Home Run Distance

Nice post...interesting. Bat Rolling article

Im not sure how reliable those old distances are. The guys certainly had power but in the time of mantle, ruth and williams weightlifting basically was non existent. They did some push ups and jumping jacks and that was basically their fitness training (many of them did hard manual labor as teens though).

Williams was like 180 at 6"3 so it is hard to believe that he would hit balls farther than trout or stanton who are like 240.

Ted was a student of the game. He studied the pitchers had a knowledge of each pitcher and the situations. Of course the excellent eye sight was a asset. The greatest asset was his questions.

see this article https://www.si.com/vault/1986/.../a-real-rap-session#

During our Area Code games and Goodwill Series events the scouts would related to me many Ted Williams stories.

Bob Williams

Home run distance...?

From the bat to just over the wall in flight..................anything after that is just semantics.....they are all HR's at that point............. 

But power sends pop ups over the wall with the big hitters...or poor contact Bat Rolling

Dominik85 posted: Im not sure how reliable those old distances are. The guys certainly had power but in the time of mantle, ruth and williams weightlifting basically was non existent. They did some push ups and jumping jacks and that was basically their fitness training (many of them did hard manual labor as teens though).

Williams was like 180 at 6"3 so it is hard to believe that he would hit balls farther than trout or stanton who are like 240.

Many of them did hard manual labor in the off-season too!

 So bat speed and bat mass have nothing what-so-ever to do with it. It’s only physical size and strength.

Consultant posted:

The greatest asset was his questions.

 

Sorry, his greatest asset was he could hit the piss out of anything thrown in his direction.  Unless he was asking the ball to go further . . . . .

Dominik85 posted:

Im not sure how reliable those old distances are. The guys certainly had power but in the time of mantle, ruth and williams weightlifting basically was non existent. They did some push ups and jumping jacks and that was basically their fitness training (many of them did hard manual labor as teens though).

Williams was like 180 at 6"3 so it is hard to believe that he would hit balls farther than trout or stanton who are like 240.

How far is the red seat? www.bostonspastime.com/redseat.html

There is really strong contemporaneous evidence that Williams in fact hit a ball to the red seat. Good article on it here: www.bostonglobe.com/sports/201...sf0lwABiK/story.html

Interestingly, the article details how winds that day were 18 - 24 mph, and it details the necessary exit velocity (115 mph) with a 21 mph wind.

"TRUE STORY"; Ted during a late September game when the opposing pitcher a "Rookie" was the starting pitcher. Ted went thru his Red Sox dugout asking the following questions.

Does anyone know this pitcher, what does he throw 3-1; 2-0; how many inches does he curve break; what is his "change up".

No one knew the pitcher. Ted strikes out. The Rookies after the game enters the Red Sox locker room and ask Ted Williams to sign the special strikeout ball. Two weeks later the same pitcher and Williams now prepared hit a "long" HR into the second deck. Running around the bases Williams "yelled" at the pitcher.

"Kid go get the dam baseball and I will sign it".

Yes, Williams asked questions of opposing players, his teammates, the umpires, sports writers. He could slow the game.

Bob Williams