As children growing up, there was no shortage of fun batting stances you could imitate when playing with your friends. However, these are the most memorable batting stances in MLB history that will live on forever.
C – Mickey Tettleton (Tigers, Orioles, Rangers, A’s)
With an OPS north of .800, his offensive game was a factor in the middle of the lineup, a premium to have at the catcher position. Tettleton’s batting stance was everchanging, but his most unique one had him holding the bat horizontally at his waist.
1B – Jeff Bagwell (Houston Astros)
It would help to have some gymnastics skills in your background to do Jeff Bagwell’s stance justice. The Hall of Fame first baseman for the Houston Astros crouched down with his legs separated as far as possible. It’s hard to imagine even hitting the ball, let alone his .368 batting average in his MVP season of the strike-shortened 1994 campaign.
2B – Joe Morgan (Cincinnati Reds)
Part of making this list was being a good ballplayer, so Joe Morgan gets the nod over Craig Counsell at second base. The two-time MVP had his signature flap when he stepped into the box, waving his left arm like he was beating a drum. It worked, considering Morgan is arguably the greatest second baseman ever.
3B – Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red Sox)
When the “Greek God of Walks” decided not to reach base from a base on balls, he employed a bizarre batting stance. The Youker would keep his bottom hand on the bat while using the other to gently stroke the bat until the pitch came. Somehow, it worked well, considering his career .861 OPS.
SS – Julio Franco (Pretty Much Everyone)
Not only did Julio Franco suit up for eight teams and play until he was 48 years old, but he also played all over the diamond. It was impossible not to include the man with a career average of .298, so shortstop it is.
If you were a child of the 80s, 90s, or even the 2000s, you tried your best to emulate Franco’s contortion-like batting stance. Even though Franco was barely over 160 pounds, he knew that a 36-ounce bat was the best for his game, socking over 2500 hits in 23 seasons.
OF – Eric Davis (Cincinnati Reds)
Eric Davis put together some of the most impressive single-seasons in baseball history. In 1987, Davis had a .991 OPS while stealing 50 of the 56 stolen bases he attempted. He did this with a stance that mirrored a Starting Lineup action figure. Essentially, Davis was the inverse of Tettleton, holding the bats vertically in the air like a child holding a balloon string.
OF – Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle Mariners)
It’s not so much that Junior’s stance was unique; it’s more so that everyone wanted to mimic it growing up. Only “The Kid” could have had that smooth swing, no matter how many times we tried to mirror it.
OF – Gary Sheffield (Also Pretty Much Everyone)
Gary Sheffield bounced around the league the way the bat did in his batting stance. While he was fantastic everywhere he played, most people remember Sheffield for the waggling of his bat before the pitch. Somehow, he mastered the timing and his over 500 home runs in his career.
There’s your starting lineup for the most memorable batting stances in MLB history. Often imitated and never duplicated.