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Agustín Ramírez has a lot of ingredients that you look for in a high-level hitter.

His forward move is under control, he creates excellent separation between his lower body and upper body, and he rotates extremely well. The movement patterns are strong, and he consistently gets himself into good positions throughout the swing.

What’s interesting is that in 2026 he’s struggled against fastballs while handling breaking pitches very well.

That’s a notable change because in 2025 the opposite was true.

When I see a split like that, one of the first places I start looking is vision and vestibular function. A hitter who struggles to track movement in a particular direction will often have trouble with the pitch types that move in that direction from the hitter’s perspective.

For example, hitters who struggle to track upward movement often have difficulty staying on top of four-seam fastballs.

It’s also possible that Ramírez is simply hunting breaking balls right now. If that’s the case, it may make sense to occasionally change the approach so pitchers can’t pattern him as easily.

Regardless of the reason, the underlying movements are impressive.

The way he creates separation and rotates gives him the foundation of a hitter with significant offensive upside.

Want to learn how we evaluate vision, movement patterns, rotation, and swing efficiency with athletes from across the country?

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George Lombard Jr. is one of the best examples you’ll find of how improving movement quality can completely change a hitter’s offensive profile.

In 2025, his forward move was very lateral, with limited rotation around the rear femur. While lateral moves aren’t always bad, they often make it harder to control the speed of the move and the timing of rotation.

Fast forward to 2026, and Lombard is doing a much better job of coiling his pelvis as he strides. That added load creates a more elastic movement pattern and allows him to rotate with much greater efficiency.

The other major change is in the barrel.

His 2025 swing was relatively pushy. In 2026, he’s doing a much better job of pivoting the barrel around his hands, allowing him to get the barrel up to speed much faster.

This highlights an important concept:

Speed and quickness are not the same thing.

A swing can eventually reach a high bat speed but still take too long to get there. Quick swings reach peak speed rapidly, allowing hitters to make decisions later and recognize pitches longer.

That’s a huge advantage against high-level pitching.

George Lombard Jr.’s improvements in both his forward move and barrel delivery have made him a much quicker hitter, and the results are showing up on the field.

Want to learn how we evaluate and improve these same movements with hitters around the country?

Check out our remote hitting training at Ignite Baseball. Link in bio.

Luke Raley has some of the best bat speed in Major League Baseball. When he makes contact, the ball absolutely jumps off the bat.

The challenge? Too much swing and miss.

A lot of hitters today fall into the “damage over contact” category. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—if you’re trying to hit the ball hard, strikeouts are going to increase to some degree. But I think Raley could manage that tradeoff a little better.

✅ Elite bat speed
✅ High-end power
✅ Middle-of-the-field damage potential

One thing I’d like to see is keeping his head behind his belly button during the forward move. His head tends to drift forward, which speeds up the stride and makes it harder to see the ball and adjust late.

I’d also like to see him become more selective. His best swings happen on pitches in the middle of the zone.

When he expands low or chases toward the edges, the swing-and-miss rate climbs quickly.

Remember: major league pitches move. If a pitch looks middle-middle out of the hand, it probably won’t finish there. If it looks like it’s on the corner, it’s probably off the plate.

If Raley can hunt pitches that start in the middle of the zone and leave everything else alone, I think the contact rate improves while still preserving the power that makes him so dangerous.

Need help improving your swing? Check out our remote hitting training program at Ignite Baseball. We work with hitters across the country through personalized video analysis, drill progressions, and ongoing coaching.

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Rainiel Rodriguez is one of the most interesting prospects in the Cardinals organization right now.
He’s hitting the cover off the ball and walking at an extremely high rate for such a young hitter 👀
What jumps out most to me mechanically is his rotation ✅
He does a great job creating stretch between the lower body and upper body, which helps him create power while keeping the upper body connected through the zone.
I also really like his command of his forward move.
You can see him make adjustments based on count context:
• Two strikes → wider base and shorter move
• Count leverage → more freedom to load backward and move forward
One thing we always look for is whether the backward move happens early enough to give the forward move time to happen functionally. Rodriguez seems to manage this really well right now, but it’ll be interesting to see how it holds up as he climbs through the minor leagues.
Long term, I’m curious whether the Cardinals keep him behind the plate or eventually move him to a corner spot to preserve the bat.
Rotation ✅
Forward Move ✅
Adjustability ✅
Hit Tool 👀
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Today we’re looking at the swing of Matt Carpenter.
There’s a reason Carpenter had such a long and productive major league career.
✅ Forward move
✅ Vision
✅ Rotation
✅ Barrel acceleration

One of the biggest things Carpenter did well was move forward slowly and under control.
That sounds simple, but it’s one of the most important skills in hitting.
Slow forward moves create quick swings.
Quick swings allow late decisions.
Late decisions are usually better decisions because you know more about the pitch.
He also did a great job keeping his eyes and head stable while rotating his pelvis ahead of his chest.

That separation creates stretch and helps generate power without forcing the movement.
Another thing that jumps out is how quickly he accelerates the barrel.
Watch the beginning of the swing.
The barrel almost disappears.
Part of that is older video quality—but part of it is pure quickness.
One underrated trick when studying old footage: barrel blur can actually tell you a lot about how efficiently a hitter creates speed.

