but everything from fielding ground balls to hitting looks very coached and mechanical to me. Lacks fluidity.