CARY, N.C. – When a baseball player steps up to the plate, they typically have some type of routine. Some dig into the box, some may tap their helmets, and others tap home plate. And after all of that is done, there’s one thing left to do: get into a batting stance.
Batting stances are unique, with many different factors at hand. While one batter might open his feet and put his hands low, another might stand with closed feet and high hands. It’s about finding the balance between comfort and results, which typically looks different from one batter to the next.
For the players at the 12U/13U National Team Identification Series in Cary, North Carolina, it’s no different. Some of the players have stuck with the same stance all their lives, while others switch it up regularly. A handful of players try to mimic Major League hitters, and some create their own distinctive stance. But at the end of the day, each player has one, and many of them have stories behind them.
Junior Lopez is at the NTIS Champions Cup with the 13U Southeast Stars. A few months ago, Lopez was playing around with his batting stance and decided to try to emulate one of his favorite MLB players, Aaron Judge. He tried it once and it worked, so Lopez has been mimicking the Yankees All-Star ever since.
“I like my batting stance a little wide, like Judge,” Lopez said. “I really try to do that because he has a lot of power and contact at the same time. I thought if I started putting my feet wide like Aaron Judge, I’d have a little more contact with the bat and more follow through.”
Lopez isn’t the only player at the NTIS who bases his stance on Judge’s. Finnian O’Loughlin, who plays for the 13U Northeast Stripes, also factors Judge’s stance into his when he’s at the plate.
“I used to have all my weight back and it wasn’t really working for me,” O’Loughlin said. “Now, when I put my bat on my shoulder, I’m able to get it up quicker. As I started to understand and get better a few years ago, I changed my stance. Sometimes, I try to mimic Judge.”
Andrew Talbert also tries to emulate the stance of an MLB All-Star – and a USA Baseball alum. Talbert, who is playing for the 13U Midwest Stars, bases his stance on Mike Trout’s, but without the leg kick. His mindset at the plate is to expect the fastball, and adjust to any other pitch.
“My coach showed me this stance about a year ago,” Talbert said. “I try to model it after Trout. My stance has probably changed about five times since I was younger. I’ve tried open, closed, not loading, but this stance works for me because if you’re ready for the fastball, you can hit any other pitch.”
While many of the athletes try to mimic the players they watch on television, others create their own stances or learn them from a coach. As the players have continued to grow and develop, their stances have done the same.
“My stance has changed at least once a year,” said Lincoln Boyle, who is playing for the 13U South Stars. “I just go with what I’m comfortable with and what my coaches have taught me, and I try to continuously repeat it. I think my current stance works well because I keep my hands level with the ball and I’m able to drive the ball better.”
Unlike Boyle, Archer Horn has maintained his stance for his entire baseball career.
“My stance doesn’t really come from anywhere specific,” Horn said. “I just try to keep it simple, with a limited leg kick. My stance has never changed.”
While all the players at the NTIS have different batting stances, they’re all coming to the plate with the same goal in mind: earning a chance to play for Team USA on the international stage.
So, whether their process is complicated or simple, uniquely their own or an homage to one of the greats, what matters is that it works for them as they fight to make an impression on the USA Baseball Task Force.
Because if they do, who knows? Those stances might even help them win a gold medal.