One thing people may notice is Carpenter’s hands work lower during the swing.
Normally I prefer hands staying a little higher…
…but dropping the hands isn’t automatically bad.
It becomes a problem when the hands drop BEFORE the barrel pivots.

Carpenter did a great job letting the barrel swivel underneath first and then allowing the hands to work lower—which kept the swing efficient and quick.
Not every unconventional movement needs to be fixed.

Want your swing analyzed using the same framework we use with advanced hitters?

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Today we’re looking at the swing of Colson Montgomery.
There’s a ton to like here.
✅ Forward move
✅ Rotation
✅ Adjustability potential
Montgomery does an excellent job moving forward early and smoothly, which gives him more time to make late decisions.
Quick swings matter.
Late decisions are usually better decisions because you simply know more about the pitch.
He also rotates at an extremely high level. His pelvis and upper body work together extremely well to create stretch and release — one of the major building blocks for producing power at the highest levels.
Mechanically?
There are basically zero things I would change.

That said, when you dig into the numbers, there’s still some swing and miss in the profile and breaking pitches can create some problems.
But this is where a lot of hitters get it wrong.
Not every performance problem is a mechanical problem.
If we were working with Montgomery, I’d focus less on changing his swing and more on improving adjustability.
One drill I’d experiment with would be starting from landing position and learning to feel a little more pressure into the lead leg so he can sink into breaking balls and stay adjustable without changing the movement pattern.

Approach matters too:
→ Slider guy → force them to attack inner 2/3
→ 12–6 curveball guy → hunt upper 2/3 and avoid chasing low
At the highest levels, the gains usually come from decision-making and adjustability — not rebuilding the swing.
Want your swing analyzed using the same framework we use with high-level hitters?

Check out Ignite Remote Hitting on our website.
We’ll break down your swing, build an individualized plan, give ongoing video feedback, and help you improve without guessing.

Today we’re looking at the swing of Alex Rios, one of the more underrated hitters of the 2000s.
Rios had an extremely smooth and athletic swing pattern.
One thing I really like is how early he performs his backward movement.
He used a backward toe tap where he’d bring his feet close together, see the beginning of the delivery, and then make the move forward.
A lot of hitters try to do that backward move while the baseball is already in the air or right before release, and honestly, that’s usually the kiss of death.
It creates rushed movements, poor timing, and a swing that constantly feels hurried.
Rios did a really good job of completing the backward move early so he could control the move forward much more effectively.
That said, I do think his forward move could have been a little slower.
His move forward happens pretty aggressively, and when hitters move forward too quickly, it often creates a rushed feeling that causes them to be earlier than they actually want to be.
Rios also rotated at a really high level.
Watch how much separation he creates between the lower half and upper half during the turn.
That separation is a huge reason why he was able to generate so much effortless bat speed.
One thing I still think could have improved was his ability to keep the hands up and back slightly longer during rotation.
Overall though, Rios was an extremely athletic hitter with a very fluid and natural swing pattern.
If you want help improving your swing mechanics, timing, and barrel control, check out our remote hitting training on our website.

Today we’re looking at the swing of Franklin Arias.
Arias looks like he could be the shortstop of the future for the Boston Red Sox, and he’s currently hitting at an extremely high level in minor league baseball.
His swing actually reminds me a lot of a young Gleyber Torres.
Like Torres, Arias uses a backward move at the beginning of the stride, but still does a really good job of getting into the front hip and controlling the move forward.
He also has elite barrel-to-ball skills, which tends to translate at just about every level of baseball.
One thing I do notice mechanically is that he uses more of a pushing action with the back leg to initiate rotation.
In my opinion, that can create some issues because it leaves the back leg behind the body and pushes the head forward during the turn.
Personally, I’d rather see him pull the back leg underneath him during rotation so he can keep the head back behind the baseball more effectively.
That said, when a hitter is performing at the level Arias currently is in the minor leagues, there’s always a chance that no adjustment is necessary at all.
The barrel accuracy, timing, and overall feel to hit are extremely advanced for his age.
If you want help improving your swing mechanics, timing, and barrel accuracy, check out our remote hitting training on our website.

Today we’re looking at the swing of Jac Caglianone.
Caglianone has some of the best bat speed and power numbers in baseball right now. And with that kind of explosiveness, it’s not uncommon to also see elevated swing-and-miss rates.
There are a lot of elite movements in this swing.
✅ Forward move
✅ Head stability
✅ Rotation
✅ Separation
Watch how his pelvis stretches away from his rib cage during the move forward. That separation creates a massive amount of potential energy and is a huge reason why he hits the ball so hard.
The biggest adjustment I’d make is I’d like to see the barrel accelerate a little earlier and resist forearm rollover through contact a little longer.
The aggressive forearm roll absolutely helps create bat speed and power — but it can also sacrifice direction.
And power is definitely not something Caglianone lacks.
I’d rather see him keep the top palm facing up through the zone slightly longer so the barrel stays through the baseball instead of rolling over so quickly.
Extreme bat speed often comes with strikeouts.
Bat speed is kind of like height in basketball. You need enough of it to compete at the highest level — but the best hitter isn’t necessarily the hitter with the absolute most bat speed.
If you want help improving your swing mechanics, approach, and bat speed, check out our remote hitting training on our website.

Great play at 2nd base from Tyler Hamilton! .rhamilton7