Many analysts and fans are wondering how Cardinal’s rookie sensation, Michael Wacha, could have passed to the 19th overall pick, since he is now dominating those who represent the best teams in baseball for 2013.  Having personally scouted Wacha for three years, I can confirm that scouts passed on the future Cardinal’s ace for not having a plus breaking ball and little “project-ability” compared to a dynamic high school player like Nick Travieso or Lucas Giolito, two RHP taken before Wacha in the 2013 draft. 

Scouts consistently fall into this infatuation for a young, power pitcher, with an upper 90’s fastball and a plus breaking ball without ever fully understanding the pitcher’s ability to PITCH. In Wacha’s case, he was, at minimum, a safe pick for any staff, having shown an exceptional track record for Team USA and Texas A&M for three straight years. The Cardinal’s scouts, praised as one of the best in recent history, pounced on him for the sure thing bargain that he was and the rest is now history.

Major League Baseball has repeated this mistake several times. In the spirit of undervalued players, here’s a list of those who have been severely overlooked in the MLB drafts of past years provided by Sports Illustrated Magazine:

Mike Piazza, C, 1989, Dodgers, 62nd round. Hard to top a Cooperstown-bound catcher in round 62. He was a legacy pick at family friend Lasorda's behest but he became a superstar.

Albert Pujols, 1B, 1999, Cardinals, 13th round. Now one of the top ten hitters of all-time, it’s hard to believe he fell this far, giving the Cardinal’s yet another bargain pick.

Keith Hernandez, 1B, 1971, Cardinals, 42nd round. Perhaps the greatest fielding first baseman ever. Lasted this long after sitting out his senior season in a dispute with his high school coach.

Andre Dawson, OF, 1975, Expos, 10th round. This five-tool player was nothing short of an afterthought in this draft. On the way into the Hall of Fame this summer.

Don Mattingly, 1B, 1979, Yankees, 19th round. This undersized first baseman was a worker who could hit. But he couldn't run and few foresaw the power or greatness that would come. A total miss by everyone.

Rickey Henderson, OF, 1976 A's, 4th round. All-time great was missed by everyone before A's grabbed him.

Ryan Howard, 1B, 2000 Phillies, 5th round. This later bloomer was slow to be promoted to the majors, too, perhaps because of the presence of power-hitting Jim Thome. But as soon as Howard arrived, he established himself as baseball's top slugger.

Jason Bay, OF, 2000, Expos, 22nd round. The Canadian was underappreciated almost right to the point where he signed that $66-million contract with the Mets. The Expos were full of good picks. This was one of their best.

Johnny Bench, C, 1965, Reds, 2nd Round Arguably the greatest catcher whomever lived, scouted in the 2nd round under old school “eye-catching” scouting standards.

Nolan Ryan, RHP, 1965, Mets, 2nd round. This may contradict my previous argument, but nonetheless Nolan Ryan was taken in the 2nd round due to a lack of control, but the upside was unprecedented with Ryan’s velocity so I’m shocked scouts let him slip this far.

George Brett, 3B, 1971 Royals, 2nd round. Future Hall of Famer made it to the second round in the productive and topsy-turvy 1971 draft.

Roger Clemens, RHP, 1983 Red Sox, No. 18 overall. Clemens was an underappreciated star pitcher for the University of Texas Longhorns, where he was not exactly hidden but somehow skipped by eight teams that took right-handed pitchers ahead of him.

Cal Ripken Jr., SS, 1978, Orioles, 2nd round. Funny to think now that the Orioles (and presumably just about everyone else) preferred someone else to Ripken, another all-time great who went in round two. No one could have predicted he'd top Lou Gehrig as an iron man, but you'd think the team where his father worked as a coach might have known something no one else did.

Wade Boggs, 3B, 1976 Red Sox, 7th round. He was a great hitter but scouts must have wondered whether he had the power or other skills to be a third base star. Became a Hall of Famer and a steal.

Kevin Youkilis, 2001, Red Sox, 8th round. A University of Cincinnati scrapper, few foresaw his greatness. Didn't get notoriety until being dubbed as the Greek God of Walks in Moneyball. Turns out he could do more than walk, and beyond that, he is not Greek but Jewish.

Brandon Webb, RHP, 2000, Diamondbacks, 8th round. The 2006 NL Cy Young winner never overwhelmed folks with his velocity but he was one of the majors' best pitchers over a five-year period. Currently working his way back from shoulder trouble. Might not return this year, but a bargain nonetheless.

Ian Kinsler, 2B, 2003, Rangers, 17th round. This multitalented infielder might have been overlooked because he shared time with Dustin Pedroia at Arizona State before transferring.

It’s no secret Sabermetrics has become the new norm in baseball. Analyzing players by their production and efficiency has given teams an understanding of baseball as a statistical game of chess.  Those who reject the measure of a player’s efficiency, misunderstand the strategy behind the game.  The statistic OPS, or on base percentage plus slugging percentage, measures the complete offensive efficiency of a hitter by compiling his ability to get walked, get hits, and hit with power.  However, for the purpose of mechanically analyzing a hitter’s swing, one must put a spin on the revered OPS statistic.

