Don Mattingly's Hitting Is Simple: The ABC's of Batting .300 [Paperback]

Jim Rosenthal (Author), Don Mattingly (Author), Joe Torre (Preface), Rod Carew (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

Don Mattingly was one of the greatest offensive ballplayers of his generation. In 1985 he was the American League MVP and Player of the Year--a nine-time gold glove winner, a batting champion, and six-time all-star he remains today one of the most beloved Yankee first basemen of all-time. Now as the bench coach and former hitting instructor for the most successful sports franchise in history, he offers solid advice and instruction for young athletes around the world on how to hit a baseball.
With instructional photos throughout, and careful step-by-step instruction, DON MATTINGLY'S HITTING IS SIMPLE: THE ABC'S OF BATTING .300 covers all the fundamentals:
*proper balance and stance
*the mechanics of a sound swing
*reading pitchers and pitches
*how to hit to all fields
*drills to improve your timing
This all-ages guide to hitting a baseball by one of the Yankee greats is sure to become one of the most definitive books on hitting in years. 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

DON MATTINGLY was the long time great Yankee captains and 1985 AL MVP whose stellar career made him one of the most all-time popular ballplayers among fans and players alike.  A former hitting instructor for the New York Yankees, he now serves as their bench coach.
 
JIM ROSENTHAL is the author or co-author of several books, including Ichiro's Art of Playing Baseball, Randy Johnson's Power Pitching, Leo Mazzone's Pitch Like a Pro, Tony Gwynn's Total Baseball Player, Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible, and Kiana's Bodysculpting.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312366205
• ISBN-13: 978-0312366209
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #383,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Baseball

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good basic information, May 13, 2007

By 

Nitric Acid (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don Mattingly's Hitting Is Simple: The ABC's of Batting .300 (Paperback)

For a 12 year old, this is a great book. There are no complicated theories on hitting, linear vs. rotational, absolutes, swing planes, etc. The instruction is very basic, how to create a balanced workable stance, and some practice drills.

On the negative side, there are places in the book where the author will say something is very important, but not give you any idea of how to achieve it. This was especially true in the discussion of bottom hand, which was only a page, but I was left thinking "great, I know it's important, now tell me how it works." There is also a lot of filler. Pages of anecdotes about players, such as Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, etc., and career leaders in a number of hitting catagories.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don Mattingly. A hitting genius., May 26, 2007

By 

Ryan J. Badgley (Oneida, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don Mattingly's Hitting Is Simple: The ABC's of Batting .300 (Paperback)

What more to say. He is a great teacher and this book will help teach kids the art of hitting. It even gave me some pointers as well. A nice job by everyone involved on this project. I recomend it for anyone teaching kids how to hit.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mattingly's Hitting IS Simple, September 16, 2007

By 

S. CAMPBELL "little league coach" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don Mattingly's Hitting Is Simple: The ABC's of Batting .300 (Paperback)

This is a very informative book that teaches the simple techniques of Don Mattingly's style of hitting. It has great pictures showing the techniques and explains in detail how to be a better baseball hitter without being too complicated. It is great for the beginner or experienced batter looking to improve. I am using these techniques to coach my 10 year old and his Little League team and have seen much improvement in just a few weeks.