Over the past two seasons he has become a tremendous hitter, period, batting .357 in 1994 and .317 this season. When he was a younger hitter, Albert tried to force the issue on every pitch. The last couple of years, he is taking pitches. He is willing to allow the pitcher to get to bad counts. When a pitcher does that, Albert has the ability to hurt him.
Belle appears to have a long swing, relying more on the arms than the wrists.
Not so, said Charlie Manuel, Cleveland's batting coach. When he brings back his arms, that's his timing mechanism. His hands are back in position to hid when the pitch is released. Pitchers used to think they could get him out by pitching him on his hands. This season, in a schedule cut short by 18 games, Belle became the first player to hit 50 home runs and 50 doubles in a season.