Albert Pujols never seems to flinch. He stands statue-still at the plate, his left shoulder pointed forward, his back straight, as if he's standing at attention. Pitchers try to tempt him with curveballs out of the strike zone, and he doesn't move. They throw shin-high fastballs, and he doesn't move. They aim changeups off the outside corner, and he doesn't move.
Hitting and pitching coaches say they can tell a lot about the comfort level of a batter by how he takes a pitch. If he rarely reacts, if he never looks awkward, then odds are that he's identifying the pitches right out of the pitcher's hand -- and perhaps even before then.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Buster Olney
