Schooled by Mattingly

Don Mattingly was a great hitter in his day. Once dubbed "The Hit Man" he uncorked over 2,100 hits while batting .307 and slugging .471 in a career marred by injuries. Donnie Baseball had a sweet left handed swing that floated through the strike zone like an eagle soaring in the sky. It was beautiful to watch and glorious to experience first hand. It is no surprise that he would eventually become a batting coach in the Major Leagues in his post-Baseball playing years.

What is a surprise, though, is that he didn't become the lifetime Yankee hitting coach. He was beloved in that state and continues, to this day, to be loved by Yankee fans across the country. To the joy of Dodger Nation, we get to experience the wisdom and majesty of this fine Baseball professional. He is retooling and educating our fine young sluggers to make the most of their abilities at the plate. I think the continued progress of players like Kemp and Ethier is a testament to his knowledge, skills and abilities.

Now, due to his founding of an aluminum bat company called Mattingly Baseball Bats he is sharing some of his hitting secrets with all of us. He has a series of 7 different instructional youtube videos available to view.

Below is the Mental Approach to an At-Bat.

YouTube Video Link:

Others in the series include:

• Grip and Hand Position
• Stance and Position in the Box
• Stride and Weight Transfer
• Swing and Follow Through
• Avoid Strikeouts with Good Contact
• Mental Approach to Practice and Drills

So get going young Padawan.