Throughout baseballs history, there have been many batting/hitting gurus that have transformed the game. (If you haven't checked out my article on the History of Baseball Batting Mechanics click here). Guys like Ted Williams, Charlie Lau, Tony Gwynn and Don Matingly, have long been followed as having a great understanding of the bio mechanics of the elite level swing. More recently Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays has been very open on his feeling to the way most instructors have been teaching swing mechanics in the last 30 years.
The Chicago Cubs drafted Donaldson in the first round (48th overall) of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. In his first minor league season, Donaldson played 53 games for the Rookie Arizona League Cubs and Short Season-A Boise Hawks, batting a combined .335 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI. His climb to the big leagues was not that easy. In 2008 he hit .267 with 15 home runs and a .328 on base percentage. Donaldson, whose stock had fallen from his first round pedigree, took a look at his mechanics/approach and realized that everything he had ever been taught, was completely wrong.
The study of mechanics all started in 2010. Josh mirrored his swing after José bautista. Bautista who was a mediocre for most of his career, till he came to the blue jays and changed his swing mechanics. Josh researched the body m
ovements of the best hitters in the game. Their styles and approaches are very unique from the theories of today. If you take a look at some of baseball greatest hitters from the 40 ' s, 50 ' s, and 60's Donaldson and Bautista would fit right in.
Josh has challenged batting techniques as he has made an effort to teach the elite level swing. He has become a true student of the game. Check out mlb.com article on Josh Donaldson's swing lessons via twitter: http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2014/11/22/102187546/all-star-josh-donaldson-delivers-a-baseball-swing-lesson-via-twitter?tcid=tw_article_102187546
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