I just try to make contact with the ball. It's obvious that I like to swing the bat. I'm not thinking of taking a lot of pitches.
I always say that I think my job is behind home plate, call a good game, play some good defense, and also, I know I was not a power hitter.
I don't think I'm a home run hitter. Most of my home runs are line drives. If I hit it, thanks God. But it's not the kind of thing that I think about. I just go out there and try to have a better season than I had before. Home runs are not in my mind.
The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers.
I was able to play alongside, in my opinion, the best hitter with Miguel Cabrera and kind of watch the way he goes about it and the way he looks at situations, when to try to drive a ball versus when to shoot a ball.
I could hit the damn ball. No matter who was throwing. Or where the ball was. I left the bench swinging. I didn't get many walks.
I believe that you're a hitter first and you're a slugger second type deal.
I consider myself a line drive hitter with power. I just try to put my best swing on the ball every time.
I'm a good hitter for a pitcher.
I know Koufax' weakness. He can't hit.
What I need as a player is just to get at-bats, I think.
I'm going to consistently hit anywhere between .290 and .310. Anything above that, I'm catching breaks and finding holes.
There is no doubt that because I am a switch hitter I have one of the best offensive advantages that a hitter can have.
Hitting is the most important part of the game. It is where the big money is, where much of the status is, and the fan interest.
The leadoff-hitter thing, I think, it's always nice to have an established leadoff hitter and to have someone who can really get on base and set the tone.
I was kind of a slap hitter, trying to get base hits, hit line drives, stay below a certain trajectory with my ball.
I want to be the player who hits home runs, drives in runs.
I just want to become a great leadoff hitter.
You always expect to hit for more power.
The arc of Ken Griffey Jr.'s swing has gotten bigger than when he hit line drives. Juan Gonzalez is a terrific power hitter, too.
The old saying was, 'Boggs never drives in any runs.' I played in 155 games. I led off. That's 155 plate appearance where I come up with nobody on.
I know about winning batting titles.
The hits and the misses. I just want to keep the at-bats solid.
I have no idea what my batting average was in high school, but I know it wasn't below .450, and that's pretty good hitting where I come from.
On-base percentage is great if you can score runs and do something with that on-base percentage. Clogging up the bases isn't that great to me. The problem we have to address more than anything is the home run problem.
