part II - I don't like to label kids, especially since patience can be as much a factor of a pitcher who cannot find the plate. Conversely, a player who consistently puts the ball in play on the first 2-3 pitches can be labelled aggressive.
I tend to study positive and negative counts and adjust accordingly. Few teams are successful if they are constantly hitting in a negative count. Conversely, if our pitchers get ahead early and can work in negative counts, we tend to have success.
Now, for the record, my son is a VERY patient hitter. He routinely leads the team in walks and usually was in the top 3 in QAB from GC because of seeing alot of pitches. He routinely takes until he gets a strike and works the pitcher deep into the count. It's a good thing he can hit an off-speed pitch. I personally think he takes too many pitches, and in particular too many good pitches (and sometimes he takes the BEST pitch). On the other hand, he is a career HSV .394 hitter, so how can I argue with him?