Losing velocity

He either had not recovered fully from his last outting or was doing something different in his delivery.  When was he dropping hands when hitting?  Dropping the hands on the load is ok.

He was not dropping his hands on the load. He starts his swing behind his back ear and loads and then seems to drop his hands forcing an uppercut swing.

       
       
as long as he is uppercutting at a 10-15 degree angle tell him to keep up the good work.  Hands dropping is normal and good.  What you need to be concerned about is where is the barrel of the bat.  Dropping is an issue when the barrel suddenly drops and then takes a long path to the ball.

My son, who is a freshman... today... was dropping his hands when he hit....He starts his swing behind his back ear and loads and then seems to drop his hands forcing an uppercut swing.

 

Is this typical for your son the past few years, or is it new?

This might help you understand more about what jolietboy was talking about.  If his hands start high, they will "drop" as back arm connects to back lat.  If he has a good body angle (axis), swinging slightly upward through the baseball is a good thing.

I think we need to define "hand dropping".

 

My definition of "hand dropping" as a description of a swing flaw is that the batter's hands drop vertically straight down from "A" to "B", pause for a fraction of a second at "B", and then launch the swing from "B".

I think Ted Williams was the one that pioneered the bat level with the plane of the ball (slight uppercut).  

 

He's doing what MLB players do.  Please post a pic of an MLB player that does not do this.

 

A video would be best here.  Otherwise we are all guessing.

Be careful.  The hand path and the bat head path are different.  The bat head crosses from a downward path to an upward path as the hands flip (top to bottom), not because the hands dip. 

I agree that the hand path and the bat path are different but I don't understand what you're trying to communicate about the hands flipping.

       
       
The problem with all these discussions we have (which I thoroughly enjoy so not criticizing) is terminology and interpretation.   Many people can wind up saying the same things different ways.  For example I would say hands have to flip and dip.  Clearly the hands come down and just as clearly the top hand does 'flip' to assume a lower position on all but the highest pitches.  Sort of like bat lag and bat drag.  One being good one being bad.  The term dipping itself has gotten a negative connotation over the years.  This is why I am a video guy.  Watch what the best do and get as close to that as possible.   And make sure you watch those that are in the 'norm' not the one offs like clayton kershaw.  Sorry can't think of an unorthodox hitter off the top of my head!

       
       
he is saying the top hand 'flips' to become the lower hand.  And that is what is most responsible for the head of the bat dropping at appropriate time and into the proper path.

The two hitting "flaws" I hear most from well-meaning parents is "he's dropping his hands" and "he's pulling his head when he swings." Note: this is not directed to the OP's analysis of his kid's problem necessarily.

 

"dropping hands:" If the hands disconnect from the shoulder/body when they drop, there is a problem, but if it is just a matter of the shoulder and body tilting the hands down into a good swing position,not only is it not a flaw, but it's a necessary component of a high level swing.

 

"pulling head:" What the parent sees is a swing and miss and the batter pulls his head. What they don't understand is that the swinging strike wasn't a product of pulling his head - pulling his head was just a product of the swing and miss. If you're following the ball correctly, your head is absolutely going to "pull" when you swing and miss.