Ichiro Suzuki was one of baseball's best contact hitters, consistently among the AL's leaders in at bats per strikeout.[1]
In baseball, a contact hitter is a hitter who does not strike out often. Thus, they are usually able to use their bat to make contact with the ball (hence the name contact hitter) to put it in play, and then run fast to reach base. As a result of their focus on putting the ball in play, they usually have fewer home runs than power hitters, but a higher BABIP.
Tony Gwynn is a leading example of a modern contact hitter. With just 135 career home runs, Gwynn described himself as a contact hitter who could hit to all fields. He rarely struck out (just 434 times, once every 21 at-bats) and his goal was to put the ball in play and move baserunners over. Gwynn's success as a contact hitter landed him in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Rod Carew is another example of a contact hitter who turned into a dominant MLB player, notching 18 all-star game appearances throughout his hall of fame career.
^Baseball-Reference.com - Ichiro Suzuki. Retrieved October 23, 2006.
In baseball, a contacthitter is a hitter who does not strike out often. Thus, they are usually able to use their bat to make contact with the ball (hence...
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no-hitter. Some play-by-play on-air announcers will also avoid mentioning the no-hitter until either an opposing batter gets a hit or the no-hitter is...
"People put a premium on the home-run hitters. I know what I am. I'm a contacthitter and not a home-run hitter ... I'm not going to try to be something...
adopted the designated hitter or some variant, except for Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. The designated hitter is a player who does not...
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whether to attempt a steal of second base. The hit and run is sometimes employed, with a skillful contacthitter, the runner takes off with the pitch, drawing...
with a home run and six RBIs in 109 at-bats. Schanuel is considered a contacthitter who tends to accrue singles at a higher rate than his peers. His batting...
assistant to the chairman in 2019. He is regarded as one of the greatest contacthitters and defensive outfielders in baseball history. In his combined playing...
announced his retirement on February 1, 2021. Pedroia was a proficient contacthitter with a very low strikeout rate and "a surprising amount of power," whose...
runner when one of the following happens: He hits the baseball into fair territory and is not put out, He hits into a fielder's choice, The defensive team...
bigger kid and has a little more power, Adrian is a little more of a contacthitter, but they had very similar styles of play ... We thought very highly...
contacthitter when coupled with his high batting averages. Edmonds did not hit any home runs through the first 17 games of the 1995 season, but hit six...
spanned 15 seasons. While lacking home run power, Kell was an outstanding contacthitter. He struck out only 287 times in 6,702 at-bats during his career, averaging...
pole. Pesky (playing 1942 to 1952, except for 1943 to 1945) was a contacthitter who hit just 17 home runs in his career (6 at Fenway Park). It's not known...
while posting career highs with 110 RBI, 201 hits and 46 doubles. He was a prototypical contacthitter, and struck out just 36 times in 719 plate appearances...
renowned for his smooth swing that made him a reliable "contact" hitter. Slaughter had 2,383 hits in his major league career, including 169 home runs, and...
his high-speed fastball. At the same time, he was an above-average contacthitter, which, combined with his effectiveness as a baserunner and his tenacious...
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