 Batting Average plus Slugging Percentage removes the variable of walks, and focuses on those players who most effectively balance contact consistency with power. Those who excel at this statistic represent the most balanced swings in baseball. 

Below is a list of the 30 MOST EFFICIENT SWINGS IN BASEBALL HISTORY. Ignoring any public controversies or allegations, the numbers show that these are the cream of the crop in hitting, and should be your ideal mechanics to mirror. Some of these names are obvious, but some might surprise you.  More importantly, 23 of these 30 players are also in the top 30 OPS leaders in MLB history. I’ll be breaking down some of these players’ swings in the future to point out the commonalities that have made them so successful.

Babe Ruth...............................1.032

Ted Williams............................0.978

Lou Gehrig...............................0.972

Rogers Hornsby........................0.935

Jimmie Foxx...............................0.934

Albert Pujols..............................0.920

Hank Greenberg........................0.918

Barry Bonds...............................0.905

Joe Dimaggio..............................0.904

Manny Ramirez...........................0.897

Stan Musial.................................0.890

Miguel Cabrera...........................0.889

Ty Cob........................................0.880

Larry Walker...............................0.878

Johnny Mize................................0.874

Vladimir Guerrero........................0.871

Al Simmons.................................0.869

Chuck Klein.................................0.863

Harry Heilman..............................0.862

Dan Brouthers.............................0.861

Hank Aaron..................................0.860

Willie Mays...................................0.859

Albert Belle...................................0.859

Alex Rodriguez.............................0.857

Frank Thomas..............................0.856

Billy Herman..................................0.856

Mickey Mantle...............................0.855

Todd Helton..................................0.855

Mike Piazza...................................0.853

In a 2003 study by University of Cambridge Engineering Professor William J. Stronge and University of California Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Professors Gregory S. Sawicki and Mont Hubbard, optimal swing to maximize range trajectories on a baseball was charted.  In other words, they conducted a study to shed light on the ideal swing to consistently crush homeruns.

Their several conclusions included the following:

There is an optimal strategy for achieving maximum range.  For a typical fastball, the batter should undercut the ball by 2.65 cm and swing upward at an angle 0.1594 rad.

The optimally hit curve ball will travel farther than both the fastball and knuckleball, because of beneficial topspin on the pitched curve ball that is enhanced during impact with the bat.

Range is most sensitive to bat speed, which suggests that a batter ought to work on bat speed before anything else to increase the range of his/her hits.

For a given pitch type, range increases with pitch speed.

Most importantly, this study revealed that while creating backspin by undercutting a baseball to increase lift is more beneficial due to a force called the “Magnus Effect,” a hitter must achieve this undercut by SWINGING SLIGHTLY UPWARD and not down through the ball.

The benefit of this Magnus Effect on a 95 mph fastball has been charted to contribute more than an additional 50ft distance to a baseball’s flight.  Additionally, as illustrated in previous articles, the optimal swing plane for consistent contact is also a slight upswing because it more efficiently matches the downward trajectory of a pitched baseball.

So, in conclusion, if you want to hit more homeruns and raise your batting average from more contact, learn how to swing slightly up and increase your bat speed by utilizing your lower body to deliver the hands through the zone.

A major piece of misinformation in baseball instruction today is the preaching of "swinging down" on the baseball. There are two major arguments to this thought process: 

Direct your hands short to the baseball and get inside the ball by swinging down.

Create backspin on the ball by cutting under it. 

But lets use common sense more than scientific research to dissect this argument, and fully understand an efficient swing. In baseball, the pitcher's (defense's) main objective is to get outs, mostly by making the hitter put the ball on the ground to the fielders. At the same time, hitters (offense) are told to keep the ball out of the air and swing down to put the ball in play and let the fielders make mistakes. The question is:

How can the defense and the offense have the same objective?

More specifically, let's examine the plane of the baseball vs. the plane of the swing to understand the most efficient way to make consistent and powerful contact.  The peak height of the pitcher's mound is ten inches higher than the plate, sloping downward from the rubber. This height advantage combined with an overhand delivery causes a downward slope on all pitches thrown to the hitter.

In order to make consistent contact to a downward sloping baseball, a hitter must create a swing plane in the opposing direction of the baseball. This means a hitter needs to swing slightly up, or even at the very least, to create the most consistent line drive contact off the bat.  A hitter wants to get on plane as quickly as possible with their swing so as to make consistent contact despite being early or late to the pitch. A slightly upward swing allows the best chance of this. 

Now, situation hitting is an entirely different instance, and requires downward swings at times to intentionally put the ball on the ground (hit and run).  But for the everyday power swing, a slightly upward angle is the most efficient path.