There's no one-way street when it comes to being a good hitter with multiple theories and philosophies on approach and swing mechanics.  At the end of the day good hitters hit regardless of the circumstances around them and typically will find their way into a well-designed swing.  Over the course of my career I have coached or scouted multiple guys with un-orthodox approaches to the swing that seemingly always found themselves on the barrel.  Whether it's an old-school inside-out approach, big leg kick with launch angle tendencies, or even a "snap" swing that creates a ton of internet debate, you'll almost always find a few basic swing principles that all the good hitters have in common.  Getting yourself into an athletic position to launch, having strong balance throughout the swing, and getting extension through contact will always win in the box when paired with the right set of tools and strength.  The beauty of hitting is there are no-absolutes, other than people telling you there's only one way to be successful in the box are incredibly wrong.  Hitting will forever be one of sport's greatest art forms that connect basic principles of biomechanics and personalized "flair" to match up with being on time with the pitch.

Enter 2025 catcher from Choctaw Oklahoma Cash Williams.  If you walked up to Cash hitting in a cage or on-field BP, you might come away perplexed just by looking at the swing as to why he is one of the top hitting prospects in the country for the 2025 class.  This isn't the type of "picture perfect" swing hitting coaches dream of when working with a blank canvas.  However, as mentioned in the above paragraph there are a few things that all hitters have in common.  Williams is able to generate the type of consistent hard contact with some very basic skills in the swing, combining them with some incredibly athletic movements and a rare ability to sync up the body in a well-sequenced swing.  

 

 

As seen in the video above, Cash works a high leg kick to help generate some power and incorporate the lower half into the swing more effectively.  The high leg kick isn't for every hitter however, you have to have serious strength in the lower half to not only control the body while standing on one foot, but also have the strength to coordinate the timing on when to get the front foot down in time to start the attack.  One of the most important movements in any type of lower half load, but especially the high leg kick swing, is to keep the weight stacked closer to the center of gravity and inside the back knee.  In the video below you'll see even with the height of Cash's leg kick, he is still in full control of his body thanks to keeping his weight balanced and still in a position to drive forward through the swing.

 

 

One of my favorite movements in Cash's swing is his ability to begin to let the hands and core work together behind the body while keeping his front hip locked in towards the pitcher.  There are many theories on what is "separation" in the swing but I personally feel one of the best ways to generate power is through this movement here.

 

 

As you can see in the video above, Cash is able to generate a ton of force "behind" the swing by working the hands and core in unison but keeping his waist line pointed straight as long as possible.  This movement does two very important things especially for hitters with power.  First thing it does is allow the hitter to stay on pitches far longer with the barrel staying in the zone and in "contact" position in a larger area in the swing.  For good hitters like Cash, the book generally is to try and spin the ball away from him early and finish him inside to try and tie him up.  With him keeping the hips locked in longer, he is able to stay on the pitch away and attack it deeper in the zone which is why we saw him shoot multiple hard hit balls the other way in the 2022 Future Games.  The second thing it does is keeps him on pitches on the inner half without pulling off.  Even with the talent that Cash has, every hitter pulls off pitches at times.  However, by him not letting the front hip open too quickly, he is able to get more extension and in turn create more power on the inner half without having to sell-out for it.

So what happens when you generate all that force with the hands and the core working well in unison with a front hip locked in towards the pitcher?  The lower half has to go somewhere to maintain an athletic and balanced position so naturally the lower half works into a "scissor-like" motion.  

 

 

Players have used the scissor kick method in the lower half for a long time but has really gained popularity in the rise in power from the likes of Jose Altuve and Bo Bichette.  With the upper body and lower body working against each other with opposite forces to create as much torque as possible, the lower half naturally works into this position to help maintain balance.  This is not a call for every hitter to try an incorporate a scissor action in the lower half at contact however.  It is very easy to tell when you watch a hitter forcing the scissor because he's either trying to emulate a big-leaguer or has a hitting coach trying to create something that might not be there.  It needs to look and feel natural to the hitter in order for it to be a successful movement.  Cash is able to naturally make this movement not only for the sequences in the swing that we discussed prior, but also his high levels of strength and athleticism that he has shown in the past (6.61 laser timed 60).  

All of these movements add up to not only a well-designed swing, but also in the metrics as well.  Cash generated exit velocities during BP up to 99.4 mph and an impressive average of 89.1 mph across two rounds.  Having strong metrics are great and will always be a measuring tool on what type of player you could be.  But in the end, its all about what you can do when you're facing a live arm that is doing everything they can to miss your barrel that really counts. 

 

2025 C/OF ⁦@The_CashW⁩ (⁦@Jacketsball⁩) sends a breaking ball deep over the wall for a solo shot to LCF

Premium bat in the class showing big power this weekend

⁦@ShooterHunt⁩ I #PBRFG23 pic.twitter.com/CN2QbozaFZ

— PBR Oklahoma (@PBR_Oklahoma) July 28, 2023

 

Cash has cemented himself as not only one of the top catch and throw guys in the country thanks to tying his own previously held Future Games pop time record in 2023 at 1.78, but also as one of the more premium bats at a premium position that could fit in any lineup at the next level.

 

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