Successful hitters can come in all shapes and sizes, and no two approaches in the batter’s box are the exact same. However, some MLB players have pushed the limits on awkwardness with unorthodox batting stances that can throw off pitchers or generate power in unique ways.
Having a nuanced batting stance can mess with a hitter’s focus and consistency, but it can also maximize their ability to square up and smack the baseball. We took a look at which MLB players consistently broke the mold and differentiated themselves with memorable batting stances.
THE 10 MOST ICONIC BATTING STANCES OF ALL-TIME
10. Rod Carew
Rod Carew, baseball great, shown batting for the Minnesota Twins the year he almost hit .400. (Photo By KENT KOBERSTEEN/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Carew had an awkward stance with his lead leg and back leg not in line with one another, as some lefties do to give themselves a head start to first base. He also held the bat at about a 15-degree angle so that the barrel was basically even with his chest. It allowed him to get the bat around quicker and hit for contact with line drives and hard ground balls. He led the MLB in hits in 1974 and 1977, and had the best batting average in the league in four separate seasons of his career. He had a batting average under .300 in only four of his 19 seasons.
9. Jeff Bagwell
Jeff Bagwell #5 of the Houston Astros hits a single in the first inning of Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals October 20, 2004 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo By Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Bagwell may have had the widest stance of any batter with his legs well beyond shoulder-width apart. He also bent his legs in a near crouch, minimizing the strike zone for the 6-foot first baseman. Bagwell said that the influence for his stance came from Tony Gwynn. Bagwell could hit for power and contact. His best season came in 1994 when he slashed .368/.451/.750 with 147 hits, 39 home runs and 116 RBIs on his way to winning the American League MVP award.
8. Craig Counsell
Craig Counsell held his bat pretty high above his head during his playing career. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Counsell, who now manages the Chicago Cubs, held the bat extremely high above his shoulder and pointed the barrel back toward the pitcher. He noted that it helped him square up the baseball. It helped him to become a decent contact hitter as he adopted the stance midway through his career and had a batting average above .250 during the 12 seasons after he changed up his approach.
7. Kevin Youkilis
Boston Red Sox’s Kevin Youkilis tied the game at 5-5 with his 2 run HR in the 5th inning as the Boston Red Sox play the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on Tuesday, April 22, 2008. Staff Photo by Matthew West. (Photo by Matthew West/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
Youkilis held his bat similar to Counsell — above his head with the barrel directed forward. However, his stance was as weird as it gets with his feet essentially touching, whereas most hitters’ feet are shoulder-width apart. You’d think it would be tough to generate power and bat speed with such a minimal, thin and weak base, but Youkilis had a batting average that surpassed .300 in three separate seasons and hit over 25 home runs twice.
6. Tony Batista
Toronto Blue Jay Tony Batista watches his solo home run head over the wall against the Baltimore Orioles during eighth inning action in Toronto, 23 July, 2000. The Jays beat the Orioles 4-1. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Aaron Harris (Photo by AARON HARRIS / AFP) (Photo credit should read AARON HARRIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Batista’s batting stance was as unorthodox as it gets. His chest essentially faced the pitcher with his lead leg almost parallel to his back leg. He also wagged the bat in front of his face as the pitcher went through their stretch. Maybe it was an intimidating strategy or a way to help him focus. Regardless, it worked as Batista was a two-time All-Star who hit over 30 home runs in four separate seasons.
5. Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Ohtani’s batting stance doesn’t appear as weird as others on this list, but it’s certainly unique. He holds the bat at nearly a 180-degree angle, out in front of his face. Before he swings, though, his whole body jerks backwards simultaneously to generate more power. The stance itself seems like more of a timing technique. Ohtani’s become arguably the best hitter in baseball, especially over the last few seasons. Since the start of the 2023 season, he’s slashed .301/.396/.641, and won back-to-back MVP awards.
4. Ichiro Suzuki
Seattle Mariners Ichiro Suzuki (L) takes the field as Mariners manager Lou Piniella (C) looks on during sixth-inning of play of their game against the Kansas City Royals in Seattle, 25 July 2001. Ichiro went 1-for-4 as the Royals won 5-1. AFP PHOTO/Dan LEVINE (Photo by DAN LEVINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read DAN LEVINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Nobody stood in the batter’s box like Suzuki did. His knees were inverted, pointing toward one another in a way that seemed uncomfortable. He also stuck his lead leg out toward first base, and was one of the quickest hitters to get out of the batter’s box in MLB history. Suzuki had a batting average of over .300 for his first nine seasons, and won the American League batting title twice.
3. Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds #25 of the San Francisco Giants launches his 762nd career home run off of Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies in the first inning to give the Giants a 2-0 lead over the Rockies at Coors Field on September 5, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Bonds’ batting stance and approach were designed purely for power. His bat dipped low and swung up as he tried to power balls high in the air and out of the park. His entire body shifted backward, and he lifted his lead leg before swinging to add even more power. If power was what Bonds was going for, then he exceeded his expectations. Bonds is MLB’s all-time leader in home runs with 762.
2. Gary Sheffield
Gary Sheffield #10 of the New York Mets hits his 500th career home run in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17, 2009 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Sheffield didn’t hold his bat as high as Counsell and Youkilis did, but he got it up there. He also moved and wagged the bat as much as anyone, which is advised against because it can lead to inconsistency. But, it helped Sheffield focus and add power to his swing. He had a career batting average of .292 and ranks 27th all-time in home runs, with 509.
1. Ken Griffey Jr.
The Cincinnati Reds’ Ken Griffey Jr. follows through his swing for his 600th career home run in the first inning against the Florida Marlins. The Reds defeated the Marlins, 9-4, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida, Monday, June 9, 2008. (Photo by Joe Rimkus Jr./Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Griffey Jr.’s stance didn’t necessarily look weird, but it was impressive how much power he could produce with where his swing started. He didn’t have any wasted movement backwards and generated power with his wrists and forward momentum. Griffey Jr. ranks 7th all-time in MLB history in home runs with 630 and won the American League MVP award in 1997 when he led the league with 147 RBIs.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Eric Davis
- Moises Alou
- Pete Rose
- Stan Musial
- Julio Franco
- Rickey Henderson
- Aaron Rowand
- Joe Morgan
- Albert Belle
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