Q.  Compared to a "basic" major league swing, what are the points-of-difference with Casper Wells?

A.  The points of difference are that he has a quieter path to and through the ball, dead-lake calm, and that he uses brute strength to generate sting despite.

Think of a PGA pro, using a 3-iron off the tee, drawing his club back only knee-high.  ... He would gain tremendous precision, accuracy, and consistency, but his power would be unacceptable.

Now, what if a guy were so strong that he could afford to do that and still hit the ball an average distance compared to other PGA pro's?

That's Casper Wells' claim to fame.  He's a powerful guy, choosing to play with precision.

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Again, check this video, put your cursor on the 0:30 mark, and replay it ten times.  There simply is no such thing as a quieter or more compact swing.  He's got the "CALM" dial turned up to 11.  The wonder is that he gets any juice on the ball.

It's not an isolated incident.  That's his swing.

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Q.  Who are current players like this?

A.  For those of you who are interested in Vinnie Catricala, this is precisely why Vinnie is batting .350 with a .600 SLG.

Catricala's swing is also comically short to the ball, with a dartplayer's quietness in the head.  But Vinnie stretches the hands back, the front foot forward, enough to get the tension to sting the ball.

Vinnie also, by the way, has a dubious EYE -- 5:19 in double A baseball.  EYE ratio is one piece of data to consider.  It's not the only thing to consider.

And Catricala, by the way, shares with Casper Wells the fact that the scouts hated him and that neither player was an early bloomer.  You wanted Catricala at the front of the line?  Here you go.  Casper Wells is an accelerated take on Vinnie Catricala.

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Richie Sexson, of course, exploited his natural leverage to take an absurdly-short path to the ball.  

There are dissimilarities now ... Sexson was a physical freak.  But it's interesting to note that Sexson also had highly questionable EYE ratios.  All the way up to, and through, his 36 HR's per season, lifetime.

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Mike Schmidt and Johnny Bench were the pinnacles of this RH hitting style.  Here's the EYE ratio again... Schmidt did walk, but gentlemen, in the year 1975, you had 180 strikeouts like Schmidt did, and you were quite an air conditioner.

Bench's EYE ratios weren't in this category, but he struck out a lot for his era.

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Mike Morse has a swing in this category -- RH, short to the ball, use physical strength to get zip on the ball -- and his EYE ratios are a perfect match for Wells', in the minors and majors.  Very similar age-arc, too.

Miguel Olivo uses brute strength with little load, but he's not quiet and smooth the way these other guys are.  He's a volcanic eruption when he goes after the ball.

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Q.  Does this swing apply at different spots around the strike zone?

A.  Pretty much.  Wells keeps his head still when going down below the knees, keeps it about the same place when taking a pitch the other way, and so on.

If he can hit the ball hard enough, it's a great swing.  He's almost cheating.

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Q.  Dr's Prognosis?

A.  I have a real fondness for this type of approach, since it's the one I personally use in every sport possible ... compact, quick movements, using raw power (where possible) to make up the difference.  (For LrkrBoi29 I should probably clarify that it hasn't worked as well for me as it has for Marshawn Lynch.)

Casper Wells has three outcomes:  a LO, a MID, an HI.  I've got real enthusiasm for finding out where his swing advantages can take him.