Apologies if this has been covered, but I couldn't find any discussions on VEB regarding Colby Rasmus' batter's box positioning...



note how pretty much everyone else stands at or near the back of the box...

It's not something he's always done. Here's Colby in 2007 standing further back in the box:

Photo courtesy of Dustin Mattison, via Whiteyball

Now follow his move to the front in 2009...


4/7/09 (big league debut)


5/6/09


7/1/09


7/1/09


7/29/09


9/2/09

I suppose there are certain advantages to standing in the front of the box, but it would appear that most professional hitters have concluded it's best to trade those advantages for that extra fraction of a second's worth of reaction time that comes with standing in the back of the box...











It would appear that Colby's been hitting from the front of the batter's box since his June hot streak. Honestly, if he's more comfortable up there and that makes him a better major league hitter for this 2009 club, great - but if Colby wants to evolve into an elite lefthanded hitter, he'd be wise to emulate the best...




photo courtesy: Baseball Historian