Power vs. Consistency - Swing Analysis of Ken Griffey Sr. vs. Ken Griffey Jr.

In the above video, I analyze the swings of Ken Griffey Jr. vs. Ken Griffey Sr.  The reason why this is a good comparison to make is because both guys weighed about the same (190 lbs and 195 lbs) and of course have pretty much the same natural skills, since they are father and son.  It's not the same as comparing twins, but it's pretty close.  

Both of them had very lead-arm dominant swings, but Jr.'s was better because he finished his swing, his shoulders rotating all the way around.  This gave him more power, and made him a much more valuable hitter.

Sure, Sr. had a slightly higher average, but is it really wise to trade 12 points in batting average - Sr. had a lifetime .296 AVG vs. Jr's .284 - for significantly less home runs?  Senior hit a home run every 47.6 ABs.  Junior hit one every 15.6!  That's quite a difference.  It's a difference that put Junior in the HOF.

The only change Senior would have had to make would have been to just finish his swing more.  Basically, go for more power.  Somewhere along the line, it's likely that he bought into the whole ensure-contact-over-power thing and cut his swing short.  Sure, that may have given him more consistency, but at a pretty steep cost of power.

Sometimes hitters swing and miss a little more than they want, maybe for a stretch, and they abandon the hard swing.  This is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  Instead, be ok with swinging and missing.  If there's a pitch that you are having trouble hitting, then work it off a tee.  It's that simple.  Your goal should be to swing hard every single time you swing.  Consistent power is the quintessential piece of a great hitter.  If you already have a lead-arm dominant action, then put the finishing touches on for goodness sakes and swing hard.